Chapter 18

**Nerissa POV**


A week has passed since our picnic. I have to admit, since the moment I decided to give Allister a chance, things between us have changed for the better. He has become more attentive since the picnic and what surprised me the most was every time he would find a lead or hear something about my aunt’s whereabouts he informed me immediately. He even let me take part in one meeting he had with Caleb. I enjoyed his company more as the days go on, and it became normal for us to have a meal all together; he was more relaxed during those times as well.
Whenever we would have a meal I would catch him sneaking glances my way, now and then, while sometimes, when I wouldn’t be looking at him, I could feel my skin heating up. tingling, under his intense gaze, making my blood go wild, but still, I struggled not to look at him. There was still something I couldn’t really understand about him. There was a deep feeling like he was hiding something from me, and it never completely went away.
Later in the week, I came face to face with the last person I ever wanted to see again. Allister had given me permission to borrow any book I wanted from his personal library. Bored, with no plans except to wait for him to tell us when we were leaving, I decided to browse through the books. I had my nose crammed in the pages of a book as I was leaving, and I bumped into her! The female I had seen in Allister’s room the other night.
Our meeting wasn’t pleasant, she snarled at me, and left in a hurry. Bellania raged in my head every time we saw that female. She fought me, trying to take control and attack her. It was a struggle, but I managed to calm her down and avoid any issues.
So here I am now, sitting at a bay window while I looked outside at children who were playing.
Emily and Warit had gone to see a fire cave. Thankfully, I didn’t need to go with them. Watching over the children playing, I let my eyes drift closed for a moment and leaned my head against the window as sleep overtook me.

***
The smell of cinnamon rolls, combined with pastries, filled the air of the kitchen as I placed the last of the jam filled cookies onto the baking tray. The timer went off, letting me know that the cinnamon rolls and pastries were done. Rushing towards the oven, I took the rolls and pastries out. I rushed back to the counter to grab the cookies to bake those next.
“Do you need a hand?” A voice that sent pleasant shivers running down my spine, sounded from behind me as two strong arms wrapped around my waist, making me relax into the warmth, feeling safe and content.
I answered with a smile. “Could you call the children in and make sure they wash their hands, please?”
“Consider it done.” His lips pressed down against my temple, sparks initiating from the slightest touch. I sighed and went to finish making our dinner.
***

“Nerissa?” Startled, I opened my eyes, blinking away the vivid dream. I looked around to see I was still in Allister’s study room, sitting in the bay window, the children still playing outside. The echo of footsteps sounded as Allister slowly approached me. “Nerissa, are you okay?”
I looked up at him, and could clearly see worry in his eyes. He was searching my face which caused a little line to appear on his forehead.
Not wanting to worry him more, I gave him a reassuring smile. “Yes, I am. I didn’t realize I had dozed off and I didn’t hear you come in until you called my name.”
Silently, his eyes pierced into mine, making my cheeks blush while his eyebrow arched for a moment, but he shook his head, and looked out the window briefly before asking, “I was wondering if you would like to go out for a stroll with me?” He looked down at me, waiting for my answer.
I could still feel the influence of the dream I had and the feelings it stirred within me. It all seemed so real. I tried to compose myself as I cleared my throat and asked, “For a stroll?”
I know it must be a silly question, but somehow I could never think clearly when he was around. A small smile appeared on his lips. “Well, I was thinking of taking you out for an adventure since you have been locked inside this house the entire day, so what do you say?”
My heart raced faster at just the mere thought of being all alone with him. I was surprised that he knew I was inside the house all day while he was away looking after his duties as the King of the Underworld.
“Don’t be a fool, Nerissa, we should go with him,” Bellania’s voice sounded in my head as she could feel my hesitation to Allister’s request. Deciding that she was right, I looked up at Allister, who was still patiently waiting for my reply, and told him, “That sounds like a lovely idea.” A full-on grin appeared on his face, causing my breath to hitch in my throat. I felt captivated by his smile.
“Great. So how about you change your clothes, if you need to, and we can meet outside in the front yard and go from there?” Allister asked me and I could see he was excited to share this time together.
“Sounds like a good plan,” I answered him with a smile, which he returned as he extended his hand to help me get up from the bay window. I shyly accepted before standing fully and walking out of his study room, only to rush towards my room once I was no longer in his line of sight. My heart was aflutter as I tried to hurry so he didn’t have to wait for me too long.
