Chapter Nine
Dashiel
Landon should be walking out those doors any moment now. The anticipation to see him was overwhelming; I was close to shoving everyone out of the way and telling them to shut up so I could focus on him and him alone.
I stood close to the entryway with my hands clasped behind my back, watching employees stream through the front doors as the workday ended.
The memory of the night before, the kisses we had shared, threatened to distract me.
A smile touched my lips despite myself.
He had kissed me.
And he had liked it.
The wonder I felt over him even wanting to try was big, and now that I had a taste of my beautiful beloved, I wanted more.
For over two centuries, I had existed without him.
Without knowing he would be created for me.
Without understanding why some part of me had always felt unfinished.
Then Fate had revealed him.
An accountant with kind eyes, a stubborn streak, and a smile capable of unraveling decades of carefully maintained composure.
A human.
Entirely human.
And somehow perfect.
The warmth of that realization settled through me, drawing forth another wide smile.
Landon had never been interested in men. Had never sought one out. Had never imagined a future with one.
Yet, he had kissed me.
And I did not believe he did it because was Fate demanding it, but because he had wanted to.
The memory threatened to steal my breath all over again.
The courage it must have taken him, and the trust.
Hope bloomed inside me.
If Landon continued to choose me, if he continued to move toward me despite his fears, then perhaps one day he would fully accept the bond.
Accept me.
That thought alone was enough to make me feel absurdly young. Yet I had already begun imagining it.
Waking beside him.
Sharing meals.
Learning every habit and preference he possessed.
Growing old together, and with the extended life my power would grant him after we bonded, he would age at the same rate I did. Slowly. So very slowly that we would have many more centuries together.
The building doors opened again, but it was only more employees exiting.
A pair of humans emerged while talking animatedly. I paid little attention until Landon’s name reached my ears.
Instantly, my focus sharpened.
“Did you see Landon leave?” the woman asked.
A gentleman replied, “Martin asked him to stay back.”
My posture straightened.
The woman frowned. “Really? Why?”
“No idea.” They continued walking, neither aware they had gained my full attention.
Martin.
That was his employer.
The same employer Landon had spoken of. The one who made him uneasy.
I frowned, but perhaps he had simply been given additional work or there was a meeting.
There were many reasons employees were asked to stay back.
Still, I disliked the sensation crawling beneath my skin after overhearing that.
If only our bond were a full connection, then I could sense exactly what he was feeling.
The instinctive need to see him intensified. But should I wait? Was I overreacting? I would never want to embarrass my beloved in any way, so charging in like I wanted to would not be good.
At least, I thought I was sure.
My gaze remained fixed on the building entrance as more minutes passed.
Ten.
Then fifteen.
Then twenty.
Employees stopped exiting.
The entrance to the underground parking quieted as the evening started to darken the sky.
And Landon still had not appeared.
Something cold settled inside me, and every muscle in my body locked as fear struck with enough force to steal the air from my lungs.
I closed my eyes and instantly reached for him mentally.
Touching another’s mind without permission was considered deeply invasive among my people.
I would never do so lightly.
But this situation was different. I believed something was amiss, and I had to make certain.
“Landon?”
I pushed the thought gently outward in search for the connection to his mind.
“Landon?”
There was nothing.
No response.
No awareness.
No presence.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
I tried again, more forcefully.
“Landon.”
The absence hit me like a physical blow because there were only two explanations.
Only two reasons a mind could become completely unreachable.
He was either unconscious or dead.
And for one terrible second, the world stopped.
The street disappeared.
The traffic noise vanished.
Everything narrowed to a single horrifying possibility.
No.
The word echoed through me with absolute certainty.
No!
Landon was alive.
He had to be.
He had only just started smiling at me.
Only just started allowing himself to consider a future where I existed in it.
He could not be gone.
Not now.
Not ever.
Rage followed the fear, violent and overwhelming.
The air around me heated instantly.
Streetlights flickered.
Glass trembled.
A nearby human paused and glanced around in confusion before continuing on.
I barely noticed, too focused on the fact that something had happened to my mate.
Someone had touched what belonged to me.
And suddenly, every restraint I possessed felt very thin.
I strode to the entryway. The building doors opened before I reached them, a departing employee stepped out, and I slipped through without slowing.
The lobby stood mostly empty.
Only a single receptionist remained behind the front desk.
She looked up. “Sorry, we’re—” As soon as she saw me, she froze, eyes widening as the glamour struggled against my rising emotions.
I ignored her.
“Landon?”
My hands curled into fists when I got nothing in return.
The elevators sat at the far end of the lobby.
That would be too slow.
Far too slow.
I knew what floor he worked on.
He had told me only this morning on the way to work. At the time, I’d simply been pleased he was sharing details about his life. Now the information was invaluable.
Magic surged beneath my skin.
The air split open.
A portal tore through reality with a sharp crack.
With a gasp, the receptionist stood so quickly her chair fell over.
I stepped through without hesitation.
The world folded.
Shifted.
Then reformed.
I emerged on the top floor, but only silence greeted me.
Only a few of the office lights had been left on.
Rows of empty desks stretched across the room, on which computer monitors sat black and lifeless.
The entire floor felt abandoned.
My pulse thundered.
“Landon.”
There was still nothing.
I moved fast, checking every office. Every conference room. Every hallway.
There was no sign of him.
Fear clawed deeper.
Someone had taken him.
The realization arrived with horrifying clarity.
Someone had taken my mate.
Fire rolled beneath my skin in a violent, hungry wave, seeking release.
The nearest desk burst into flames.
I extinguished it immediately.
Control.
I needed control.
Burning the building would not help Landon, but finding him would.
My hand tightened around my phone. I needed immediate assistance, and there was only one person close enough.
I pressed Call, and the line connected after a single ring. “Dash, how’s the wooing going?” Riker answered cheerfully.
The mirth in the fox shifter’s voice vanished the second he heard my silence. “What happened?” he demanded.
“My mate is missing from his work building.” The words emerged cold but controlled only by sheer force of will.
The response was immediate. “What?”
“He did not leave work.” I turned slowly, scanning the empty office once more. “I tried connecting with his mind…. I cannot find it, Riker.”
Silence met that statement before he shouted, “Oh shit.” I could hear him moving on the other end. “Where are you?”
I gave him the address.
“We’re coming,” he replied instantly.
Relief flickered briefly. “Bring Nox to alter or delete the footage and Soren to erase the receptionist’s mind.”
“You got it. Just keep those hands busy until we get there. Won’t be long, my friend.”
“I will try.”
“What floor?” he asked before he shouted to someone around him, “Grab Monkey.”
The boy would be just as furious as I to learn Landon had been taken.
My gut clenched. I was supposed to protect my beloved. “The top floor.”
“We’ll be there in ten.”
It was too long, far too long.
I ended the call before the fox could attempt to calm me.
There was no calming this.
Not while my mate was missing.
Not while fear continued clawing through my chest.
I stared into the distance as I thought of other ideas, other possibilities or clues or signs.
Then another realization struck.
My father. The king of the elves was one of the most powerful beings alive.
If anyone could help track a missing bonded mate, it would be him.
I pulled out my phone once more. My thumb hovered over his contact as I tried to control my fear and hope and rage that were all tangled together.
Then I pressed Call and listened as the line began to ring.