Cassie glared through squinted eyes as her father woke confusedly. She thought back to the crushing feeling of her dark magic just moments before, pressing on her to give in to it. The temptation was growing ever stronger, and Cassie was becoming less and less opposed to it. Even now, she felt its darkness circling inside her, ready and waiting to make another appearance. Preventing it took every single ounce of her willpower, but she couldn't help but quiver with anger.

John Blackwell stood slowly, his eyebrows arched sternly as he cast a look to his daughter and her companion.

"What did you do, Cassie?" His voice broke with hurt, or anger. Cassie found it difficult to tell them apart with Blackwell.

"The question is; what did you do?" Cassie interrogated, moving closer to the dark man standing before her. The man she still couldn't see as her father.

John Blackwell's face drained of emotion for a moment, before he recollected himself as though the moment hadn't passed at all.

"I don't understand." He murmured, his voice rising. "You attacked me, Cassie."

Cassie's anger rose even higher at his accusatory tone; and she felt Adam's fingers press into her hand warningly. It worked some, Cassie felt reassured and more relaxed at his mere presence.

"I attacked you because I have dark magic inside me, dark magic that I can't even control all because of you." Cassie's voice shook with emotion. She wasn't even sure why she was bringing this subject to attention, all she knew was that she felt like every single bad thing that had happened to her was because of the man before her. It might be false blame, but Cassie simply needed something or somebody to blame.

"You attacked me because of our dark magic heritage? If I could take it away from you, I would, Cassie." Blackwell muttered, his eyes staring intently into hers.

"Just like you took Adam away from me?" Cassie stammered. She felt Adam tense beside her, his fingers tightening on hers. She knew without asking him that this wasn't the approach he would have taken himself, but Cassie was blunt.

John Blackwell's face darkened. "What are you talking about?"

"You faked the whole curse to keep me and Cassie apart. We want to know why." Adam spoke up, following Cassie's lead of a blunt approach.

Cassie watched as a variety of emotions flickered across her father's face. She saw flashes of anger, defiance and sadness cross his features.

A resolve settled itself there. "How could I fake something like that with no magic?" He asked, raising his eyebrows defiantly.

Cassie had heard and seen enough. She was convinced her father had faked the whole curse before he'd uttered a word, and now she'd heard him and seen his body language, she was convinced even more so.

"I don't know how you did it, but I know you did. Now I want you out of my house." Cassie scowled, she'd had enough.

Blackwell looked as though he was about to speak, but Adam gave him a look so stern that he thought better of it. He sighed and gave Cassie a sad look, before departing through the large mahogany door.

Cassie let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, falling back into her former sitting position on the bottom step of her staircase. Adam paced back and to in front of her.

"I know he did it, Adam. I can feel it." Cassie murmured, resting her throbbing head in her pale hands.

"I do too, but how, Cassie? How could he have done that with no magic?" Adam asked, his forehead straining in deep thought. Cassie gave herself a break and let herself simply look at him. He was beautiful, there was no denying it. His shock of dark hair lay finely against his pale skin, falling onto his forehead ever so slightly. Hair that just now was being run through stressfully by Adam.

Cassie sighed and forced herself back to reality. "What if he still has magic?"

Adam paused in his pacing to cast Cassie an unknowing glance. "How could he? The elders stripped our parent's circle of their powers."

"Think about it, Adam" Cassie began, sudden realisation dawning on her. "My father has dark magic, magic that's completely unpredictable. The stripping of their powers might not have ridded him of that dark magic."

Adam pondered this quietly for a while. "It's a possibility." He surmised.

"Do you think there's a counter-spell?" He asked after some time.

Cassie felt hope bubble inside of her, but forced it back down. She wouldn't build herself up to get disappointed, but if there was even a remote chance she would take it. Her life hadn't felt the same since the distance began between Adam and her.

"I don't know. I hope so." She murmured, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

Suddenly Adam was beside her, so quickly she hadn't even seen him move. He reached over to stroke her golden hair gently, before laying a hand across her soft cheek. Cassie leant into the rare offering of comfort thankfully.

"I hope so too." He whispered into her hair. His lips grazed Cassie's forehead, and she supressed a shiver. This wasn't making her yearning for Adam any easier.

Cassie felt the buzz of Adam's phone against her leg and sighed. She didn't want this rare moment of closeness to be interrupted. She knew that Adam didn't love her and that he was simply being comforting, but it ebbed away at some of the loneliness inside Cassie.

"What is it?" Cassie asked as Adam stared at his phone tensely.

"It's my dad. Blackwell just went to the boathouse." Adam whispered huskily.

Cassie felt herself become more alert instantly. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's okay, but he's asked me to come home. I better go." Adam muttered, stuffing his phone back into the pocket of his dark denim jeans.

He leant to kiss Cassie's forehead once more, just as she raised her head to say goodbye. Instead of meeting her forehead, Adam's lips met Cassie's gently and passionately. Their lips entwined and moved in harmony with one another's. Cassie gave an involuntary sigh at the familiar sensation of his lips against hers. This was home to her.

Adam broke away all too soon, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Cassie nodded silently as she watched Adam exit. She couldn't speak yet; she was still in shock at the sensation of closeness with Adam.

Adam drove to the boathouse quickly. Something had definitely seemed off about his father's text, and he needed to know what had happened as soon as possible.

He sped through town, avoiding the congested routes, until he arrived at home. His weariness increased as he spotted the entrance door hanging open slightly. Adam's father was careful; he'd never leave the door to his business open like that.

"Dad?" Adam yelled as he ran through the open door, skidding on the wooden floor slightly.

He stopped dead at the sight that met him. Ethan lay completely still on the floor. Heart racing, Adam sprinted across the room to his father's figure. He felt himself relax as he saw the movement of chest that meant his father was still alive, just unconscious.

"That was quick." A deep voice announced from behind him. Adam span on the spot to look at the figure the voice had come from, his stance had taken on a fight or flight appearance.

John Blackwell stood in the shadow of the bar, explaining why Adam hadn't spotted him when he'd first entered the boathouse. As Adam watched, Blackwell strolled forward, flipping an object in his hand.

"I think it's time we had a talk, man to man." Blackwell stated, and Adam heard the unspoken threat behind his comment. His figure became clearer as he edged out of the shadows, and Adam stared furiously at the object in his hand.

It was his father's phone.