5

Maybe I'd been blinding myself to it before. Maybe I'd never wanted to suspect it. But sitting there on that bed, breathing hard and trembling from that dream that was apparently all too real, I knew that I'd just learned a very harsh truth. Chris wasn't any child of a Fallen. He was the son of one of the most feared Fallen out there.

He was Jade's son.

Chris froze as I said those words out loud. I knew he'd heard me. His eyes had widened with shock.

"What did you..." he started.

I jerked back on the bed, feeling the pain in my left arm where Jade had grabbed me in that dream.

"You're that other Fallen's son! Jade's your father!" I repeated in disbelief.

I couldn't believe that I hadn't connected it before. He knew far too much about this to just be another Shadow Wing. Jade must have told him everything at some point, and looking at those different colored eyes, I realized that the green one looked exactly like Jade's. He even looked a bit like him, although his hair was lighter and his features were softer.

Chris sat back, looking defeated, "I take it he decided to show himself." he muttered. He didn't sound happy as he realized this.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? You know who I am, and you knew that he might come after me. You know he hates my father for what he did before." I said in shock.

"Look, it's not exactly something I like admitting to." Chris defended.

"Didn't you think that it was kind of important this time?!"

I couldn't believe any of this. Maybe I'd made a huge mistake in trusting Chris. Maybe he was getting ready to lead me into some sort of trap.

Chris tried to reason with me, "Come on, don't start that. Just calm down and listen to me."

"Why should I calm down?!" I demanded as I leaned back against the headboard of the bed, "What do you really want with me in this? Where are you really taking me?"

"I told you we're going to Baton Rouge to see Zane. It's going to be the safest place for you when you change." Chris answered. He reached over and gently touched my arm. To my surprise, it began feeling better almost immediately, "Look, just because he happens to be my father doesn't mean that I have to obey him or be anything like him. I haven't even seen Jade in over ten years now, and to be perfectly honest with you, I don't want to see him. He's probably just pissed off because of that as well as me deciding to come get you myself."

Okay, so that did make a little bit of sense when he put it that way, but I still didn't feel comfortable about any of this. I was sitting in a motel room with the son of the Fallen who had once worked with my father and was betrayed by him. This was the same Fallen that basically said that I should've never been born in the first place.

I pushed myself off the bed and went over to the door, "I'm not staying in here right now. I need some air."

Chris didn't try to stop me as I left the room. Guess he figured out that I needed the space.

I walked slowly down the darkened hallway, making my way to the stairs as I rubbed my upper arm. It was still sore, but not half as bad. I guessed that Chris had somehow healed some of the bruising when he touched it. I let out a long, exhausted sigh as I went down the stairs. Could I really stay with him knowing what I did? I wasn't sure now. It was hard for me to trust him, not to mention fight off the fears that Jade would show up again and come after me. I shivered as I thought of how cold and calculating his words were. If what he'd told me was true, then I wasn't safe anywhere.

I stepped outside and leaned against the brick wall of the motel. I knew that I had another problem too. I couldn't get back home that easily if I chose not to stay with Chris. I had no money with me, and I wasn't even sure of where I was. Even if I called my mother, I couldn't tell her where to come, and with what Chris was, would he even let her take me back?

I shook my head. I felt helpless now.

As I stood there with all these thoughts racing through my mind, I slowly became aware of an odd sound. It was like clicking against concrete. I lifted my head, slowly looked around. The sound was near me, but higher. I put a hand over my head as small pebbles suddenly rained down on me. I followed the wall upwards to see where they'd come from.

I couldn't believe what I saw when I did. High up on the side of the motel was a woman who seemed to be climbing there. She was holding onto the wall and crawling up it, trying to look into each of the windows. She was dressed in a tattered and stained white dress and had unruly dark hair that fell down her back and obscured her face. Her long nails were digging into the concrete, making the sound that I had been hearing as she moved.

I stood very still as I watched her. There was no way she was human. Slowly, I took a step back. I had to get back inside without her seeing me.

I tried to move quietly, slinking back towards the nearby door. But as I opened it, it suddenly squeaked. The woman quickly turned her head to the sound, though I still couldn't make out her face because of her hair. A grunt came from her as she quickly began climbing down towards me.

