Chapter Twenty-Four
The first thing I notice as I wake from my daytime slumber is the absence of Lola”s comforting presence beside me. Since we”ve returned, she has been beside me every evening when I wake, and I”ve grown accustomed to her body heat and that beautiful smile being the first thing I see.
But now, as I roll over to reach for her, the mattress is cold. I sit up and look around the room in confusion, wondering where she”s gone. Perhaps she”s in the bathroom? I get out of bed and check to make sure that she isn”t in there, but the door is open, and no one is inside.
I walk down the hall to the living room and find Simon, Marlon, and Marina sitting there talking quietly amongst themselves.
”Good evening,” I greet them as I enter the room. ”Do any of you know where Lola is?”
Simon shakes his head. ”I thought she was with you.”
”No,” I reply, my heart beginning to pound with worry. ”I woke up, and she wasn”t there.”
”Maybe she just went for a walk,” Marina suggests.
”Maybe...” I mumble, but I”m not so sure. The last time she went missing, she was almost kidnapped by Adrian”s goons. What if he”s managed to get her alone again? The only time she”s left alone is during the day, and while sunlight isn”t fatal to vampires, we certainly don”t travel in it if given the choice. But what if Adrian was desperate enough to risk it?
”Something doesn”t feel right,” I say. ”She would have told us if she was planning on leaving the house.”
”Perhaps she wanted to give you space,” Marlon suggests. ”You two are spending quite a bit of time together these days.”
”What are you insinuating?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
”Nothing,” Simon replies defensively. ”I”m just saying that she probably didn”t want to disturb you. I”m sure she hasn”t adjusted to our nocturnal lifestyle yet, so maybe she just couldn”t sleep.”
”Or maybe she had a nightmare and needed some fresh air,” Marina chimes in.
”No. Something isn”t right.” I feel it in my gut. ”I”m going to go check in the backyard. Maybe she”s still there. She loves the garden.”
”Okay,” Simon says. ”We”ll go look around here.”
As Simon and I step into the backyard, the sinking feeling in my stomach intensifies when I catch a glimpse of the state of the yard. The grass is torn up in places, as if someone had been dragged across it. I hurry over to where there are broken branches strewn about and notice drops of blood on them. When I brush the liquid with my fingertips and bring it to my tongue to taste it, I recognize the sweetness of it instantly.
It”s Lola”s.
When I stand and look around, I see the gate has been left open and there are tire marks on the street running behind the property, suggesting someone left here in a hurry, and they lead off down the road toward town.
”Son of a bitch!” I roar as I turn and run back to the house. I clench my fists, anger and fear coursing through me in equal measure. ”Adrian took her.”
Simon lets out a low whistle. ”In broad daylight, too. That was bold.”
”And stupid,” I add. ”He has to know I”m not going to let him get away with this. Get the others. We need to go after her.”
”Now, just hold on,” Simon says, holding his hands up. ”Let”s think about this logically for a moment.”
”What is there to think about?” I shout angrily. ”That bastard has Lola!”
”Yes, but we have no idea where he”s taken her. He wouldn”t be stupid enough to go back to his family estate with her. That”s the first place he knows you”ll look. Adrian”s a brute, but he”s smarter than that.”
”Then where the fuck did he take her?” I demand, glaring at Simon as if it”s his fault Lola”s been abducted.
”I don”t know. But we can find out.”
”How?” I ask through gritted teeth.
”We”ll use magic to locate her. Sage is still in town. She”ll help us. We just need something that belongs to Lola, and she can perform a tracking spell that will lead us right to her.”
”Okay,” I agree reluctantly. ”Go contact Sage and tell her to teleport here right away. I”ll find something that belongs to Lola.”
”On it,” Simon says as he turns and hurries out the back door.
I rush up to Lola”s room and begin searching frantically for something she owns. I look under the bed, in the nightstands, and in the closet. There are clothes and shoes, makeup and jewelry, but nothing useful. I need something that has her essence on it. Something that hasn”t been washed or come into contact with anyone else.
”Fuck,” I curse under my breath as I continue to search. Where would she keep something personal like that?
I move into the bathroom and open the cabinet. There are toiletries and shampoo bottles, but nothing of any value. I slam it closed in frustration and spin around to survey the rest of the room. That”s when I spot Lola”s purse sitting on a chair in the corner of the bedroom.
I rush over to it and rummage through the contents. There”s her cell phone, tissues, a pack of gum, a tube of mascara, and a small notebook. I pick up the notebook and flip through the pages, noting that there are names, addresses, and phone numbers written inside. Then I feel it at the very bottom of the bag: her hairbrush. It”s full of fresh strands of hair. This will do perfectly.
I head downstairs and find Sage sitting in the living room with the others. Rushing up to her, I shove the brush into her hand. ”Work your magic,” I command.
