My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. Please, God, no.
“Tell me,” I said in a voice I barely recognized.
“She’s not here,” Raoul rushed to say. “But…”
He reached into the dumpster a second time and lifted out a pair of women’s jeans, a white shirt, and a pair of women’s biker boots. I didn’t need to smell them to know they carried Beth’s scent, because I’d seen her in that outfit a few hours ago.
The world tilted. I couldn’t think about why the Incubi would undress Beth before they took her away. If I did, I’d completely lose it.
“If they found her tracker, it’s likely they removed her clothes in case she was wearing another device in them,” Nikolas said.
“But why would they take her?” I asked, hearing the desperation in my voice. “What use is she to them?”
“Maybe they plan to use her as a hostage to force us to back off,” Jordan suggested.
Raoul frowned. “Then why not take Mason as well? Wouldn’t two warriors be better to bargain with?”
Jordan looked up from helping Mason. “It seems to me that Incubi place a higher value on females than males. They probably think we do the same and would be more likely to give them what they want for Beth.”
I felt a flicker of hope, but it did nothing to ease the fear clawing at me. Beth was at the mercy of a monster, and I had no idea what she was going through right now. She could be hurt or afraid, and all because I hadn’t kept her safe. I should have listened to my instincts and taken her away from here. She would have been furious with me at first, but at least she’d be safe.
I turned to Nikolas. “I can’t stand here waiting for them to call us. I’m going to ride around and see if I can find anything.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I shook my head. “I’d feel better if you were running things at the house.”
He started to speak but let out a heavy breath instead. “Check in regularly. I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”
“Thanks.”
I turned to my bike, and Nikolas called after me.
“We’ll get her back.”
I couldn’t answer because I was struggling to hold myself together. The most fear I’d ever felt was when Nikolas and Sara were taken by a Master last year. The odds of finding them alive had been so small I’d thought I would never see them again. I’d comforted myself with the knowledge they were together at least.
That fear didn’t come close to the terror gripping me now. Beth was alone with a demon almost as powerful and dangerous as a Master, and she didn’t have Sara’s power to protect herself.
I didn’t have a destination in mind when I got on my bike. Without a clue to the Lilin’s whereabouts, all I could do was ride around and cover as much ground as possible, trying to sense Beth. She was still in the Los Angeles area. It wasn’t just wishful thinking. The Lilin’s activity was heaviest here, which meant he had a lair close by. And if he took Beth to force our hand, he’d keep her here.
All night, I rode through countless streets, stopping only once for gas. Nikolas called every few hours, but there was never any word about Beth. I knew he was worried about me, but I couldn’t go back to that house, not yet. Beth was out here somewhere, and until we got a new lead, this was my best chance of finding her.
I tortured myself, thinking about the years I’d spent trying to get Beth out of my system, believing there was something wrong with me for wanting her. So many wasted years. My heart gave up the fight the first moment I saw her get off that Harley. She’d been back in my life for less than a month, and I knew I couldn’t live without her.
It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Nikolas tracked me down at a food truck in Santa Monica. I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before, and I was forced to eat to keep up my strength. I was leaning against my bike, making short work of a hot dog when he pulled up beside me.
“How did you find me?”
“We’ve been tracking your phone all night.”
“How’s Mason?” I asked.
“Better. Margot fixed him up.”
He gave me an assessing look, and I knew what he was going to say before he spoke.
“You need to sleep.”
I clenched my free hand into a fist. “I’ll sleep when I find her.”
“You pass out on your bike and you’ll be no good to anyone, especially Beth,” he replied in his no-nonsense way.
“I can’t sleep, not when she needs me.”
He crossed his arms and sighed. “When I was looking for Sara, I would have driven myself into the ground if you hadn’t been there. You said I was thinking with my heart and not my head. I’m telling you the same thing now. You need to rest.”
I wanted to argue that Sara had taken off of her own free will, and Beth was a captive. But it wouldn’t change the fact that he was right. I was exhausted, and my body needed more than food to keep going.
“I’m supposed to protect her, and I failed her. It’s killing me, thinking about what she might be going through.”
“We’ll find her,” he stated with conviction. “A dozen warriors arrived from Longstone this morning, and we have more coming from other strongholds today. David and Kelvan are closing in on him, and they’re sure they’ll have something soon.”
His last comment gave me the first hope I’d had all night. David and Kelvan had tracked down a Master from nothing more than a drawing of a house Sara had taken from a vampire’s memory. If anyone could do this, it was them.
The driveway at the command center was so full of vehicles I had to park my bike on the patio. I told Nikolas I’d see him in a few hours and let myself into the guesthouse. The silence of the empty house pressed down on me as I entered Beth’s bedroom and lay down on her bed. Her unique floral scent surrounded me, comforting and tormenting me at the same time.
Solmi, my Mori wailed, its anguish mixing with my own until I could barely breathe from the pain in my chest.
We’ll find her, I swore to us both.
The Lilin had made a fatal mistake when he stole my mate from me. I wouldn’t stop hunting him until I found her or avenged her. Either way, he’d signed his own death warrant.
* * *
It was almost dark when I woke, but a glance at the clock by the bed told me I’d slept for less than four hours. I was surprised I’d managed that many.
There was no way I’d go back to sleep, so I got up and went over to the main house to shower and change before I headed out again.
The house was less crowded than I expected, considering all the vehicles I’d seen when I arrived. Wondering where everyone was, I went to the control room. I already knew there was no news, because Nikolas would have woken me the moment he heard something.
I found Sara, Jordan, Raoul, and Nikolas sitting at the conference table talking. Mason, who looked paler than usual, was sitting on the couch with a red-haired warrior I hadn’t seen in four years.
Rachel’s tired eyes widened slightly when she saw me, and she stood as I headed for her. I took in her drawn complexion and the dark shadows under her eyes as I wrapped her in a warm hug.
“I’m so sorry, Rachel. I should have taken her away from here as soon as we knew what we were dealing with.”
She hugged me back then held me at arm’s length. “None of this is your fault. Just focus on getting her back.”
Someone entered the room, and I turned to see who it was. I sucked in a breath when I saw the blond couple who watched me with worried eyes.
“Mom? Dad? When did you get here?” I asked as they crossed the room to me.
“Landed an hour ago,” my sire said as my mother hugged me tightly. “Tristan called last night, and we left as soon as we could.”
My mother let me go and stood back, wiping her eyes. “No word?”
“No,” I said roughly.
“What can we do to help?” she asked, businesslike again.
My mother was one of the most coolheaded people I’d ever known. In a crisis, she was the person you wanted overseeing the situation. It was a trait she shared with Tristan.