So, so much.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“There’s no sign of her anywhere,” Sørengrumbled, his frustration as apparent as every other soul in the mansion.
It had been four days since Perfidious pulled the snatch and grab with Asmia, and despite their nightly searches, no one had uncovered so much as a single hint of where the demon had taken her. Because of that, tensions were high, and Eclipse’s anger was growing tenfold.
Though he’d dedicated last night to Orianna’s search for her sister, tonight he was committed to the mission to search for Asmia. Surprisingly, Orianna had suggested they both focus their efforts on the Fae for the time being. He wasn’t sure what exactly happened last night, but Orianna had been different since they’d left that small apartment. Not only because of what they’d done, either. No, he’d noticed a shift in hisamsouelot, as though she was finally coming to terms with the fact Amber was not coming back.
“Tell me who’s out tonight,” Obsidian demanded when he strolled into the war room where Eclipse had been monitoring the efforts for the past three hours.
“Allladearesare out right now,” Søren told him. “The Fae have teamed up with them, as well.”
Thelieterramotioned toward the whiteboard, which outlined the current alignments.
“Where’s Taayin?”
Eclipse decided to answer that one. “He asked to go out, so I approved it. He’s with Viator and Basker.” The two male Fae had offered to tag along because they had more abilities when it came to subduing Taayin should it be necessary.
Obsidian’s concern was palpable, but Eclipse had been prepared to defend his decision if and when his oldest brother tried to nail his balls to the wall. The fact of the matter was, they couldn’t keep Taayin locked up indefinitely. The male would go fucking crazy, and if anyone deserved to be out there looking for her, it was Taayin.
“Anyone else with them?”
“Raksa’s keeping close but out of sight,” Eclipse told his brother.
“Probably a good idea.”
Yeah. Maybe. At this point, Eclipse couldn’t blame Taayin for any outbursts that might arise from his search for the female he loved. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if Taayin went on a rampage and burned down the entire town. Granted, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but again, he wouldn’t blame the male.
“Penelope and Bijou are with Orianna,” Obsidian said, his eyes reflecting a hint of concern Eclipse hadn’t noticed until now.
Eclipse turned to face his brother.
“She had another vision,” he said softly.
Without waiting for more details, Eclipse let his senses flare out to locate hisamsouelotbefore he evanesced and took form in the sunroom.
Anxiety spun in his veins as his brain worked to puzzle out the scene before him. Penelope and Bijou were sitting on one of the leather sofas, the females flanking Orianna, who had her head in her hands, her full attention on her feet.
His breaths rasped in and out of his lungs as a true fear took root. Didn’t matter that his brain had determined she was alive and breathing, he needed to hear her voice, see her eyes, touch her skin to know for sure.
Penelope looked up, her golden eyes sympathetic, the small smile hesitant. “She’s all right.”
He wasn’t sure how she could be so calm and collected when every neuron in Eclipse’s brain was rapid-firing and the damn things weren’t in sync. Just the thought of something happening to her had his nervous system threatening a shutdown.
This was the third vision she’d had in as many days, none of which had been about Asmia, rather focused solely on Obsidian, just a constant repeat of what she’d already seen. They’d opted to keep from sharing the details with his brother mainly because they didn’t know what it meant. Until they could translate into something they could shape and mold into a plan, Eclipse figured there was no reason to put everyone on high alert.
Bijou hopped to her feet, stepping out of the way as he approached. Eclipse took a seat beside Orianna, sliding his hand up and down her back. When she instantly leaned on him, he felt a comfort he’d gotten used to over the past few weeks. Although they’d been battling theamnigh, which seemed to be intensifying with every passing minute, they’d been growing closer in other ways, too. He found pleasure in taking care of Orianna, even being a shoulder for her to lean on when necessary, and it warmed him to know she was doing so more frequently.
“It wasn’t about Asmia,” Orianna said softly. “I hate that I’m disappointing everyone.”
Frowning, Eclipse pulled away and looked into Orianna’s lovely blue eyes. “No one’s disappointed,sezari.Not even a little.”
A small smile appeared, and Eclipse knew it was forced. “Then I’m disappointed in myself.” She lifted her hand to show him the hairbrush she was clutching tightly. “I’ve kept this with me and still nothing.”
Penelope shifted, repositioning so she could face Orianna more fully while placing one hand on her ever-growing belly. “We don’t expect you to be able to find her, Orianna. But we appreciate that you’re trying.”
Eclipse saw the sincerity in Penelope’s face, heard it in her words. Without looking, he could feel Bijou’s concern, her need to comfort though she wasn’t sure how to do so. He knew the females in the house had shared some conversations recently, spent a bit more time together in an effort to pass it while Eclipse and Obsidian went out with thefiestreighdoing their part to locate Asmia. As much as everyone wanted them to sit on their asses, they just weren’t built that way.