Entering my room, I went to the closet that was filled with various clothes, all gifts from Allister. I chose a lilac blouse with white shorts and rushed to take off the clothes I was wearing to put the fresh set on. Next, I searched for some shoes and managed to find the ones I wanted and slipped them on. Once I was fully dressed, I rushed to the mirror and looked at myself, deciding I would leave my hair free, the way it was.
I took three deep breaths as I gently placed my hand on the handle of the bedroom door, trying to calm my racing heart that hadn’t slowed down since the moment Allister walked into the study.
The memory of that dream was still so vivid, it made me feel as if it was almost real. It crawled back into my mind. Suddenly, I realized I had never seen who was behind my back, kissing my temple. Closing my eyes I shook my head and told myself that now is not the time.
Leaving the room, I headed downstairs and noticed Allister was already there, surrounded by children as he crouched down to talk with them. The sight of him like that made my heart swell as warmth spread through me. Taking a step forward, I walked towards the front porch. He gave me a dashing smile when he noticed me standing there watching him. He stood up and slowly walked towards me with his hand extended, silently asking for me to hold it. When I reached out to hold his hand, I was surprised that little action made his eyes shine even brighter.
“Shall we?” his cheerful voice reached me as I smiled up at him, nodding my head as I let him take the lead.
I would have never guessed where he was taking me, not even in a million years.
My eyes widened from excitement when I saw where we were going, He chuckled as he kept his eyes on me. “I hope you like amusement parks, but from the excitement in your eyes I would have to guess I was right to bring you here.” I grinned up at him as he continued to smile. “Would you like to lead the way? Pick out any ride you wish us to go on and I will follow,” he told me.
I raised my eyebrow and asked, “Any ride?” He laughed as he nodded, making my eyes shine excitedly as I grabbed him, dragging him after me while saying excitedly, “Come on!” Laughing, he obliged and followed me. He let me choose which attraction to go on first, and as we finished one, I got to choose another one, repeating the process with every ride that followed.
By the end of our adventure, we were having so much fun laughing together and getting to know each other better.
At one point, my stomach growled, which made him smile, but he was quick to react. He went and bought us a few hot dogs that we ate, sitting down, talking to each other some more as we let our food settle.
Evening had fallen, and stars shone upon the clear, blue sky. We were sitting on a wooden bench, in the amusement park when Allister asked me, “Are you ready for the second part?”
I turned my head, looking at him surprised. “There is more?”
“Of course there is more. I did say adventure, didn’t I?” He stood up, and extended his hand. “Come on.”
Chuckling at his childish behavior, I took his offered hand as I stood up, following after him. “Where are we going?” I asked, slightly out of breath as I tried to keep up with his long strides.
“Ahh, no, no, it is a surprise.” He looked at me over his shoulder, giving me a wink.
Accepting defeat, I knew there was no way to get the answer out of him, we continued to walk further on in comfortable silence. We walked through the forest surrounding the park where huge leaves blocked our way. Allister pulled me gently towards him, which made me stop and look at him in confusion. He then removed the leaves in front of us, clearing them so we could move ahead.
Taking a step forward, I stepped out from the jungle of leaves. Surprised, I gasped aloud. It looked like a lake, surrounded by trees, with water lilies covering the surface. “Do you like it?”
“It is beautiful,” Not taking my eyes off of this magical place, I answered him truthfully, amazed by the beauty.
“Good, then you might like this as well,” he told me happily as I looked at him, watching as he walked to the left side of the lake. “Come, Nerissa.” He called to me without looking back.
I followed after him. As I finally reached him, I watched as he pulled me closer to a small boat tied off to a nearby tree.
“A boat?” I croaked out, making him turn and look over at me.
“Are you afraid of boats?” he asked, concern marring his face.
I shook my head. “No, of course not, I am just surprised.” He smiled at my answer and helped me on to the boat.
Once I was seated, he followed in after me, using an oar already on board and paddling us through the calm water of the lake. I saw fish swimming slowly underneath us as the reflection of the moon shone on the surface of the water.
Allister was silently paddling as I looked around. Now and then, he would point towards some area, animal, and even some plants, explaining to me what it was called or how it came to be.
I admired him when he wasn’t looking at me, seeing his muscular arms row the paddles with such ease. It made my mouth water as I tried to control myself.
