Chapter Three #4
“But it might also mean that Parrish has Celeste back and that Rose was involved.” Bastien sucked in a breath.
“Look, I’m going to be honest. I don’t care if Rose is involved.
I don’t know her, and I don’t care about her.
I just want my sister back, and if Rose had anything to do with her disappearance, you can deal with her.
It doesn’t matter to me as long as I get answers. ”
“Let’s go downstairs.”
Bastien was more than willing to follow that order because going downstairs meant finding Rowan, who was the real clan leader.
Clay was, too, but as a human, he didn’t have the same perspective Rowan did.
Rowan had grown up in a Krsnik and Vila clan.
He knew how to deal with all of this, even though he’d never been a leader before.
Bastien hadn’t realized he’d left the front door open until he and Clay reached the entrance.
Dermot was standing there, shuffling his feet and looking uncomfortable.
When he looked at Bastien, Bastien was pretty sure he could see remorse in his expression, but right now, he didn’t care.
It was good to see that maybe Dermot had finally realized that he was wrong, but that wasn’t what they needed to focus on right now.
“Clay?” Rowan called out from what sounded like the kitchen. “What’s happening?”
“You’re not going to like it,” Clay said as he led Bastien toward Rowan’s voice.
Sure enough, Rowan was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and sipping something. He didn’t smile when he saw Bastien and Clay, quickly followed by Dermot, but his shoulders did slump.
“Are you two finally going to talk things out?” he asked.
Bastien frowned. “This has nothing to do with Dermot.”
“No? Because you’ve been driving Clay and me crazy. Neither of you has told us anything, but it’s pretty clear there’s something there.”
He wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t what Bastien wanted to talk about. “I think that Rose took my sister back to Parrish.”
Rowan put down his drink and straightened, his gaze turning sharp. “Why would you think that?”
Bastien told him the entire story again.
He hoped it was the last time he had to repeat it, if anything because he was wasting time.
It was understandable that the clan leader needed to know what was going on, though.
He would be the one to make decisions when it came to finding Celeste.
As much as Bastien wanted to go out there on his own because it would be faster, doing so would be dangerous.
The most likely result would be dying at Parrish’s hands, and that would traumatize Celeste even more.
He hated having to wait, but he wasn’t an idiot.
Not most of the time, anyway.
“And you said that someone saw Rose and Celeste together?” Rowan asked.
“It was Boyd,” Dermot interjected. “And yes. He confirmed that Rose and Celeste were together and that it looked like Rose was trying to convince Celeste to do something. Celeste looked uncomfortable.”
“It might not have anything to do with Parrish,” Rowan pointed out.
“But I can’t find Celeste or Rose anywhere in the village,” Bastien told him. “It’s like they’ve vanished. I don’t really care if it’s because Rose is working with Parrish or for another reason, but I want my sister found.”
“We will find her,” Rowan said, a promise in his tone. “But you’ve fought Kudlaks before. You know how dangerous it would be to go in there without preparation. You don’t want to get your sister back just to get yourself killed when you do.”
“No one is dying,” Dermot said.
Everyone turned to look at him. His cheeks turned pink, but he raised his chin high and looked straight at Bastien as he spoke.
“Look, I might have made a mistake when it comes to Rose. I assumed that since she was a Vila and was clearly distraught, she was on the run and would be a worthy addition to our clan. Maybe she was, or maybe I was wrong. I don’t think that’s what matters right now, though.
What does, is that if Rose really took Celeste, we need to get Celeste back, if anything, because if we don’t, Parrish is going to use her against us. ”
Bastien almost snapped because Dermot was thinking about the clan rather than his sister, but could he really blame him? Of course Dermot’s priority was the clan. Celeste technically wasn’t a clan member, and she might never be one, depending on what Parrish did to her.
But at least Dermot agreed that they needed to get Celeste away from Parrish.
That was all Bastien cared about. He and his mate would have to talk, and they would, but not right now.
Hopefully, by the time they did, Dermot would be willing to admit that he’d been wrong.
Bastien was convinced that Rose was involved.
It was too much of a coincidence for a new Vila to arrive at the clan, instantly befriend Celeste, then force her to disappear.
Rose was definitely involved, and while they didn’t have any proof that Parrish was behind it, who else would want Celeste?
No, there was only one explanation. Parrish and Rose were working together, or Parrish was somehow forcing Rose to work with him, and to that end, Rose had taken Celeste back to Parrish.