Page 61 of Luna Ascending

I send for Tavey and the fighters. I have to reverse the roles now – he'll have to stay here and run the pack while I search for Freya and Aurora. I can't stay on the estate while she's out there, unaccompanied. Even worse, there's no scent. The wily little witch has covered her scent – we've nothing to follow.

“I don't think she's alone” Tavey interrupts my ramblings “Lyell's gone too”

At least he'll protect Freya, although I still despise the thought of him anywhere near Aurora. I summon Morganna.

“Find her Morganna,” I spit out “Find your daughter before she puts herself in any more danger. She doesn't fucking understand how important she is to this pack, or how important she will be to the Watch”

We watch Morganna closely as she scrys and casts, trying frantically to find a trace of Freya. My stupid mate has covered her tracks too well – it's like I thought, she's a more powerful witch than her mother. I look hopefully at Tavey, thinking he might be able to help, but he shakes his head dejectedly.

“I'm no match for Freya's powers either Aaron”

“Fuck! What the fuck do we do? We need all the help we can get here. No scent. No Luna. No Aurora. Shit!” I slam my fist into the door-frame making it shudder

“Call Sam”

“Are you sure Aaron? We still don't know why she helped before. Vampire's always have a price” Tavey's cold words bring me down to earth with a thump.

He's right. I'm sure there will be a price to pay – but for my Freya, I'll pay it. Whatever it is.

“Call her”

Chapter Forty-Five

Freya's POV

Aaron and I need a very long talk about boundaries and respect when I get back, after I kill him. For now I have to get Lyell and myself out of here, as fast and as silently as possible. Aaron will come after me, and we need enough of a head start to find Aurora and persuade her she doesn't need to do this alone.

Hiding our scents was relatively easy, although it won't last for long. It'll be enough to get us well away from the estate before they start to come back.

I feel a bit guilty for not telling Liz what I was doing, but I'm not a hundred percent sure she'd keep her mouth shut. Better that she can deny all knowledge truthfully, than have Aaron bully it out of her.

I sneak a sideways look at Lyell while he drives. His face is set and grim, and his knuckles are pure white as they clench the steering wheel. He's directly disobeying his alpha, and he's already been told the consequences of going near Aurora again. He has to believe she's his mate, otherwise why risk banishment.

I shudder a little thinking about Aaron's ominous hints to Lyell's past. Right now, I need to find Aurora, and Lyell might be the only one who can get her out of hiding.

Once we arrive in the city, Lyell makes us abandon the car in case Aaron tracks it. It hadn't even crossed my mind! We criss-cross through the streets on a mix of buses and trams until we get closer to his bolt-hole.

“I've never taken anyone from the pack here. This was for me, just in case.” He doesn't elaborate and I'm left wondering what the hell he'd imagined might happen. Maybe he had an inkling about Aurora, even before she came of age. Or maybe he based things on his past experience.

We scuttle inside his flat and I peer around, slightly surprised. It's clean and bright, and very cosy. Lots of throws litter the sofas, and bright shaggy rugs cover the floors. I admire a beautiful wooden bookcase lining one whole wall. Unthinking I run my fingers over the spines.

“Don't bother making yourself at home” Lyell growls “We need to get to work”

Aurora's been blocking me since she ran away, and once she left the estate the temporary link I'd set up between her and Lyell wasn't strong enough. I should be able to boost Lyell's range, but there's no telling if she'll listen to him more than me.

Hours later, we're still no further forward, and I'm exhausted. I'm pretty sure she's here but she's either choosing not to respond, or unable to. I hate to think it's the latter. She's somewhere in this city...I can fucking sense it. It's frustrating as hell, and worrying.

Glancing at Lyell, he looks like a broken man. I don't doubt how much he cares for Aurora when I see him like this. I only hope we find her before anyone else does, and he gets to spend his life proving it to Aaron. Actually, bugger Aaron, the only person he has to prove it to is Aurora.

We take a break and Lyell's making us something to eat from his tinned food supply when something hits me like a sledgehammer. It's like a mind-link but more artificial, more forceful. I feel bombarded by its weight. I can't move momentarily. I hear Lyell bumbling away in the kitchen – whatever it is he's unaware and unaffected.

I centre myself, and try to relax. Whatever this is, whoever it is, they're determined to contact me. Only once I'm slightly calmer can I relax enough to let it in and work out the message, if you can call it that. It's like a rude version of a calling card – it's telling me where Aurora is. Surely this has to be a trap? Nothing's this simple. Is it?

“Lyell!!!!”

Before I can think things through rationally, Lyell has us bundled out the door and into the nearest taxi speeding towards where I 'know' Aurora is. As we get closer I get more and more sense of Aurora.

Lyell knew the place the moment I described it – he spent time here after being expelled from his community. He explains it’s cloaked somehow from outside magic – meaning anyone who needs to hide away can do so, for a price, without risking detection.

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