Page 58 of Fated In Forever
He wasn't exaggerating. The chateau was little more than rubble now, buried under tons of rock and earth that had cascaded down the mountainside when our last desperate attempt to open that doorway had gone wrong.
Because before Finn and Nikolai had dragged us out of there, Riordan and I had thrown everything we had at that sealed portal—magic, brute force, fire and shadows combined.
Nothing had worked and we’d nearly caused a disaster.
Above the mountain, the rift continued to grow, pulsing like an infected wound, bleeding darkness into our world with every passing hour. The ley line still hemorrhaged power, and Fiona’s emergency patch job was failing. Once her wards disappeared, that rift would explode and consume everything.
“I sent the request.” Nikolai stepped into the firelight as if he had materialized from the darkness itself, moving with that unsettling grace that all Ancients possessed, as if gravity was merely a suggestion rather than a law.
“Who?’ I snarled. “Who is this supposed miracle workerwho can open the portal? She must be pretty goddamned special, for us to sit around and wait for her to make up her mind, while the world’s ending.”
I bore down on him. “Talk,” I growled, hands clenched at my sides so I couldn’t wrap them around his throat. “Now.”
“Blake—” Riordan lunged forward to intervene, but Nikolai raised one elegant hand to stop him.
“It's quite understandable,” he said, his voice as calm as if we were discussing the weather rather than my mate's potential death sentence. “If Ash and I were separated thusly, I would likely react the same way.”
“Likely?” Ash rolled her eyes. “You’d probably raze this world to the ground.”
“A definite possibility,liobôn.”
“Who is this person, and why are we sitting around and waiting?” My fists tightened, my nails digging holes in my palms. “Ravok is still out there, that rift is growing, Fiona’s wards are failing, and we are doingnothing.”
Nikolai studied me for a long moment, his pale eyes unreadable. Then, surprisingly, he smiled—not the cold, predatory expression I was used to seeing from him, but something almost sympathetic.
“There are many realms, Blake,” he said softly. “The Underworld is but one of them. The boundaries between worlds are not as fixed as most people believe, especially during times of great magical upheaval. When ley lines are disturbed, when reality itself is wounded...” He studied my face. “Pathways open that are normally sealed.”
“What kind of pathways?” Riordan drifted closer, his face tight with desperate hope.
“The kind, unfortunately, that require a very specific sortof magic,” Nikolai replied cryptically. “And we require a guide who knows the ways between worlds.”
I stepped back as understanding dawned. “Which is who you contacted.”
“Yes.” He straightened his shirt. “But my sister, who is quite far away, has never been the cooperative type. However, sheisthe curious type, and I expect she will come, if only to gloat over the fact this is a problem I cannot fix without her help.”
“Your sister?” I frowned. “This guide between worlds is a vampire?”
Ash hid her smile behind her hand and Nikolai shook his head.
“She is as far from one of us as a flea is to a bear,” he replied with maddening vagueness. “And since time moves differently in the place she frequents, we must exercise patience.”
Time moves differently. The words hit me like a physical blow.
“Does time move differently in the Underworld?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
For the first time since I had known him, Nikolai's expression softened completely. The mask of cool indifference fell away, revealing something almost human beneath.
“Your mate is stronger than you think, Blake,” he said quietly. “And she's not alone. Malachi may be many things, but he won't let harm come to her. Their connection runs deeper than any of us fully understand.”
“Their connection.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue. “You mean whatever Ravok did to her during that ritual? He turned Malachi into a monster, and Evie…”
She had been different, after.
Those veins, that darkness. She’d admitted she’d changed, but couldn’t explain how.
But a mate knew.I knew.
“Come on.” Ash said gently. “There’s food in the kitchen, you both need to eat something. We have rooms ready, so you can rest, and you should try. You won’t do Evangeline any good if you’re starved and exhausted. You both need to be as strong as you can be, for whatever’s coming.”
