Out of the World

34. Black out

Zorion

A sharp exhale of frustration left me as I paced around the room. I didn’t understand what was happening to Nina now. She didn’t seem to bother about the people at the ball, but suddenly it became unbearable for her. Did one of the guests say something to her at the ball?

She said she didn’t love me; her words made my chest clench, yet I refused to believe them. It must be something else. From my time in the Human Realm, I knew what those flings that Nina mentioned were, but I also knew that humans could love. Even though their lives had a limited time frame, their love could be so intense that it resembled a taste of eternity. I could feel this love, this eternity in Nina’s eyes, in the way she glowed and how she was opening up to me, to the world and to herself.

She might not have known that, but that magic was the effect of love.

Damn! My restless legs pushed me around the room once again, Nina’s face and the pain in her eyes so clear in my mind. All I wanted to do was to go after her and wrap my arms around my stubborn female, but I wanted to give her space. Hopefully, that was all she needed, a couple of hours to think and realise how insignificant all the chattering and stares were. For the Goddess' sake, I would shut all of them up if it were my mate’s will.

My eyes met the clock and I shook my head. I had already been pacing like a mad man for almost two hours. Damn! It was enough, I had to go after her and check if she was alright.

After looking for her everywhere in the house, even in my sisters’ bedroom, I gave in. What in the Sixth Pit of Hell was happening? How could Nina disappear like that?

Something was wrong. I could barely feel her through our fragile non-consolidated mate bond. She felt distant, almost as if I couldn’t feel her soul.

For a moment, my vision went dark and I had to shake my head and focus on recovering my sight. What was that? Where was my mate? I was only certain of one thing;my Nina wasn’t in this house. Yet, she couldn’t be far away since she wasn’t able to teleport anywhere.

Heading out of the house, I ran across the gardens and meadows that surrounded this turf. She wasn’t anywhere to be seen, or felt. I couldn’t catch even an ounce of her delicious smell. Sitting on the grass, I let a scream of frustration leave me and once again a shadow impaired my vision whilst my blood seemed to freeze in my veins. I felt weaker than ever, my head pounding and my chest suffocating.

Did it mean that something was wrong with my mate? Was she hurt? Did the worst happen? With a huge effort, I managed to stand up and get back to my house. There, I followed Nina’s fading scent to an unexpected place — my father’s office. Strangely, the normally tidy place was a little messy. The runes’ drawer was opened and so was one of his books, an edition on portals to the Human Realm. Could that be?

A sharp exhale left my nostrils and I covered my pounding head with my hand, sweat rolling off my forehead. Nina knew about runes and crystals, we’d talked about it here in this very office. Checking the drawer again, I noticed that Raido, the rune of travel, was missing. Did she take it and went back to her Realm of origin without even saying a word?

My desperation was now mixed with anger! She could have told me, and asked me to take her there safely. I would hate doing it, but I would never force her to stay in my world with me.

Looking out of the window, I realised that the sun had already risen. I had to act fast, find out where Nina was and make sure she was safe. Not knowing about it was making me feel sick like never before.

Breathing deeply, I tried to regain my strength and open a portal to Nina’s apartment in the Human Realm. I would leave immediately if she wanted me to, but I couldn’t live with this uncertainty about her. It was harder than I thought, I was in such a state of mind that even my magic was failing. Clenching my eyes close, I waved my hands in mid-air once again and this time my eyes opened to the blue gleam of my magical portal.

Crossing it, I rushed into the small apartment’s living room. Nina’s former flatmate – Laura – was on the sofa, eating something and watching TV.

Her mouth opened in a gasp as she saw me, “Jesus! Zorion, what are you doing here? Don’t do magic like that, I almost had a heart attack. Did you come for me this time?” she asked,fixing her hair and standing up.

I ignored her words and took another lungful of air, “I am so sorry for invading your house like that, but I am looking for Nina. Is she in the bedroom?” worry laced my voice and my chest constricted, breathing becoming gradually harder as another shadow covered my sight for a moment.

