Chapter Voresta
Voresta
Dread was an iron weight in Voresta’s gut by the time he pulled Leseldh’s car up Veldmoor’s private drive.
Finare was in the passenger’s seat, but the back seat was painfully empty.
Every step towards the mansion felt like a stake being driven deeper into Voresta’s heart, and when he finally stepped over the threshold, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Leseldh was going to End him. He’d lost his Resonant, and worse still, couldn’t explain what happened to her.
Voresta knew the feeling of the soul-wound that Leseldh would experience if something terrible had happened to Ivy.
But would it be worse because Ivy was also Leseldh’s Resonant?
Voresta had never experienced that kind of connection with another, even Elia.
It seemed like it would be such a burden to feel so strongly for another.
Leseldh wasn’t in the parlour or the library, which meant he was likely in his study.
He only used his bedroom when sharing it with Ivy and rarely entered the other rooms of the mansion.
Voresta was tempted to head straight to his gym to work through his frustration, but knew it was only prolonging the inevitable.
His footsteps were heavy as he made his way upstairs. Finare followed, but lingered in the hall as Voresta approached the study. He stopped in the doorway and peered in.
Leseldh was seated at his desk, and even from across the room, Voresta could sense his ire. His eyes were a brilliant shade of gold as they met Voresta’s.
“Where is my Resonant?” Leseldh’s voice was laced with the promise of violence.
“I don’t know.” Voresta’s voice was soft, but he knew Leseldh heard him.
“You don’t know.” The calm and controlled way the words came out of Leseldh’s mouth sent a shiver up Voresta’s spine.
“She disappeared from Lunarian.”
“What do you mean, ‘disappeared’?”
“She went to feed in one of the private rooms, but didn’t return.”
“Finare.” Footsteps sounding from behind indicated Finare understood Leseldh’s vague summons.
Leseldh’s golden eyes flashed to Finare. “Where is my Resonant?”
“There were traces of her scent in the club, but I lost the trail on the street. I’m not certain where she is now.” Finare’s voice wavered, and Voresta wasn’t sure whether it was fear or guilt that clogged his voice.
“Explain your failure, Voresta.”
Voresta was pummelled by guilt and shame, and he looked down at his feet as he spoke.
“She took a while with her feed, but the club was busy. Finare went upstairs when we realised it’d been too long.” He looked to his Broodmate to fill in his side of the story.
“I checked the rooms, but there was no sign of her.”
Voresta continued, “We checked the rest of Lunarian, then split up. I took the car to check The Succubus, but it was empty. Just the usual dropkicks. So, I headed to the Sluice. It took over an hour to check. I did several sweeps, just in case I kept missing her. Finare checked Sabor Sanguine before we met back up.”
While conducting the search, Voresta was aware of its futility, but he followed it through nonetheless.
Each club was riddled with darkened crevices where activities could go unseen, and bars like The Succ were notorious for turning a blind eye to criminal activities.
If Killian had managed to get his hands on her, it was already too late.
During Voresta’s recount, Leseldh rose and paced the study. His rage was a fourth individual dominating the space. Voresta looked to Finare again to share the next instalment.
“Sabor was busy. The hostess hadn’t seen her since earlier in the evening. She and I fed there before heading to Lunarian.” Finare drove his fingers through his hair as he spoke.
“She fed at Sabor Sanguine with Finare, and yet she wanted to feed again at Lunarian?” Leseldh’s glimmering eyes shifted between his two Broodlings in a way that made Voresta’s gut tighten.
Finare shrugged. “We were drinking at Lunarian. We often have extra feeds to offset the effects of the alcohol.” When Leseldh didn’t respond, Voresta continued the report.
“I met back up with Finare and we drove around the city for a while. We eventually came back here, wondering if maybe she’d returned home.” Defeat laced Voresta’s words.
Leseldh was silent for a long moment. It left Voresta to imagine what punishments Leseldh was considering as payment for his failure.
“Do you think the Hunter has her?” Voresta twitched at Leseldh’s mention of Killian.
Fucking Killian. The Hunter’s efforts were intensifying in the lead-up to Ivy’s Ascension.
Killian had a habit of appearing every time Voresta had his back turned, which was happening too frequently lately.
Did her disappearance mean he was finally successful?
She couldn’t be Ended, though—Leseldh was too calm.
“He wasn’t at any of the clubs or bars tonight. We searched for his car while we drove around, but we didn’t see it,” Voresta supplied. Finare nodded in agreement.
Voresta didn’t see the need to mention his blunder from the previous evening, and Finare’s silence told Voresta he felt the same.
Voresta was confident that Finare hadn’t helped orchestrate Ivy’s disappearance, since she’d left him behind.
But if she was trying to slip Voresta’s leash, he couldn’t figure out why.
That left him to believe that Killian had finally triumphed, and that made bile rise in his throat.
“I want her found. If she meets her Ending, neither of you will live to see another night.”
It was as Leseldh uttered his threat, that Voresta heard the sound of Veldmoor’s front door opening and shutting.