"She's not coming back is she?" questioned Lucas. Father Connor knew about it, she must have hinted to the man about her time that was coming to an end. Lucas knew she had fewer days but with her extended life coming to an end, he wondered where she would have gone.
When Belle and Lucas stepped out again as Isabell wasn't there anymore in the church nor would she be returning anytime soon unless her death was pushed away again.
"Where did she go?" Belle asked him.
"No clue. She's mentioned about the abduction that how people are being taken away with no trail and their bodies have not been recovered," said Lucas to her, "She said she touched the forbidden magic again, which she was not supposed to. There's someone who is trying to s.h.i.+ft the course because there's been an imbalance."
"Do you think its because of what I did to the Lord?"
"We cannot be sure," said Lucas to her, reading the letter again to place it back in his pocket, "It's a concept that is very similar to we don't know if the egg came first or if it was the hen. You shouldn't have contributed to the imbalance because Nicholas had his ghouls, he would have his ghouls through you. The present and past that a timekeeper uses is a tricky ability. It would have been a different scenario if you didn't do anything.
Somewhere Belle was glad to hear this.
"For instance, if you were to go and save someone who you know has died and you have put them in the grave, that would be an imbalance," he said to her and somewhere it did make sense, "There was going to be a ma.s.sacre and the witch spoke about a scientist. About the man turning immortal and attaining a higher form than the pureblooded vampire. We don't know what is being tried. We only know the information that we receive and come close to. Isabell must have found something."
"How long does she have?" Belle asked knowing how the white witch was on a time limit.
"A week to the max."
Lucas would have to find her because he was the one who had extended her stay here, putting a hold on her soul so that she wouldn't drift away nor would she end up in the land of the dead. With her spells and with him withholding her soul, it was as if she had reincarnated. Only that her soul was pushed to an already prepared body in the past.
He had put the blame on Baltimore which was why he would have to be there to collect her soul.
Lucas and Belle were yet to start walking towards the carriage when they saw something or someone appear.
"Don't react and behave normal," Lucas whispered to her and Belle who had only caught the bottom of the person, robes gliding across the ground turned to look at him when he said, "Look at me."
Belle didn't have to turn her eyes to notice that it wasn't any person but a reaper who had arrived and by the looks of the robes and the way Lucas had ordered her to not wander her eyes. She felt it was a reaper who Lucas didn't want to fight right now in the broad daylight. There were still people around them, not many but a handful who were either going into the church or were coming out.
Lucas then gave her a smile, a smile that was relaxed and he caught hold of her hand, "Let's go back home," he said to her out of the blue and Belle mustered a smile.
"Yes, let's go back home."
When Lucas started to walk, holding Belle's hand in his, Belle followed his path, keeping her expression casual that internally changed when she caught sight of a reaper who looked larger in size with a hood which didn't cover the face.
Lucas had advised her not to react but seeing the reaper who she could see the skull face where fire likes eyes burned to look at them. She didn't know if the reaper found out and was waiting next to their carriage for them with its scythe that was pulled out.
The fire that she saw in Barron's eyes was different compared to this one. This reaper appeared to look as if a fire was set beneath his skull for flames to burn. This might have been the most fearful reaper she must have seen.
"What would you like to eat for dinner?" asked Lucas, his voice still calm as they approached the reaper. They would have to pa.s.s through the reaper who stood between them and the carriage door.
Dinner? asked Belle to herself. A reaper stood here as if it had discovered Lucas and Lucas was asking her dinner?
"What do you suggest?" she asked when she felt him squeeze her hand.
"We have steaks but knowing your lack of taste for it, the hunter came by in the morning, bringing fresh meat of a rare animal," Lucas said to her, "I have asked the maid to cook it with a new recipe. Let's have dinner together," he suggested her, getting closer to the reaper with every step they took.
The worst part was that it was Belle's side the reaper was standing and she would have to pa.s.s through it. She had the ability to touch the reapers and she was no mere mortal to not be able to see its presence.
Belle continued to walk and when she got an inch as close as to the reaper where she was able to look at its skeleton under its robes, she pa.s.sed right through the reaper's body to feel the cold chill running down her spine.
