Page 107 of Wickedly Yours

“How long were you out?”

“Maybe fifteen minutes? When I came to, the door was wide open. Luna was gone, and Novalie was tied up in the closet.”He winced, rubbing at his wrists like he was the one who’d been bound.

“Fuck!” I pulled at my hair. I tried to tell myself that it could be worse. Fifteen minutes wasn’t that big of a lead. But with his power, where would he take her? He could go anywhere. Do anything.

“Gather everyone—all the staff. Lock the palace down. No one leaves until we know who did this.” Until I knew which of my father’s lackeys was going to lose his life tonight.

He nodded. “Of course.” Talon spun on his ankle, moving back out of the bathroom, but then turned back to me. “We’ll find her, Zain. I know we will.”

I just had to hope that he was right.

Two hours later, we were gathered in my office. Lilith, Asura, both of the twins and Kairos. We’d swept the palace grounds. Anyone who was involved with the kidnapping plot was currently locked in the dungeon.

Kidnapped.Fucking hell. They’d kidnapped my wife, and I didn’t have a single lead on where she was.

My hand closed over my chest. Our mental bond was still blocked, and I couldn’t get through to her, no matter what I did. I could stillfeelher, but her heartbeat was faint. Every so often, I felt her pain, and I had to grit my teeth.

What were they doing to her?

They must have given her something to affect her like this.

Lilith shook her head. “Zain, I don’t think…”

“Clearly not.” Thunder rumbled outside, and I couldn’t control my anger. “You’re clearly not thinking, or else we would have already found her.”

I needed her here to calm me. Her scent, her touch. Anduntil she was back in my arms, I would feel this way. It was like I was completely off-kilter, adrift in the darkness without her light.

“One job!” I exclaimed. “You all hadonejob. And you failed. You failedher.” My throat was choked up.I’d failed her. From the beginning, I’d promised to keep her safe, and I hadn’t even done that. “I failed her.” The words slipped from my lips before I could think better of it. To show weakness in front of them… Normally, I would have hated it.

But right now, all I could focus on was Luna.

She was supposed to be here. Making this planwithus.

Lilith made a noise in her throat, and I looked up to find her face full of emotion. “Your father?—”

“He knows. That’s the only reason he would have taken her.Hehas to know what I’ve planned.” I scowled.

Asura’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You think he would hurt her?”

“Yes.”

Why?Because he wanted to put me in my place. Remind me who theactual rulerwas. Luna had been right. She’d warned me, and I hadn’t listened to her.

“But this iscruel, even for him.”

“If he had a heart, I’ve never seen it. Even when my mother died, he never so much as shed a tear. He took her power, hismate’spower, and then he let herdie.” I looked away, thinking about if I ever had to say goodbye to Luna. The pain of losing my mate—it would destroy me. “He wouldn’t hesitate to end the life of my wife just to ensure I couldn’t overpower him.” I spit the words out. “That’s my father for you.”

You left your wife behind, defenseless and alone.A voice in the back of my mind said.This is your fault for not protecting her.Running my fingers over the place where she’d left her mark, I tried to take solace in the fact that I could still feel her at the end of our bond.

Luna,I thought, hoping that the bond between us was strong enough to reach her at this distance.Please be safe.

“Fuck.” I rubbed at my temples. “I need to get her back. Before they hurt her even more.”

“How?”

“Can you follow the bond?”

“Icould, but they did something to it. She’s unconscious. Weak. All I can feel is darkness.” Normally, there was only light. But I could still feel that she was alive.

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