“Zorion, are you okay?” I heard Laura’s voice and when I could see something again, I noticed that she was now in front of me, “Nina isn’t in the bedroom. Isn't she in your magic world with you? I don’t understand. The last time I saw her was when you both left like weeks ago,” Laura mumbled, confusion plastered on her face.

“Is there anywhere else in this world she could be? I asked, the tension building up even further in my chest and my muscles locking painfully.

“Humm, I don’t know. She has no family. As far as I know, she has no friends, so if she were somewhere, it would be here, I think. And come on, a girl like her wouldn’t ever leave a catch like you – rich, handsome and everything. When someone wins the lottery, they don’t throw the ticket in the bin, right? I mean look at her, poor, plain-jane, a weirdo and you, this hot Greek God!” she added, running her nails down my arm.

“Laura, listen to me. Never talk about my mate in this way again, do you understand? Don’t even think about her in this way!” I screamed, my voice guttural, feral. I could barely recognise it. The little human squealed, starting to tremble, before she fell down on her bvtt. Covering my face with my hands, I inhaled deeply and tried to regain control. What in the Sixth Pit of Hell was I doing? My aura was radiating with power, a dark threat to it. If I were in my right mind, I wouldn’t scare a human, a female, like that.

“I am sorry,” I murmured, opening a portal back to my world, before I lost control again. I could feel it about to happen.

Arriving home, I came across Lola. She strode towards me, her eyes wide with startlement.

“What?” I asked with another yell.

“Zorion. What is happening to you? Why are your eyes red?” she asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. As I pushed my arm away in an abrupt movement, Lola almost lost her balance.

“It’s none of your business!” I lashed at her. I tried to stop, breathe deeply, and regain control of myself, except the dark shadow covered my eyes once again and I felt even more lost, as if I could hardly reach myself. Was it some kind of damn spell? I had never yelled at my sister before, not like that.

“Nina is missing. She isn’t in the house or in her place in the Human Realm!” I murmured before blacking out completely.

~ * ~

Avalon

I exhaled deeply as the two guards I sent to watch over Nina and make sure she was safe in her world walked into my office in my castle. Both men looked tense, concerned. They were trustworthy top guards who I had carefully picked for this task, and I knew they wouldn’t come here and interrupt their mission if something alarming and unpredictable hadn’t happened.

I didn’t want her to undermine Zorion’s happiness and sanity, but I wouldn’t leave the girl unprotected, knowing who and what might be after her. So, I issued many orders for her safety and did what I could to assure she would live a long and good life among her human peers.

“What is the reason behind this visit? Did anything happen to the human girl?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“King Avalon, that’s the problem. We don’t know for certain,” the younger guard muttered, casting his gaze down.

“The reason for our visit is — we have pressing news. The human girl never made it to her house in the Spain-turf of her Realm. We also looked for her everywhere she could be, following clues to her university and the places she used to work. We believe she never even made it to the Human Realm,” the older guard told me, his normally impassive voice laced with worry.

This was indeed a pressing issue. Nina had to be found and returned to the safety of her human life.

“Have you already tried a locating spell?” I asked them and they both nodded. Magic hardly worked in the Human Realm, yet using the powerful runes I had provided them with, they would be able to locate Nina if she were in a range of a couple hundred thousand miles.

“She couldn’t have ended up in the wrong place with the Raido rune. It works with the intent rather than the location’s name or address. She is exactly where she wants to be,” I thought out loud.

“Where could this place be if not the Human Realm?” the older guard asked.

“That’s what we have to find out, and soon. Send the elite guard to investigate it,” I told them and they both nodded before leaving the office.

“Goddess, what are you doing to me now? What’s your nasty game?” I asked, looking to the ceiling and knowing well she was listening to me.

A grunt of frustration left my chest. I had to find Nina and fast, before those coming for her. I only hoped it wasn’t already too late.