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  “I know. I know all that. That’s where I am. Or at least I’m headed back there right now. I flew home last night.” Finally, I just blurted out the problem. “Ryann is missing.”

  “Oh. Wow. Okay, tell me what’s going on. How long has she been gone?”

  I checked the time display on the dashboard. “Seven hours. She agreed to be home by nightfall, and it’s well past that now. I can’t reach her by phone or text. No one’s seen her or heard from her since then. And I just found her car abandoned. Something’s wrong. I know it.”

  “Is she alone?” he asked, his tone grave.

  “No. She went shopping with Wickthorne’s new apprentice. Her name’s Linnea. I don’t know much about her other than she’s from the Oregon Light court. Ryann trusted her. She read her emotions and said she was safe. The girl claimed to have training as a guard, but I’m worried something’s happened to the both of them.”

  “Okay, stay calm. Let’s think. If the girls were attacked for some reason by a human or humans, they’d kick their butts and take names.”

  “Right.” The thought made me feel a little better. An unwary human mugger who approached two Elven women thinking he saw a couple of easy marks would get a big surprise indeed. Then a possibility far more frightening than muggers occurred to me.

  “What if they weren’t human?”

  There was a pause before he answered. “Do you know of any Fae who’d have reason to target Ryann? Or her companion maybe?”

  “No. And unfortunately, I don’t know that much about Linnea. Which is why I never should have agreed to let Ryann go with her. Who knows if she’s actually a capable guard or not? She wanted to be trained as a healer. Maybe she was a terrible guard.”

  I was kicking myself now for being such a pushover. I should have just let Ryann be angry with me. She would have been home right now, safe and sulking in our room. I would have gotten the cold shoulder tonight, but in the scheme of things, it would have been worth it.

  I said as much to Nox. “I knew better than to let her leave Altum without me. But she wanted to go Christmas shopping. This is my fault.”

  “Hold on now. I know Ryann—there is no stopping her when she sets her mind to it, so don’t beat yourself up about that. It won’t help anything. We need to just deal with the current situation. It’s all gonna work out, you hear me? You’re going to find her.”

  His confident tone and words calmed me somewhat. But then he said, “I’m gonna give my pilot a call and tell him to get the plane fueled up and ready. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “Wait, I’m not sure that’s the best course of action.”

  In truth, I would have loved to have Nox here. I felt like we could handle anything together. But his mention of his plane and pilot had triggered an idea. “There’s something else I’d like you to do for me.”

  “Name it.”

  “Fly to Oregon instead. Visit Elias, the leader of the Light clan there, and find out whatever you can about Linnea.”

  “You suspicious of her?”

  “Well, Ryann said she read her intentions, and they were all good. I trust Ryann’s glamour. But maybe knowing more about Linnea and her patterns and her training will be helpful somehow.”

  “I’m on it.” I heard the sound of keys jingling in the background. “Leaving for the airport right now.”

  I felt somewhat better after speaking to Nox, but then we pulled into the driveway in front of Ryann’s parents’ house. All the lights were on, and there were two extra cars in the drive. I recognized them as Emmy’s and Shay’s.

  I leapt from the car and ran to the door. There were two possible reasons for this late-night gathering—either Ryann had been found. Or she hadn’t. Either way I was finding it difficult to breathe.

  I threw the door open without knocking and charged inside. A quick scan of the living room revealed five concerned faces. Maria and Michael, Ryann’s grandmother Neena, and her friends Emmy and Shay. No Ryann.

  They all stood up at once. “Did you find her?” Emmy asked.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding, realizing none of them had found my missing bond-mate either. “No.”

  Ava stepped through the door behind me, and I continued. “We searched in Deep River and in Oxford.”

  “Emmy and I have been asking all of our friends,” Shay offered. “Nobody we know saw her today.”

  “We found her car,” I said. “The shopping bags and her purse were inside it.”