I raced inside, trying to run back to my room. Hopefully, I could get there in time to get Chris to open the door or maybe even be lucky enough to find him standing in the hallway. Even if he was Jade's son, he was my only hope for protection.

But as I reached the top of the second flight of stairs, my foot was grabbed and I fell forward. I was pulled back as I landed on the floor. I somehow managed to flip onto my back and screamed as a weight was pressed down on me. The woman crawled over me, sitting on my waist. Her long, nasty hair tickled my face and chest as she leaned down towards me. I could feel her hot breath on my face as I closed my eyes. This was it. I was going to die there. I should've just stayed in that room with Chris.

All at once I heard the woman let out a shriek, and she jumped off of me. I felt something warm splatter on my face and chest, and the next thing I knew, I was being lifted up and held against a warm body. I opened my eyes and looked up to see that it was Chris holding me against him with one arm.

Near us, the woman stood up and growled. That was when I realized that Chris was holding a sword with black flames coming off the blade. It glowed in the dim light of the stairwell. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I looked back at the woman and realized that there was dark blood on her dress.

"Just stay close and walk backwards slowly. This should be enough to keep her at bay." Chris whispered, keeping a tight hold against my back.

The flames on his sword seemed to glow a bit brighter, and the woman dropped to the floor on her hands and feet, crawling backwards a few steps.

I managed to nod, looking away from her as I began moving back with him. After what felt like forever, we finally made it back to our room. The woman was still following, crawling up and down the walls. Chris gently let me go, reaching behind me to slip the key into the door. As soon as it unlocked, he turned the handle and swung it open.

"Quick. Get inside." he instructed.

I did as he asked without hesitation. Chris backed in there, then slammed the door shut, making sure it locked. Once he was certain of that, he held up the sword and it disappeared in a quick burst of black flame into his hand.

"Looks like I made that one just in time." he breathed.

I stood there, still in shock from all of it. It barely registered that I'd almost been killed out there. All I knew was that I had just seen some kind of evil creature that had nearly finished me off. It was almost too much for me to take. First that dream and now this thing.

Chris seemed to understand my shock. The next thing I knew, he'd pulled me into a tight hug.

"Hey, come on. Don't lose it on me now." he whispered.

I closed my eyes, leaning into the embrace and wrapping my arms around him, "I can't keep doing this." I heard myself whisper.

"Yes, you can. This is part of who you really are, and you're not able to avoid these things. It'll get easier once you awaken." Chris promised me.

A scratching sound came from the other side of the door. The two of us looked over at it, but it stopped abruptly.

"She's still out there." I whispered, holding onto Chris tighter.

"Don't worry about it. She can't get in here, and she'll be gone by dawn." Chris told me.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"The ones like her hate the sunlight. It blinds them and zaps most of their strength. That's part of the reason I keep saying that it's not a good idea to be outside once total darkness falls. The things like her thrive in it. But they're also a dime a dozen, so they're not really worth the effort of a kill. It's better to just stay in and let them pass with the night." Chris explained.

"I guess." I breathed, not bothering to move yet. I felt so comforted and safe being close to him.

Chris lifted my chin, looking at my face, "Hey, let's get you cleaned up."

I didn't realize until then that I had that thing's blood on me. Looking down at my top, I could see the dark stains there.

Just great, I thought. I get new clothes and the first top is ruined by a monster.

It didn't take me very long to clean myself up with another shower. I probably hadn't needed to do that much, but I felt dirty with that nasty blood on me. Peeking out of the bathroom afterwards, I saw Chris making sure that the window blinds were completely closed and draping a blanket over them. He wasn't taking any chances on that thing being able to see inside.

I trembled slightly as I stepped out of the bathroom. Even before that dream, I didn't think I ever would've imagined that he was Jade's son. I wasn't that sure that I even wanted to know that. Maybe it was because I didn't want to look at Chris any differently.

Chris turned around as I stood there, "You don't need to worry about her now. Like I said, she can't get in here, and she won't be able to look in now either." he promised me. He sounded gentler now. At least more than I'd heard him be since we'd met.

"Thanks." I whispered, looking down at the floor. A part of me felt guilty for running out of there like I had. If things had turned out a little differently back there, he might have gotten hurt or even worse I might have gotten myself killed.

