Page 9 of Omission

He’s a true monster, and I need to escape this palace before that day comes.

3

LEONARDO

“How the fuck did she vanish into thin air?” I hiss out, staring into the worried face of my general and friend. Augusto’s served the Moore house for over two centuries now and protected my mother long before her offspring became his sole mission, but more than that, he’s someone I value and trust, as does everyone under my aegis. “Has anyone been able to scribe Silla’s location? There has to be a trail we can follow.”

It's been almost a week since her disappearance. A hundred and forty-eight hours since my aunt crossed our royal lands and trekked into unclaimed territory, wanting to forage a specific type of herb used in her daily evening tea. Something she could easily grow here, but Aunt Silla refuses to use anything that isn’t grown wild and unattended. Moreover, this isn’t the first time she’s ventured deeper into the forest and past my kingdom; it’s a routine every third day of the new month after she reinforces her barriers with a combination of black salt and mugwort.

To keep her strong. To keep her hidden from her mate and break their connection, even though he’s never shown his face after almost killing her.

This time, though, Silla’s whereabouts are untraceable and the guard accompanying her was found unconscious—paralyzed from the neck down with traces of a poisonous powder surrounding his bulky frame. Both cases have left little to no evidence behind to work with, a heavy weight on my shoulders and chest, cutting deep as I’ve failed them.

These two witches are under my protection.

He’s loyal and smart; a younger warlock with the gift of olfactory, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. His tracking abilities and knowledge of terrains are why I trusted him with her care. And Silla, she’s like a mother to me. Loved and took care of me all these years as if I were her offspring, and the knowledge I failed her weighs heavy on me. My heart feels tight, the organ throbbing with a mixture of pain and shame.

I’ve been blind, and the stench of betrayal is growing…

“No, my king. I’m sorry.” Augusto’s frown deepens, a heavy exhale escaping him while he spreads another map atop my desk. This region in Italy is one I’m all too familiar with and have avoided for over a century. There’s nothing left for the Moore family there. “We’ve scoured every inch of the territory and have reached out to a few of the neighboring covens, but no one has seen her. Not even her friend. That old healer from—”

I’m shaking my head before he’s done speaking. “She wouldn’t contact anyone from Naples. Since Uncle Roberto’s deception, those lands bring her nothing but heartache, even if the worst of his betrayal happened in this house.”

“His actions hurt everyone. All Wiccan across the world, but none more than Silla,” he replies while busily crossing out areas we’ve already searched and drawing circles over those I’ll be personally visiting soon. However, my eyes haven’t shifted from the area Silla once shared with her mate. Our uncle will always be remembered as a disgrace. It’s a stain on my family’s name, yet the house remains intact at her sentimental request.

The why never made sense; I would gladly destroy it.

“Have there been any new threats against Silla lately?”

“Only the ones you know about. Then, there are the two drugged witches we caught trespassing and are still under custody. I’m not sure about those two…”

“Something doesn’t add up here.” We’d found them under some weird hallucinogenic. Talking nonsense and demanding to speak to their king who was already standing in front of them. I’ve kept them in separate holding rooms since then, monitoring their progress, but so far nothing. “Are they still unresponsive?”

They’ve remained ignorant. Or are they playing so?

I need to make a trip to their cells.

“And the others?”

“You’re aware of the small unrest within the younger generations of certain covens. Young witches that blame Roberto for the deaths of their ancestors, but none have acted upon their threats. Especially not after your recent visit.”

I nod, raising a brow. “Do you trust them? Think any of them are connected to this?”

“It’s a mostly harmless group of young Wiccans just testing boundaries.” He looks up and smiles, meeting my eyes. “More than likely, they just wanted to meet their king. They idolize you.”

The small jibe pulls a chuckle from me, but it doesn’t last long. Over the last few weeks, I’ve spoken to and blessed many of the Wiccan territories he’s speaking of. I’ve given them my support—helped heal those who hold onto the pain of loss and who need guidance to move on—and while many have accepted my help, one coven isn’t bending the knee.

I’m once again reminded of the sour taste left in my mouth after meeting with two of the original surviving Rossi clan members; a female cousin of the former elder and his youngest daughter who were out of the country during the near extermination of their bloodline by my brother-in-law, the vampire king.

Instead, these two females want a union between our families, not believing that their ancestors caused the death of our former king and queen. And as the new monarch, I find their stance insulting.

The youngest sibling of Lilibeth, both my sister's friend and our greatest betrayer, was but a few months old at the time. For most of her life, she’s stayed away but has cultivated an infatuation that will never be reciprocated. She isn’t my mate, and I’d never touch a female that isn’t mine—born from the other half of my soul to fill that which has been left vacant.

To take a chosen mate or fuck another woman is a sin.

“Chiara will be a problem.” Running a hand down my face, I grit my teeth. “She’s entitled and self-centered and I have no patience for her insolence.”

“Should we contact Christopher? He’s their elder now.” An old warlock, he was spared on the day of the great massacre and told to run. Theodore let him live. Mercy was shown to an innocent young witch back then, and he’d done just that by keeping what was left of their clan in line. They’ve given me no problems over the years, but times change.

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