Bran hesitated. “Should we go, or should we turn around and see what we can do from home? How strong is the lead?”
I wanted to go on, wanted to drive blindly through the night searching for him, but I already knew that I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint him next time, unless they had stopped somewhere. If we continued on, I might have the chance of tracing him again, but chances were likely that he was beyond my detection. If we turned around and returned home, we could enlist May and Grams’ help. We should also call Daisy to ask her to check her files and see if there were any poachers around. Given where we lived, that wouldn’t surprise me.
With a sigh, I shook my head. “Home. My instincts tell me I’ve tracked him as far as I can this way. There are so many emotions around here that I can’t filter through all of them.” Tears flecked my eyelashes again as I stared glumly into the night.
“Home it is,” Bran said. But before he pulled back onto the road, he took my hand in his. “You aren’t failing him. We’ll find him. It makes sense to enlist all the help we can get before anymore time gets away from us. Promise me you aren’t blaming yourself.”
But he already knew I was.
“If I had only…”
“Only what? We locked the door. The alarms were set. We did everything right, love. There’s nothing to take the blame for. You didn’t leave the window open; you didn’t invite the kidnappers in. Try to stay strong. We need to be at the top of our game to bring him home.”
“Home,” I whispered. “I need him, Bran. I need that little dragonette. I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
“We’ll find him,” Bran said, putting the truck into gear.
As we backed out onto the road, turning around, I cast one last glance behind us. The road seemed so long and dark.
“I love you,” I whispered. “Come home to me.”
But I was certain my words never reached their intended destination, and I could only wonder whether whoever stole him was someone I knew—and what lengths they would go to in order to keep me from finding him?
CHAPTER FOUR
May and Faron were at my kitchen table, and she had her crystal ball in front of her, along with a deck of tarot cards. Both cats were eating their dinner. I breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn’t gotten out.
May straightened. “Did you…”
“We managed to trace him to the Elwa Junction, but I lost the scent there,” I said. “What should I do, May?”
“Well, for one thing, I’ve contacted Daisy Parker. She needs to be aware, just in case something comes through the department,” May said. “She’s on the way.”
“Thank you,” I said, totally at a loss.
Faron stared at me, a look of concern on his face. “I’m so sorry. What can I do to help? All you have to do is ask.” He crossed to the counter. “Do you want some tea? Coffee?”
“Coffee, please,” I said. “I need to call Grams. She can help us, too.”
“I called her as well, dear,” May said. “She’s on her way.”
The gentleness of her voice and her concern hit me and I broke down in tears. I slumped into a chair. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“We’ll find him,” Bran said, rubbing my shoulders from behind me. “We’ll bring him home.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang and Faron hurried to answer. When he returned, Grams was with him. She pushed past him to give me a hug, then turned to May.
“What’s next? I’ve never had much to do with dragonettes, but tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” Grams kissed the top of my head, then sat down next to May.
“First, tell us everything you were able to sense, Elphyra,” May said. “Even if it seems miniscule. Also, has anything odd happened lately? You’ve had your little meltdown but now you need to buck up. Fancypants is depending on us.”
“You’re right,” I said. I wiped my nose with a tissue that Faron handed me and cleared my throat. “We think they headed toward the Olympics at the Elwa Junction. But there were so many emotions lingering in that area that it clouded my ability to keep hold of him. He said that two men in a green van locked him in a cage.”
“Green van, huh? We’ll tell Daisy when—” The doorbell rang again. “That’s probably her now,” Bran said, heading to answer the door.
I looked at May. “I keep losing my focus, May. What can I do?”
“That’s because of the bond between you,” she said. “When something like this happens, it plays havoc with your emotions and senses. Think of it as astral static. As to what you can do about it—there is something, but I doubt you’ll like the idea.”