Chris stepped over in front of me, looking a bit exasperated, "Will you please stop blaming yourself about that? I told you before not to worry about it. It's happened and it's over with. Now let's try to get some rest. We've got a long drive tomorrow."

"All right." I reluctantly agreed.

I crawled back into my bed, curling up in the covers and closing my eyes. As much as I tried, sleep wasn't coming easily. Shifting here and there, I tried to turn my mind off and tune out the occasional scratching sounds just outside of the door, but nothing I did seemed to help. It didn't help either that I felt like all the shadows were melting and shifting in my vision every time I opened my eyes. No doubt it was from the trauma of what had just happened to me.

I lifted my head a bit, "Chris?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't sleep."

I heard him grunt, then get up. He came over and laid beside me.

"I didn't really think you would. It's hard to sleep after something like that. Take it from someone who knows." he whispered as he faced me.

"No kidding." I sighed.

"I guess you're not still mad at me." Chris noted as I moved to curl up against him.

"What do you mean?"

"About me not telling you about my father."

He just had to remind me. But I was also thinking straighter now, "I guess I can get why you wouldn't tell me before. But seriously, you know a lot about what happened back then, don't you?"

"I know a good deal of it." Chris admitted. He put an arm around me as we laid together, "It's something that's been passed around between us Shadow Wings for a while now because it ended up being such an interesting story; not to mention that there were rumors flying about your existence for the last fifteen years or so."

"I was really just a rumor to you all?"

I found that hard to believe. If it was true, then that had meant that no one else aside from them and Mama knew that I'd existed.

"For the most part. Saffron did an incredibly good job with hiding you when you were born, and I think part of it might have been for his fear of my father and how he might react to you." Chris explained.

"But he was there right after I was born. I saw it in my dreams." I told him.

"You saw it?" Chris asked, seeming surprised.

I nodded, "I've had strange dreams my entire life, and I ended up having that one right before I came looking for you. I was standing in this room over Faith Kent's body and looking at Saffron holding a newborn baby. Jade was there too. He knew that I was Saffron's child."

Chris was quiet for a moment, apparently thinking it over, "I see. Maybe that's part of your abilities. Even if your blood hasn't really awoken yet, you could still have limited abilities from the time you're born because you're one of us. Yours is probably very similar to Zane's in seeing the past and possibly some of the future through dreams." he finally said.

"I guess that would make some sense." I lamented.

"What else have you dreamed about? Is it always about him or Saffron?" Chris probed. He seemed very curious about this now.

I shook my head, "No. For a long time, I've been dreaming about a little boy."

"A little boy?"

"Yeah. I've been dreaming about him ever since I can remember, and it's always the same. I'm standing in the doorway of this old looking stone house with a dirty floor, and inside there's blood everywhere and three bodies; and sitting in the middle of all of it, there's this little boy. He's covered in blood and he's crying. It feels like it's his family that been killed there." I explained.

Chris tensed up as I spoke. That surprised me a bit. Did he really not know that I was dreaming about him if he was indeed that child? I reasoned that maybe it was possible, considering he thought Saffron had erased my memories.

"Is there any more to it?" he finally asked me. His voice was quiet and marked with a bit of hesitation.

"Well, for a long time there wasn't," I admitted, "But the last time I had it, there was a little bit more. I saw this dark person appear beside the boy, and they seemed like they were comforting him. I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but it seemed like they were promising him something, if he kept his end of the promise..."

"Make yourself strong and become a leader, and I'll make sure they fear your name." Chris interrupted, finishing the words as he closed his eyes.

There it was; the same words that I'd been hearing. Chris had to have been that boy.

"Did you telepathically read that thought?" I asked just to be safe.

Chris shook his head, "No. They were the words that Jade spoke to me back then."

The uncomfortable silence fell between us again. I heard the scratching sounds near the door but ignored them. My focus was on the truth that I'd just learned.

"You mean you really are that boy? Is that why you told me that I'd seen you before when we first met?"

"I said that back then because I thought that Saffron may have shown me to you somehow, considering the fact that he's always known about me. I didn't realize until later that he'd sealed your memories. But yeah, that was me back then." Chris admitted.

"So that whole thing was real?"

Chris took a deep beath, allowing the painful memories to return, "Yeah, that's what really happened back then." he confirmed, "Back when I was born, my mother's family raised me for a while. They had an idea of what I was, but they didn't look at me any differently. They even tried to protect me. But humans can only do so much against angels, and the ones like us were always being hunted down. It was probably even worse back then.

