Last Voyages

Chapter 29

Isabella's POV:

My eyes shot open, my blurry vision unable to make out anything except fuzzy mixtures of sand and sky. My temple was throbbing with pain, and I put my hand up to it, feeling the stickiness of blood running down my jawline.

As I recalled how this happened, a gasp fell from my lips and I sat up, blinking furiously to make my vision focus in on my surroundings, hoping the dizzy feeling would go away. 

"Layla?" I call out, looking around me, seeing nothing but the shoreline and the empty sea, not a soul in sight. "LAYLA?!" I scream, jumping to my feet, my body shaking terribly as I turn around, my heart throbbing in my chest as I feel tears come to my eyes.

I cover my mouth with my hands, cursing in my mind over and over. "No, not my baby girl." I whisper, taking in a deep breath before looking down. 

Harry was still unconscious on the sand as well, sprawled out on the ground. I stumble over to him, cursing as the throbbing doesn't subside on my head, making me squeeze one of my eyes shut. 

Shaking Harry as hard as I could, I begin yelling his name hoping he would wake up. Luckily, his eyes began to flutter open, slowly coming to as he stared at me. "Bella?" he asks confused, blood on the back of his head from where he was hit. 

After he blinks a few times his eyes get wide and he curses under his breath, jumping to his feet quickly, stumbling back from the dizziness he was obviously feeling as well. Standing back up, I clench my fists tightly, a new type of feeling settling in my bones.

"They have Layla." I say and he gives me a look, both of us staring at one another for a while, an unspoken communication building between us. 

My body begins to tremble as I take off at a fast pace, walking furiously fast towards my house, Harry trailing behind me. "No one saw them take her because they chose a time when no one is really at the beach. And of course they knew we were going to be here, because of that damn informant they supposedly have. Whoever the informant is, it isn't Wesly. He hasn't left the castle once or left surveillance once." I seethe and Harry takes up a brisk jog to keep up with me.

"Well whoever it is knew exactly when we were leaving and wanted us to get there at that exact time. They were waiting for us. It was perfect timing." Harry growls and I slam the door open to my house, walking inside and looking around, my eyes widening as a scroll rested on my table with a knife sticking through it.

Running over to my table I take the knife out, picking up the scroll and unrolling it, reading the note attached.

"Your precious daughter is in good hands, for now. If she behaves, she'll stay alive and uninjured. If she doesn't...well there will be consequences. You have two weeks to find out where we are and come get your little angel. If you aren't here in exactly two weeks...

She's dead.

Happy hunting." 

My eyes stared down at the piece of paper murderously, my hands shaking so badly I could hardly even see the words correctly. My muscles clenched in my jaw as I reread the threat over and over again. 

"Huh?" I murmur angrily, reading the letter for the tenth time before Harry took the note from my hands. I took deep breaths as a poor attempt to control the emotions surging throughout my entire body, but it wasn't working at all. 

Finally I glance over at Harry, who's face was red with anger as he tore the note in half, cursing loudly. 

No. no no no no no no no no. This can't be happening. Not my baby girl. Not her. They can't take her.