There was no sign of her. He tried to go through every possible scenario and then it hit him.
Fuck, she traced in her goddamn sleep!
He ran back upstairs and threw his clothes on. He had to find her before some unsuspecting victim did—or worse, she ran into Rogues.
Think, think, think…
Where would she go? He slammed his fist into the wall. Maybe she’d traced to Dmitri’s den.
I’ll try there first.
He lifted the blackout blind.
Damn, it’s daylight. No cloud cover. It doesn’t matter, I have to chance it.
He traced to the den and ran up the steps as the sun burned his skin and he started to smoke.
“Dmitri, open up, it’s Dane!” He pounded on the door.
“Dane? What the hell are you doing outside when the sun’s out and there’s no cloud cover? Are you crazy? Come get inside, hurry.” Dmitri gripped Dane’s shirt and yanked him quickly through the open door and closed it.
“Is she here?” Dane scanned the room. Red, ugly blisters covered his exposed skin. But he didn’t care that it was burnt. All he cared about was finding his mate. She would be terrified, waking up in a strange place naked. His chest rumbled and anger spread through him.
If she’s harmed or if anyone—no, I can’t go there. I must find her.
“Is who here?” Dmitri scratched his head.
“Jenny, she’s gone. I had hoped she traced here accidentally.”
“What do you mean gone? How did you lose her?”
“I fell asleep. When I woke, she wasn’t there. I forgot that new vampires sometimes trace in their sleep. I’m an idiot for not being more careful.” He ran his fingers through his hair and paced. Panic overwhelmed him. It would kill him if anything happened to his mate.
“Calm down, we’ll help you find her. Let me wake my trackers. If she’s close, they’ll find her.”
“You don’t understand. She could’ve traced anywhere.” Fear strangled his ability to concentrate. It sickened him. How could he be so careless?
“She couldn’t have gone far.” Dmitri rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.
“I should go. I need to find her.” He was wasting time here.
“Calm down before you do something stupid. Here’s some blood. Drink so at least you’ll be healed before you decide to go outside and run around in direct sunlight again.”
“Funny…” Dane took the bagged blood. He didn’t find Dmitri’s comment amusing.
“You told me your kind can only trace to places they’ve been, right?”
“You’re right.” He took a drink and immediately his wounds began to heal.
“Think about it. Where would she likely go?” Dmitri was right. He had been too worked up to reason it through.
“If she woke in a strange place, maybe she’d try to go to my place or back here. Wait, she can’t.”
“Why can’t she?”
“I’ve placed a barrier. No one except me can trace here or my penthouse. If she tries to trace here or there, she won’t be able to. Shit! What have I done?”
“What about her place or work? Can she go there?”
“I hope she didn’t trace to New York. Shit, I’m going there now. You can check the woods. I’ll be back.”
He quickly traced to his office to gear up. There was no sign of her. He opened the refrigerator and took two pints of blood. He needed to feed more to make sure his wounds were completely healed. His strength couldn’t be compromised, especially if he encountered Rogues. He cursed, realizing that Jenny would soon suffer the effects of her thirst.
I don’t think she’d go back to her place after what happened. I’ll check the park next.
He reached for his cell phone on the desk and noticed there was a message. He pressed play and heard Jenny’s panicked voice. “Hold on, baby, I’m coming.”
He traced inside the tiny apartment. “Jenny!”
But she was already gone. Her scent mixed with fear filled his nostrils.
Someone else was here with her. Was it Ta’breyian? Shit, did he think she was Rogue?
“If you’ve harmed her, so help me…” He reached for his cell phone in his pocket and dialed Ta’breyian’s number.
Jenny ran through the Kentucky wilderness in a daze. She couldn’t believe her misfortune, having to flee because she was being chased by a vampire. It was a close call too.
Dane was right—it wasn’t safe for her to return to New York. Her apartment was being watched. She had few options since she could only trace to locations she’d been to in her past. Boston was one option but she feared she’d scare the hell out of some poor college kid if she traced to her old apartment.
What am I going to do? Dane is never going to find me here.
She paused, out of breath, hoping she had evaded the blond Adonis who’d tried to take her. He may have been one of Dane’s men but she wasn’t about to chance being wrong. She rested against a tree as the effects of her thirst started to take hold. Hunger gnawed at her insides. It was overpowering but how would she hunt? She didn’t have a crossbow or gun. She scowled, trying to decide what to do next.
I need to find a place to hide out.
She saw her parents’ small shack nestled in the trees up ahead. Smoke billowed from the chimney. Her father was probably awake.
Why did I have to come back here?
Tears filled her eyes. There was no place to go and few places to hide.
God
only knows what Dane must be going through right now. What if he thinks I ran away on purpose?
Indecision and fear plagued her.
She hid behind one of the tall trees when her dad came outside. He still hadn’t changed. He was tall, skinny and partially bald, with a potbelly. His overalls were dirty and he smelled of liquor.
“Distilling more of that damn moonshine, aren’t you?” Disgust made her stomach roll. The wind shifted and she caught a different scent—his blood.
Is he bleeding?
“No!” She stumbled backward, disgusted that his blood made her mouth water.
“Who’s there?” he called out, taking a step off the porch. He ran back inside, probably to get his shotgun.
I need to get out of here.
“Trespassers, you better get the hell off my land or I’ll pump a round of buckshot into your ass.”
I have to hide somewhere away from humans. The mines, I’ll hide there.