"Anyway, one night three angels stormed our home, and they ended up killing the ones who were there. My aunt tried to hide me, but they cut her down before she had the chance. The only reason I survived then was because my power awakened prematurely, and I killed them with it. That was when Jade stepped in to stop me and reseal it until it was supposed to awaken. That's why my eyes are different colors now. The drastic change and the sealing of my premature power left its mark on me in them. Jade ended up taking me in afterwards and taking care of me until the time came for me to truly awaken. It was how I ended up surviving."

I listened to his words with a heavy heart. It sounded like Jade had been protective of his son, and even though Chris apparently didn't get along with him anymore for whatever reason, he'd felt it to be his duty to step in again.

"So out of curiosity, when did that happen? No offense, but that place looked really old." I finally said.

Chris had to think about it, "It's been a really long time ago now. I'm not that sure anymore. Maybe around three hundred years ago."

"Seriously? You're three hundred years old?"

"Like I said before, we stop aging once we change. Technically I'm more than three hundred, but who's counting anymore?"

I shook my head, "You know, you are definitely nothing I've taken you for so far."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that much. I'm sure you'd never guess most of our ages. Most couldn't, and eventually they won't be able to guess yours either." Chris reminded me.

"So really," I went on, "why come after me if I was just a rumor? I'm going to guess that Jade at least told you that I did exist."

Chris shrugged, "He did, but it was my choice to go looking for you. It's actually taken me the better part of the last three years to find you too. I just got lucky when it comes down to it." he confessed.

"Three years huh?" I mused, "It sounds like you did get lucky, but I still don't get why you would bother, unless it's because I'm one of those that's supposed to be under you or something."

"No, that has nothing to do with it. It was more of a personal choice. I know a lot about my father and Saffron, and it intrigued me from the moment I first heard that Saffron may have had a daughter, so I had to go and find you for myself. Then I realized that those bastards were deciding to move against us again, so I took matters in my own hands, and here we are." Chris explained.

I stifled a yawn, "You know, that still doesn't make much sense. Any of you could have come looking for me, so why did you?" I whispered.

Chris just smiled, "I guess you have a point, but I wouldn't expect you to understand it yet. Let's just get some rest. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I wasn't ready for that yet. I looked back up at him, "There is something else Chris."

"What's that?" Chris replied, opening his eyes to look at me again.

"How will I know when I change? Is it because I'll get those wings?"

Chris brushed some of my hair away from my face, "That will be the biggest thing once you completely change. It'll be painful, but you'll make it through it, and trust me, it'll be well worth it." he promised.

"How soon do you think it will start?" I pressed. I had to know that answer. I didn't like thinking that I was going to stay helpless for much longer against all these nasty things that were out there. Chris couldn't always protect me.

"I guess it all depends. There are things that can kick start it sooner, but other than that, a lot of us have it happen in our late teens or early twenties. It's typically around the age you are now." Chris answered.

"There are things I could do to make it happen sooner?"

"Sounds like you've given this a lot of thought. Are you that worried about what might happen before then?"

"Can you blame me?" I countered, "I've almost been killed twice now. It's not like you'll always be there to save me."

"Your faith in me is amazing Ariana." Chris joked.

"Seriously, what kinds of things are you talking about that might jump start it? You do know, don't you?"

I was really trying to push this now. It couldn't have been that bad or degrading.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes, I really do."

Chris huffed, "Fine. If you insist. Sometimes it's awakened by our fathers because it needs to be done earlier, but the easiest way aside from that is to lose your virginity. Typically, it'll happen within days of it."

I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing, "You're kidding, right?" I managed.

"No, it's the truth, but it's not what most end up doing. It's just a little thing with our kind that can happen if we haven't changed yet. I guess the best way to put it is that it comes from what's read as lust. Every living thing carries it, but when you're the kid of a Fallen, it has a little more effect on you. Personally, that's not how it happened with me or a lot of the others, but I have known Shadow Wings in the past that have done it and gotten the result. It's basically the quickest way to unlock the powers sleeping inside of you on your own." Chris explained.

