Page 62 of These Dangerous Fates

“That’s true,” I concede.

We fall silent again, and Kai takes up his pacing once more. My thoughts drift back to the puzzle I can’t solve. I don’t know how long we wait in Kai’s room—at least a couple more hours—before Sterling crashes through the door.

“Is she in here?” Sterling asks with his chest heaving.

“No …” I say slowly, standing from the window seat, unease growing at the wild look on Sterling’s face. “She’s not in the library?”

“She’s gone,” Sterling whispers.

My heart stops in my chest.

“What the fuck do you mean, she’s gone?” Kai’s voice rumbles across the room. Once again, a predator on the verge of losing control.

“I was giving her time. I didn’t want to push her into talking to me, so I went for a run behind the estate. When I came back, she wasn’t there. I looked outside and your phone was lying on the table, but she was gone.”

With shaking hands, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call the number of the burner phone I gave her. Fear floods my system when I hear it ring from the bathroom. She doesn’t have her phone on her. I quickly pull up the security cameras around the estate and watch in horror as the video shows Ellis standing from the table on the patio and walking away.

The floor beneath my feet wobbles. “She left,” I say in a daze, looking at Kai and seeing my terror reflected in his eyes.

This was her dad’s plan all along. He wanted to drive a wedge between us so she would leave. He wanted her alone, without our protection, so he could steal her back. My magic rushes to the surface. It tingles in my fingers and spreads through my veins like fire. Purple sparks erupt over my skin as I lose control. They stutter and hiss, not the full-blown force I usually have running through my system. I glance at my hands in confusion. It’s like my magic has pulled away from me, like the tide receding in the ocean. The further it goes, the harder it is to grasp.

Kai closes his eyes, and when he opens them again, they are fully red. No hint of gray to be seen. His muscles tense, the only warning we get, before he launches himself at Sterling. When my phone rings, he pulls up short, fangs inches from Sterling’s neck.

Allie’s name flashes across the screen, and I swipe my thumb to answer. “Allie? Is she with you?” I ask.

“He took her.” Her voice is so shaky it distorts her words. “She was here, Cade. We were sitting on the couch and he broke in. She didn’t even have time to fight him. He just grabbed her and left. I don’t know what to do. He has her again.” By the end, she’s openly crying, gasping sobs that make it difficult to understand her.

But I hear enough. My world stops. My magic, already drawing away from me, turns into mist in my veins. I’m left empty and reeling, cold and utterly terrified. “Who has her?” I rasp, already knowing the answer.

Kai and Sterling still, like predators on the hunt just before pouncing on their prey.

“Sam,” Allie sobs. “Please, Cade. You have to save her. He … he …” she breaks off with another sob, unable to finish her sentence.

“We’re on our way.” I hang up and look at Kai and Sterling. “She went to Allie’s. Sam broke in and took her.”

Kai points a finger at Sterling and growls, “I swear to all the gods, if something happens to her, I will destroy you.”

“Enough!” I snap, stepping between them and holding my hands out to either side. “We need to get to Allie’s. Now.”

The entire drive to her apartment, my magic is wild inside me. Either I can’t grasp it to save my life, or it sparks into existence without me even trying. This is my worst nightmare. It’s like a band has wrapped around my chest and I can’t seem to draw in a breath deep enough to calm my nerves. And my magic responding in ways I’ve never experienced is only making this situation worse. The one thing I’ve always been able to rely on, is completely unreliable when I need it most.

There is only one reason for my magic to be reacting this way. I shake my head at the thought, because there is no way that can be true.

When Sterling parks the car on the street, we all climb out. I know I’m the only one who is halfway in their right mind at the moment, so I take a second to scan our surroundings for anything that doesn’t seem right. There is no sign of Ellis or anything out of place. Sterling inhales, scenting the air, but shakes his head at my questioning look. Nothing.

Inside the building, we skip the elevator and dash up the stairs to the fourth floor. I’m thankful I picked up Allie when Kai was hurt, so we know where to go. Before we reach the apartment, I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what’s to come. The door is busted, hanging off the hinges at an unnatural angle, and I slowly slip inside.

“Allie?” I call out.

“Oh, Cade. Thank the gods you’re here.” She crashes into me, burying her face in my chest, shoulders shaking with the force of her crying. “I didn’t know what to do or who to call. I’m so scared, Cade.”

“You did the right thing. We are going to get her back. I promise.” It’s a promise I can’t afford to break. I lead Allie to the couch and sit her down. “Now, tell me everything.”

With her eyes red and mascara smeared down her cheeks, Allie looks wrecked. Her blond hair is a tangled mess, and she tugs on the strands, making it worse. Sniffling and wiping tears with the back of her hand, she visibly collects herself. “We were sitting here, talking, and Sam busted down my door. He had her wrapped in his magic before either of us could react. He threw her over his shoulder and left.” She takes a shuddering breath and tears fill her eyes once again. “She looked so scared,” she whispers.

A knife to the heart would hurt less. Thinking of Ellis, scared and alone, captured by the man who has done nothing but brutalize her, is enough to bring me to my knees. Fear makes my stomach clench, and anger makes my blood boil. I fist my hands, knuckles turning white, as I try to control my shaking.

Kai growls and slams Sterling against the wall before the shifter can defend himself. Bracing his forearm across Sterling’s neck, he bares his fangs. “I am seconds away from ripping out your throat. It’s your fault my beloved is missing. Whatever pain she suffers, I will make sure you suffer ten times over.”

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