Her Forever
Chapter 47

Sadie

The time felt it was at a stand-still. I couldn’t tell if it was day or night. The only way I knew a day had passed was when Drago would have me come out for meals such as breakfast and dinner. My heart consistently ached for Seth. Many times I thought he might have forgotten about me, that everyone had given up hoping to find me. Most of the time, I thought of myself as a positive person. Right now, I was anything but.

The only positive out of this situation was that I wasn’t an orphan. I had a family, and that my parents loved me. Why did I ignore such inclinations that I had, and never brought them up to Seth? Maybe I thought it was too good to be true.

I had two wonderful parents that tried to save me but ultimately failed in the end. They had tried to do what was best for me, and I wonder if they still think I was with Maria and Jeremy? Better yet, are they helping Seth with my rescue? If I had told Seth my theory, what Drago had told me, we could have had them come much sooner.

Laying back on the bed, stretching my arms, I hear a knock at the door. “Dove, please come eat; I made something you will love,” Drago said in a soothing voice. Drago had been trying his hardest to win me over, and each attempt has been a failure. Even when I was snarky or sarcastic, he made his voice like honey to sound sickly sweet. “Come on, and you need to eat more; you are withering away.”

I take my sweet time walking past him and heading to the small kitchen. “I’m sorry we are in such a small place. Maybe in the next week, we will be home, back in Vamparia.” I internally rolled my eyes as he placed a chicken cordon bleu on my plate along with a salad. The guy could cook, but I would not let him know that.

“We have a visitor after dinner,” he said as he started cutting into the meat. “I hope you can be on your best behavior while she is here.” Giving him the side-eye, I swallowed a small part of my salad. “As long as it’s not a witch to remove my mark, I think I’ll be fine.” Drago finally showed emotion and slammed his fist on the table.

“You will show respect!” He yelled. I didn’t even flinch. Something inside me had sparked a fit of anger that I had not felt before. I snarled at him, and Drago’s eyes twitched. Grabbing me, and took me back to the bedroom and threw me in. “I suggest you change that attitude of yours; I’ve been more than patient this past week,” and slammed the door.

Has he been patient? I’ve been locked in here all week, having to deal with his smell of death along with having to sleep in the same bed as him! Trying to cuddle me and whisper terrible things in my ear about how he wants to bed me and take over my body. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t rest, wondering if he was trying to fondle anything while I slept. Patient? I’m surprised I hadn’t died of disgust.

My anger radiated to my fingertips. The mere shaking of my body was clear, and I could barely hold a hairbrush in my hair when suddenly I saw spots in my vision. Feeling faint, I latched onto the bed and pulled myself up, trying to slide in between the sheets. The pain in my head from the past week, along with this new rage of mine, only intensified until I felt something lick my nose, my face, and my forehead.

I tried to swat it away until I heard an ethereal voice that radiated into my head, and I couldn’t ignore it. I opened my eyes, only to find myself in the meadow that I had seen my wolf just a week ago. The scene was more beautiful than I imagined. The grass glowed in the daylight, and the small wildflowers almost winked at me with their pollen centers.

The voice called to me again, “Sabrina! Or Sadie, whichever!” I whipped my head around to see the wolf just a few feet behind me. She gave a slight bow with her two front paws. She wasn’t as big as Seth’s wolf or even the warriors, and she seemed to be an average size wolf you would see in the forest. Her coating was a magnificent red with hints of gold when the sun hit her fur. The white underbelly and white tip of her fluffy tail still reminded me of a small fox.

“H-hello!” I whispered back. She barked at me in excitement and wagged her tail. “Took you long enough to get here,” she said. “I had to knock you out to get you to sleep! You don’t sleep very long or deep enough so we could talk.” Her maw never moved, but I heard every word she spoke through my mind.

“I’m sorry, a lot is going on, as you probably know.” The stray tear left my eye.

“Of course, but you shouldn’t have forgotten about me. You were so excited! We are together now, and we can help each other! We have to get back to our mate. Caspian is not doing well. I can feel it.” She blurted.

“I agree. I feel Seth is upset, too. I just don’t know how.” I looked around the meadow as if searching for Seth to walk up and finally find us. “What is your name? I’m sorry I was rude and didn’t ask,” I laughed.

“Thats alright! We are both new at this. My name is Gaia. Selene said she made me especially for you. We are special, you know.” She said in a perky voice.

“Special? How?”

“For one, since we are not large, we are fast. Quick and cunning.” She winked at me with her furry brow. “Plus, we are royalty. As we grow a better connection, we will find other powers we could use. I just don’t know what yet,” she trailed off.

“The one thing I want to know is, can we be unmarked? Drago has wanted to do that, and a witch is on her way,” I said worriedly. Gaia barked and sneezed, as if to laugh.

“Seth put his venom in you, and you have me now; we cannot be separated. He just doesn’t know that yet. If Caspian didn’t force himself out of Seth to change us, then you would have real obstacles. If you were born with me, then he could take the mark away. Don’t ask me how, but that is what Selene told me.” I nodded in agreement.

“That’s why I was born without you because Seth’s venom was so strong, and with the combined mating mark and changing mark, the bonding is too strong,” I yelled. I squealed in excitement at the sudden realization.

