After he gave Lachlan theHighlandersword, Lachlan searched for the perfect gift and finally found it. Now, he was never going to be able to give it to him. Lachlan put the box in the duffle bag.
No. He had to believe they would get him back and then he would give him his perfect present. Right before he tied him up and never let him out of the house again.
"Fuck," he groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. He needed to pull himself together.
Lachlan was reaching for his sword when his phone rang. Somehow, Ciara always knew when he was upset. "Hey, sis," he answered.
"Layla told me what's happening. She's looking at airfields now for you," Ciara said, and Lachlan heard Arne and Tor talking in the background. They must all be having dinner together.
"Sorry to mess with your night," Lachlan said, his fingers tightening on the beautiful sword that Apollo had given him.
"You want to talk about it?" Ciara pressed.
Lachlan sniffed. "Nothing to talk about. I failed. They took him."
"Lachie, stop." The noise went quiet, and Lachlan could almost see his sister stepping into the forest by her house. "I'm not around the others, so it's just me you're talking to. No bullshit, okay?"
"Don't use your big sister voice on me. I know I fucked up. I don't need the lecture."
"I'm not trying to lecture you. I'm trying to talk some sense into you before you do something dumb and get hurt," Ciara snapped. "I saw the CCTV footage. We all did. There's no way you could have prevented that crash from happening."
"I should have sat on him and stopped him from leaving. I ignored my instincts. I knew they wouldn't stop, andstillI let him convince me to take him home."
Ciara growled in frustration, and it came out all wolf. "Have you met Apollo Greatdrakes, the object of your longing and desire?No onecan stop him from doing what he wants. He could convince anyone of anything. Stop blaming yourself and focus. He needs you ready, not distracted by guilt."
Lachlan swore under his breath. "I know, Ciara. It's why I'm heading to Paris tonight. I need Layla to get me on the next flight. Any flight. I'll use the hotel in Paris we normally do. As soon as Layla finds something, I'll be close enough to get to him."
"You need to take Valentine with you. You're going up against magicians. Taking the scariest one with you is just smart, baby bro."
"Valentine can catch up. I don't know if taking another dragon near the Sanguis Vitae is going to be a good idea. If we fuck up, they will have two of them. It's better if I can do it alone," Lachlan argued and zipped up his bag.
Ciara let out a long sigh. "I know I can't convince you to wait, but I want you to promise me two things."
"And they are?" Lachlan asked.
"One—don't rush into a situation with your heart instead of your head," Ciara replied.
"I promise."
"And two—when you do get Apollo back? Tell him how you feel. Stop fucking about with him, Lachlan. He needs to know."
"Hedoesknow."
"You're just assuming he does. He knows you want to fuck him, but he doesn't know you love him.Tellhim with actual words and eye contact."
Lachlan snorted. "So he can tell me to go fuck myself? If anything, he'll want me for a good time, not a long time."
"You don't know that," Ciara said, her voice softening. "You might be surprised by his reaction."
"Sure, sis. Me pouring my messy feelings out onto him is exactly what he will need after being fucking abducted," Lachlan replied and picked up his bag. "I gotta go. Tell Layla to send me the flight details."
"Stay safe," Ciara replied.
"Always do," Lachlan said and hung up. He slung his duffle over one shoulder and hurried down the hall to the staircase.
Outside, Kenna was smoking a cigarette in the alcove of the main doors to keep out of the rain.
"I thought you had quit that shit," Lachlan said.