  “Oh my Lord.” Maria’s hands came up to cover her mouth and nose. “Michael?”

  Ryann’s father took a step forward. “I was just thinking about calling the sheriff.”

  He swallowed hard. “Now I know we should. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours yet, but he’s a friend of mine. He’ll take it seriously and get to work on it if I ask him to. He can reach out to law enforcement in the surrounding towns as well, find out if anyone saw anything, distribute that photo she sent you.”

  “Yes, do it. Before you meet with them we’ll go over our story to keep Altum out of it.” Looking around the room, I said, “I think we should all keep our phones charged and the ringers on in case… in case there’s a call.”

  I wasn’t sure what kind of call to expect at this point. I didn’t want to think about it too much. Hoping it might yield some kind of clue, I searched Ryann’s purse. Her wallet—with money still inside—was there. All of its usual contents were there. Except for one thing.

  I looked up. “Her phone’s not here.”

  “Really?” Ryann’s mother sniffled, reaching for the bag. “Let me look.”

  “That means she has it with her,” Michael said. “Maybe the police can use it to trace her location.”

  “That’s right. Good.” I nodded, a new spring of hope pushing through the sludge of dread inside me. “Let me know as soon as you speak to them. Please.”

  Ryann’s father pulled out his phone and left the room. Her other family members and friends dispersed with hugs and reassurances that everything was going to be okay and plans to regroup in the morning. Ava went back to Altum.

  As for me, I’d be spending the night in my treehouse hideaway where I had a strong cell signal. I wouldn’t be sleeping anyway. Not until Ryann was home with me where she belonged.

  Climbing the tree quickly, I settled back into the soft fabric that lined the nest in its high branches and gazed at the stars overhead. And I prayed. Prayed that wherever she was, Ryann was safe, that she wasn’t afraid, and that she knew I was coming for her, that I’d find her.

  I will find you, sweet girl, if it’s the last thing I do.

  4

  Chapter Four

  RYANN

  I woke slowly from a dream where Lad was still traveling, far away and out of reach.

  Blinking in the morning light, I rolled over in bed and reached for him, eager to dispel the disturbing untruth. Lad was home, we were together, and all was right in the world.

  My fingers encountered nothing but cold, smooth sheets on the other side of the bed, and the last traces of grogginess faded. I opened my eyes and sat up straight, looking around.

  Where am I?

  This was not our bedroom. Not Altum. Not my old room in the log house, either. I was in a bedroom, but it was completely unfamiliar. Pretty, but sterile-looking as if no one actually lived there. A hotel?

  Turning my head from side to side, I determined it wasn’t a hotel room. It lacked the standard hotel amenities—television, phone, deadbolted door with a peephole.

  Was it a hospital? I’d seen some birthing suites on TV that were quite homey, not like hospital rooms at all. But then I’d remember if I’d gone into labor, wouldn’t I?

  My hands went to my belly, checking just in case. Everything felt normal. Little Mister or Miss was there, doing the usual tango on my bladder. Speaking of, I got up and used the connected bathroom. Afterward, I went to the bedroom door and turned the knob, attempting to pull it open and find out exactly wh
ere I was.

  It didn’t move. I twisted it back and forth again. Nothing. It was locked.

  The first wave of panic hit, washing over me and leaving me chilled to the bone. I wasn’t a patient. I was a prisoner. Who would lock me in a strange room? And where was I?

  I ran to the window and pulled open the drapes. Light spilled in, but it was muted, as if the sun was blocked by clouds or… buildings. Tall buildings filled my field of vision, so many and so high they nearly blocked my view of the sky altogether. I was in a huge city. But which one?

  Though I’d been to Los Angeles and briefly to Boston and Washington D.C., that was really the extent of my city experience. I didn’t think I’d ever seen one this big. One thing was for sure—this was nowhere near Deep River, Mississippi. How had I gotten here?

