Chapter 26

**Allister POV**

“Are you out of your mind??” Warit asked me the moment we walked outside the portal, landing in the middle of thick, dark woods, searching for Rhea Crowe.
 “No, dear cousin, I am serious,” I answered him.
“Why the hell do we have to go and meet her? What is going on?” Warit kept on throwing questions at me as his narrowed eyes inspected me closely.
“Nerissa has been taken into the Dark Fae world,” I answered him with a gravel voice, making him stop in his tracks while I kept on walking ahead.
As he snapped out of his shock, Warit rushed towards me, grabbing me by my arm, making me stop and look at him as he said, “Are you sure she is there?”
“Yes, I am. I followed her scent together with Alex as it was leading us there.” I said as a growl emerged from my throat at the mere memory of the other male.
Warit looked confused, but I ignored his expression as I continued walking ahead, searching for Rhea.
I heard his footsteps rushing after me as he finally gained closer, walking next to me, without us stopping he asked me, “Who is Alex?”
Feeling annoyed, I snapped at him as I answered, “Her other fucking mate!”
“Hers what?” Warit shouted as he asked, looking at me, waiting for my answer that I didn’t provide. He asked, “When you say her, do you mean Nerissa?”
“For fuck’s sake Warit, yes, Nerissa! Now shut the hell up and walk faster so we can get this shit over with and get my mate back!” Stopping in my tracks as he followed, I snapped at him as I said the words.
We continued on, walking faster, breaking through thick forest, breaking low branches on our way until finally, we saw a stone little cottage in the middle of nowhere, with closed windows that were rusty and barely holding on to their hangers.
The outside look of the cottage would seem to almost anyone like it was abandoned, but the old chimney was giving away life in the cottage as smoke was slowly going out of it.
“We are here.” I declared making Warit inhale deeply, letting me know how unwilling about this task he was.
Walking towards the door, the determination echoed with each step I took, Warit silently followed behind me as we reached the old wooden door and I raised my hand up, knocking hard onto it.
The sounds from the inside stopped for a moment as I could hear slow footsteps approaching the door and before I knew it, the door opened and a strong red blast erupted, knocking Warit and me backward to fall down on the ground, feeling the impact tingling slightly all over my body while Warit groaned next to me.
I turned my head to my side to look at Warit as I asked him, “Are you ok?”
Before he could answer, a female stepped outside in front of the little stone house. Bending down over Warit, she said, “Goddess! Are my eyes deceiving me or is it you, Warit?”
I slowly stood up from the ground, looking over at groaning Warit who said, “Nice to see you too, Rhea.”
Rhea snorted, pulling up to her full height as she extended her arms, showing the red light shining out from them, ready to send another blast towards Warit.
I reacted in an instant, grabbing Warit by his arm and pulling him away from her aim as she released her powers, missing Warit by a mere second.
“Hey!” Rhea exclaimed loudly, looking over at me in anger, “You are messing with the wrong female here. Unless you do not wish to feel my wrath as well, I would suggest that you stay away from mine and his personal business.”
Taking a step towards the female, I pierced her down with my cold, narrowed eyes, not liking to be threatened by anyone as a growl sound from my chest, unleashing my dominant power making her eyes grow wide as I said, “I don’t care what is your business with my cousin, nor we are here to discuss it.” Taking another step towards her as Warit hurriedly stood up to his feet, silently watching us as I did not once remove my focus off of the female, saying, “I am sure by now you are very much aware of who I am and that being said I will just warn you this time do not threaten me or next time I will not hesitate to drag you down to hell and make you wish you have never crossed paths with me, got that?”
Her eyes were huge as fear was clouding them. Swallowing loudly, she nodded her head and with a shaky voice said, “Y-yes m-my Lord.”
Smirking darkly at her response and fear, I said, “Good. Now let’s go inside and get this visit over with fast.”
Walking past her, I went straight inside the little house, followed by Warit and her.
Soon as we all were settled inside the little house, we sat down on old rusty furniture when Rhea’s eyes kept glancing between Warit and me, she finally asked, “So what do I own this unexpected pleasure to?”
“I need your help to enter the Dark Fae world,” I answered her, making her shocked for a moment until in the next second she turned into fits of laughter.
I looked over at Warit who just exhaled agitated before he spoke to her, “Look, Rhea, I know we haven’t parted away in a most friendly manner, and I am sorry, ok, but we really need your help in this matter, it is really important. Will you please help us to get into the Dark Fae world?”
Rhea looked at Warit, silently thinking before she said, “What do I get out of it if I agree to your plan, and help you go into the Dark Fae world?”
I leaned forward, pressing my palms together as I asked her, “And what would you like?”
Her eyes looked over at Warit, glowing slightly as she smiled darkly, “I want him to do what he was supposed to do a long time ago.”
Before Warit could speak up, I said, “Fine, whatever that is, he will agree to it, but only if you will get us inside the Dark Fae world.”
Warit stood up, shocked by my answer as his wide eyes looked over me and Rhea, “What? Are you serious? We don’t even know what she wants and you are already ready to sell me away just to get what you need.”
Rhea leaned back into her chair, giggling as she silently watched Warit and my exchange as I stood up, looking at fuming Warit, I said, “If my mate is in question then fucking know it that I am ready to do absolutely anything, even if it means to play dirty to get her, I will do that too.”
“O, a demoness in despair… interesting, I wonder why she would be brought down there,” Rhea spoke slowly, eyes gleaming as they were focused onto me.
Anger fueled inside me, making me move fast as a flash of lightning, grabbing the armrests as I got into her face, growling with a dangerously low, cold tone of my voice, I said, “It doesn’t concern you, the only thing that you need to start thinking about is how to get us the fuck inside there, got it Fae? Or I will just drag your ass back there and use you as my entrance card and I don’t care what they will do to you when they find you there again.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” She said, looking me into my eyes as I smirked at her, arching my eyebrow, I said, “Try me.”
Silently she looked at me for another minute before she spoke, “But I cannot go back there. They have outcast me, banned me from there.”
Standing back up, not removing my eyes off of her, I said, “Then stop trying to play with me Fae, or I will show you what I just said I will do it in a heartbeat.”
Rhea nodded her head as she said, “Okay, I will get you inside.”
She extended her hand towards me, making me take her hand as we shook our hands.
Warit, not being able to hold his tongue, said, “Yeah, don’t test us, so let’s go.”
Rhea looked at him the same as I did when she asked, “Are you saying that you are backing out from our deal?”
Warit smiled at her about to speak up but I cut him off, saying, “No, he is not. We had an agreement and we will honor it.”
“Hey!” Warit exclaimed loudly while Rhea smiled at me.
“I don’t even know what the agreement is about?!” He said, feeling annoyed.
Rhea giggled hearing his displeasure and for a mere second I felt bad for him, but I had to do what was needed to be done especially if it involved my mate.
I looked at Rhea and asked her, “Will you please tell my cousin what you had in mind for his sake of mind, please?”
Laughing, she looked over at Warit and said, “You never took me on a proper date and you promised me before you just left without a word that you will take me out, so now you will.”
Warit stood there like someone took out his vocals, not producing any sound as his mouth was open, making me roll my eyes at him, shaking my head I walked away from them, heading towards the other corner where a small bookcase with just a few books was.
Looking through the few books there, I said, “Go get ready and take what you think we might need to get us inside into the Fae world.”