Chapter 13 13
Chapter 13
DIMITRI VALEQUEZ
For many years, I had hated the feeling of fear and vulnerability. After the deaths of my parents and watching everyone I loved die right before me, I tried to live my life the best way I could, having no shred of weakness and solely focusing on one goal: destroying Nikola Vladimir.
But one thing I didn't expect was meeting Adriana Cross, my mate, and falling for her so hard and fast. And I didn't even realize it.
But watching her lay unconscious on my bed made me feel a kind of fear that was so foreign, and I knew one thing, I was capable of doing anything to keep her alive. To make her look at me with those perfect blue eyes. I'd sell my soul if I had to.
I turned my attention to Agatha. “What do you mean I'm her only hope? How can I save my mate?”
“She's presently trapped in her mind, and the only way is to go into her mind, find her before the poison kills her, and pull her out.” Agatha held Adriana's hand, her eyes glowed as she muttered some chants. For a brief quarter second, the black veins on Adriana's body vanished, but they appeared again, spreading fast. “I was wondering why the poison was spreading fast but it's feeding off her magic. You have to find her quickly, even though it won't be easy. You must find her quickly, you both are connected in more ways than no one could imagine,”
Agatha quickly sent for some witches and her Grimore, and some ingredients for the spell. I laid next to my mate, my hand intertwined with hers, while Gwen and Allen lit up some red candles around us, burning an ancient sage next to Adriana.
I nodded towards Allen, closing my eyes just as Agatha started to chant, the effects of the magic in the air luring me into a deep sleep and everything went dark.
When I woke up, I found myself in a dark tunnel; only a single burning torch attempted to illuminate it. I was in Adriana's mind.
“Adriana?” I called but the only response I got was my own echo. I took the narrow path out of the tunnel, bursting out into an endless white hallway with many red doors lined after each other.
I rushed to open the first one and to my surprise, it contained a memory of Adriana. It was a funeral and I could see her with her sister Zoey. I tried the second door, and it was another memory of Adriana working shifts at a club.
Every red door represented a memory of hers. Agatha had said she was trapped in her nightmare and I could only find Adriana there. I wondered what memory that would be.
I kept opening each door, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I was about to open another when I noticed a black door down the endless hallway. I had a feeling that might be what I was looking for.
Without hesitation, I rushed to open it, and to my surprise, it led me to a place I never thought I'd see in Adriana's memory. It was the Blue Haven town. It was the witch's town. I'd been here a few times with my father and mother whenever he came to see Esther Blackrose.
Why would this place be in my mate's memory?
It was nighttime, and the was barely providing any light. But as usual, the place was packed with many people. Before I could take a step, everything around me began to vibrate. I felt them before I could even see them. Nikola's dark witches. They were in large numbers, and the witches in the town could not stand a chance.
Quickly I hurried closer to Esther's house, and the doors burst out just in time. I recognized the large wolf as Esther's husband who was fighting off the witches, buying some time for his daughters to escape. I recognized an older girl as Karina Blackrose. She was Esther's eldest daughter, and one look at the youngest daughter and I froze. There was no way it could be just a coincidence that Esther's youngest daughter, the woman we'd been searching for, had an uncanny resemblance to my mate Adriana.
It couldn't be possible. There was no way Adriana could be Esther's youngest daughter. It would have been impossible to believe if only I wasn't in her memory watching the night Nikola witches' killed her family.
This was why she kept asking me so many questions at the cave.
I followed the Blackrose sisters out into the woods but the dark witches were almost onto them. There was no way I could help, I was invisible.
I watched as Karina was attacked by a witch, and she used her last magic to open a portal, pushing Adriana through it just as her heart was ripped out of her chest.
Adriana released a scream of pain, and I rushed through the portal just as it was about to close, and everywhere went dark.
“Adriana?” I called into the darkness, I couldn't see her but I could feel the presence of my mate. She was here. “I can feel you. I'm sorry I couldn't recognize you. I can understand best how this night must have haunted you and I am sorry. But you don't belong here, Adri, and the longer you stay here, there'll be no going back. I can't lose you, Adriana. I can't bear to lose my mate, so please, come with me,”
There was a low glow in the darkness, and as I rushed closer, I found Adriana's unconscious body on the ground. The poison had spread immensely.
“Adriana!”
“I left them,” Tears filled her eyes. “I should have done something, they died because of me,”
“They died because of Nikola. And we'll make him pay. Together. I just need you to trust me,” I said and more tears rolled out of her eyes. “Please I need you to pull through. Do you trust me?”
Her eyes met mine through her tears, and before she nodded. “More than anything,”
Relief flooded me. “Then take my hand, Adriana. Come with me,”
A minute passed before she took our hand, and instantly, a blinding white light covered us.