Thirty Nights Forgotten

Chapter 21: One Last Option

Nick’s POV

I couldn’t get any sleep last night, especially after the conversation between Nicholas and his grandmother. How could that woman share the same face as my own grandma back on Earth, and yet be so cold and unconcerned about Addy?

As much as I want to hate her, I can’t. She’s our only hope to save my mate, even though those chances are looking pretty bleak.

With a heavy sigh, I hang my head in my hands, resting my elbows on the balcony. I came outside to get some fresh air and look at the garden. Escaping into nature has always helped me when I needed a chance to think, but right now, I’m coming up with zero ideas to help rescue Addy.

“Sir Nick? How are you today?”

Surprised, I glance up to find Persephone standing there with a sympathetic expression on her face, and she’s brought a pitcher of iced tea.

“I’ve been better,” I shrug, giving her a half-hearted smile.

She passes me a glass of iced tea, and we sit quietly looking out over the garden.

“Lord Nicholas hasn’t emerged from his chambers all morning,” she says, gently breaking the silence between us.

“Yeah, I noticed. He’s being all angsty right now after talking to his grandma last night, but he needs to pull it together. We need to figure out a way to save Addy, but I’m fresh out of ideas.”

Persephone shifts uncomfortably, making me glance up at her. As she bites her lip, I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I just received word from one of my former contacts at the palace,” she begins hesitantly. “Apparently, King Elijah didn’t want to keep any former staff that served under Lord Nicholas. He had them all executed.”

“So, you’re saying there’s no one left at the castle that can help Addy?”

With a hesitant nod, she confirms what I had been dreading. We really are all out of options at this point.

***

At dinner that night, I’m surprised to see Nicholas join Sol and me in the dining room. Persephone offered to help Perla with dinner, and as she brings in a tray of food, she and I share a surprised glance.

“Look who decided to show his face,” I joke. “Did you spend the entire day sleeping in your coffin?”

“Vampires do not sleep in coffins,” he snaps at me. “Nor do they turn into bats, and they are certainly not immortal creatures of the night. Your Earth legends are ridiculous!”

His tone is telling me that this is going to be an uncomfortable dinner.

Madame Mary comes striding into the room, and we all rise to our feet in respect as she takes her seat. The atmosphere is tense among everyone, so Persephone is quick to pour beverages to help ease the mood.

Seeing the red blood flowing from one of the pitchers into Nicholas’ glass makes me wrinkle my nose in disgust, but watching him actually drink it makes my stomach churn. I don’t even want to know where Perla gets it from.

We’re almost done with our salad course, and still, no one has said anything. This has got to be the most awkward meal I’ve ever had.

“Where is Tallulah?” Nicholas asks sharply, cutting through the silence like a knife. “She has yet to make an appearance and greet her older brother.”

“She’s in her room,” Madame Mary answers coldly. “Sulking like the child she is.”

“Why? Because she’s too young to be married off?”

“That is enough on the subject!”

Another awkward silence falls over the room as everyone quietly eats their meal. By the time Persephone brings out the main course, I can barely stand it any longer.

“Nicholas,” I begin cautiously, “we need to talk.”

“About?”

“About how we’re going to save Addy. We need to come up with a new–”

A sharp tap cuts me off mid-sentence, and all of the heads in the room turn toward Madame Mary. Her wrinkled fingers are turning white from gripping her cane so hard, and she’s pinning me with an icy stare that makes me gulp.

“Are you still on about that girl?”

“Yes,” Nicholas says harshly. “That girl is our wife and mate. You wouldn’t understand our loyalty to her.”

Another tense silence falls over the room, but at least that old lady has turned her cold gaze onto Nicholas instead of me. But Nicholas seems unbothered by it and returns back to our conversation.

“I think our only option is to try and sneak into the castle. We’ll go under the cover of night and help her escape quietly.”

“That is a horrible idea,” Madame Mary interrupts sharply. “You do realize the entire kingdom is hunting down you and your brother?”

“Everyone thinks I’m dead,” he answers flatly. “Perhaps I can use that to my advantage. After all, we have made it this far undetected.”

His grandmother lets out a long sigh, closing her eyes in annoyance. It feels like she’s about to say something, and no one dares to say a word until she does.

It feels like forever before she opens her eyes and begins to speak.

“There is a ball at the castle tomorrow night. King Elijah has invited me.”

“Why would a disgraced Ourey be allowed to attend a royal ball?” asks Nicholas.

“Because it will bolster the new king’s position. It will signify to the entire realm that we not only accept his reign as his predecessors, but that we also actively support his rule.”

“And have you been attending these balls regularly?” Nicholas asks, narrowing his gaze suspiciously. “Cozying up to the new guard, so to speak?”

“No, I have not. It’s too far for an old woman like me to travel. But I have an open invitation to attend anytime I wish. However, with the pegasuses you have procured, I could leave first thing in the morning to arrive on time.”

“And why would you do this?”

“I will ascertain the well-being of Lady Addison, and I will report back. But you all must stay put here, do you understand?”

Nicholas stares at his grandmother for a long time before answering, but he knows just as much as I do that this is literally our only hope. I don’t know what game she’s playing, but we have to play by her rules.

“Fine,” he finally agrees. “We will stay put.”

“Perla!” she calls out, turning her head toward the kitchen. “Pack my trunk! And find the nicest gown I have that we haven’t yet sold.”

The rest of dinner goes by without much chit-chat, but once it’s over, we wait for Madame Mary to disappear up to her room. As soon as Perla retreats to the kitchen to clean, Persephone closes the doors to the dining room.

“What is your grandma up to?” I ask under my breath. “Yesterday she was adamant that she wouldn’t help us, and now she’s hopping on a pegasus and going into the lion’s den to make sure Addy’s okay? It doesn’t add up.”

“I know. Her sudden shift in attitude is concerning, to say the least.”

“Even if she goes to the ball, can we trust her to return with the truth?”

Nicholas shrugs in bewilderment, but he’s obviously lost in thought. He stares absentmindedly at the table, as if trying to find answers written on the tablecloth.

“She is up to something. I just can’t figure out what.”

“But we don’t have any choice, do we? We have to put all of our trust in her.”

“I suppose we must wait until she returns. We can determine our course of action from there.”

“Great. More waiting.”

Nicholas turns his hardened expression on me, his eyes boring into mine.

“Our mate is strong. We have to trust Addy, not my grandmother.”

Taking a deep breath, I realize he’s right. There are not a lot of people in this realm that we can trust. But Nicholas’ trust in our mate bond is so strong that he’s never once questioned it. He’s always been so sure from the moment he met her that she would come around to him.

Does he think I’m questioning the mate bond? Is that why he’s staring me down right now?

“I trust Addy,” I say, clenching my fists. “I trust her.”

I just don’t trust anyone around her.