Chapter 35: Sisters by Blood

FRIEDA

So Merrida had my daughter in limbo. I should have known she would pull a stunt like this. Gia’s powers wouldn’t work in limbo; she knew that.

I bustled around my sanctuary, preparing everything I would need to cross over as soon as I had the she-wolf Julia settled in downstairs.

Lucas had told me everything. It made sense that she would have intercepted Gia and trapped her.

I lay on the table and drank the tonic, closing my eyes and preparing myself to cross over the border into limbo.

Everything felt warm. Actually, no, it was excruciatingly hot.

“Darling sister, I wondered when I would see you again.”

I looked up at the boulder in front of me and saw her, my little sister, looking as manic as the day I’d sent her to hell. “How did you get out of the spirit realm?”

She sneered at me. “I made a deal with the devil, so to speak.”

My gaze followed hers as she jumped down. “Father? You’ve seen him?”

Her sneer turned into a smirk, and she crossed her arms. “Oh yes. I was always Father’s favorite; you know that.”

I flinched at those words. She always had been Father’s favorite, that was for sure, because she was just as evil as he was. Devil incarnate is what mother called him.

“What do you want with my daughter?” I snapped at her.

She strolled around me now. “She has something that belongs to me. A gift that was meant for me.”

“What are you talking about? I banished your ass just after my son was born. You weren’t even in our world when she was born.”

She stopped and cocked her head to the side. “Father had been keeping tabs on you since you married that beast, you know?”

I scoffed at her. “He is not a beast. He is a wonderful man.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, a wonderful man who led a witch hunt—hundreds dead, covens wiped out because of your darling husband.”

“That was Father! He framed the wolves. If you took your head out of his ass long enough to catch some fresh oxygen, you’d realize that! NOW WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MY DAUGHTER, AND WHERE IS SHE?”

I looked around me while I screamed at her. Gia should have been here. “She’s not here. I have her secured somewhere else.”

I glared at her. “What do you want with her?”

She smiled eerily at me. “I want her gifts. I told you already. She really is special, you know. She’s a fighter. I like her spirit. It’s just a pity it’s fading away.”

I was fairly sure she said something else, but I didn’t hear her in my rage. Powers don’t work in the spirit realm for an ordinary witch.

Unfortunately for her, I was no ordinary witch, and I happened to be married to a king. Throwing my arm through the air, I sent her flying thirty feet away, where she cracked her head on a boulder.

Marching over to her, I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. “Things have changed since you were last in life, little sister. I am stronger now,” I sneered at her, dragging her back toward the archway.

“You are going to pay for threatening my children. You could never possess the gifts my children do. The power alone would consume you.

“You are weak, and you always were. Now, before I throw your ass to the wolves—literally—I’m going to give you one last chance to hand me back my daughter before I send you to meet my son.”

I threw her on the ground in front of the archway. She looked up at me.

“Thing is, sister, while you’ve been here mumbling threats to me, your darling son has been closing in on my location. I knew he was coming, and I assure you, he is walking into a trap.”

My stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

She got to her feet, flicking her red hair over her shoulder, that smirk on her face again.

“Gia is safe with me here. Like I said, she has something of mine, and when she hands it over, I will gladly give her back. Dead or alive depends on her attitude. Wish I could say the same for your sons.”

I felt a wave of nausea wash all over me, my breath catching in my throat. Levi had never seen war; he’d never even been in a fight. Could Diego keep him safe and keep a level head?

Merrida cackled, and I punched her square in the nose, pacing now while she cowered beneath me, clutching her nose.

“What have you done? What have you planned? Why do you hate my children? What did I ever do to you?”

“You got everything I ever wanted, Frieda! You have a husband who would lay down his life for you. You have children who love you.

“You were always the strongest witch. Mother always taught you the most powerful spells.”

I scoffed at her and rolled my eyes. “You were Father’s favorite, and you loved it. You are evil, Merrida; you always have been. Everyone could see it. Mother didn’t want to show you more power because you didn’t deserve it.”

I needed to get back and warn Diego. I needed to tell Raphael we needed to send backup to them or something. “Where is Gia?”

“She’s safe for now. I told you when she gives me what I want, I will release her.”

Gia was strong, she could handle Merrida, of that I was certain. I needed to take care of Diego, and then I would be back for her.

Without another word to Merrida, I stomped back through the archway into life.

Once I woke, I ran down the stairwell to find my husband. “RAPHAEL, RAPHAEL!”

He came out of his study. “What’s wrong, darling?”

I came to a halt in front of him. “Send word to Diego. I just spoke with Merrida. She mentioned he’s walking into a trap.” Panic was setting in. I could lose three of my children.

My God, I would never live with myself.

Raphael tore down the hall, screaming for his head of security, Rolan. I slid down the wall to the floor, clutching my chest.

~If something happens to my children, I’ll never forgive myself.~