“I’ll ask around in case anyone knows anything,” Johnson said, “but if he had any plans, he would have told you or Isca. It’s not likely anyone else knows anything.”
“Let me know anything you find out,” I told him, stabbing the screen to end the call, and immediately ringing the local police. All they could do was assure me that there had been no accidents reported on the highway. They took down some details and promised to call if there was any news, but I knew it was unlikely. If there’d be an accident between town and our place, someone would have reported it by now. Something else was going on.
And I was going out of my mind.
My sweet Irian. He was my mate. My omega.
And he had disappeared without a trace. As feisty as hecouldbe, he was still an omega, and vulnerable. It was my job to protect him. How could I do that when I didn’t know where he was?
My wolf whined, softly. He was restless. I could feel him pacing in my mind. He wanted to do something about this, andunderneath his frustration, I felt a cold ribbon of fear. What if we lost our mate?
Chapter 05
IRIAN
I was hideously nauseous. My stomach roiled and there was a lump in the back of my throat. It was the only thing standing between my mouth and the vomit that threatened to spew out of it. I liked that lump. I wanted it to stay there. Hello, little lump. You’re my friend, aren’t you?
I blinked, confused. Why was I talking to a lump? That was weird. Why was I being weird? And where was I? It was dark and I could see strange square patches of light floating in the sky above me. They looked a lot like spaceships landing. At first there were nine of them. Then six. Eventually there were only three of them still in the air, I think. This had to be a dream, a strange alien dream. The floating alien squares were different sizes. There were only one, two… three of them. It was hard to count them, but I felt proud of myself for getting there.
A shiver racked my body, the fine hairs of my skin standing on end. I was cold. I hadn’t noticed before, but the ground was hard underneath me. And cold. Something was pressing uncomfortably into my hip. I tried to sit up but the aliens spun dizzyingly around me and I toppled back over. Bile rose in mythroat and I choked it down. Nothing made sense. I lay still again with my eyes closed, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
After an indeterminate amount of time, my disorientation began to fade. From where I lay on the cold, uneven earth, I could make out the squares again, only this time I understood what they really were. Windows. They were windows.
I shut my eyes and tried sitting up again. It was easier with my eyes closed, without the room spinning in front of me trying to dislodge the contents of my stomach.
I took a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself. I was so cold. I shivered. My arm ached and I rubbed my hand over the sore spot just below my t-shirt cuff. Something crusty flaked off as I touched it and when I looked closer, I saw dried blood. How did that get there? I rubbed at it and peered closely at my arm. Though it was dark in here, with my shifter eyesight I could clearly see the mark. It was just a pinprick really, though there was a bruise underneath it. An icy tendril of fear curled in my gut. What had happened to me?
I tried to remember.
I had been at the supermarket. I had felt odd, disoriented. I remembered someone saying they were going to help me and feeling relieved. But I couldn’t remember anything after that. No, I did! I remembered going somewhere in the back of a truck, bouncing over the uneven ground, and harsh laughter…and nothing else until now. Why couldn’t I remember?
Talius!I screamed into the mind-bond, terrified, then burst into tears.
******
A warmth washed over me, soft and gentle, like the glow of the pre-dawn sky. It was comforting like a familiar blanket, soothing like a lullaby, loving like a mate…Talius?It was my beloved mate, reaching out to me through our mating bond, trying to calm me with the gentle caress of his reassurance and love.
It was working. My sobs subsided and I wiped the tears from my face, concentrating on the connection between us. Almost as if we were in the same room, I could feel his calming presence soothe me, though underneath it all, I detected the worry and concern he was trying to hide.
When I had calmed, I felt the questionwhere?pricking at my mind. We couldn’t communicate with actual words this way, but we had the sense of what the other was trying to convey.
I frowned. I had absolutely no idea where I was. I had a memory of bumping around in the back of that truck and maybe, possibly heading uphill. That was all I had, so I sent my thoughts of that. I felt Talius receive it, and could almost picture him frowning, trying to make some sense of it. I felt more reassurance come through our link, but I didn’t really need it now. Just knowing Talius was there at the end of our connection was a comfort of itself. I knew he would never stop looking for me. I was still afraid but I knew I just had to hold on until my mate could get to me. Whatever I had to endure, I would. Whatever happened, he would want me back.
I thought about what had happened to Isca and how tenderly Talius had carried him back from the forest that dreadful day, how lovingly he had cared for him while he recovered. The terrible things that had happened to Isca hadn’t dimmed his love for him at all. I shivered again, this time from horror. Would that be my fate now? Would I have to endure the same nightmarish abuse Isca had? I squeezed my eyes shut. I had to be strong.I knew Talius would love me regardless of whatever happened here.
A sudden recollection hit me. Although large parts of the day were gaps in my mind, thinking of Isca’s trauma had triggered a memory, and it made my heart clench. The voices I had heard… I was sure I recognized one. A beta from Isca’s old pack.
I started shaking all over again. The gloomy room began to spin. Before I passed out, I sent the thought to Talius, hoping he heard it.
Zarbius’ pack.
Chapter 06
AGELIUS
While I was lying in the grass trying to decide what to do, a battered old truck came rumbling up the mountain, the roof of its rusty cab appearing between the trees. There must have been a track hidden on the far side of the compound. The vehicle rattled its way through the long grass to the collapsed gate and when it came to a halt, someone jumped out of the cab and pulled open the gate. The truck roared through, without stopping to pick up the other guy, who cursed loudly as he dragged the gate shut and walked over to where the truck had pulled up near the buildings.
After some arguing, the driver and his companion hauled a long, limp object out of the vehicle. It dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. It was wrapped in hessian bags – similar to the grain bag my omega had been using as a bed when I found him in the cave – with a rope tied around it.
