“I’ll hit him up and give him something to do.”
When he was satisfied they’d covered all their bases, Eclipse headed up to the main house, glancing from room to room in search of hislieterra. When he reached the third floor, Eclipse made a detour to his private quarters but stopped in the living room when he saw Orianna kneeling on the floor, petting Zeus while Aphrodite fought for her affections.
He took a moment to drink her in, grateful that she was there with him, safe in the mansion. He didn’t want to think about the horror show Asmia was privy to now that Perfidious had her in his grimy paws.
Orianna looked up at him with a smile so bright Eclipse was grateful he had on his shades.
“I was about to come down and find you,” she said. “Then I found these two and we got a little sidetracked.” Her eyes landed on his face. “Uh-oh. Is something wrong?”
Eclipse went on to explain the incidents with Asmia and Perfidious—both past and present.
“Oh, my God. She was kidnapped by a demon?”
He nodded, watching her face. Orianna seemed to sort through the information before narrowing her eyes on him. “What can I do to help?”
Honestly, he’d expected a few more questions. Such assince when are demons real? Orhow on earth did angels get mixed up with Fae? Then again, this was Orianna. His female seemed to take things at face value, even if they defied everything she’d ever been taught. Perhaps one of these days she’d pelt him with all those inquiries, but for now, he would gladly take her up on her offer to assist.
“I’ve got all availablefiestreighout looking for her. I’m waiting for my brothers and the rest of thefiestreighto get back to the mansion. Once they’re here, we can double our efforts to locate her. In the meantime, we need to man the message boards.”
Orianna gave Zeus and Aphrodite one last pat on the head before coming to stand in front of him. “I can definitely help with that. But I’ve got another idea. I mean, it’s not foolproof, but from time to time, I can get a vision of a specific person if I can touch an object they’ve touched. Preferably something they use often. A hairbrush, razor, that sort of thing.”
“It’s worth a shot,” he told her. “I’ll show you to Asmia’s room.”
As he led Orianna down the stairs to the second floor, Eclipse couldn’t hide the pride he felt. Without question, his female was already willing to help save someone who was important to him.
If he hadn’t already loved her, no doubt he would have after that.
Orianna followed Eclipse down the stairs tothe second floor. They traversed a carpeted hall, which was lined on one side by doors, the other a wrought iron railing that safeguarded from the long fall to the main floor below. She could hear people moving around, and from the sounds, there were more than a handful occupying the space. But rather than quell her curiosity, she opted to focus on the task at hand: help find the Fae and bring her home safely.
It felt strange to be offering to help do anything other than locate Amber. But the instant she’d seen the concern etched on Eclipse’s handsome face, Orianna had known it was the only thing she could do. Whether or not it worked, she had to at least try. She, of all people, knew what it was like to not know where your loved one was, and she would’ve given anything to have an army of people helping her back when she’d first started looking for her sister. Perhaps if she had—
“This is her room.” Eclipse exhaled slowly, then turned the knob and opened the door.
They both paused when they noticed Miklós sitting in one of the upholstered chairs near the bed. He had his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. Orianna glanced up at Eclipse, curious as to what was wrong.
The concern on Eclipse’s face told her everything she needed to know. For some unknown reason, Miklós felt responsible. Perhaps she would get the information later. Right now, she didn’t want to waste any time.
Eclipse cleared his throat, drawing Miklós’s attention up.
The angel got to his feet, shoulders slumped. “Sorry. I’ll leave you be.”
Orianna wanted to tell him to stay, but the truth was, this would work better if she had no distractions.
“Would it be possible to be alone for a few minutes?” she asked Eclipse when Miklós slipped out between them.
“Of course. I’ll come back and check on you shortly.”
Orianna nodded then stepped into the space. She couldn’t help but smile at the girly decor that surrounded her. It was a bedroom made for a princess, decked out in several shades of purple and interspersed with silver and white. The king-size bed was made, the pillows situated with precision, as though whoever had done it was allergic to chaos.
She ran her hand over the silky comforter as she moved across the room. The antique furniture was polished, the light wood gleaming, the intricate knobs and pulls shiny despite their age. On top of the nine-drawer dresser were several silver frames, all showcasing pictures of Asmia and a man in various poses. She picked up one, stared at the two beautiful people. Likereallybeautiful, the sort of magnificence that defied logic and reason. They looked happy together, both smiling as the man hugged Asmia to him, his arm securely around her shoulders.
Setting the frame down, Orianna inhaled deeply. There was a light fresh scent that lingered in the air, and she wondered if that was Asmia’s perfume. It was uniquely female and vaguely familiar, as though she’d smelled it somewhere in the mansion before.
She made her way across the room, past the thick shag rug—also purple—that fanned out from beneath the bed, through the double doors that led to the en suite bath. It was much like the bedroom, the walls and tile a brilliant white, accented with various shades of grape and chrome, from the towels hanging on the bar to the rugs in front of the sink and the shower. Even the toothbrush was purple.
Orianna stepped over to the vanity and opened the wide drawer. Inside was a hairbrush and a thick-bristled comb along with an array of makeup. She took the hairbrush out, closed the drawer, and returned to the bedroom, taking a seat on the velvet bench at the end of the bed. With the brush held firmly in her hands, Orianna stared at the pictures of Asmia before closing her eyes and focusing on breathing. In, out. Slow and steady.
Forcing a vision was never something she’d been good at, but she knew from experience it was a possibility. Her only concern was that she wanted this too much. Because of her anxiety, Orianna feared she would fail.