”Hold your horses,” Sage replies dryly. ”This isn”t a science experiment. It takes time.”
”How much time?”
”As much time as it takes. I need a map of the area. Do you have one?”
”Yes,” Marlon answers. ”We”ve got a city map in the office.”
”Well, go get it,” I tell him.
Marlon leaves the room to fetch the map, and I sit down on the sofa next to Sage. I can barely contain my anxiety as I wait for him to return. My leg is jiggling, and I drum my fingers impatiently against the armrest of the couch.
Sage places a hand on my knee to stop the movement and says, ”She”s all right. If she wasn”t, you would know.”
”What makes you say that?” I question.
”You”ve marked her, haven”t you?” She gives me a pointed look. How could she possibly know that? ”I can feel your connection to her. Call it a sixth sense, but I knew the minute you walked in this room that you”d made your relationship official. You”re soulbound. I can sense that as well.”
”How can you tell?”
”Your energy signatures have merged. You”re intertwined now. If Adrian had... Well, you would know.”
”I felt her fear earlier,” I admit. ”I thought maybe I was just having a nightmare, but I should have known better. I should have realized...” I trail off as my voice cracks with emotion. I clear my throat and shake my head to clear it. ”I shouldn”t have let her out of my sight. I was stupid.”
”You and I both know that Lola isn”t the type of woman who can be locked up and kept safe. She needs to be free, and you wouldn”t have been able to protect her from herself. No one can.”
”I still should have tried harder.”
”It”s no use blaming yourself, Drake,” Marina insists as she paces the room. ”We”ll get her back, don”t worry.”
I nod curtly. ”We will.”
Marlon returns a moment later with a large map of the city and spreads it out on the coffee table for Sage to examine. She takes the hairbrush from me and holds it over the map, muttering something under her breath. A soft blue light emanates from the brush and drifts down to land on the paper below it. It glows brightly before disappearing into the map itself, leaving behind a faint trail of light.
”Follow it,” Sage says as she rises from her seat and moves away. ”That will lead you straight to your mate.”
I look down at the map and see a line of blue light that forms a path across the city. It starts at the mansion and travels north toward the docks where it disappears. I grab the map and show it to Simon.
”The docks?” he comments. ”I”ll look into it and find out what connection he has to that area.”
”Thanks,” I tell him. ”Everyone else, get whatever you need to be prepared for battle. Adrian has gone too far this time. It”s time to end him.”
Just saying the words makes me sick to my stomach. I promised his mother that I”d look after him, protect him, and I”ve done my best. My best just wasn”t good enough. I should”ve seen how far down the wrong path he had gotten before it got to this point. I failed to keep my promise, and now, Lola is paying the price. I”m going to make Adrian pay for that. I swear it on my life.
Marina and Marlon disappear up the stairs, and Sage sits quietly on the sofa with her hands clasped in her lap. I sit down next to her and place my hand atop hers.
”Thank you,” I say softly. ”For everything. I mean it.”
”You”re welcome,” she replies, giving me a small smile. ”But I didn”t do it for you. I did it for her. Lola is important to the way things are going to play out. We need her, and beyond that, she deserves to be protected. She”s special.”
”She certainly is,” I agree.
”I”ve got something,” Simon announces, looking up from this tablet. ”I hacked into his email and social media and found what we need. Adrian owns a warehouse near the docks. It was purchased a few months ago under a false name. It appears to be where he”s been conducting an illegal blood trade business.”
”Then that”s where he”s taken Lola,” I say.
”You need to be careful,” Sage warns. ”Adrian has a small army of idealists working for him. You”re going to have to be smart about this.”
”We will,” I assure her as I stand up. ”Will you stay here until we get back? In case she”s hurt and needs your help healing?”
”Of course,” she agrees. ”I”ll wait here as long as I”m needed.”
”Thank you again,” I say before rushing back to my room to gather every damn wooden stake I own. I strap my stakes to my hips, my thighs, and my ankles. I put another two in my jacket pockets, and I grab a wooden dagger I keep in my nightstand drawer. A vampire killing another vampire isn”t a common occurrence, and it”s not something that happens without severe consequences. It”s frowned upon in most covens and punishable by death. But this is self-defense. This is me protecting the woman I love.
Lola is mine, and I”ll do whatever I have to do to get her back. Even if that means going against everything I”ve been raised to believe.
When I return downstairs, the others are gathered near the front door, ready to leave.
”Everyone ready?” I ask.
They nod. I can see it on their faces. They”re all as nervous as I am, but they know that this is the right thing to do. No one is backing down from this fight. Not this time.
”Let”s go.”
I open the door, and we head out into the night. Adrian is a dead man walking. And we”re coming for him.