Thirty Nights Forgotten

Chapter 20: The Summer Mansion

Nicholas’ POV

In the distance, I see the rooftops of the Summer Mansion appear in view. A mixture of feelings rises within me at the sight of the grand estate, where I spent so many summers as a boy with my parents and my siblings.

It was in this place where I could behave less like the future king and more like a child. To be honest, those were the only times I remember being happy – at least until I met Addy.

But as the sun begins to set behind the turrets of the brick manor, I am reminded of the reason we are here: to beg my traitorous grandmother for her money to save my mate.

The very idea of it makes my blood boil.

“Hey, is that it? Up ahead?”

My Light One speaks from behind me, pointing down to the Summer Mansion as we fly closer. I have certainly not enjoyed sharing the back of a pegasus with him, since he’s clinging onto me for dear life.

“How many times have I told you to sit back?” I growl. “There is no need for you to sit so close to me!”

The flapping of pegasus wings sends a gust of air rushing past our ears, so I have to shout at him to be heard.

“Do you think I’m actually enjoying this?” he calls back. “I’m only hanging on so I don’t fall to my death!”

The second pegasus, which Persephone and Sol share, begins its descent toward the gardens of the Summer Mansion, so I kick my heels into the sides of our beast to follow. I am eager to put some distance between myself and my Light One.

When we return to Earth, we will rejoin bodies once more. He should, at the very least, allow me to enjoy the freedom of having my own body while I still can.

Once the pegasuses land in the grass, we immediately disembark and lead them over to the stables. Best to hide them away since we stole them.

Sol offers to fetch food and water for the creatures after the long journey, so Persephone and my Light One follow me up the steps toward the front doors, which tower high above our heads. Gripping the door knocker in my hand, I rap three slow taps on the wood to announce our arrival.

The tense silence between the three of us is palpable as we await an answer. Even after traveling through the night to be here, I am still unsure what I am going to say to my grandmother when I meet her face-to-face.

Finally, the door begins to creak slowly open, revealing the figure of an older, unfamiliar maid on the threshold.

“What do you want?” she sighs, peering at us wearily with sunken eyes.

Her tone takes me by surprise. It appears my grandmother has not been keeping an eye on the attitude of her staff.

“I am Nicholas, grandson of the Queen Dowager, Mary.”

The maid looks taken aback momentarily before glancing behind us suspiciously.

“Were you followed?”

“No.”

With one last glance over our shoulders, she waves us quickly inside, where she leads us through the foyer. Large windows allow plenty of sunlight to illuminate the grand artwork and tapestries on the walls, lighting our path across the woven rugs beneath our feet. The space is adorned in bright colors, which contrast drastically with the dreary castle back home.

It’s exactly how I remembered it.

Outside, I can see the lush, floral gardens that surround the brick mansion, where I used to play as a child in the warm weather.

“I’m in the middle of preparing dinner,” the maid huffs. “I didn’t plan for three extra.”

“Actually, there are four of us,” I answer with unmasked annoyance. “One of us is attending to our pegasuses in the stables. And you should show more gratitude for your employer.”

“Gratitude?” she snorts. “I’m exhausted! Madame Mary barely pays me enough to do all the cooking and cleaning around here, and now I have to answer the door for guests, too? There’s not enough of me to go around!”

“Do you not have help?”

“No. Between you and me, Madame Mary can only afford me. No one else.”

Just as I am about to ask her to explain herself, the maid leads us into the parlor, where my grandmother is reading a book in her highback chair near the bay window.

“Madame Mary, your grandson is here.”

My grandmother’s stern expression snaps up impatiently from her book, but as soon as our gazes meet, she freezes. It looks as though she’s seen a ghost as her eyes widen with shock, and her cheeks grow two shades paler.

“Nicholas?” she whispers uncertainly, rising from her seat using her cane for support. “Is this a trick? Is it really you?”

As she slowly approaches me, a part of me wonders if she is about to embrace me. It would be out of her character to do so, but if she believed me dead, then perhaps the cranky old woman might show a hint of affection for her long-lost grandson.

But I’m proven wrong when she stops, narrowing her severe gaze at me.

“Where have you been?” she barks. “Do you realize the mess your absence has created?”

“I have heard the stories,” I retort, folding my arms across my chest. “It seems you and I have much to discuss.”