Even though I was blushing, all of what he said did make sense. Lust was a powerful thing according to religious teachings, and given the darker side that we had come from, I could imagine how it may affect us. I felt frustrated though. As much as I wanted to kick start this change, I couldn't make myself sleep with someone.

"I guess I'll just wait." I muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Chris said, pulling me against him again, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I said no." I protested, pushing him away.

He just laughed at me, "Alright, alright. I know. But I just meant don't worry so much about all of this. If the time needs to come sooner, then we'll figure out how to make it happen."

"I don't think so."

I heard him chuckle, "Alright. Let's try to get some sleep."

I was glad that I ended up falling asleep quickly after that conversation. When I awoke, the soft light was trying to filter in through the window blinds and blanket. I was still curled up next to Chris, and the clock read that it was nine thirty in the morning. We'd ended up sleeping in. I gently shook him awake.

"Hey, it's after nine."

Chris slowly opened his eyes, stretching a little, "You've got to be kidding." he moaned.

"Maybe we should stay a little longer. It was a long night." I suggested. I was really comfortable now.

"Yeah, maybe. I didn't want to waste this much time, but I don't think I should drive yet." Chris admitted, closing his eyes again.

"Then let's just get some more sleep. I think we could use it." I whispered, closing my eyes as well.

We ended up sleeping for another two hours before we finally made ourselves get up and ready to leave. By then, the bright sun was out and everything about the world seemed normal again. I looked up at the walls of the motel and searched for any sign of the woman I'd see the night before as I stood by the car, but there was nothing, not even marks left in the walls. It was like she'd never been there.

"Alright, let's get moving." Chris said as he came out there with me.

"It doesn't even look like she was here." I noted as we got into the car.

Chris pushed the button to start the car, "It won't. The ones like her always cover their tracks extremely well."

I have to say that this was an impressive little car. Everything in it was digital, and the dark seats were very comfortable.

"This is really cool. Will gave us a nice car to use." I commented as I scanned through the radio stations. This thing even had an XM radio subscription. Note to self: Remember to thank Will for this later. It was definitely going to be a more comfortable ride.

"Don't expect anything less from him. Will's picky about things like this. He'll probably tell me how much he hated driving that motorcycle when I see him again." Chris complained.

I decided to change the subject a little, "So, how long until we make it to Baton Rouge?"

"Probably another six or seven hours, but at least we have this now. We won't have to stop at anymore hotels." Chris answered.

"Are you sure you'll be able to drive straight through like that?"

"Don't worry about it. If I get too tired, then we'll find a rest stop and I'll get some sleep. But we need to pick up the pace. We're running out of time."

I wasn't that comfortable with this, but I was willing to accept it. If we kept moving, maybe no more bad things would show up. Finally tuning in a station that sounded good, I sat back in the seat and tried to make myself comfortable. I had a long ride ahead of me.

Our ride was mostly quiet. Watching the passing scenery, I did my best to relax. We stopped for gas and at rest stops a few times, which gave us the opportunity to get out and stretch our legs. I was also starting to feel more comfortable with Chris again. Even though I now knew who his father was, I felt like it wasn't that much of a reflection on him. Yes, he was a bit difficult and stubborn at times, and he certainly didn't seem to understand how to treat a girl, but he really seemed like a nice guy at heart.

As night fell, I shifted a little in my seat. Night brought out bad things. This I had definitely learned by now.

Chris glanced at the car's clock, "Looks like we're going to run late into the night after all."

"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. Most things don't like tangling with cars. Besides, it'll give us better time to get to Baton Rouge. I don't like thinking that those spies might be following or figuring out where we're headed." Chris told me.

"I guess." I relented.

I leaned back in my seat. As much as I didn't like this, I knew that he had a point. We had to get to Zane before whatever was looking for us found us. Taking a deep breath, I thought about the conversation we'd had the night before. It really would've helped things if my power could just awaken. But making it do so forcefully wasn't an option.

Right?

Yes, of course I was right!

Closing my eyes, I forced myself to relax again. Everything would be okay. Chris would me sure of that. But as I thought this, I suddenly heard a soft male voice speak.

"Open your eyes my darling."

I opened my eyes to find that I was standing in a large, cave-like room that was lit by many candles. There was a beautiful bed with a crimson cover lined in gold near me, along with various other pieces of antique looking furniture.

