Chapter 15

**Nerissa POV**

“We are going to the Underworld.”
My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Warit say that right before we passed through the portal and stepped into a dark place that would make even the bravest feel the goosebumps crawl over their skin. “The Underworld?” I asked Warit the moment we walked out of the portal and appeared in this dark, scary place that made chills crawl up my spine. Warit looked back at me, smiling as he started to walk ahead of Emily and I, leading the way further into this cave-like place. “Warit!” I loudly whispered, fearing that I would be heard by someone else as I rushed after him, pulling Emily along with me, making him stop and look back at us.
“Yes?” he asked, his smile still on his face as excitement shined through his eyes.
“Why are we here?” I repeated my question, waiting for his answer.
“Well, we need help in finding your aunt, and there is no other option, but we can ask my Lord to help us with such a task.” He casually stated as he took mine and Emily’s hands and nudged us to walk alongside him.
As we walked, I couldn't help but wonder who this Lord he is referring to is.
"Do you think he can help us find Aunt Patricia?" I asked Warit as we kept on walking. We passed through narrow, dark corridors, the distant sounds of torture and screams bouncing off of the walls, making me cringe with every noise that reverberated around us making me feel hesitant going forward. Swallowing hard, I forced my feet to keep moving, trying to tune out those sounds.
Warit nodded. "He surely can, but the only unfortunate thing is, he cannot seem to find the one person that he has been searching for on this planet for far too long." Hearing that spiked my curiosity. I couldn't help but wonder who he was searching for and why.
We passed through the corridors, eventually finding ourselves in a wide-open land. I was surprised, to say the least, as I was expecting that we would be inside and not outside. The corridor was obviously a passage that connected the portal to this side, the Underworld, and the other side, the world above or also known as, the outside world.
The land before us was surprisingly green, there was grass covering the clearing, but the flowers looked different than any I had ever seen before. We walked further ahead, passing through the soft, green grass as beautiful smells surrounded us coming from the colorful flowers strewn all through the clearing. My fingers slowly caressed the soft, flower petals as we walked further ahead, approaching what seemed to be dark woods.
“Is this the Underworld? Emily asked, making Warit chuckle before he looked at her.
“Oh, no. This is the land in between,” Warit said, still chuckling as he led us away.
“The land in between? I’ve never heard of such a place,” I said, feeling confused.
Warit pushed away a branch that was hanging low, allowing us to pass by him as he told us, “The land in between is enchanted. The story I remember my mother telling me was that in these lands once lived special creatures. They possessed many different types of gifts and powers.”
The road ahead of us was turning darker, like the passage we had passed through. Further ahead, I saw a huge cave with strange markings surrounding its entrance.
Warit held his hand up, making us stop and wait while he approached the markings. He placed his hand on one of them and said, “Obsecro ut transpire mihi.” Let us pass.
A fire suddenly appeared at the entrance of the gate. At first, it was fierce and wild, but as we walked closer, the flames moved away, which allowed us to walk inside. The moment we passed through, the raging fire closed the entrance behind us before slowly becoming invisible. Screams were coming from in front of us now, making Emily and I move closer to each other as we slowly followed behind Warit.
I tried not to think of where we were going and why someone was screaming. I decided I’d rather keep a conversation going about a much more interesting subject than what was going on further ahead of us.
“So, those creatures that you spoke about a moment ago, do they still live in that land?” I wondered.
He looked at me with sad eyes. “Unfortunately, not anymore.”
“Why not? Did something happen to them?” I was very interested to learn more about the story he just told us.
"Well, they ran away and went into hiding when the Oracle came once and spoke of a prophecy. It was overheard by the Draconis and other packs. The creatures were then hunted down, making them leave the place in order to survive," Warit said. Upon hearing this, I shared a look with Emily.
“So the prophecy is the reason this land was abandoned?” I asked in a tiny voice. I had a feeling the story was actually a tale about our families.
“Yes. It was said that one will be born who will bring the world to its end, causing darkness and fear in the lands,” he explained as we walked past a set of doors made of steel.
Remembering something, Warit turned to us. “Oh, do not touch these doors. They lead to the dungeons, and the doors might hurt you if you try to open them.”
Raising our eyebrows, we looked at him in question. “A door might hurt us?”
“Yes, they are enchanted to keep the prisoners inside, not allowing anyone to enter except my Lord alone,” Warit replied.
Nodding our heads in understanding, we walked further ahead.
“Who is your Lord, the one you speak of, the one we are searching for?” I asked him.
