Chapter 91 Rhyland
Rhyland
Ipace the room like a caged animal, my muscles coiled tight with tension as I listen to the others argue through the speaker.
Something's not right.
I can feel it in my fucking bones, a sickening sense of wrongness that seeps through our bond like poison. Dani's hiding something, lying through her goddamn teeth, and it's setting every instinct I have on high alert.
Lucian catches my eye from across the table, his expression grim. He feels it, too, that unsettling sense that something's not right. It still irks me that he can sense her through their shared blood bond, a constant reminder that he's tainted what's mine. But I can't focus on that shit right now.
We end the call abruptly, leaving the others to their tasks as I make a beeline for our room.
I burst through the door, eyes scanning every inch of the space for any sign of her.
But she's not here. The bed is empty, the sheets cold.
I notice her clothes strewn across the floor, a trail leading to the closet.
She's changed, switched out her usual attire for something else entirely.
I reach through the bond, my mind seeking hers, desperate for a connection. "Dani, where the fuck are you? What's going on?" I feel a flicker of her for a moment, a brief flash of her presence before I'm slammed out with a force that leaves me reeling.
What the hell?
She's never shut me out like this before, never blocked me so completely. I try again, pushing against the barrier with all my mental strength, but it's like slamming into a fucking black hole. I can't penetrate her mind—she's locked me out entirely.
I blame Lucian for that shit—teaching her all about mental fortitude. But she damn well isn't supposed to use it against me.
I growl in frustration, my hands fisting in my hair. Why is she doing this? What could possibly be so important that she'd cut me off and leave me in the dark like this?
A cold, sinking feeling settles in my gut. Whatever she's up to, whatever she's trying to hide... it's bad. Really fucking bad.
"Fuck," I growl, my heart pounding in my chest as I race downstairs. Emily, Seraphina, and Sable are lounging on the couch, their eyes widening as I storm into the room.
"Where's Dani?" I demand, my voice rough with panic.
They exchange a confused glance. Emily sits up straighter. "She said she was tired and went to bed," she says slowly, her brow furrowing.
My heart plummets to my fucking feet. I must look as wrecked as I feel because Emily's on her feet instantly, her eyes flashing in alarm. "She's not, is she?"
I shake my head, my jaw clenched so tight I feel my teeth grinding. "No. She's not."
Seraphina gasps, quickly standing.
"Damnit!" Emily snaps, her hands balling into fists. "I knew something was off. She couldn't have gotten far."
Lucian comes skidding into the living room, his expression thunderous. "My car is gone, and the guard at the gate said she needed to leave because it's that time of the month."
I feel like I've been sucker-punched, the air rushing out of my lungs in a whoosh. She's not on her period. I would know. I can always smell the change in her blood, the subtle shift in her scent. "She's not," I choke out, my voice strangled.
She lied. She fucking lied to me, to Emily, to the guards. What the hell is she doing? Where the fuck did she go?
Lucian has his phone out in a flash, his face a mask of fury. "You're fired, fuckface," he snarls into the receiver before hanging up with a vicious stab of his finger. He looks at me, his eyes blazing. "They know the rules. No one is to leave unless ok'd through me."
I run a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands until my scalp burns. "What happened?" I manage to grind out, my voice like gravel.
Emily shrugs. "Beats the hell out of me. She said Damon won't be here until tomorrow because he got caught up with work or some shit. But I know Dani. Something was off with her."
"Off?" Lucian scoffs, sarcastically. "Off is an understatement. Our little savior has flown the coop, and I'm betting it's not for a midnight snack run. We need to find her, like yesterday. Before she gets herself into some real deep shit."
My mind races, pieces clicking into place like a fucked-up puzzle. "My bet is something to do with her brother," I growl, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.
"She got a call from Damon just as I was leaving the gym," Seraphina starts, but then she trails off, her eyes wide as she shakes her head, hands flying up to cover her mouth. "No..."
Azrael. It's got to be it. I felt her sadness earlier, that faint twinge of melancholy through the bond. What if he called her? What if—?
"Check the vault!" I bark at Lucian, my voice sharp as a whip.
He doesn't argue, doesn't hesitate. He's gone in a blur of speed, leaving nothing but a gust of wind in his wake. He's back before I can sink to the floor, his face grim.
"Gone."
That one word hits me like a fucking freight train. No. She's taken the stone to bargain with her brother. I'd bet my goddamn life on it. Because I know Dani, I know the lengths she'll go to protect the people she loves. And if she's running off alone, lying to cover her tracks?
It means she's about to do something very, very stupid.
But where?
"Got her!" Lucian pipes up, his voice cutting through the tension like a fucking knife. "You can thank me later for installing GPS trackers on my cars," he snarks, waving his phone in the air like a goddamn trophy.
I'm off the floor in a heartbeat, my hand snatching the phone from his grip. "Where?" I demand, my eyes scanning the screen frantically.
"She's on the North 405 heading East," Lucian informs, his tone serious for once. I look closer at the map, my heart sinking as realization dawns. She's heading straight for Leavenworth— her parents' home.
"Get the car ready; we are leaving. Bring everyone!" I bark. This ends now. I'm not letting her face this asshole alone, not letting her make some fucking martyr play that could get her killed.
Lucian is out the door in a flash, his voice echoing back over his shoulder. "I call shotgun! And dibs on the first 'I told you so' when we find her!"
I ignore his jabs, my mind laser-focused on one thing and one thing only: getting to Dani before it's too late. I can feel her through the bond, a faint, flickering light that tells me she's still alive.
But for how long?
She can't be more than fifteen minutes ahead of us. We need to fucking move. Now.
I clench my fists, my nails biting into my palms hard enough to draw blood. Hold on, Angel. I'm coming for you. And when I find you, there'll be hell to pay for scaring the ever-loving shit out of me like this.
We all pile into Lucian's Cadillac Escalade SUV like a goddamn clown car.
Emily and Brandon are crammed into the third-row seat, their faces grim.
Erik, Alaric, and Vivienne are behind me, a wall of tense muscle and worry.
Sable staying behind while Lucian's got Seraphina perched in his lap, his arms wrapped around her like a fucking seatbelt as I peel out of the property like a bat out of hell.
The engine roars as I push the pedal to the floor, the speedometer climbing higher and higher until the world outside is nothing but a blur. I weave through traffic like a maniac, cutting off cars and running red lights without a second thought.
There's only one thing on my mind, one singular focus that consumes me entirely: getting to Dani before it's too late.