"Where... where am I?" I whispered. Was I dreaming again?

"You've finally come to me." the male voice answered.

I turned around to find a man standing behind me. He was tall and slender; with dark hair and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen.

"Saffron?" I whispered.

Saffron smiled, pulling me into a hug, "It's been so long since I've been able to see you. You certainly have grown up on me."

I wasn't sure of what to do. I was somehow seeing my father again, but I now understood who and what he was. On top of that, I also knew the things he'd done before. He'd killed people, including the girl who had given birth to me.

I gently pushed myself back from him so that I could look at him completely. It felt so strange as I did. He didn't look like anything more than just a very handsome man. Yet I could also see that his eyes seemed inhuman. They were far too powerful.

"I'm glad that you missed me, but how did I get here? Am I sleeping?" I asked him.

"Not really. Think of it more as an out of body experience. But it was the best means for me to bring you here now that I've regained the ability. It's been quite a while since I was brought to this place. I suppose you could call it the Purgatory of Hell. It's where they send us when they isolate us as punishment. It's quite amusing to them to keep us here in solitude and see how we fare." Saffron explained.

So, he'd brought me to him. I wasn't that surprised, considering everything I'd seen up until now. But I wasn't feeling that happy about our little family reunion either, especially as I realized that he'd basically just dragged me into a section of Hell.

"Why did you bring me here? You haven't seen me since I was a baby. How would I even know anything about you?" I challenged.

Saffron smiled. "Ah, I see. Your memories are still sealed. Good. The spell has held, even with him showing up."

"You really did try to erase my memories?"

"Only of me and only temporarily. Think of it as more of a protective measure. But it doesn't matter that much now, does it? Your blood is getting ready to awaken, and you've come to the one who was meant to find you." Saffron went on.

I stood still as he played with a long strand of my hair. There was a pleased smile on his face as he looked at me. It made me feel uncomfortable, although I did my best not to show it. The last thing I needed to show him was fear.

"You knew that Chris was going to find me?" I guessed.

Saffron let go of my hair, taking my hand and guiding me over to the old-fashioned couch, "Come, sit with me. It seems that we have much to speak of."

I still didn't feel comfortable about this, but I didn't see any other choice. I was stuck there with him. But at the same time, maybe he could give me some of the answers that I was longing for.

"You said you knew Chris was going to find me. Did you plan that with Jade?" I asked him as we sat down together.

"Not at all. It's just something that we both knew would be inevitable. After all, two Dark Nephilim being born so powerful should be meant for one another. That's just the way the karmic world works." Saffron responded.

"But I don't even have my wings yet. I don't have anything."

"Trust me, you will soon enough. That's why you're here now. I may not be able to get out of here yet, but I do want the wheels in motion for when I do. Your current state will not be enough to withstand what he's going to be sending after you, and I have no expectations of Christoff fighting it completely alone. For that, we'll need to force a hand and wake you up." Saffron told me.

He reached up and laid a hand on my forehead. I felt a surge of warmth go through my body with that touch. It was like a red-hot heat running through my blood. I jumped up, gasping at the strange sensations running through me.

"What did you do to me?!" I demanded.

Saffron stood up and held my chin so that I'd look at him. I stiffened as I looked into those blue eyes. I could see the red flames dancing deep within his irises.

"Don't fight it. It is for your own good. We simply need to you to wake up now. Don't worry. I will make sure that you're taken care of until I can come back to you. Your stone will always be your link to me."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead, then pressed his hand to the middle of my chest.

"Now, awaken."

My eyes shot open, and the dim lights of the car came into focus. The vision replayed over and over in my mind. I had no doubt that I'd just been transported at least in part to where Saffron currently was, but I had no idea of what he'd just done to me. I could feel the fire moving through my veins. What was this? Whatever it was, I knew it couldn't have been good.

Chris tensed up in the driver's seat. It seemed like he'd felt the power that was now surging through me.

"He released it." I heard him whisper.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered, turning to curl up in my seat. Suddenly my whole body hurt, especially my back.

Chris looked at the clock in the car, "We should be able to get there in another two hours if I floor it. I should have time unless he sped things up," He banged his fist on the steering wheel, "What the hell was he thinking? He needed to wait until I got to Zane!"

"Chris!" I cried, trying to sound more urgent.

