Chapter 5 Luka
LUKA
Every time Luciana was able to find a location where Lennox might be, they were gone by the time we showed up.
I’d get my hopes up as we rushed to the location, only for them to be crushed the moment we arrived, finding the building abandoned once again.
For three weeks now, we had been chasing them all over Lethenia. There didn’t appear to be a method to their movements either. They’d jump from the border of the Lunar Court to the westernmost coast of the Blood Court and back toward the border of Alethens.
We were catching them more and more by surprise each time, though. More and more supplies were left behind in their haste each time we found them. Luce still hadn’t figured out how they knew we were coming, but she swore we were getting closer to finding them.
But none of that soothed the never-ending ache in my soul. The incessant nagging in my chest.
I felt like we were in a never-ending loop that I wanted nothing more than to get the fuck out of.
But here we were again, Luce had deposited us outside a small coastal city in the Aquatic Court, a short ride from the capital city of Salacia.
I kicked the upturned wooden bucket across the empty room, the sound echoing through the building.
“Fuck!” I swore. I kicked another bucket, sending it careening toward the wall. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”
I knelt to a crouch, putting my face in my hands. A month. Lennox had been gone for over a month now, and we were still no closer to finding her. Thirty-seven days she had been gone.
Thirty-seven days.
I had no way of knowing if she was okay, that’s what gnawed at me the most. She could be hanging on by a thread for all I knew.
I had a deep sense I’d know if she was dead; I had faith that our connection, if we were mates, would let me know that much.
But what use was the stupid fucking mark—the title of being her mate—if it couldn’t help me get to her.
A solid hand landed on my shoulder. “We’ll find her.” Declan’s voice was determined.
“You don’t know that.” I all but shouted.
“I made a promise to Lennox, I promised her I’d reunite the two of you. I have no intention of breaking that promise.”
“What if—”
“There is no room for what-ifs in this situation. What ifs will only spin you farther into destruction, Luka. We will find her.”
I stood, Declan’s hand remaining on my shoulder as I blinked rapidly. “Thank you.”
He nodded, giving me a tight-lipped smile as he clapped a hand on my back.
“We’ll get her back, I promise.”
Declan, Nico, and I decided to stay in the small coastal town, while Luciana and Kara traveled back home. Luciana would send word via a communication crystal Nico kept in his pocket when she had another location for us to try.
It always took a couple of days after they moved for her to be able to find them again, we’d stay here until we got word from her. Declan and Nico had insisted a distraction would be good for me for a couple of days—that I’d feel better being outside the palace for a bit.
I hoped he was right.
No matter where I stayed—in Alethens or in Cel Nox—everything reminded me of her.
We hadn’t told anyone of Lennox’s disappearance, not knowing if she’d want everyone to know, but it was getting harder and harder each day to keep up the scheme.
Kara had taken charge of running things in her sisters absence along with Lennox’s council, I tried to help her as much as I could, not that I was ever much help for anything these days.
Luciana’s mother, Caterina, and Endora, her consort, checked up on Kara constantly and helped when they could.
But none of it was ideal, only the ones closest to Lennox knew the truth. Keeping up the ruse was exhausting. I was starting to wonder if maybe we should have announced her capture to the continent.
Let everyone know what was going on.
Maybe it would help take the burden off my shoulders.
Or maybe it would make it worse.
I didn’t know what would be better, pretending she was fine or everyone knowing she was gone.
I didn’t like either option. I just wanted her back.
“C’mon.” Nico bumped against my shoulder with his knee, reaching out a hand. I allowed him to pull me to standing.
“Where are we going?”
“Declan found us a place to stay for the night. We’re going to go get cleaned up and then we’re going out.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to go out.”
“Not an option, you have to do something besides mope.”
“My wife offered herself and her magic up to an organization that wants to eliminate my entire species days after our wedding. I think I have every right to mope if I want to.”
“True.” Nico turned and faced me, walking backward. “But you’re also due for a proper distraction.” He wrinkled his nose. “And it’s not an excuse not to bathe. Lennox might not be here to smell you, but we have to.”
An hour later, we were cleaned up and sitting at a table outside of a tavern, a cup of Aquatic Court ale sitting in front of each of us. The ale was different from what I was used to, it had a note of citrus I found I enjoyed.