  The last thing I could remember was stopping into a charming little café for a cup of hot tea with Linnea. We’d done well with the shopping, finding something for almost everyone on my list. I’d wanted to hit one more store before calling it a day and heading home, but I’d needed to feed the parking meter to be sure I didn’t get a ticket.

  The café was steps away from where I’d parked, and we’d both decided a quick warm-up break—and one of the cookies we smelled baking—was in order. One minute we were chatting and laughing at a cozy little table, and the next… well, it was a blank.

  There was really only one possible explanation. Someone had taken me. The fact that I had no memory of how it had happened led me to believe they’d also drugged me, which was troubling for more than one reason. Could a drug like that hurt the baby? Couldn’t the kidnappers tell I was pregnant?

  Kidnapped. I’d been kidnapped. It seemed surreal, but what else could be going on?

  Suddenly I was terrified for the Elven apprentice healer. If someone had taken me, they might have also taken her. She might also be locked in a nondescript bedroom here, confused and afraid.

  I went back to the door and banged on it with my palm. “Hey! Let me out of here. Linnea! Linnea, can you hear me? Are you okay?”

  When there was no answer, a darker thought occurred to me. What if the kidnapper hadn’t brought Linnea along? What if he’d hurt her and left her behind? She used to be a guard. What if she’d tried to protect me and been injured—or killed?

  “Linnea—it’s Ryann. Knock on your wall or your door if you’re here and you can hear me. Please answer me. Linnea, are you here?”

  Silence.

  I moved away from the door and went to a chair in the corner, where my coat was draped. I searched its pockets for my phone. Not there. Either it had fallen out or the kidnappers had taken it.

  Going back to the window, I looked down. Way down. The street was so far below it almost gave me vertigo to see it. There would be no escape through this window. I moved to the opposite wall and pounded on it. In a building this big, there were bound to be neighbors, right?

  “Help! Somebody help me. Please. Call the police. I’m being held here against my will. Can anyone hear me?”

  Moving to each wall of the room, I repeated my routine of banging with my hands and calling for help.

  Finally, I heard something. Footsteps on either a wood floor or tile. They were rapid and moving toward me. I ran back to the locked door.

  “Hello? Who’s out there? Linnea? Hurry. Let me out.”

  A female voice answered. It sounded like Linnea, the girl I’d been shopping with, the girl I’d been getting to know in Altum over the past several weeks. But at the same time, it didn’t sound like her. The tone was different, her words coming out clipped and aggressive, as if she’d been holding in the feelings behind them for too long.

  “There’s no use bruising your hands and screeching. No one will hear you,” she snapped. “This is a twenty-five-million-dollar apartment—the walls have the best sound-proofing money can buy. And we’re in the penthouse.”

  I fell back a few steps from the door, reeling in shock. What was going on? Why were we in a multi-million-dollar highly-soundproofed penthouse apartment? Whose was it?

  And why was Linnea acting so strangely? She didn’t sound like a fellow victim. She sounded… angry.

  “Linnea… what’s happening? How did we get here?” When she didn’t answer, I asked. “Is there someone with you? Did someone make you do this, make you help them?”

  It was all I could come up with. Someone with a grudge against me or the Light Court was trying to make a point. Or maybe to demand ransom, though the Light Elves didn’t use money. They’d somehow coerced Linnea into becoming an accomplice to kidnapping.

  “We’re alone here,” she said, finally. “And we’re going to be here for a while.”

  I heard her walking away and called out, “Wait. Why are you doing this? If you’re in some kind of trouble, we can help. Just tell me what’s going on.” I banged on the solid wood again. “Linnea, open the door. We can work this out.”

  She came back and stood just on the other side of the door.

  “You should calm down and rest. Too much stress is bad for the baby.” Her tone was flat, devoid of emotion. It scared me.

  Focusing my emotional acuity glamour, I pushed it toward Linnea through the door, trying to get a read on her, to figure out what had caused this change in her.