“Watch out! Put your head down,” Allister warned me as he stood up and pushed away the low hanging leaves and branches of a nearby willow tree that were suddenly hanging above the boat.
Entering under the enormous tree, it was like a little secluded, private, magical place.
The light of the moonlight shone through the little cracks of the willow, illuminating the surrounding area, giving it a romantic touch as fireflies flew all around us.
I raised my palm, holding one firefly, admiring it before it flew out of my hand and I watched after it until I felt Allister’s gaze on me. I turned my head and smiled when my eyes locked with his.
The pull of our bond was so strong, pulling me towards him. I tried to resist it, but then I heard his gruff voice as he slid closer to me, and caressed my cheek with his right palm, eyes searching mine. “You are the most beautiful creature that I have ever laid eyes on,” he said, his eyes holding deep emotion. “Nerissa, my Queen, there is not a moment that passes by that you are not on my mind. I have been searching for you for a long time. I will not pressure you nor force or rush you to accept me, but…” He stopped and closed his eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath.
Licking my lips, I couldn’t help but ask, “But?”
Upon hearing my voice, he opened his eyes and looked down to my lips, “I can’t hold myself back anymore…” Before I could ask him what he meant, his lips pressed against mine, and his hand softly cradled my head. The kiss was gentle, but it made my body instantly react; I responded to his kiss enthusiastically. His tongue silently asked for entrance and I shyly allowed him in, and in the next moment, he claimed my mouth, our tongues dancing together with passion. We kissed until we were out of breath. Putting our foreheads together, we took deep breaths, trying to calm ourselves down. His eyes looked deep into mine, an intensity to them that I’ve never seen before. “We better go back.”
With my cheeks blushing, I nodded my head as he started to paddle, taking us back home.
***

***~Later on that evening~***

I tossed and turned in my bed, sighing deeply, frustrated and unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss Allister and I shared. He didn’t say a word on our way back home and the tense silence didn’t help calm the hurricane inside me that I’d been feeling ever since that moment.
I still couldn’t comprehend how it was even possible for me to have not one but two mates. Was it a mistake by the Goddess? Had she overlooked information and mistakenly given me both males as mates? The frustration was building up inside of me, and worst of all I couldn’t shake the desire I felt. I wanted Allister to kiss me again.
Alexander took my first kiss, and even if it was short and unexpected, it affected me as much as Allister’s kiss did. I hated the fact that after everything, I was missing Alex. Even though Allister welcomed Emily and I into his home and gave us a roof above our heads, food, and even clothes, I still didn’t feel fully complete.
I wish my mom was here so I could talk to her about all of this. I know she would have given me the best advice she could think of. Having tossed and turned enough, I pushed off the covers and stood up from the bed then walked towards the window so I could see the moon. I don’t know how long I stood there, watching as it shone brightly in the dark sky.
“Can’t sleep?” Allister asked me from the now open doorway to my bedroom. He stood there, half-hidden in the shadows of darkness.
I turned away from the window and felt his eyes burning into my skin, making my blood heat and rush through my veins. Gasping, startled, as I wasn’t expecting him here, especially in the middle of the night in my room. I licked my lips, feeling slightly nervous, and admitted, “No, I couldn’t.”
Slowly, he moved, entering my room. My eyes followed his every movement, his eyes never leaving mine. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of me, and I had to lean my head back so I could see him better. He looked from me towards the window, staring up at the moon as he told me, “The moon is beautiful tonight.” I stood there silently as he spoke, watching and waiting for him to do something more. He turned back towards me, his eyes piercing into mine, and added, “But, it is not as breathtakingly beautiful as you are.” His words surprised me, making my cheeks blush. His eyes glanced down to my lips. Had I not been staring right at him, I would have missed it. The desire inside me increased. I wanted more! Nervously wetting my lips, I noticed his eyes growing darker.
Slowly, he started to lean closer to me, and I realized he was about to kiss me again. My heart rate sped up at the thought, and I prepared myself for the kiss that never came. He stopped himself just a hair's breadth away from my lips before clearing his throat and standing to his full height once more. “It is late, you should try to rest, my Queen.”
Before I could say anything, he turned away from me, leaving my room as quickly as he came, the door closing softly behind him. Blinking a few times, I just stood there, rooted to the spot and feeling all kinds of emotions, not understanding what had just happened here.
