Belladonna fell asleep quickly but Eli couldn't sleep.
It still felt like a dream.
He kept looking at her to ensure that she wasn't just a figment of his imagination and that everything that had happened wasn't just an illusion.
Hopefully, it hadn't been as a result of him being so desperate that his mind had tricked him into thinking this had happened.
Wait! Was it possible that Galdur still had him trapped in his mind?
His fingers went through her hair again and she turned in her sleep, facing him.
His breath caught in his throat.
No.
This was real.
They should leave Osi’s house now and return to the Golden Boy's Guest House, but Eli didn't feel like moving an inch.
He could live here forever.
Besides, their hosts said they could stay for the night.
That was what they would do.
When he started falling asleep, he pulled her into his arms, afraid that if he didn't she would disappear while he slept.
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The loud banging against the door jolted Belladonna awake.
She sprung up.
It took her a couple of seconds to remember where she was and what had happened in this room.
A shiver ran through her but before any other feeling would possess her, she heard a voice at the door.
That was when she discovered that Eli was walking to the door. Quickly, she grabbed the bedcloth and wrapped it around her hazardously before she rushed to the door.
Eli was in front of her though and he got to the door before she did.
“Aniya!” Zesika yelled and Belladonna’s heart skipped a beat, she managed to poke her head under Eli’s arm to see her. Zesika looked distraught, tears rolled down her cheeks and her eyes were red like she had been crying for hours.
Not good.
Not good at all.
“I wanted to take care of Lytio because his arm hurts on cold nights and I— I—”
“What happened to my sister?” Belladonna fired, her heart racing too fast with worry.
Zesika wasn't the only one at the other side of the door. Osi was there, along with her husband.
They all had worry in their eyes.
“She is missing! Along with Arlo! We have searched everywhere! We can't find them.”
“Is the lycan still in the dungeon?” Eli asked above her and Zesika shook her.
“My husband did not find him there.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “They are all missing.”
Belladonna's heart dropped. “He stole my sister and her baby. He is the one.”
“Where is your husband?”
“On a patrol, My Lord. We are still searching.”
“Give me a moment,” Eli replied and shut the door.
Then he ran around the room, picked up his clothes, and put them on. He had tried to wash off the bloodstains earlier before his bath and now they didn't look as sharp as they did earlier. However, the ripped parts remained ripped.
“I’m going with you,” Belladonna said. She had thrown her dress on too.
“You will go to the Golden Boy’s house and stay there, just in case she returns.”
Anger sharpened in her eyes.
“I am going to look for my sister and you will not stop me!”
“Your powers are not within your control yet. You may cause more harm than good.”
“I can’t believe I was busy here when—”
“They must not have gone far, I will find them.” He stopped in front of her. “When I return with your sister and her child, we will talk about us. Be merciful to me in your decision.” He pressed a quick kiss against her lips and before she had the chance to speak, he was out through the door.
Belladonna didn't linger on the thought of anything other than the safety and safe return of her sister and her baby.
She would kill Ikrus. She would definitely kill him.
Now dressed, she raced out of the room and dashed to the Guest House.
Now she has a reply for Alaris but it was something that she never thought she would have to ask him.
Her message was for him to visit the Shape-shifters’ Realm, search for Aniya and Arlo, and bring them back.
Before leaving Inaymi, Alaris had said that the Lycan had no portal back to his Realm and depended on some Elders to summon him back. However, the present situation was starting to make Belladonna doubt that. She hoped that the Lycan had been telling the truth, but what if he had lied?
She sent the message, hoping that what she thought wouldn't turn out to be either truth. If they were still in this Realm, they would be easier to find.
But in the Shifters' Realm?
How large was the Shifters' Realm? Things would be difficult.
Poor Aniya. She must be so scared.
Belladonna cried into her palms.
Just when everything in her life was starting to make sense, it had to get ruined.
She would kill Ikrus!
That foolish shape-shifter! She would kill him!
Then Belladonna proceeded to write to other villages, sending out drawings of Aniya, Arlo, and the despicable shape-shifter.
Promising a very attractive reward for anyone who had any information on them, or anyone who could bring them to her.
For Arlo and Aniya, she made sure to state that they had been kidnapped by the shape-shifter and she needed them alive. Every other information she could provide to ensure they were found, she did provide.
For the Lycan, however, it didn't matter to her if he was brought to her dead.
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