  What I read did not make me feel any better. There was still a sense of protectiveness and concern, as there had been since I’d first met her several weeks ago, but now I could tell it was directed only at my baby.

  And that protective instinct was marred by something darker, something eager and… covetous. A chill slid down my spine and raised goose bumps on my skin.

  Her feelings toward me were completely different. It was almost as if I didn’t exist to her. I barely registered in her mind. She considered me unimportant. Expendable.

  I backed away from the door, shaking. For whatever reason, this woman wanted my baby. Not as a means of getting ransom money or coercing Lad into doing her bidding. For herself.

  Through the door, Linnea said, “Why don’t you take a bath? It’ll help you relax and pass the time. I’ll bring you some food shortly. We wouldn’t want to deprive the little one, now would we?”

  Her heels clicked away again, and I went to sit in the middle of the bed, wrapping my arms around my belly. My mind raced, trying to make sense of things. Maybe Linnea had lost her bond-mate and was despondent over never being able to have a child of her own. She could have dyed her hair to cover the mark.

  When we were shopping together yesterday—two days ago?—I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in here—when we were shopping together, I’d been struck by her familiarity and comfort level with the human world. It was unusual for a Light Elf. Maybe, like Lad, she had spent more time among humans than her people had been aware of. Maybe she’d been banished from her clan for some reason and couldn’t take a bond-mate of her own.

  Whatever the explanation for her actions, I’d read her emotions, and I could not allow this girl to carry out her plans. She would not be raising my baby. I had to get out of here—before this baby was born.

  I knew Lad would be searching for me, but if I didn’t know where I was, how could he? I tried to think of large cities within a few hours’ drive of Oxford. Memphis was out—it wasn’t anywhere close to this large. Nashville, maybe? St. Louis? Atlanta? I didn’t know any of them well enough to know whether they had skyscrapers like these.

  My greatest hope was that wherever this was, it was close enough that Lad would be able to hear me reach out to him mind-to-mind. I closed my eyes and sent him a message, as I’d done so many times before.

  Lad, can you hear me? I’m not sure where I am, but I’m being held captive somewhere—by Linnea. It’s an apartment, a really expensive one. I don’t know why she’s doing this, but she’s acting really weird. Lad… I need you.

  There was no response. We must have been out of range, which made me wonder… just how far away from home was I?

  I kept it up anyw
ay, calling to Lad, until the mental strain left me exhausted. Lying back on the pillows, I pulled the covers up and felt my baby moving inside me. Thankfully he or she was content and oblivious to our surroundings and the danger we might be in.

  The next message I sent was to that innocent little child, the culmination of the love Lad and I shared, the beginning of a whole new kind of love I was only starting to understand.

  Don’t worry, precious. Mommy will protect you. No one is going to take you away from me.

  5

  Chapter Five

  LAD

  Dawn was breaking and my phone battery running low when I heard the sound of someone scrambling up the tree.

  For one irrational, hopeful moment I thought it might be Ryann. But it was Nox’s hands and face that appeared over the edge of the nest. He greeted me with a sympathetic smile.

  “How you holding up, brother?”

  “About what you’d expect. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Oregon.”

  “I did. I saw Elias then I got back on the plane and flew directly here. We were in the air all night.”

  He had my full attention. “And? What did Elias say? What did you learn about Linnea? Is she who she claimed to be?”

  He nodded. “I showed him the picture you sent me. He confirmed it was Linnea. He hasn’t heard from her since she left their clan to come here. Not unusual, considering they’re Light Elves and don’t use technology. Her family said she’s a good girl with a kind heart. They couldn’t imagine her doing anything to harm anyone, least of all an expectant mother—and the queen of the entire Light Court. Even if she had some kind of motive for taking Ryann, they said Linnea wouldn’t be capable of a kidnapping. She knows almost nothing of the human world. She can’t drive. She doesn’t know her way around. She doesn’t know anyone outside her clan. It makes no sense.”