I looked up at the moon, and whispered, hoping it could hear me, “Dear Moon Goddess, please help me fix the mess that is my life, and help me find my aunt so I can fulfill the promise I gave my mother.” I looked up at the moon one last time before slowly turning away from it and going back to bed.
As I was trying to fall asleep, my mind filled with thoughts of Allister and Alex and the kisses and feelings that had arisen from each kiss I shared with them.
The warm caress of the sun woke me up the next morning. As soon as I was dressed, I went downstairs for breakfast as I knew that others would join in the dining room soon. Taking a seat at the table, I noticed the food was slowly being brought out from the kitchen and placed on the table. I was the only one there as I was first to come to the table. Still feeling restless from the eventful evening, I decided to go into the kitchen and help them out with preparing and bringing food into the dining room. I needed to occupy my mind with anything other than Allister or Alex, so I was glad that they accepted my help as I worked together with the servants.
As we prepared the rest of the food, I could hear chatter coming from the dining room, indicating that Emily, Warit, and Allister were there. Taking the two trays, one with food and the other with beverages, I walked back inside the dining room making all three of them stop talking and look my way.
Allister’s eyes shined with surprise as he looked at me. Emily stood up wanting to help me, but I reassured her I could manage so she sat back down.
“I thought that you were asleep, and I would get to tease you when you woke up later,” Warit said to me as I walked to my seat next to Allister.
“I am sorry to disappoint you, but I woke up early and decided to help in the kitchen,” I told him, pouring juice into my glass.
“I believe we have enough servants as it is,” Allister commented, not even looking at me as he took a bite of his toast while reading papers that he had brought with him. His statement annoyed me, making me clench my jaw.
“I chose to help on my own, not because they were lacking a pair of hands or were incapable of completing their tasks.”
He looked up at me then and locked eyes with me. “Aren't you feisty this morning?” Rolling my eyes, I snorted as I silently started to eat my scrambled eggs. Allister chuckled at my response, or lack thereof, and returned his attention to the papers in his hand.
A few moments later, Caleb entered the dining room making Allister look up once more from whatever it was that he was reading. His focus was solely on Caleb as he approached him. Emily, Warit, and I stopped eating and looked over at Caleb too. He leaned close to Allister and whispered to him about something seemingly important, but we couldn’t hear their hushed conversation. Allister’s eyes connected with mine for a moment before he looked back at Caleb and ordered, “Prepare everything.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Caleb nodded his head once before turning around and leaving the room.
Allister placed his papers to the side and looked over at the three of us and said, “If you all wish to come with me, then eat your breakfast and we can leave.” Emily, Warit, and I looked at him in confusion
Warit gave him a curious look and asked, “And where is it that we are going?”
Allister looked at me as he replied, “Caleb just informed me they have a strong clue to your aunt’s whereabouts…” Hearing him mention my Aunt Patricia spiked my interest, the excitement making me completely forget about the food on my plate.
“So, I thought that maybe this time you all would like to go with me, and who knows, maybe the information will be helpful enough, and we will find her. Would you like that?” he asked me. I gave him a big smile as I happily nodded my head, making him chuckle. “I thought so, but first, finish your breakfast and then we can go.” He pointed at my plate which made me groan because I didn’t want to waste anymore time, but still, I did as he said. I tried to eat it as fast as I could, so we could leave.
Soon after finishing our breakfast, we went to our rooms to get ready to leave and follow the lead that Allister found. Emily, Warit, and I rushed downstairs in record time to meet Allister. He was already waiting for us outside the castle.
I saw him leaning against a black SUV, dressed in black jeans with the same color T-shirt. A pair of sunglasses were hiding his eyes but I could still feel them leaving burning tingles across my skin as he watched me approach him. “So, where are we going exactly?” Warit asked as soon as we had all approached Allister.
“There is a little group up to the north, and apparently, they know Nerissa’s aunt. I was hoping if we all go there, we will get lucky enough to find out if they know where she might be.” Allister pushed himself off of the SUV and opened the back door. He looked over at Emily and I. “Shall we?”
Nodding, Emily, Warit, and I climbed inside the back of the SUV, behind Allister and Caleb who sat in the front seats. A second SUV approached us from behind, and soon enough the two cars started to drive. We were leaving the Underworld.