There was a four-person band playing what I assumed were popular Aquatic Court tunes, as several patrons sang and danced along with the music. There was a chill to the early evening air from the breeze of the sea crashing in the distance.
I sat back in my chair, relaxing slightly for the first time since Lennox was taken from me.
Declan and Nico were right, I needed this, even if it was only for a couple of hours.
Lennox was still gone, but there was nothing I could do at this moment.
They had reminded me I needed to take care of myself, and as much as I hated to admit it—they were right.
I needed to be at my best if I was going to get Lennox back.
“Luka?” I turned my head toward the voice, finding the Aquatic Kings, Ceto and Alon, approaching our table hand in hand.
Cetos’s braids were pulled back with a leather strap, accentuating his sharp cheeks and eyes the color of the sea.
Alon looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him; his short, dark hair looked like it had been blowing in the breeze from the sea, and the buttons of his shirt were undone, showing off his muscular chest.
Nico raised his drink toward the kings. “Ceto, Alon, what a pleasant surprise, what are you doing here?”
Ceto’s dark face scrunched. “I think I should be asking you that.”
“A little far from home aren’t you?” Alon added as he looked us up and down, “and in Aquatic Court clothing no less.”
I looked down at the clothes Nico had bought for us each, it was vastly different from what any of us typically wore but matched what the kings wore.
We were all dressed in various versions of light cotton shirts with buttons down the top third of the shirt and loose-fitting pants that fell to the knees.
Nico had even gotten us matching brown leather sandals with three straps across the top.
“We’re on a little detour,” Declan said.
Alon raised his brows. “A detour.” He looked between the three of us. “I feel like there’s more to the story you’re not telling us.”
We all shared a look, but none of us said anything.
“Why don’t you join us,” Nico offered.
“If you don’t mind?” Ceto asked.
“Please, join us,” I told the kings.
Ceto and Alon pulled chairs from another table before catching the attention of the bar keep and ordering another round of citrus beer for the table.
“So,” Ceto set his glass on the table as he turned his attention to me, “Traveling without your wife already?”
I stilled, my back stiffening. I could feel Nico and Declan’s gazes boring into the side of my head.
The buzz from the alcohol warmed my body, diluting my senses. “Not intentionally.”
Ceto’s brows pinched. “She was taken by the Panateia, an organization aiming to rid Lethenia of vampires. Since Lennox is half-witch, they needed her magic to try and complete the spell. You see, the night after our wedding, the Panateia kidnapped Kara and Lennox sacrificed herself to save her sister. So we’ve been searching for her ever since.
Our last location led us to the outskirts of this here town.
But as always, they had already moved.” I finished the last of my drink, waving down the bar keep as I reached for Nico’s half-drunk glass.
“So tonight, Nico and Declan decided it would be good for me to relax a bit and not think about how I might never get to see my mate again.”
I downed the rest of Nico’s drink, slamming it down on the table with more force than necessary.
Nico and Declan didn’t meet my gaze. Ceto and Alon shared a look, they were probably trying to figure out how they ended up with a crazy person for a High King.
“How can we help?”
I snapped my head toward Alon. “What?”
“I said how can we help? Our High Queen has been essentially kidnapped, we will do whatever we can to help.”
“Why?” My voice was rough in my throat.
“She’s our High Queen, and I like Lennox, and you, even though you appear not in the best state of mind currently, we want to help. And this explains why you were all so strange the day after the wedding and ushered us out of town so quickly.”
“I am sorry about that.” Caterina and Endora had taken care of tying up loose ends when we left to get Kara back. We just never anticipated coming back without a different Adair.
“Luciana has been conducting locator spells to find Lennox, and until she gives us locations, there’s not much we can do while we wait,” Nico continued for me.
Alon nodded. “Why haven’t you made her kidnapping public knowledge?”
I shrugged. “At first I thought it would be easy to get her back, but as time has gone on, I’ve been wondering that myself.”
“I think we need to tell everyone she’s been taken. It will get more eyes looking for her and it will alert Lethenia to the threats that have been lurking in the shadows.”
“And it will make it harder for them to move as quickly,” Nico added as he leaned back in his chair.
I mulled over their words.
“Luka,” Declan pressed. “It’s up to you.”
I nodded. “Let’s do it, I’ll do anything to get her back.”