‘You have to practice teleportation, champ.’Shade scurried on top of Lachlan’s head while he got to his feet.
“Thanks, man,” Lachlan said, his hand in his pocket where the note from Lilly resided. I wanted to ask what the note said, but we couldn’t get to that right now.
“Let’s get to the gate,” I murmured. My heart weighed down on my chest. “Something’s wrong.”
We started the trek around the wards in silence. The forest was eerily silent compared to inside the wards, where animals were plentiful. Goosebumps rose on my arms. Trixie had told me she’d seen a lot of human specimens on this side the last time she helped Tabitha tend to the wards.
Unease pounded down the bond, and Damien stepped in front of me out of a shadow cast by one of the trees. “Little bird.”
“Damien.” My shadow snaked out and coiled around his throat, jerking him into my body before sinking back into the mark.
His arms wound around me, and he leaned down to plant his lips on mine. His shadows slipped around every inch of me, assessing. “I swear being away from you for so long fucking broke something inside me.”
“I’ve missed you so much. I don’t like you not being by my side,” I admitted against his lips before pulling away and cupping his face.
“I can’t do it again.” His voice was laced with despair.
I frowned. Dark circles shone under his eyes, and the dark gray of his irises were close to black. “You won’t have to.”
The bond between us strained as he held me closer, inhaling my scent as I inhaled his. It was the longest I’d been away from him since I’d met him, and our bond didn’t like the distance either.
“Thank fuck for that, because I can only feed on so much of my own pain.”
I brushed his cheekbones with my thumbs. “What’s happening?”
He sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes flashed silver before his shadows extended over me, Kian, Lachlan, and Shade.
Darkness stole us before we stumbled into Rowan’s office.
My heart slammed in my chest. Every one of my mates, besides Alister, were in the room, in addition to Tabitha and Blair. Their expressions were grave.
Their previous discussion went quiet, and Thorn’s blue eyes widened. He was closest to the shadows cast by the bookshelves that we came out of, so he had me in his arms first. “Thank aster you’re safe. I know I can trust your other mates, but it feels good to be able to hold you in my arms.” He kissed my head.
Embers surrounded me as I was passed into Rowan’s warmth. His body vibrated with a growl, and smoke plumes left his nose and mouth as I turned in his arms to face him.
“Thank Kalista you’re here,” Tabitha breathed. “I swear he was about to shift.”
“He would’ve if Damien didn’t bring her here in time,” Blair clipped. “You really need to control that temper.”
My arms wound around his neck as he lifted me into his arms. I kissed his lips softly. “I’m here.”
“So much has happened,” he groaned. “Your terror, the bond snapping in place with Kian…”
“And whatever has happened since we left,” I finished, and he set me on my feet.
Rhett’s cherry scent flooded me as he pulled me into his chest. His pheromones leaked out slowly, trickling over my skin in a calming way. He glanced at the rest of them before his worried violet eyes met mine. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
My brows knitted together as dread filled my veins. They were all walking on eggshells around me, even Damien. “Where’s Alister?”
Pain flashed in his eyes, and more worry flooded my bonds from all of them.
“He’s been missing since yesterday.”
My heart lurched to my throat, and my head whipped toward Blair, who sat straight with her hood over her face and her white eyes trained on me. “Can’t you see where he is?”
“No. Something’s blocking my visions. It’s why Kian has likely not had a vision about it.”
I turned to Kian, who shook his head. Guilt slipped through his bond.
