Chapter 129

Hannah

“Relax, Hannah,” Henry laughed. “I’m just joking with you. You and your daughter are completely safe.”

I didn’t feel comfortable with him before, but now I really didn’t feel comfortable. I didn’t have a backup plan. I needed to get to this Lila witch.

“I can’t get a hold of Sebastian,” Nora said nervously from within me. “Something is wrong. Something is blocking me from him.”

She’s been trying to mindlink him for a little while and she hasn’t been able to get through. Henry had a habit in the past of blocking my mindlink from Sebastian; I wouldn’t put it past him to put some barrier around his car to block it as well.

I sighed; it was clear he wasn’t going to stop, regardless of what I said. I leaned back in the seat and gazed back out the window. I just needed to hold out a little bit longer until I got there. A few hours later, I found myself dozing off. I was hoping by the time I woke up; we would be there.

…

Sebastian

“What the hell do you mean she’s in huge trouble?!” Sebastian growled; he was ready to go after her. He was trying to mindlink her, but for some reason, he wasn’t able to get through. It probably had something to do with Henry.

“Lila was trapped with me,” Gemma said, her voice quivering slightly. “She was still trapped when we left. But she didn’t seem to mind it. She always seemed to enjoy the work that Xander had given her. No matter how gruesome it was, she did it with a smile. I always found it so chilling. She said to survive we had to pretend to like it there, but something inside of me was telling me she wasn’t faking it. It was like she worshipped the ground he walked on.”

“You think she likes the vampire king?” Sebastian asked.

“I think it was more than that,” Gemma said, gazing up at him. “I think she was in love with him.”

“If she was still trapped there when we escaped, how is she out now?” Sebastian asked; however, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about it but telling from her face, he could tell she didn’t want to say what she was thinking.

“Answer me, Gemma,” he urged impatiently.

“I think he released her,” she finally said, meeting his eyes. “I think he released her so she could do his bidding.”

“How could he release her if he can’t open and close the portal?”

“I… I don’t know,” she stammered; she was growing even more nervous.

“Think Gemma!” Sebastian growled. “How could the vampire king open the portal after you sealed it? How did he release someone from the underworld? How much danger is my kingdom in? How much danger is Hannah in?!”

“Your wolf,” Gemma finally said, looking up at him. “The moon goddess said I needed you in order to leave through the portal on the inside, but I needed the moonstone to seal the portal. What if it’s not actually you that I needed, but your wolf…”

“The piece of my wolf that’s trapped. You think he used it to open the portal?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” she answered.

“If he can open the portal from the inside, wouldn’t he be able to escape?”

“Not unless the portal was opened from our side. There are two sides to the portal, the one that’s on our side and the one that’s on theirs. If it’s opened on our side, only we can enter without them escaping. But if it’s opened on their side, then only those who weren’t banished to the underworld can escape.”

“So, you think my wolf is the key to opening the portal on their side?” Sebastian asked. She nodded her head once, but she still seemed uncertain. “Then what opens the portal on our side?”

“I was just asking myself the same question,” she said in wonder. “Something is telling me it has to do with Hannah…”

“I need to go after her,” Sebastian finally said after a pause. “I think you might be right. Hannah’s in danger.”

…

Hannah

Lila’s house was small and kind of kept away from most people. She had a nicely maintained yard with very green grass and beautiful flower beds at the front of the house and her windowsill. Despite how cheerful the area looked; I felt a bit nervous being there. I took Wrenley out of the car seat as soon as we parked, and I held her close to my chest.

I followed Henry to the door, and he knocked on it loudly. Lila was a young girl; seemingly a few years older than me. She looked pleasant enough and she looked excited to see Henry standing before her.

“Henry!” She cooed as he wrapped her arms around him. “I wasn’t expecting you. I’m glad to see you!”

“Hey, Lila,” he said in return with a boyish grin. I rolled my eyes at their interaction. “I want you to meet Hannah, she’s my…”

“Friend,” I interrupted before the word ‘mate’ left his lips. He frowned but he didn’t say anything. I shook her hand and then she frowned.

“I know why you’re here,” she said, staring down at my hand. She kept her hold on my hand tightly.

“You are inquiring about the portal to the underworld,” she said, still staring at my hand. She must have the site; I heard witches have different abilities.

“Actually, we are here because of the wolf king’s…”

“You’re right,” I said, interrupting Henry again. He looked surprised.

“Wait, I thought we were here to cure his madness…” he said, raising his brows.

“It might be related,” I explained. “We recently found out that part of his wolf is trapped in the underworld, just like Liam. If we can get the portal open, we can get his entire wolf out and also save my brother. That might also cure Sebastian’s madness.”

Lila released my hand and looked me over briefly.

“You’re right about one thing, his wolf is trapped in the underworld. We would need to open it to get it out. But it won’t be easy,” she said.

She motioned for us to follow her into her house. It smelled of perfume as soon as I entered. It was oddly a comforting scent. We went toward her couch where I noticed she had a large, purple, crystal ball in the center of her coffee table. She sat down in front of it and peered into it.

“You’ve come to the right person because I’m the only one who knows how to open the portal,” Lila said. “I’ve spent my share of time in the underworld, and I’ve observed man things while there. He released me once he had no more use for me…”

“He released you?” I asked, unsure if I was believing what she was saying. I found it hard to believe that the vampire king would release anybody once he had them. But she nodded.

“Yes,” she answered. “He released me without a warning. But I know how to open the portal, and it won’t be pretty…”

“What do I have to do? What can we do to get it open?”

“The moonstone scepter,” Lila said, leaning toward me. “You, the wolf king’s true love, need to plunge it into his heart.”