Chapter 3

“I feel like something is missing. It’s right there, just outside of my grasp. Every time I start to get close to it, it slips away again. My dreams are filled with an empty void and I don’t know how to fill it. At first, I thought it was the death of my parents, but now I’m not so sure.” ~Sally

Sally dried the fiftieth glass of the evening—she’d been counting—as she watched Jericho mix a customer’s drink. She had to admit that Jericho, despite his slightly overeager personality, was a talented bartender. He had mad skills when it came to spinning bottles, tossing glasses, and sliding drinks down the bar to their buyers with uncanny precision. Sally kept picturing herself attempting those same stunts, but her fantasies always ended, probably realistically, with bottles of liquor crashing down around her while glass and liquid splattered the patrons that lined the bar. Yep, she was pretty sure there would be no bartending theatrics in her future. She’d be happy if she ever remembered the names of the drinks and what went in them.

“How you doing over there, Texas?” Jericho shot over his shoulder at her. He’d adopted this little nickname for her when he’d found out where she was from. Sally had been dutifully ignoring all of his insinuations about everything being bigger in Texas and, though she didn’t really care for the nickname, she supposed it could be worse.

“Wiping down these glasses is riveting. I don’t think I could handle much more excitement,” she said dryly. Okay, so she was bored, sue her.

“Wow, it’s only your first day and already you’ve got attitude.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he smiled at her. “I like it.”

Sally laughed as she reached for the next glass only to grab air. She looked down and realized that she’d finished all of them. Finally, she thought as she stuck part of the towel in her back pocket and left the rest hanging out. With all the pouring of various fluids the job involved, she figured out real quick why bartenders kept a towel tucked in their jeans.

“You ready to try your hand at mixing?” Jericho asked her as he handed the finished drink to the man across the bar and then turned to face her. He leaned a hip against the counter and crossed his muscular arms in front of him. He was pretty, that was for sure.

“Have to learn sometime,” she said as she clapped her hands together and rubbed them as though needing to warm them up.

“I figure it would be better to do it now, before we get to the 5:30 rush. Once people start getting off work, ready to unwind, we won’t have a free minute until closing time at midnight.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” she responded.

He smiled at her then pushed away from the bar and reached beneath it, pulling out a stack of papers held together by a metal ring in the top left corner. They were all laminated and, from what Sally could see, extremely worn.

“This is the master drink list,” he began. “It has every drink we make and the ingredients and how to mix them. In the beginning, it’s going to seem like a lot, but just like having to memorize multiplication tables, you’ll wind up memorizing this.”

“And what if I never mastered my multiplication tables?” Sally asked.

“You’re screwed,” he said without missing a beat. “Alright, let’s start getting familiar with the different types of alcohol.” Jericho motioned her over to the back of the bar where rows of bottles lined shelves that ran up the wall all the way to the ceiling. A mirror behind the bottles and shelves made it look as though there were multiple bottles in each row.

“What do you know about liquor?” he asked as he began pulling bottles down.

“It’s flammable.”

Jericho paused in mid-reach and turned his head to look at her. “Is that all?”

“Too much of it makes people puke?” Sally said though it came out like a question.

Jericho shook his head and continued to pull down different bottles. “Wow, this is going to be a loooong day. The only saving grace is that you’re hot and I get to watch you mix drinks.”

Sally frowned at him. “Mixing drinks is considered hot?”

“It is when it’s a chick and she’s shaking a mixer causing all kinds of bouncing and jiggling in all the right places,” he answered with a roguish grin.

Sally didn’t know how to respond to that, so instead, she picked up the laminated sheets and examined the drinks listed there. She thought maybe that the best way to discourage Jericho’s flirting would be not to acknowledge it at all.

“Let’s just start with the basics,” Jericho began. He held up a bottle with a clear liquid in it. “This is vodka. It’s a hard liquor.”

Sally leaned back against the counter and prepared herself for a long afternoon of information overload.

Costin stood under the nearly unbearably hot water. It scalded his skin and he relished the pain. Physical pain was a welcome distraction from the emotional turmoil that was raging inside of him. He was trying to hold it together, for fear of Decebel being true to his word and for the hope of Sally coming back, but he felt as though his sanity was slowly slipping away from him. The darkness that she’d kept at bay for so long was returning. He’d almost forgotten what it was like living with the darkness as a constant companion—always there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to wrest control from the man. He hadn’t missed the feeling. Sally’s absence had left a void that the darkness was all too happy to fill, and he honestly didn’t know how long he could hold himself together. It had been a little over forty-eight hours since they’d realized she was missing, and if it wasn’t for Titus, Costin would have been a raging lunatic by now.

And if the man was bad, his wolf was even worse. The beast paced inside of him, yearning to be set free. But Costin knew that he couldn’t allow the wolf out, not right now. If he gave his beast even a little bit of freedom, it would take over completely. Costin had overheard the others talking about Drake and he knew that the situation was dire. The last thing the pack needed was another feral wolf to deal with.

