The Styles Brothers

Chapter Nineteen: The Fourth Realm

Elena's POV

"Where could he be?"

"I don't know," Harry answered.

I nervously chewed my lip; worrisome. James hadn't returned after his exit this morning in the woods. Harry and I sat awkwardly in the living room, waiting for his arrival that never came.

Neither of us brought up my previous profession of love, and I was glad. It didn't seem like the right time to do so, with James missing.

Suddenly, Harry grabbed at his head. He groaned harshly; obviously in pain.

I shot out of my seat. "What? What is it?"

"My head," he strained. "Oh my God."

"Are you hurt?"

"No. Something isn't right. God, it hurts," he gasped, "James is in trouble."

I furrowed my brow, and went to sit next to him, placing my hands on his shoulder. "How can you tell?"

"Our minds are connected, Elena. We're telepathic twins."

I mumbled something incoherent, before turning to him. "What do you propose, we go help James?"

Harry gave me a funny look. "What else would I be implying, Elena? He's my brother. Of course we're going to help him."

"How's your head?"

"It's fine, nothing I can't handle," he waved it off, but the thin press of his mouth told me otherwise. I didn't press further lest I make him lose his temper.

"Do you know where he is? Can we find him?"

"He's not in this Realm, Elena. He's not in our home Realm either." Harry didn't finish right away. He went over to a chest next to the couch, pulling out something that looked very similar to a spas-12 shotgun. With a loud and intimidating click, he cocked it.

"He's in the Fourth."

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James' POV

"Why is he there?" Elena's wide brown eyes grew impossibly wider.

"I don't know," I replied honestly.

Why would James be in the Fourth Realm, residence of all demons when they weren't wreaking havoc on the remaining five? Residence of Lilith, long-sought and inexplicably dangerous enemy? Home of Lucifer, the fallen angel, the devil himself?

Why in the world would he be there?

I wanted to believe my twintuition was wrong. I wanted to believe that he was here, in the Sixth Realm, on Earth, sulking somewhere in a corner about Elena's rejection. I wanted to believe that my hard-wrought demon hunter instincts had, for once, been incorrect.

But I couldn't. Twintuition was rarely wrong; and in mine and James' case, it had never steered us awry.

"We've gotta go in," I said simply.

Elena almost turned green, and I sensed the fear in her thoughts. I also watched her mental struggle to overcome it; put up a resolve.

"Okay," she finally replied.

About an hour later, we were ready. I had my throwing knives lodged in my belt. I smiled at the memory of these smallish daggers.

In the Fifth Realm, there is a special academy for children wishing to hunt demons. James and Lily were eager to apply and pressured me into doing so, also. Once accepted, James immediately excelled at hand-to-hand combat, sparring and dueling. Lily was a more stealthy opponent, she was predominant in fancy knife work, potions and snares.