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her. "Oh there will be a dead body alright," Stanley said as a joke but his mother hit him, as if to stop from talking any further. "Is this your final decision?" The woman pressed on but Veronica held her adamant face on. I had no idea what was best for her, if she agreed with them then she would have a share of my power, but if she said no,5)36 might even kill her. I had not even reached the highest level of harnessing the so called powers that they were so hungry for. "Veronica," "Yes," she added quickly with a straight face before I could do anything to change her mind. She was making a terrible decision but I so could not make any choice for her. A part of me was glad and proud that she was willing to stick with me no matter the circumstances, like I was her actual blood but another part wanted no harm to come to her. "She is the only family I have and I will make sure you never lay a finger on her," how heroic but she did not have to risk her own life for a thing like this. Even I sounded heroic. "How pathetic. I guess it is settled then. At least we tried to give you a second chance and you just threw it away," the woman finalized, turning away from us before walking out. ~LYDIA~ My chest ached. It always had ached, right from the day I realized my parents had arranged my marriage to Stanley even before I could talk. It did not matter that I was about two years older than the boy, they sold me out for money and positions. But the aches I felt was nothing compared to my heart shattering after watching realization dawn on Veronica and Audrey. I loved them both, I always had and I hated myself for being part of such a thing against them. The deal was for me to talk them into the ritual and if it came out successful, they would call off the marriage. A marriage I knew nothing of until a year ago. My useless family and coven issues decided to use me against the only friends who took me for who I was. But I had no choice against my own marriage, they already had made a blood covenant. Unless Stanley and I both agreed to break it or one of us died, then I had no say in any thing against the marriage. I regretted every agreeing with their dubious plans, I was already a part of it and there was no going back. And now the only people in the coven who were not insane were the same people who probably hated me. I saw the hate in their eyes, any one with the right sense could read how they despised me like the other coven members. I could not blame them, it was all on me. "Will you quit pouting. It is all for our good. You think I wish to be married yet? Let alone to you," Stanley barged right in on me and it earned him a scowl from me. "What are you doing here?" I seethed. "Mama said to check up on you, so you do not do any thing stupid. Like pouting," he shrugged, strolling around my room before settling down on my couch. "Kidnapping them was not part of the plan, let alone locking them up down there," I decided to bring up the matter since we were the only ones around. "We did not wish to. But we can not let the girl get away. With the rate at which vampires and werewolves are attacking covens we will not be unprepared for this," Stanley snapped, his eyes wider and he looked more like mother than he used to. It was expected, they both were the same blood after all. "You should be happy in fact," his tone became calmer th