His Forbidden Mate
Part 53

Edward stepped through the portal and into the city of Lurds at the location where the parlour was. Just like he feared something terrible had happened, the parlour was on fire and those around were fleeing from it. The choking smoke of the flames that oozed out of the parlour travelled through the nose and burnt the lungs. The amount of wolfsbane present in the smoke was enough to kill even the strongest werewolf, if trapped in it for too long. This was an attack on the parlour and whoever was behind it had their plans thought through and executed.

Knowing that someone would do this angered Edward, and knowing Kailani was still inside terrified him. He couldn’t lose her too, he wouldn’t make it.

The few that came out of the parlour were running as far as they could to safety, but she wasn’t one of them. He caught a maiden running by the arm and made her stop.

“Prince Edward!” Kyra acknowledged him and bowed her head despite her fear.

“Where’s lady Kailani?” he demanded and fear registered in her eyes.

“She’s still in there. She wanted to get everyone out before coming out,” she answered and Edward’s head travelled back to the parlour, which was now on fire.

He let go of her hand, and she hurried away. His hand shot forward, and he made a loud incantation and, in the next minute, the flames seized. He approached the building and saw Jane carrying a younger maiden out while coughing heavily.

“My prince!” she choked and placed her hand to stop him from coming closer to the parlour, which had become a danger zone.

“Kailani is still in there,” he told her, shoving her weak hand away. “I can’t leave her in there.”

A tear rolled down her face. “Going in there means choosing death. If she’s still in there, she’s dead, my prince.”

“No, I don’t believe that!” he growled and stormed past her into the parlour. The smoke filled his lungs, choking and weakening his being from the inside out.

“Kailani!” he called out, choking as the smoke-filled up his nostrils.

His ear picked up a faint heartbeat towards the left hallway and he guided his legs over and toward the direction. The closer he got, the fainter the heartbeat became, and soon he stopped hearing it.

With the heartbeat gone, he had to search the last rooms before him. He opened the first and found it empty, and then he did the same to the second and found it empty. He moved to the third and pushed it open and there he found Kailani in her wolf form and unconscious on the floor and covered in b***d. He knew she could not take the pain and anguish and had shifted to bear the agony. His heart clench and he hurried to her, gathering her into his hands and carrying her out.

He didn’t hear a single heartbeat all the while he carried her out of the building. He didn’t think about it; he didn’t think he would make it if he place his mind on that fact. No, He needed to remain optimistic for as long as he could, and that was what he did. He wasn’t going to let go, not now, not ever…

Kailani’s eyes fluttered to see that she was in an empty room alone. Her eyes darted around for a while as she tried to remember the last thing that happened, but her memory kept coming up short.

What could have happened? How did she get here? Why was she in an empty room?

All these questions plagued her mind, and she wondered if she will ever replace answers to them.

Was this life beyond? If it was, how did she get here?

Not long after, the door on the left side of the room opened and Edward walked in. His eyes caught hers on the bed and they lighten up in relief.

“Kailani, you are awake,” he said, stepping away from the door and hurrying towards the bed, where she lay.

“What happened? Why am I here? I can’t remember anything.”

He smiled and reached out to stroke her face tenderly, “You’re at the inner chamber of the temple of Lurds and the parlour was attacked,” came his response and memories of what had taken place at the parlour rushed back into her head.

She tried to help herself up, only to feel pain in her chest. A pain-filled g***n left her mouth and she give up the fight to sit up. None of this made her happy, and she made it known with the look on her face.

Edward, who saw how she struggled, spoke up again. “You need time to heal,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “You went through a lot of pain and lost so much strength and b***d.” the horror in his voice told her what happened also scared him.

She laid back in bed, breathing deeply. “How did you know I was in danger?”

“I felt it. I have your mark.” He replied, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“It would have taken you longer to return to Lurds. Did you push any boundary?” The silence told her he did but didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t have the strength to pick a fight about whatever he did because a part of her knew it had contributed to saving her life.

“How long has it been, then?” she raised a brow.

“Two weeks.”

“Oh,” she muttered, surprised because it felt like a few hours for her. She couldn’t help wondering how that must have been for him. He looked tired, no doubt afraid also, and that told her he had been miserable.

“Do you remember what happened?” he narrowed his gaze on hers.

She bit her lips and nodded. “We were attacked and I don’t know how many of them there were, but Cynthia stabbed me in the chest and left me for death at the parlour. I doubt she came up with the attack and executed it on her own.”

“You think she had help?”

“I know she did, and I can list a few who could have supported her in doing this. Your father and Lady Shewa are on that list. They never supported our union. It’s only logical they try to stop it.”

He took her hand in his. “We can’t assume, Lani.”

She cut him off. “It’s not an assumption, Edward. The parlour had been receiving threats for weeks.”

“You never told me.”

Her eyes dropped. “I thought we could handle it. I reported the issue to the security department in Lurds, but they did nothing. I believe we need to replace Cynthia. She will confess once she goes through the hands of the torturers.”

He placed his lips on the back of her hand, leaving a k**s thereon. “We will get to the root of this, I promise you.”

“How long do I have to stay here in this bed, unable to move or do a thing?”

“Another week or two. Tell me what you need and I’ll help you get it.” He offered.

She bit her lips, grinning, “I need to k**s you. Can you help me do that?”

He smiled and leaned in, placing his lips on hers and kissing her passionately.