Page 19 of Shadow Dreaming

I returned to the others. “I want to kill those fuckers who kidnapped her.” I hadn’t been this angry in a long time.

Dante reached out, placing his hand on my arm. “Take a deep breath. Breathe in, then hold…now let it out slowly.”

I let him lead me through the breathing exercises that kept me from losing control. Strong emotions—especially when something threatened me or my loved ones—could set off my inner demon, and when she got out, I still couldn’t control her, and I knew what she was capable of.

“Count, now.”

“One…two…three…” I counted all the way to fifty, and then did another round of breathing. Finally, I sat back. “I’m okay,” I said.

“Really?” Orik asked.

“No, and I won’t be until we find Penn.” I shook my head, feeling numb. “You know those fuckers from Brim Fire kidnapped her. They have to be after control of her portal. I need to talk to PortalWatch. I’m heading back to Glider Park to talk to Duran. He’s been guarding the portal with her.”

“Shall we go now?” Dante asked.

“What about Megan?”

“We’re not due over at her place for a couple hours,” he said.

I slowly stood. “I dread leaving the house alone. I’m afraid for the cats now. And…if they managed to get in and target Penn, what else are they capable of?”

Orik cleared his throat. “My cousin’s in town. What if I call him and ask him to keep watch here? He’s on his own, so he wouldn’t disappoint anybody by changing plans.”

“I don’t want to put your cousin out,” I said, but Orik waved off my protest.

He made a quick call and then came back. “Hodark will be here in ten minutes. He’s close by, exploring the Meadowlark Gardens. He said he’d be happy to help.”

In the ten minutes it took Hodark to get to the house, we were ready. The man was a younger copy of Orik, with the same red beard and stature. I introduced him to the cats and told him to take whatever he wanted from the fridge, and we headed out to Glider Park, to find Duran before the kidnappers found him first.

CHAPTER SIX

I sped all the way to Glider Park, managing to evade the cops. As I jumped out of the car, Dante and Orik followed me. I couldn’t talk, I was so afraid for Penn. I didn’t know what they’d do to her to try to get the information they needed. I did know that Penn wouldn’t willingly help them, so that left two choices: for them to let her go, which was unlikely, or for them to torture it out of her. And Penn had grit.

I led them up the ravine, following the narrow ledge path that Penn had brought me along, putting on a burst of speed. Dante and Orik managed to keep up with me, and we cut the time it took to reach the portal area in half.

The trees were there, but it looked like any normal spot in the woods. I shifted my focus, squinting. I thought I could make out the hidden shelter. But I wasn’t going to wait for Duran to initiate matters.

“Duran, we need to talk to you! It’s about Penn! It’s an emergency!” I waited for a moment and was about to call out again when the leaves shifted and Duran appeared.

Dante and Orik blinked, but I motioned for him to approach. “We have an emergency.”

“What’s wrong?” Duran gave a sideways glance at the guys, but said nothing.

“Penn was kidnapped today, and we think Brim Fire did it.” At that moment, I unexpectedly burst into tears. The emotion of the situation had finally reached overwhelm.

Duran stiffened. “What the hell? Do you know if she’s safe?”

“I think so for now, but I don’t really know. Even if she is, how long will that safety last?” I knew I sounded frantic, but I was frantic. Penn was my sister—and family of choice bonds went deeper than a lot of blood family bonds. “I want to talk to PortalWatch,” I said.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Let me call them. I’ll be back in a few minutes. What’s your full name again?”

“Kyann Sarasan. I own Shadow Blade Investigations.”

He vanished and I wandered over to sit on a fallen log. Thank gods the rain was holding off, and though it was cold, I barely noticed it.

Dante and Orik said nothing, though Orik was examining the madrona trees. “The magic here is intense,” he said.

“Even I can feel it,” Dante said. “And I’m not that attuned to magic.”

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