“It is not my right to say, but do not worry, he will help us,” Warit encouraged us with a warm smile as he opened another huge, steel door. We entered a beautiful, dark marbled room, with gold, dark gray, and red decorating it. It took our breath away as Emily and I stood there admiring the place.
“This is stunning,” Emily whispered. I silently agreed with her as my eyes followed the elegant lines of decor and four columns that were standing two on one side, and two on the other. Right next to them was a beautiful, wide, long, dark staircase decorated with a red rug that had gold edges all over.
“This is just the front area where the main gates to the palace are,” Warit said as he motioned with his head to follow him. We passed under two of the columns, and through a set of double doors with dark golden knobs.
He placed his hands on the knobs, cursing under his breath before turning towards us with an apologetic look in his eyes. “I am sorry. I have completely forgotten that today there is a welcome party in honor of our Lord.”
Smiling softly at his kindness, I gently spoke, “That is okay.”
He pressed on the knobs, and the double doors opened, letting loud, sensual music reach our ears as we saw a huge crowd of people dancing and drinking. They looked like they were having fun. Warit walked with us as we made our way further inside the huge room, which seemed to be decorated like the entrance room, in dark marble with only red and gold decorations.
Half-naked females danced with the males, barely noticing us as we moved towards the dark steps that looked to be leading up to a throne.
We walked towards the first step of the raised podium which led to the throne as I surveyed it, watching four females, all dressed the same in what appeared to be tiny pieces of clothing that seemed to only be held together by two clips on their shoulders. They also had a belt that was placed low on their hips, holding together the bottom two pieces of fabric. It made them look barely decent as they moved their bodies, following the rhythm of the music.
Their feet were bare, and the dresses, if we can even call them that, reached down to their ankles. The sides were open, revealing their legs. The front was made to show off their stomach and chest, barely covering their bodies. The movements of their bodies, swaying to the melody that was playing, were seductive, which made me realize that they were actually seducing the person sitting on the large, dark, marble throne. They kept their eyes and smiles locked on whoever was sitting there.
I couldn’t see them very well, but I was able to tell it was a male. His face was hidden in shadows, but I noticed long, strong legs that were casually stretched out in front of him. His hands were strong, and I could just see an outline of his muscles, showing from underneath his dark sleeves. In one hand, his long fingers held a chalice. I watched as he slowly swirled the liquid inside, lazily playing with it. Warit moved closer to the throne while we stayed where we were, waiting as he walked straight towards the male sitting there. I could see Warit lean close to the male, speaking to him. He spoke for some time as Emily and I patiently waited. Warit’s arms were gesturing wildly as he spoke so energetically to the person who leaned his head on his hand and listened carefully to what Warit had to say.
The females tried to catch the attention of the male on the throne, throwing angry glances towards Warit who obviously didn't care as he continued to speak, pointing now and then towards Emily and I.
After some time, a growl sounded and the male that sat in the shadows stood up abruptly, causing Warit to rush after him as he made his way down towards us. The females that were dancing, stopped and moved to give him space to walk down the steps, their faces downcast.
I felt my skin tingling; it prickled excitedly, but I wasn’t sure why. He continued walking closer, coming towards us. Emily and I bowed our heads as we knelt on the floor, trying to show respect to Warit’s Lord in the hopes that he would help us.
He stopped right in front of me, taking in a deep breath as Warit said, "They are in true need of your help. Please, my Lord."
“I don’t have the time nor the desire to waste it on…” As he spoke, I raised my head to look up at him, but I was still unable to see his face. I was irritated by his words and the fact that I couldn’t make out his features from this angle.
His voice was very pleasant, even if it had a cold tone, and yet, it somehow sent a warm, pleasant feeling slowly rushing through my body. Realizing that he had stopped talking, without even finishing his sentence, I lowered my eyes, embarrassed that I was caught so obviously trying to look at him. The rustle of fabric reached my ears as a strong, warm hand gently touched under my jaw, sending tingles down my spine. He gently lifted my chin, making me raise my head, but I kept my eyes downcast.
His thumb gently caressed my jaw as I kept my head raised. “Look at me.”
I debated whether I should oblige and look up at him or if I should move away from his touch. The touch was so gentle and warm, it made me feel good, yet at the same time, I felt confused about why I liked his touch so much. I finally decided to look up at him, too curious for my own good.
Before we made eye contact, I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the pleasant tingles that had started the moment he grabbed my chin. Once satisfied, I raised my eyes and looked into two pools of sky blue.
My eyes widened the same moment his did, causing my breath to hitch. Shock filled me as the realization hit me and I heard Bellania say the one word I never expected to hear again,
“Mate!”