Thirty Nights Forgotten

Chapter 25: The Little Sister

Nick’s POV

Sol has spent the entire day getting the pegasuses prepared. Our plan is to leave closer to sunset and travel through the night to avoid being spotted.

After all, the entire kingdom is looking for Nicholas, and by extension, me. After all, I could easily be mistaken for him since we have the same face.

“Hey, do you need any help?”

Sol glances up from his stool, where he’s changing out the horseshoes on one of the red-eyed beasts.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m almost finished here,” he answers with a polite smile. “They should be ready shortly for the journey.”

“Great, I’ll let the others know.”

I take a step toward the exit of the barn, but a thought makes me pause in the doorway.

“It’s not too late, you know,” I say quietly. “You don’t have to come along with us. You can just stay here.”

“Persephone and I owe a great debt to Lady Addison. Without her help, Persephone and I wouldn’t be together today. Which is why we both want to help her however we can.”

“But you’ll be in danger if you’re found with us.”

“Sir Nick,” he grins, rising to his feet, “you’re going to need all the help you can get. So let us help you.”

Studying his golden gaze, I can see how earnest he really is, which is a testament to how great of a friend Addy is to both him and Persephone.

With a sigh, I finally give in.

“Thank you, Sol. I appreciate it. Really.”

With a nod, he returns his attention to the pegasuses, and I head out across the grounds to let the others know.

As I approach the front steps to the Summer Mansion, I see Nicholas bursting out the doors, followed closely behind by his grandmother and Persephone.

For an old woman with a cane, she certainly moves fast. Like a vampire.

“This is a horrible idea!” she hisses angrily at him. “Get back inside and let’s discuss—”

“You’ve already recounted the reasons that this is a bad idea!” he retorts. “But my mate is in danger and she needs to be rescued. I’m done sitting around talking about how to save her. It is the time for action and not words.”

Nicholas quickly descends the steps, his eyes set ahead on his path. As soon as he spots me, I flinch under his intense, ruby gaze.

“Has Sol prepared the pegasuses?” he demands.

“Y-Yes, just a few more minutes. I was just coming to get you and Persephone.”

“Good. The sooner we leave this place, the better.”

He throws an annoyed glance over his shoulder at his grandmother before turning to assess the sun, which is slowly setting behind the mountains in the distance.

“You are walking into a death trap, you foolish boy!” Madame Mary huffs behind him, hobbling down the stairs with surprising grace. “Without an army behind you, you’re–”

But she doesn’t have a chance to finish that thought. At that moment, a bright burst of teal light erupts from the edge of the forest, forcing all of our heads to whip in that direction.

And the familiar sight of it makes my stomach drop.

“It’s a portal…”

The words are barely out of my mouth when Nicholas darts off with dizzying speed toward the forest’s edge. Persephone, Madame Mary, and I make up the rear, chasing after Nicholas as fast as we can.

But I’m no match for his grandma’s vampiric speed, and she makes it into the forest before Persephone and I can. Being outran by an old lady is definitely a big blow to my ego, but I don’t have time to dwell on that at the moment.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

I freeze when I hear Nicholas’ chilling words erupt through the forest. The scene unfolding before me is completely bizarre, and I blink a couple of times to make sure I’m seeing things right.

Who conjured this portal?

Tallulah – or, the Dark One of Tallulah – is standing in front of the portal. But I can barely recognize her frail frame, nor the dull, burgundy eyes that peer out from her gaunt face, which is framed by her long, dark hair. She’s only fourteen years old, but she looks sickly and worn with sadness as Perla stands beside her, supporting her upright by the elbow.

It’s like looking at my little sister, but she’s a completely different person, and she’s staring at Nicholas with complete defiance and determination.

“I don’t want to get married to that old man!” she shouts at him. “You can’t make me! None of you can!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, child!” Madame Mary calls back, tapping her cane in frustration. “I’ve spent months negotiating this engagement! You won’t have to live destitute and in fear of your life!”

“I don’t care about any of that! I’m going to go find my mate in the other realm!”

Nicholas takes a cautious step toward her, making her focus turn back onto him.

“Tallulah, you know you can’t cross into the human world—”

“DON’T LIE TO ME!” she shouts, tears streaming down her face. “I heard what you said about the curse. It’s broken!”

“Yes, the curse is broken,” Nicholas says, taking another cautious step closer. “But—”

“You were able to go through the portal to be with Lady Addison! So why can’t I?”

“Only because I fused bodies with my Light One, Tallulah!” he says, trying to keep his frustration in check. “And trust me, it is not a life I would choose for you. You would be forced to take a back seat to your Light One, existing only as a consciousness, trapped in a body that you have no control over until the full moon.”

“I don’t care! Anything is better than this life, and I won’t marry that old man! I WON’T!”

Nicholas inches closer to her, taking his time to not startle her into doing something rash.

“Without your Light One here, I don’t believe you would even make it to the other side. But even if she were here, I don’t think it would work. Your ties to your Light Ones were severed when the curse was lifted. Benjamin, Jeremy, and Josiah are dead in this world, but they are still alive on Earth. Besides, we’re not even sure you’d even recognize your mate without werewolf blood in your Light One’s veins.”

“But you plan to rescue Addy and take her to Earth, which means everything you’re saying right now is a lie!”

“No, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he huffs, shaking his head in frustration. “It’s different for me and my Light One. We’re connected by Addy’s love–"

“NO!” she protests with a sob. “You just don’t want me to be happy! None of you do!”

“Nicholas is right, you know.”

Taking a step forward, I come up beside Nicholas to catch Tallulah’s attention. She eyes me suspiciously, although her gaze keeps flicking back and forth between the two of us.