“You are a smart one, Sabrina!” Gaia chirped. “Now, let’s see if we can link someone. Since we are royalty, we should be able to go long distances in mind link. Maybe we aren’t too far?” Gaia said hopefully.

“Right,” I said seriously. “Show me how.”

Gaia spent the next few minutes explaining how there are invisible strings attached to each wolf in Seth’s pack. If I were to search for someone with my mind and tug on the invisible string, then I could contact them. Normal wolves have to mind link one at a time, but since I am an Alpha’s mate and of royal b***d, I could pull all strings at once.

“Let’s just try Seth, Gaia. I don’t want to push my luck by calling the wrong people. Somehow Drago kidnapped me, and no guards could warn us of the breach; I’m sure someone is a traitor.” Gaia agreed, and I closed my eyes. I tried to sense Seth, and I could feel him. It was like he was within arm’s reach. I reached for the string to pull on it and said his name over and over, begging for him to let me in.

Within a few moments, I could hear his husky voice in my head. “Sadie?” His voice cracked. “Sadie, is that you?”

“Seth! It worked! Oh my stars, I’m so scared I need you to find me!” I begged. “I’m stuck in some tree, and Drago used magic, and I can’t get out, and he is trying to force me to be his mate, but I will never let him!” I screamed all at once.

“I will find you, Sadie. Now that we have the link open, I can find you easier. Do you remember anything from your surroundings?” He said, hopefully. “Goddess, I miss you, Baby; I’m a mess. We are all a mess.”

“Just gigantic trees. I’m in the forest, and I do not know where he took me,” I said sadly. “I have my wolf now, and she taught me how to link you. Seth, there is so much to tell you,” I cried.

“Shh, Sadie, it will be alright. Keep the link open. I’m going to find you so much faster this way, baby. Stay strong OK? It won’t be long.” I heard a loud knock at the door.

“Seth, he’s coming into the room now. I have to go,” I whispered quietly.

“I love you, Sadie. It will be alright. I’m going to kill the bastard.”

Just then, the door swung open, and I was broken by my trance. Keeping the string readily available for Seth to find me, I looked into Drago’s eyes. Trying to find any traces of what he was going to do next, he continued to stare with a blank face. Stalking forward, he held out his hand; not wanting to push my luck, I took it, and he led me to the living room where a beautiful woman sat drinking black tea.

“Welcome, darling,” her voice was sultry and snake-like. She oozed dark magic as she traced her black fingernail across my jaw. “My name is Anana, and I practice a special kind of magic. I’ve traveled far to see you and your new mate.” I stared at her black eyes, trying not to show fear. She can’t do anything to me. I know it, but once she finds out, will I be killed because Drago can’t really have me?

“Let’s see the mark, shall we?” Drago pulled my top to the side, and Anana traced my mark with her finger; instead of the pleasure I feel when Seth touched my mark, I feel heat and pain. I g*****d. “Hmm,” she said. “This mark is deep.”

“What does that mean?” Drago spat.

“It means I’ll have to mix up a few things before I start. A salve, if you will, to help penetrate the mark better.” Anana goes to the living room table and pulls out her bag, and starts mixing several ingredients together and chanting something in another language. Drago sat me down in one of the kitchen chairs and ties me down so I couldn’t move.

“Drago, this is your last chance if you want redemption,” I said harshly. “Stop this insanity, and I’ll make sure your punishment is light. If you continue, I can’t promise anything.” I could feel Gaia growling in agreement, she was scratching inside my head.

“I want to rip him to shreds,” she said, growling inside me. “Punishment is death for trying to separate mates,” she snapped, as I could feel her coming forward. It was like she was on top of me, ready to spring out of my chest.

“This is the only way.” Drago leans into me as he whispered in my ear. “That I will have you, our kingdoms, and finally a mate to call my own.” Drago stood up and went to the living room, and left me to sit and think.

“Seth?” I mind linked again.

“Baby, I’m close, but I can’t find you,” it was Caspian. He had taken control over Seth, which could be both bad and good.

“Mate, mate, mate!” Gaia yipped within me as Caspian spoke. Caspian’s vibration reverberated across my mind, and Gaia m***s in pleasure.

“OK! Get me out of here first!” I started screaming internally.

Just then, Anana and Drago walked into the kitchen. Drago held one hand on Anana, and Anana put the salve on my mark. It burned and felt hot metal against my skin. I screamed once the salve boiled, and Anana chanted ancient words out loud. Drago stood there with his smug look, thinking as if he won.

“I need control, Sabrina!” Gaia shouted in my mind. “Just let go, and I’ll come forward.” Feeling my body relax as best as it could, I felt Gaia step forward and lunge to my eyes. I could feel my eyes glow in the dimly lit kitchen.

Drago gasped as he gritted his teeth in anger, and Anana stopped her chanting, backing up to the door of the underground cabin. The binding of my straps ripped like paper as Gaia spread her arms and claws transformed from my fingertips. Words came out of my mouth that were not my own, and they only amplified the intensity in the room.

“My turn,” Gaia said in a frightening sing-song voice.