"Okay, okay. Just try to relax." Chris breathed. It sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself, "Saffron's forced your blood to awaken. Your body's getting ready to change. Hopefully if I'm timing this right in my head, we'll be able to make it to Zane in time to get you to a safe place to finish."

I put my head down, closing my eyes and rocking back and forth in my seat. It hurt even worse now. I could feel something beginning to grow in my back. I was cursing Saffron in my mind. I wasn't ready to do this. Even though I had felt like I wanted to be equal to Chris, I really wasn't ready for this yet. It wasn't fair that he had just forced me into this.

As I sat there curled up, I felt Chris reach over and squeeze my hand. It felt comforting even with all this pain. At least I felt like I wasn't alone.

"Just relax." he gently spoke to me, "We'll be there soon, and hopefully there won't be any cops out along the way."

I don't remember a lot after that. I do recall glancing up a few times from my little spot and seeing that we were definitely going at a very illegal speed, but that was about it. For the rest of it, I was mostly drifting in and out of consciousness.

I saw a lot of things during that time. I dreamed of when Chris was a child, and his family was killed; and of how Jade had saved him and sealed his powers. It was Jade who had taught him how to fight and helped him when he finally awakened. I remember feeling surprised by the whole thing. Jade was more of a father figure then anyone would've thought a Fallen could be. He offered him support, praise, and even discipline like a parent would. He remained in the mortal world, taking care of Chris and teaching him how to fight, as well as making sure that nothing could harm him before he learned how to hold his own. All in all, it was easy for me to see how important Chris was to him. Jade saw him as much more than just a possession he'd created. He'd even said it himself once. Chris was his child, and a legacy that he wanted to live on.

I also had other visions. I saw a young man with pretty green eyes and ash colored hair talking to Chris and Will outside of a small restaurant. I had the sense that he was another like us. Judging by the surroundings, this had been many, many years before. The three of them were talking about something, but I couldn't quite make out all of what they were saying. I strained my ears and tried my best to listen.

"Trust me, there will be another like you one day and they will more than likely come from him." the one with green eyes was saying.

"That's preposterous. Those two hate each other." Will scoffed.

"They love and hate each other. It's been that way for thousands of years, so I'm content to wait. She will come." Chris stated. He looked very content as he sat there with them. It was a look I really hadn't seen from him before.

The vision faded after that. For a while, I saw nothing but darkness. But eventually, another vision came through. In this one I was back in Faith Kent's room, and she was still very much alive. She was sitting on her bed and rubbing her very pregnant belly. Saffron was also there, standing in front of her. It seemed like they were having a serious conversation.

"I won't get to see her?" Faith was saying as she looked at her belly.

"No. Women who carry Fallen Children never survive the birth. The child simply takes too much of their strength." Saffron told her.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Faith wouldn't have survived my birth? Was that why Saffron took me like he did? Not just because he felt like he had to kill her?

Faith sighed, sitting back a little, "That's not fair Saffron. I wanted to see her. I know she'll be beautiful. She'll probably look just like you."

"Perhaps." Saffron agreed, sitting beside her, "But you know what must be done. My time is getting short, and she's ready for this world."

"I know, but are you sure Miss Mabel will be able to take care of her?" Faith asked.

"Trust me, she'll be good enough for the job. I've given her enough power to keep her safe until the time comes when she'll meet the ones that she needs to." Saffron assured her.

Faith rubbed her belly again, "Okay, but you'd better keep her safe. I don't care if you don't feel anything towards me. She's still your daughter."

"I never said I felt nothing towards you. If I didn't, then I wouldn't have even spoken to you, let alone given you this gift of making a child for me. You can go to your grave knowing that."

Faith smiled at him. Her blind devotion was stunning to me. How could she have been so dedicated to him?

"Fine. I guess I can deal with that. But before you do what you have to, please give me one last kiss." she requested.

Saffron smiled at her, holding her cheeks and kissing her. He whispered one more time as he pulled back slightly.

"I do what I must, but I do love you."

There was a sickening snap as he suddenly broke her neck. I screamed as I watched her body fall to the floor. Saffron knelt down between her legs and reached inside of her, pulling the newborn out. All I could hear then was an infant's cries mixed with my screams as they were brutally brought into the world.

Then I blacked out completely.