Page 57 of Fated In Forever
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BLAKE
There was no doubt the ancient stones of Laith Castle had witnessed countless tragedies over the centuries, but I doubted they had ever witnessed a rage like mine.
I paced the length of the dining hall, my boots echoing against the wood planks in a rhythm that matched the frantic beating of my heart. Riordan sat in the shadows, feet thrown up on a chair, watching, evaluating, probably debating whether to lock me up in a cell until I calmed the fuck down.
I’d kept my shit together long enough to get everyone to safety, to regroup with Finn and Nash, to give Rowan Forge a detailed schematic of the site and a rundown of the events at the chateau. But now I was unraveling, piece by piece.
As for Rohr, he hadn’t said a single word for three hours, not since that explosion when he’d realized Evie was really, truly gone. But what was there to say, really?
Any words of comfort would be a lie, anything else…supposition.
And that supposition was cannibalizing my brain. From the hellscape I’d glimpsed through the open portal, I was busy imagining every horrible scenario my tortured brain could come up with, and somehow, I doubted they were as bad as the real thing.
“She’s still alive.” Riordan finally said when I made another three-point turn at the end of my circuit. “We’d know if she was dead, and I’m telling you now, she is not dead.” He sounded tortured.
“I need you to stop talking.” I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the image that kept looping in my brain, the one where I watched my mate disappear into a swirling vortex of darkness, the portal snapping shut with a finality that made my soul scream.
I slammed my fist down on the massive oak table that dominated the center of the hall, sending gold-rimmed goblets and plates dancing across the surface. The sound rang out like a gunshot, doing nothing to ease the fury burning in my veins. Nothing could ease this relentless ache—not until she was back, safe, in my arms where she belonged.
“Blake Marten.” Aisling’s voice cut through my spiral of rage, and I straightened up like someone had rammed a steel rod down my spine. “Those glasses were my mother’s and if you break a single one, I will put you outside with the dogs.”
“I’m….” Some of the temper leached out of me, seeing her frowning at those damned stupid glasses, like they really did matter. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. Won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t.” She crossed her arms. “I know you’re pissed, but Brendan and Nikolai are calling in some favors, and by nightfall, we’ll have people here, working to reopen that portal. We’ll get her back.”
“That might not be a good idea.” Riordan murmured, and I stared at him like he had two heads. “It’s just…we reopen that portal, and there’s no guarantee we could find her. No guarantee any of us would survive a single second in there.”
A wave of dread nearly took my knees out from under me. “You’re not leaving her there. You can’t.” I looked to Aisling. “We can’t leave her there.”
“There are many realms beyond this one, Blake Marten, and if your mate is with Malachi, then she has a fearsome protector, indeed.”
Ash peered up at me, no hint of guile in her face. “Do you still feel the bond between you? Is she in danger, has she been hurt?” She asked gently. “Has your mating bond been broken, or is it still intact?”
“It’s…faint, but it’s there. She is not hurt, or frightened.”
“Then she is alive and she is safe, but tell us if anything changes. For now, you two need to come with me. Brendan and Nikolai have made their requests to the proper parties, now we must wait for the response.”
“What the fuck…” I cleared my throat. “What does that even mean?”
Riordan was on his feet, his dark hair catching the light from the fireplace, his expression carefully blank. I couldn’t make the same claim. I was a mess, a shaking, scared mess, and I couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.
“It means we have someone who can assist us, but she can be…difficult. So Nikolai reached out, made his request, and now we have to wait to see if she is willing to help.”
“Tell me who she is and I’llmakeher help.”
Aisling’s smile was a little sad. “It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. Besides, I’m banking on her curiosity getting the better of her and she shows up here within the hour.”
“That’s another hour,” I said, with a calmness I definitely didn’t feel. “In an hour, Evie could be…” Riordan sucked in a quick breath and I rubbed my temples.Yeah, so not going there.
“Your mate is in a different realm. She walked?—”
“Dove.” Riordan muttered.
“Dove through a portal into the Underworld, which immediately closed behind her. No one here has the skills or the magic to open that portal or transport themselves into another dimension. We need someone who can.” Aisling didn’t look particularly happy when she added, “so we must wait.”
“The mountain could collapse in the meantime.” Riordan pointed out.
