As he finished filling up his coffee, he let his hearing extend back to where the women were.At first, he didn’t hear anything, so he let his lion take over, his ears twitching as they strived to hear anything coming from the back of the bakery.His lion instantly went on guard, so he set his coffee down and moved through the swinging doors.
Usually, the gals were perched on barstools next to Persia’s stainless steel worktable, but the stools were empty.What was more alarming was that their coffees and muffins sat half-eaten.Marcus touched one of the cups, and even before it’s cool temperature registered, he knew El was gone.
A roar ripped up from the depths of his soul.He didn’t care if the entire city heard him, as he raged against who would have taken his mate.Adam joined him.
“Where are the girls?”Adam asked.
“Gone,” Marcus snarled, unable to speak.
Marcus calmed himself down enough to let his other senses take over as he tried to search for a scent that stood out, but there was none.No matter how hard he tried, or where he smelled, he couldn’t find a scent other than Persia, El and Willow’s.
“Ryan, Shawn, and Trip will be here soon,” Adam said, having thought to call the others.
“There’s no other scent,” Marcus told him.
“So, they just walked out, without telling us.El wouldn’t do that,” Adam said.
“No, but Willow might have, or someone from Willow’s true pride,” Marcus declared.
Adam growled, his eyes glaring at Marcus.
“Mymatewould never harm El.She is loyal to her.”
“She’s Pantera, we know nothing of her loyalties, and she’s made it clear that she has no hierarchy ties to us.”
“Marcus,” Adam snarled.
“Enough, Adam.I will follow the facts, and if your mate had anything to do with taking El, I will kill her, unapologetically.”
“Then you, too, shall die,” Adam threatened.
Marcus didn’t bother acknowledging Adam’s empty threat.There would be no competition if the two lions were to fight.Marcus didn’t have the time or energy to waste on the frivolous argument anyways.Willow had something to do with El disappearing.What he didn’t understand was why Willow would take Persia.There had been so many opportunities for Willow to take El, so it made no sense that she would do it now with a human as witness.
“I’m going to search the surrounding streets,” Marcus told Adam, not bothering to wait for a response.
Marcus itched to shift into his lion form so that he could properly hunt his mate, but he was in total human territory, making it entirely too dangerous.He let his senses go as much as he could without shifting and focused on El’s scent.He was able to follow it for two blocks before it disappeared.He searched the area frantically for her, but there wasn’t much to search.
The block was basically old deserted shops, but none of them had been entered that Marcus could tell.He listened at the door of each one and hadn’t been able to detect any breathing coming from inside of them either.The only thing he wasn’t sure of was what Willow was capable of as far as hiding them.There was no telling what kind of spells she could use.For all he knew, El was standing right in front of him.Marcus shook his head as his lion fought him for control, desperate to get to El.
“Marcus,” Ryan said from behind him.
“Her trail ends here.I still can’t pick up any other scents besides Willow and Persia.I should have never let Willow join them in the bakery.This is all my fault.”
“Willow made her stance clear, and weallallowed her to stay.This is on all of us, but we will find her.”
“We need to call our friends at the precinct and get footage from the surrounding traffic cameras,” Marcus said.
“Adam has already made the call.He also told me you threatened his mate.No matter what comes to pass, we cannot harm Adam’s mate,” Ryan said sternly.
“If El dies?”Marcus questioned.
“If she dies by Willow’s hand, then Adam and his mate will suffer dire consequences, but we cannot go against our code.We do not harm a healer, and we certainly don’t harm a mate to one of our brothers.”
“This is El we’re talking about!”Marcus roared.
“You need to calm down, Marcus.We will find her, but not if you’re not thinking clearly.”
“How are you thinking so clearly,” Marcus questioned, his body now shaking from the physical effort not shifting was having on him.A wave of calm rushed over him, and he knew Ryan was controlling him.Marcus’ lion struggled against submitting, which was definitely not his typical character, but with El gone, his lion was losing it.
