Page 8 of Rising Darkness

“But how did you key them?” Chayton pressed.

I circled a finger through the air swiftly, motioning to everyone in our tight-knit circle. “Like I said, I keyed them to us.”

Axel’s head popped up, and he shared a look with Chayton before flicking his gaze to me. “To each of us individually?”

I took a beat to answer, my mind whirling. “No. I keyed the wards to Lorn’s mates. Anyone else needs permission to enter.”

“Fuck.” Axel blew out a breath.

“You think…” My mind was whirling. “That’s not possible, is it?” Silence, along with five sets of eyes, met my question, everyone drawing the same conclusion. “Fuck!” I roared, striding toward the wall and punching the hell out of the drywall. It pulverized beneath my fist too easily to be satisfying. Heaving like a bull, I spun and faced the rest of the guys. “You think she has another mate?”

“We always knew it was possible,” Chayton said.

Kota tapped his fingers against his outer thigh, calculatingly. “But there was no one at the bloodletting who called to Lorn.”

Jolon and Syler signed to each other. “Sy says there was no one at the bloodletting that we know of. But that entire night derailed before she’d finished scenting the last few shadow touched guys.”

“Still, you think she would have said something if she had found a seventh mate.” Axel sounded hurt, as if he couldn’t believe Lorn would keep something so monumental from us.

But I wasn’t so sure.

“I think you’re wrong,” I murmured, finally calming down enough to think through all Lorn had been through just in the last week. “She couldn’t even reclaim her mate bonds with us. If she’s unsure…”

“Unsure that she can get the mate bonds back?” Emotion laced Axel’s voice.

“Yeah,” I replied. “You really think she’d lump onto that pain, onto that uncertainty, with the news of another guy set to join our pack as her mate?”

“Jesus Christ,” Jolon muttered, pulling away from the pack to move to the window. He stared out the glass pane into the waning night, and if he was anything like me, I knew he was desperately wondering where Lorn was, and swearing to himself and any spirit listening that he’d get her back safe and sound.

“You know she’s as torn up about not being able to restore the mate bonds as you and Chayton were when you tried to claim her and the bonds failed.” Kota gave the rest of us his back and strode toward the wall, facing the fresh paint as he stared past it and into a memory. “You should have seen her the night Chayton left her after the claiming bite didn’t work. Her heart was broken. I’ve never seen her so sad and defeated.” Turning, he put the final nail in the coffin. “Not even when her dad was possessed. She might not have said it out loud, but her eyes spoke volumes.”

Somber silence hung in the air between us all until Jolon broke it.

“We’re going to find her,” he said with surety.

“For once, we’re on the same fucking page. What are you thinking?” I asked, and the two of us met in the middle of the floor with our packs on the fringes of the room.

“You still have the scrying glass in your possession?”

“Of course I do. That and the corresponding map are in my office downstairs.” I was already moving, heading out the door and taking the steps two at a time.

The scrying glass and map sat on one of the upper shelves of my built-in bookcases, and I was relieved to see they were in the same place I’d left them.

“Looks like our thief didn’t take everything useful.” Some of the color had returned to Axel’s face, and he practically vibrated with manic energy. “What’s your plan?” He looked back and forth between Jolon and me, addressing us both equally while the rest of the guys strode into the office.

I shared a look with Jolon, and for the first time, it was as though we communicated as effortlessly as if we were bound by the ties of the pack.

Thrusting out a hand, I created a large portal, and the sounds of jazz floated through the dark opening. “Now, we get ourselves a warlock.”

Chapter Four

Lorn

Images of my mates lying in pools of blood at Elan's feet created a disturbed tapestry as I faded in and out of consciousness. Every time my bleary eyes opened, I thought I saw one of them standing outside the bars of my prison. Could almost hear them. Almost feel them.

Dason’s commanding presence ordered me to unlock the grimoire before he disappeared. The twins came to me one at a time, holding onto the bars and squatting low while they told me to do whatever it took to get back to them. To save myself. Then they left me behind. Chayton promised to take care of me after this was all over, if I’d just turn over what Elan wanted and come home. And Jolon told me to be a good girl while Syler gazed down at me with disappointment that sat like a heavy weight on my chest.

One by one, they’d filtered through the space between reality and dream, and then left me on the cold stone floor of my prison.

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