"Darcy!" Neal shouted while squeezing his way through the fir trees. He tripped severally, hissing in pain.

Searching for the unknown place for Darcy, he screamed and yelled. And ever since he had been walking, he found no traces of a being anymore, adding more to the churn of his stomach and confusion.

"Darcy! Help!" He tripped again.

And without warning, a black portal materialized beneath Neal's feet, its surface rippling like disturbed water, and swallowed Neal whole in the darkness.

This time, Neal saw himself in a bed chamber, dimly lit with flickering candlelights. The four edges of a massive bed, adorned with opulent canopies and draped in transparent black curtains, dominated the room's centre.

Neal saw a voluptuous woman with flowing black hair climb down the bed. A shiver ran down his spine; his heart pounded as he struggled to make sense of this strange and unsettling turn of events.

The woman dressed in a short black nightgown barely covering her thighs and cleavages. Her sleek, shining black hair fell over her shoulder, and her lustrous pink lips curled into a sly smile.

Sashaying toward him, she winked her green-leaf eyes sheltered under the long, thick lashes.

Dumbfoundedly, Neal watched as she approached.

"Darcy!" He whispered, almost drooling.

It was his wife again! And Neal couldn't resist the temptation of moving his feet forward.

"So excited to see you here," she said, her voice so sweet.

"Oh God!" Neal exclaimed--his voice quivered as Darcy, now sharing warmth with him, posed before him and ran one of her fingers over his broad chest.

"You smell like roses, " he whispered into her ear in a husky voice, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"When did you become so voluptuous, my woman?" He brushed his lips on her cheeks, savouring her perfume. "Do you know how much I was worried about you? I've been looking everywhere for you," he added, trailing her neck with his greedy lips, which earned him moans from her.

"Do you also know how long had been waiting for you?" She groaned. "Have been waiting for years." She chuckled, arching her neck."It's felt like ages."

While Neal slowly led her to the bed, a diabolic voice interrupted their moment of relish.

"Dorothy!"

Dorothy, who appeared to be Darcy, detached herself from Neal immediately as if shocked by an electric current.

"You selfish, useless thing!" Laurel scorned. "You shall be punished!"

Two black hair ladies marched forward. Dorothy pulled out her two blades, jerked Neal into her arms, and placed one of the blades on his throat.

"Try me," she said, giving them a sinister smile.

Neal gasped, his eyes wide in shock at the deft movement of Dorothy's attack. And his eyes flipped wider when he turned to Laurel and the two ladies.

They had horns like a ram, ears wide and long like a rabbit, and green-leaf eyes.

They dressed in double-breasted jackets, black breeches, and boots. And Neal noticed the golden ring glittering on Laurel's finger.

Laurel's lips curved into a devilish smile as she shifted her gaze to the blade on Neal's neck.

"Then go ahead and do it." She said, looking into Dorothy's eyes. "Do it!"

Dorothy, now looking like them but with sharp fangs and claws, stared at Laurel with hidden fear behind her steady gaze; she wondered what was going on in Laurel's head.

"You should all leave now, or I'll kill him!" Dorothy threatened; her heart drummed, knowing how useless her threat was to Laurel.

"Dorothy, you know the best thing to do is to let him go," Laurel cocked her head, arching a brow at Dorothy questioning.

"I won't!" Dorothy spat, her gaze drifting from the black-hair ladies to Laurel's ring.

"It's useless anyway," Laurel said lazily and snapped her finger. Her golden ring glowed, and its reflection flashed on Dorothy's face. Dorothy passed out as if put to sleep and was taken away by the black-hair ladies.

"Come with me," Laurel commanded Neal. Turning to leave, she heard Neal exclaim.

"How can I!" Shaking his head and waving his hands. "Just let me go," He panted; "I need to find my wife. The vulture here took her away," He cried. "We have to go back home, so please, please!" He begged, "Let me out of here."

Laurel turned to look at Neal; her lips widened with a sweet smile, and she said softly, "Come with me, and I shall show you your real wife."

Without waiting for another word from Neal, Laurel sashayed out of the room.

Still hesitating, Neal ran his hands through his hair. When he saw Laurel walking away, he quickly followed, not wanting to be left alone in the strange room.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted.

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