Thirty Nights Forgotten

Chapter 30: Portals

Nick’s POV

A somber mood sits over the dinner table as we eat our meal in silence. Once our meal is over, Nicholas and I will be heading to the masquerade ball, and if we leave under the cover of night, we should arrive at the castle after sunset tomorrow.

Sol and Persephone will stay behind since we’re trying to get Addy in and out without causing a scene. Too many people on our team will increase our chances of getting caught, so the four of us decided it was best to have the others sit this one out.

Perla and Persephone are going around the table refilling our beverages and clearing plates. Tallulah finally decided to join us for a meal, although she’s only picked at her food and refused to eat so far. I can see Nicholas staring at her with concern, but suddenly, his gaze narrows. Glancing between Tallulah and Perla, a look of realization crosses his face as his red eyes grow wide.

“You there. Witch.”

Everyone in the room turns to look at Perla, who’s standing beside Madame Mary with a pitcher of blood in her hands. For a moment, she glances over her shoulder before realizing Nicholas is addressing her.

“Me?”

“How did you conjure a portal to Earth the other night? It wasn’t the full moon.”

How did none of us realize that before now? I guess between the high-stakes drama of Tallulah trying to escape through a portal that spit her back out, followed by losing Addy as our mate, none of us were really focused on the inner workings of magic.

“You don’t need a full moon to create a portal,” Perla huffs.

“We know that lower demons and witches can penetrate the veil between realms at any time during the moon phase,” I answer slowly. “We know that because of the strange activity we saw on the ranch two summers ago.”

“But for more powerful creatures like vampires and werewolves,” Nicholas adds, “we need to wait to pass through when the veil is fully lifted, which occurs on the full moon.”

“Is that why I wasn’t able to go through?” Tallulah asks, sitting up a bit straighter. “Because I’m a vampire? We can just try again on the full moon!”

“I don’t think it’s that simple, Tallulah,” I try to tell her gently. “All those reasons we gave you that night are why you can’t go through.”

“Assuming that Tallulah chose to exclude the finer details of the broken Ourey curse,” Nicholas says darkly, “why would you create a portal on a night with a waning crescent moon? Especially knowing that vampires like Tallulah cannot pass through?”

All of our gazes turn back onto Perla, who seems incredibly nervous right now.

“I suppose I didn’t know it wouldn’t be strong enough for a vampire–”

“Lies!”

Nicholas’ fist comes down hard on the table, making Perla jump backward. He stands up from his chair and begins to stalk Perla around the table, his eyes glowing ruby red as he corners his prey.

“I think you’re a much smarter witch than you let on,” he continues, his voice incredibly dangerous. “And much more powerful, too. I’m willing to bet that if my Light One and I jumped through that portal that night, the two of us would be back on Earth, joined in one body. Am I wrong?”

Perla swallows hard, clutching the pitcher tightly against her chest as she cowers in the corner. With nowhere to run, she averts her gaze to the floor before cooperating with Nicholas’ interrogation.

“There is a way to create portals between the realms outside of the full moon.”

“And I’m assuming only incredibly powerful witches and mages can perform this task?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Then why would you work for my grandmother for pittance pay?” Nicholas snorts. “Surely you could earn a much higher wage working elsewhere?”

A sharp tap on the floor brings the focus of the room onto Madame Mary, who’s rapped her cane impatiently against the wood floor.

“Because her family crossed the Ice Moon Pack,” she answers. “She works for me because she has nowhere else to go.”

“My mother encountered the Alpha of the Ice Moon Pack many years ago,” Perla sighs, setting the pitcher down on a nearby table. “This was before Elijah was even born. My mother was hired by his grandfather as the pack’s witch because our ancestral line is considered to be one of the most powerful witch families in all the realm. But after he asked her to perform a forbidden spell, my mother said no. As punishment for her defiance, he murdered her, my father, and my siblings, but I managed to escape. I was very young and very small, so I could easily hide.”

“And what was the forbidden spell?” Nicholas asks.

“Erasing memories.”

Erasing memories? That means…

“...what Elijah did to Addy was done with forbidden magic,” I begin slowly. “What happens to a witch who performs a forbidden spell?”

“Their power weakens over time, and it can affect the power of their offspring as well. If she had chosen to perform the spell, future generations of our family might not possess any magic at all. It depends on the severity of the spell.”

Who knew that this cranky old maid was actually the sole survivor of a powerful line of witches? But if she’s so powerful, I have to ask the question that’s been burning in my mind for days now, ever since Madame Mary told us what happened to Addy.

“Does this mean you can restore Addy’s memories?”

Nicholas visibly stiffens, but he doesn’t turn to face me. Instead, his gaze is boring into Perla’s, stepping closer to loom over her, willing her to say yes.

“I’m sorry, boy. But no.”

A disappointed sigh escapes my chest, and I feel defeated all over again. Ever since we lost Addy, it’s been an endless cycle of hope and defeat, and as much as I try to remain optimistic for Nicholas’ sake, I have my dark moments where it seems like every bit of hope of reuniting with Addy is lost.

Not only do I have to pull myself out of that dark place, but I also have to pull Nicholas out too. Even if I’m not sure of the words that spew from my mouth, they seem to bring him comfort. And in a way, maybe they bring me comfort too, even if I don’t always believe them completely.

But I have to believe that Addy and I will be reunited again. Otherwise, what’s the point?

After a long pause, Nicholas is the first to speak.

“If you can create portals between realms, I’m assuming you can create a portal within this realm, yes?”

Perla’s gaze falls back onto Nicholas, considering his question.

“Of course, I can. Those are easy for most witches. Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re going to deliver us to the masquerade ball tomorrow night,” he answers, a small smirk appearing on his face. “You’re going to get us into the castle, and when we have Addy, you’re going to get us out.”