With a heavy sigh, he shut off the water. Though he didn’t want to leave the quiet space, Titus needed him. Gavril had been generous enough to keep an eye on him while Costin took some time to deal with his emotions, but Gavril wasn’t the boy’s father. Costin was, and he needed to be the one caring for him.

Costin dried off and dressed quickly. For perhaps the hundredth time since Sally went missing, Costin glanced in the mirror to make sure that his mating marks were still there before putting his shirt on. Nothing had changed. The marks that had climbed up his neck when Sally had come of age were still there. So where was she? Why couldn’t he feel her? And how in seven hells was he supposed to find her if he couldn’t feel her through the bond? With a growl, he threw on his shirt and stormed out of the bathroom.

Those were questions that weren’t going to be answered by him wallowing in his sorrow and rage. He went to the playroom that Jen had insisted Decebel put together for Thia—a jungle gym of toddler play equipment and toys which, of course, the tiny infant couldn’t even yet play with. When he reached the room, he took a deep breath before entering. He plastered a smile on his face and then stepped through the door.

Titus was sitting on the floor playing with the large blocks that looked like Legos. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to his construction. Then again, he was three. What did Costin expect?

“How’s it going in here?” he asked as he glanced over to the chair where Gavril sat.

“He’s been great,” Gavril said in that deep voice of his. “Been playing with those blocks since we got here.”

“Are you having fun, Titus?”

The little boy looked up at him and smiled, causing Costin’s chest to ache. Titus had been through so very much in his short little life, and he’d somehow come out of it. Wounded, yes, but not broken.

“Mr. Gavril said I could build anything I wanted. But right now all I know how to build is buildings.”

Costin grinned. So that’s what the stacks of blocks were—buildings. “You’ll get better and better the more you do it,” he encouraged him. He glanced at his watch and realized that they’d nearly missed lunch time.

“Are you hungry?”

Titus nodded. “I’m always hungry.”

Gavril and Costin chuckled. He was a growing boy with a dormant wolf inside of him; of course, he was always hungry.

Costin helped him put the blocks away and then told Gavril thank you. Titus gave the large man a hug and then followed Costin from the room.

Two hours later, a very tired Titus climbed up into his bed without any protest to take a nap. Costin watched as the little boy drifted off quickly to sleep. Costin envied him. His own sleep was fraught with nightmares of all the things that could be happening to his mate. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, he heard her voice, and he felt her touch. But every time he opened his eyes, she was gone.

He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his phone as he stepped out of Titus’ room and into his own. Costin dialed Wadim’s number and waited for the historian to answer.

“Hello?”

“Anything?” Costin asked without preamble.

“Nothing yet. Jen and Decebel are on their way over and they’re going to help me search for anything that might give us a clue as to what could have happened. Hang in there, Costin. We’re going to find her.”

Costin appreciated his friend’s words, but at the same time, he wanted to roar that he shouldn’t have to hang in there because his mate shouldn’t be lost.

He ended the call without another word and collapsed into one of the chairs in the small sitting area. Two days, that’s all the time that had passed since her disappearance and he was already coming apart at the seams. Two damn days.

Vasile didn’t bat an eye when two females suddenly appeared in Decebel’s office. The Serbian Alpha had been kind enough to give Vasile the use of his office while the older Alpha’s crew was visiting. Vasile had decided that as soon as Jacque and Fane were back—because he had no doubt that they would be—the Romanians would be heading back to their own territory. He was ready to be home. Vasile could think better in his own land, where the scents were more familiar. Decebel was like a son to him, but he was also an Alpha of his own pack now. The dominance battle was always just beneath their skin as their wolves constantly strove to find out where they fell in regards to one another. Vasile would never allow that to happen. He would never fight Decebel, nor force his submission. His wolf would just have to accept that.

Movement drew his attention back to the present. He was so used to Peri flashing in unannounced that it no longer surprised him. He leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the armrests while bringing his hands together in front of his face. By the looks of the girl standing next to Nissa, this wasn’t going to be a happy visit. The girl was young but not a child. Her hair was very long, down to her waist, and a dark chocolate color. She had large, expressive eyes that were a very strange pale green color. She was short, maybe 5’1,” with a petite frame. He imagined, when she wasn’t so skinny and didn’t look as if she was knocking on death’s door, that she was quite pretty.

“Vasile,” Nissa said with a slight nod of her head.

“Nissa, good to see you are in one piece after your dealings with the vampires.”

“Jeff Stone has some good fighters in his pack. The vampires didn’t stand a chance,” she told him coolly.

Vasile didn’t respond but waited for her to explain her appearance with the girl.

“This is one of the dormants we pulled out of the most recent raid.” She motioned to the worn out woman-child beside her. The girl wasn’t quite an adult, but anyone could see from her haunted eyes that she’d long ago left childhood behind. “She has no one to go back to,” Nissa continued. “She doesn’t want her memories altered. I told her that if she refused memory modification, then she’d have to stay with her own kind.”