It’s not the first time she’s seen us side-by-side, but I’m sure it’s still weird to see a duplicate of her big brother.

“The Light Ones are the conduit for the mate bond. Vampires don’t have mates. Isn’t that right, Nicholas?”

He narrows his gaze at me, trying to figure out where I’m going with this, but he nods in agreement with me.

“But you’re not a werewolf anymore!” she says, narrowing her gaze at me. “It’s totally obvious you’re a useless human. So how can you have a mate?”

Ouch.

“It’s true that only werewolves can sense their mates,” I agree. “Nicholas could only feel his connection to Addy because the other half of his soul was mated to her through me. But the only reason he still feels it is because I marked her before the curse was lifted. We’re both connected through that bond.”

“I want to find my mate too!”

“But you can’t,” I try to explain as gently as I can. “Your Light One back on Earth – my little sister…she’s a human now. And now that your ties are severed from hers, you won’t be able to recognize your mate, or join bodies with her, or anything. You have to stay here. I’m sorry, Tallulah. I really am.”

“No…”

A fresh wave of tears falls down her face, and her shoulders slump in defeat. Relief begins to wash over me as it seems like I’m finally getting through to her.

“Listen to reason, child,” Madame Mary adds, stepping up beside us. “Don’t make a mistake out of youthful stubbornness.”

“Grandmother,” Nicholas says warningly, “you are the reason she is in this mess to begin with! Don’t make things worse with your meddling.”

I can see the anger etched on his tense face, with his jaw locked in a hardened expression. And he is right to worry, because hearing her grandma’s voice sends Tallulah into a rage.

“NO!” she screeches, yanking her arm out of Perla’s grip. “I’d rather be dead than live here, married to that disgusting old man!”

“I understand,” Nicholas says desperately, taking another step toward her. “I was in your shoes two years ago. I would have rather died than live without Addy, but your fate will not be the same as mine if you jump through that portal. Do not follow in my footsteps, I beg you–”

Tallulah’s burgundy eyes widen at Nicholas’ words. I don’t think she’s ever seen her older brother beg anyone for anything before.

But after a split-second of hesitation, she shakes her head, and her expression is filled with even more resolve than before.

“You don’t understand me! How could you possibly understand? You’re a king, and I’m just an expendable princess! I’m only good for making marriage alliances with rich, ugly men! But I hate it! I hate this life, and I hate YOU! ALL OF YOU!”

With surprising speed for someone so sick, she lunges at the portal, knocking Perla to the ground.

“NO!”

Nicholas hollers after her as he rushes toward the portal, but it’s too late.

She’s gone.

I’m frozen in shock as I see the portal begin to shift and contort its shape before my eyes, swallowing Tallulah whole.

If the legend of the Dark Oureys is true, then Tallulah is…

Suddenly, a bright burst of light emits from the portal, forcing us all to shield our eyes from the blinding flash. A high-pitched scream echoes around the forest, followed by a loud thud.

Nicholas is shouting while I’m still finding my bearings. Once my eyes adjust, I realize that the portal is gone, and Nicholas is kneeling over a body.

Tallulah.

Rushing over to the two of them, I feel her wrist for any sign of a pulse.

“It’s weak, but she’s alive!”

“Tallulah?” Nicholas mutters. “Can you hear me?”

Slowly, her burgundy eyes flutter open, gazing up at her brother weakly.

“I…I didn’t go through, did I?”

“No,” he answers. “You’re home. You’re safe.”

“Don’t let Grandma have her way,” she whispers. “Don’t let me get married to that awful man.”

“I’ll keep you safe, Tallulah.”

Her eyes flutter closed as she curls up against Nicholas’ chest. Pulling her even closer against him, he begins to stroke her hair comfortingly.

“What happened?” I ask bewilderedly. “It’s like the portal just spit her back out.”

“I suppose this is what happens when a Dark Ourey tries to return to Earth,” he shrugs. “We were told as children that the ancient curse kept us bound to this realm, but we never knew what would happen if we actually tried to leave. We always assumed we would disappear forever, so we never even dared to attempt it.”

“But she’ll be okay now…right?”

“Yes, I think so. As long as we can get her out of this engagement. Next time, she might try something else even more self-destructive.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nicholas’ grandmother walk slowly over to Perla, who is just sitting up on the ground.

“Why did you conjure a portal for my granddaughter?”

Madame Mary gazes down at Perla with a cold expression that sends chills down my spine.

Perla moans as she rises to her feet, brushing the dirt off her skirts.

“I took pity on the girl.”

“Hold on,” Nicholas interjects. “Since when were you a witch?”

“Do you think I take care of this enormous estate all by myself without magic? Ha!”

“Did you know about her true identity, Grandmother?”

“Of course, I did,” she huffs. “One witch is cheaper than a dozen non-magic staff. But I didn’t expect her to betray me like this.”

She turns to pin Perla with one last, menacing glare.

“I’ll deal with you later, Witch.”

Madame Mary strides back toward the mansion, leaving us alone with Perla and Persephone.

“We need to get Tallulah inside,” Nicholas sighs, lifting her easily into his arms. “She needs rest.”

“I suppose we’ll have to delay our rescue plan another night or two?”

Nicholas pauses, unable to meet my gaze as he stares down at Tallulah.

“I have already failed my family by leaving them.”

“It’s okay,” I answer. “Addy’s strong, but Tallulah is just a confused, teenage girl. She needs her big brother right now.”

“We’ll get her out of this ridiculous engagement, and then we’ll head to the castle as soon as we know Tallulah’s safe. And not a moment later.”