With a suspicious gaze, my grandmother gestures toward a seating area in front of the fireplace, where I take the seat across from her. Persephone and my Light One take a seat on the sofa, glancing uncertainly between the Queen Dowager and myself.

No one says a word as my grandmother studies me closely, her lips pursed together disapprovingly while the maid, Perla, places a tray with a glass pitcher and matching glassware on the coffee table before us. I can smell the blood coming from the pitcher, and my mouth begins to salivate at the scent. After consuming nothing but rabbit blood for the past few days, I am eager to taste warm, human blood.

Perla offers some to Persephone and my Light One, who politely decline.

“So, Grandmother, should you go first, or shall I?”

“Perhaps you should fill me in on where you have been for the past two years, neglecting your duty as king whilst the realm descended into chaos.”

“I returned to Earth with my mate.”

“Impossible!” she huffs. “The curse does not allow us passage–"

“The curse is broken, Grandmother.”

Her stern expression melts into one of shock, and she shakes her head in disbelief.

“If that is true,” she begins slowly, “then we could escape to the other realm and find our fated mates.”

“Honestly, I don’t believe it would work for the rest of you. You would need to fuse bodies with your Light Ones.”

“And, um, I’m sorry to tell you this, Madame Mary,” my Light One interjects. “But your fated mate, my grandfather, passed away quite a while ago.”

“Ah, I see,” she answers tersely, taking a sip from her glass. But her face gives away no emotion. “And what about the younger ones?”

“We don’t know,” he shrugs. “Since the Curse of the Werewolf is broken, we’re not really sure they’d be able to recognize their true mates even if they met them. I guess only time will tell.”

“And there is another aspect of the curse that broke,” I explain. “It seems that your fates are no longer tied to your Light Ones. Ben, Josiah, and Jeremy are still alive on Earth, even though you sacrificed their lives in this realm—”

“Enough!” she hisses, stomping her cane sharply on the floor. “You have no idea of the hard times that have befallen the House of Ourey! I have had to make impossible decisions because of the selfish choice you made to abandon your throne and your family!”

“You seem to be doing just fine,” I shoot back, gesturing at the grand parlor we’re sitting in. “Were their lives worth it for this estate?”

“Do not speak of things you know nothing about! King Elijah was going to sacrifice the male heirs either way, and I had the future of your sisters to worry about. He may have given us the Summer Mansion as a consolation prize for our loss, but we are destitute! I had to marry Aiyana off to a lower noble since he was the only one that would take her, given her tainted name. She just gave birth to a son, you know? And I had to move mountains to assure the king that the child had no claim to the throne.”

“And what of Tallulah?”

“I am negotiating an engagement for her now.”

“But she’s only fourteen!” I growl, anger rising quickly in my chest. “She is a child!”

I hear the faint sound of creaking floorboards upstairs, but my grandmother’s shrill voice brings my focus back onto her.

“She is coming of age now, Nicholas,” she answers with a tone of finality. “But now, I must ask why you have chosen this moment to return, after so much damage has already been done in the wake of your absence!”

“We were forced to return,” I practically spit at her. “It was certainly not by choice. A witch forced us back through the portal, and I believe this witch is working for Elijah to eliminate me as his biggest threat. When we came back through the portal, my Light One and I separated bodies, and Addy was taken from us by his soldiers. That is why we are here, to ask for your help to raise an army to get her back.”

My grandmother pins me with an intense stare as her displeasure emanates from her.

“And with what funds would you raise an army? As I’ve told you, we were left almost penniless in your absence.”

“Grandmother, I am imploring you to help me. Once I have my mate safely in my arms, we will return to Earth and leave you in peace.”

“Peace?” she snorts. “This life is nothing but peaceful. Matthew is on the run because there is a price on his head. Your sisters are marrying beneath their status just to keep food on the table, and your youngest brothers are dead. Elijah will not stop until the House of Ourey is destroyed, and it is all your fault! I hope that foolishly chasing after your mate was worth it, but I refuse to offer any further aid to rescue that stupid human girl of yours.”

Suddenly, my grandmother sets her glass down and rises to her feet.

“I will retire for the evening,” she announces sternly. “Perla will feed you and show you to your rooms. Good night.”

As she exits the room, I can see her weariness in her unsteady gait. Obviously, the uprising took a toll on her, although I still am reluctant to feel even remotely sorry for her.

But this traitorous old woman was our only chance to save Addy, and now that final thread of hope is gone.