Page 443 of Flirting with Darkness

Leona ran out of the house and crouched beside me. “What was that? What happened? Why couldn’t I move?”

“A man I’ve never seen before s-s-stole Caleb,” I mumbled. My breathing began to increase and I felt my heart rate spike. Panic attack. I was having a panic attack.

“Easy,” Leona sang, her siren powers helping my panic calm.

“We have to find him. He took him and said he was going to raise him properly. He said he was going to raise him among others of his kind. What did he mean? Did he mean more hybrids? I thought he was the only hybrid in two hundred years? It doesn’t make sense. Why would he take him? We weren’t hurting him, were we? We weren’t doing anything bad to him. Why did he take my son!”

Flames shot out of my mouth and into the sky as I tilted my head skyward and screamed again.

Foxfire dropped to his knees beside me and hugged me tightly. “We’ll find him, Jolie. We’ll get him back.”

“And we’ll make that asshole pay,” Deryn growled.

“What do I do?” I asked Fox, snuggling closer to him. “I don’t even know where to start. I don’t know that guy. I don’t know where he took him. I don’t know how to trace him.”

“What about Caleb?” Leona asked. “Can you track him?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have a connection with him like I do with my mates. Trust me, that would have come in handy several times over the years and I’ve wished for it many times over, but I don’t.”

“I can’t trace where he teleported to,” Nico said as he joined us. “But it can’t have been that far. Jolie, why don’t you try flying in a five-mile perimeter and expand it as you fly to see if you can spot him or Caleb. I’m sure Caleb is likely throwing a tantrum right now; you know sleeping spells don’t last on him, and our animals can spot him more easily.”

I could do that.

Foxfire kissed my cheek before releasing me so I could shift into my dragon form and take to the skies.

I would find him. I would find him and I would take my son back no matter what I needed to do.

I flew in an expanding circle, searching for any sign of Caleb that I could find. While part of me wanted to freak out, I knew I needed to stay strong and focused in the search for Caleb.

Something to the east caught my eye, so I banked around and focused on it. Right by the downtown park, a plume of black smoke shot up.

Several people’s screams shortly followed.

That seemed like a good place to start.

In the center of the park, right next to the water fountain, a werewolf in warrior form fought against a small dragon.

Caleb!

The werewolf darted forward, hands extended as he tried to grab the dragon as it darted in circles around the fountain, doing his damndest to escape.

As fast as I could, I dove towards the werewolf and slammed my head into him, knocking him far away from the fountain.

Caleb shifted into his human form and jumped on top of the fountain. “Momma!”

The werewolf shifted back into the man who’d taken Caleb and he brushed his clothes off. “You found me faster than I anticipated. I also didn’t anticipate this one being this strong and resistant to sleep spells. I don’t want to hurt you, ma’am.”

I shifted, but kept scales on my vital parts. “You’re not taking my son anywhere. I don’t know who you are or what delusions you’re under, but my son is getting the best upbringing he could get. If you try to take him again, I will do whatever is necessary to protect him, including killing you.”

“That’s Princess Jolie and Prince Caleb!” someone gasped from nearby.

“What’s going on? Why is she fighting that guy?” another asked.

It wasn’t surprising that we were gaining an audience in the middle of the city’s largest park. That could either be a benefit or hindrance depending on what else this guy had up his sleeve.

Was his freezing spell one he couldn’t use often? He should have used it against Caleb if he was able to, so maybe it took a lot of power and he wasn’t able to use it yet.

I hoped so.

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