Vasile was listening intently even as he reached out for his mate. “Mina, are you able to come to my office? We have a new dormant female who is going to need assistance.”

Her response was immediate. “I’m on my way, Alpha.”

He felt his gut clench at the pain that she tried to conceal from him. She was scared for their son and his mate. She was torn up because their new grandchild did not have his parents to hold him as he began his precious life. And she was tired and in need of rest, which she refused to accept.

His office door opened and Alina walked in briskly. Her eyes met his and softened just a bit.

“Alina,” Nissa’s voice drew her attention away from him. “I am assuming Vasile told you about our newest guest?”

Alina nodded. She stepped forward and held out her hand to the girl. “I am Alina, Alpha female of the Romania pack and mate to that brooding male over there.” She motioned to him with her head.

“I’m Zara,” the girl responded as she took Alina’s hand.

Alina smiled and genuine warmth and kindness came bursting through. Even with all the turmoil raining down on her, she had the ability to make a lost person feel found. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” Zara answered as her shoulders relaxed under Alina’s kind gaze.

“Nissa.” Alina looked at the high fae. “Thank you so much for bringing her here. Peri is in the garden room. I’m sure she would like to speak with you.”

Nissa nodded and then turned to Zara. “Trust them. They won’t hurt you. They will help you and they will take care of you. You aren’t alone anymore.” Then she was gone, flashing from the room.

Zara let out a sharp breath. “That’s still just so…weird.”

Vasile chuckled. “I’m sure there are a lot of things that are going to be weird to you. We weren’t introduced properly,” he said as he rose and walked around his desk. He stopped beside his mate when he saw the girl take a step back. She hadn’t seemed afraid of Nissa or Alina, but she was definitely afraid of him—interesting.

“I am Vasile, Alpha to the Romania pack, and—as Alina said—I am her mate. We will do everything we can to make this transition as painless as possible for you. I am very sorry that this was how you were introduced to our world.”

Zara didn’t appear to know how to respond so she simply nodded.

“I’m sure you want to get cleaned up and I imagine you are famished,” said Alina. “Please allow me to show you to a guest room and get you some clean clothes. After you’ve showered we can get you something to eat.” Alina smiled and motioned for her to follow. She glanced over her shoulder at Vasile and met his gaze. “I love you. Go visit your grandson.”

Vasile’s lips twitched at her order. “As you wish, beloved.”

He watched as the two females exited his office, leaving him alone once again. He’d seen his grandson a couple of times already, but he wasn’t as strong as his mate. Every time he looked down upon the child Fane and Jacque had brought into this world, all he saw was his inability to save the child’s parents. He saw a little one with a pain filled future as he grew up in a world without the guidance of his father or the unconditional love of his mother. When Vasile looked at his grandson, all he saw was his own failure to protect those who belonged to him.

Skender was a toddler compared to some of the supernatural beings that were gathered around him in the room. The Order of the Burning Claw, though covertly active, hadn’t convened an actual meeting of its members in centuries. Those patient immortals had been biding their time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. With the reappearance of the Gypsy Healers into their world, it was clear to the Order’s leaders that their long hoped for vision could finally come to fruition. If they could get a healer to join their ranks, then they would finally have a representing body from every one of the supernatural races. Well, not a witch, those had all been killed. Okay, so they didn’t have a troll or a pixie either, Skender thought. But with a healer they’d have every kind of supernatural that mattered, he amended to himself.

Ludcarab, the King of the elves and leader of the Order, stood at the center of the room and glanced around quickly, making eye contact with everyone. The room dropped into silence.

“We have been waiting so very long for this time—our time,” the King began. “With all of the key players finally falling into place, we will soon be able to reveal ourselves to the human world. No longer will we live in the shadows.” His voice began to grow, more power flowing out of him with each word. “No longer will we worry that we might be found out and then tortured or crucified for our…lack of humanity. We aren’t human! We are so much better. Each of our species has the ability to devour the human race, and yet those humans are the ones who rule the realm of the earth. Our magic is dying because we have to suppress it, to hide it from their world. No more. Very soon we will not just walk among them but we will rule them.”

The room erupted into clapping and shouts of agreement. Each of their faces was eager with the desire Ludcarab spoke of. Skender couldn’t deny that he too wanted to be free of his bonds. If he could walk among the humans, openly, he was convinced he could find his true mate more quickly. If his wolf was allowed to hunt, to roam wild and free, then it could hunt her. It could find her. After hearing about the vampire raids and the dormants that the vamps had taken captive over the years, Skender realized something. It suddenly occurred to him that if his pack didn’t have to hide, it could be actively seeking out dormants in the light of day, much like the vampires had done secretly. How many true mates were lying in wait in human homes, unaware of what they were or to whom they belonged? It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass by. Initially, his journey to the United States had been because of the pull he felt. He was sure that his true mate was there and he’d set off to find her. But the Order had found him first.