She traced to the entrance of one of the coal mines in the hills. She needed to feed, but on what? She sniffed the air but all she smelled was the scent of pine in the air. She took a step forward as the thirst began to overwhelm her. How the hell did Dane deal with this shit?
I am so fucked.
She prayed no one would go near the mines. Trying to hunt these parts without a gun wasn’t going to be easy, especially in her condition. She shivered, still affected by fatigue. She wasn’t strong enough yet to defend herself against predators and there were many wild animals roaming these parts. She didn’t want to tangle with a pack of wolves or cougars. She’d hoped becoming a vampire would give her inhuman strength. Maybe that was a myth.
She slipped inside the miners’ shaft to rest and maybe come up with a different plan.
* * * * *
Dane placed the phone to his ear, listening to it ring, when Ta’breyian appeared.
“My mate—where is she? Did you hurt her?” He landed a right hook into Ta’breyian’s jaw in a fit of rage.
Ta’breyian stumbled back and rubbed his jaw. “I didn’t know she was your mate. Damn it.”
“If you harmed her, I swear I’ll kill you!” Dane came at him again.
“I didn’t hurt her.” Ta’breyian pushed Dane back against the wall. “I know you’re upset so I’ll let this one slide. But don’t test my patience, so calm the fuck down now.”
“Don’t tell me to be calm. My mate’s out there. Tell me what happened.” He was about to go raving mad at the thought of something happening to her.
“She ran from me. I tried to stop her but she moves fast.” Ta’breyian cursed softly.
“Did you give chase?” He couldn’t believe Jenny got away. He wasn’t sure if he should be pleased to hear this or not.
“I tried to connect to her scent trail but she moves like lightning and I couldn’t get a lock on it. I’m sorry.”
“You should’ve told her who you were so she didn’t fear you.” So many holes he’d left unplugged. Now she was paying for it.
“Why? I had no reason to suspect it was your mate. All I smelled was a newborn vampire inside this apartment. I didn’t recognize your scent because her fear masked it. Don’t give me that look. She caught me off guard.” Apparently he didn’t like the idea that she’d gotten away either.
“You have to help me find her.”
“How did she end up here without you?” Ta’breyian crossed his arms over his chest.
“She traced in her sleep, damn it.” He needed her back, safe and sound with him. But where should he look now? There was still the park perhaps.
“Was she upset about anything?”
“There was this girl named Marley. They’re good friends. She was worried about her. It’s a long story,” he sighed.
“If Jenny’s somewhere here in New York, we need to locate her before Rogues pick up her scent. They’ll make her drink from the flesh until she gives in to bloodlust.”
“I know.” Dane didn’t want to consider that possibility.
“Do you have any idea where else she might’ve gone?”
“We could try Central Park.”
“Not now, we can’t. The sun’s out and the cloud cover is spotty at best. Besides, she wouldn’t go there now. Think, Dane! What do you know about your mate’s past?”
He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. “She told me once that she’d gone to school in Boston and her family lives in Kentucky.” He realized it wasn’t much to go on. He was such a bastard. These were things he should’ve known about his mate but didn’t. When he got her back, that part of their relationship was definitely going to change.
“That’s it?” Ta’breyian asked.
“What?” Dane hoped Ta’breyian would come up with something that would help because he was at a loss.
“She works for your company, so you must have a file on her, right? If your mate can only trace to places she’s been in the past… Check her employment records to see if she’s listed prior addresses on her application with your company. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find an address in Kentucky or Boston.”
“I’ll go now.” Dane’s heart hammered fast. It was a great idea and worth a shot, even if it was a long one.
“You should release your mental block on the cabin and the penthouse in case she tries once more to return there. She needs a way back to you if we fail to find her.”
“I already did.” He wanted to kick himself for not factoring all of these possible scenarios. Now he was paying for it and the consequences could be her death.
They traced to his office and retrieved Jenny’s employment file. She listed her last address in Boston and her parents’ home address in Kentucky.
“I’ve been to that part of Boston before so I’ll trace as close as I possibly can.”
“She’ll flee if she sees you. It’s best if we track her together.” Dane knew that area quite well. It reminded him in a lot of ways of home across the sea.
“Where do you want to go first?”
“We’ll go to Boston and then her parents’ home. Let’s go.”
* * * * *
“It’s been a long time since I’ve come here. It hasn’t changed much. It’s still oppressively hot.” Lucia reached for a rose in full bloom and picked it. Her brother loved these flowers. He hated it when she picked them, she thought as she made her way toward the main house.
I suppose it’s time to come out of hiding. No one shall have Dane but me. And if I’m forced to live without what I want then so shall he be.
Lucia traced inside the manor and surveyed her brother’s palatial estate. She hadn’t set foot on American soil in quite some time. It was nicely decorated, she supposed.
Lucia’s immortal life had been spent in France, away from humans, with the exception of those brought to her to feed on. She missed her brother but their relationship had become strained because she continued to thwart his attempts at taking Dane’s life. She knew it wasn’t rational to protect the enemy but the desire to be with this male had not cooled in nearly three centuries.
She had met Dane when he was still human. Both their fathers were members of the House of Lords and traveled in the same social circles.
Until his father became a pirate, that is.
Dane was devastatingly handsome and quite charming. He used both those attributes to draw women to him. He never let his guard down. She had fallen victim to his allure on more than one occasion. He flirted at the different charity events but he never courted anyone. It was clear the male she had coveted in her human life wasn’t about to be tamed by one woman. However, Lucia never lost her attraction for the elusive man. He’d always been her one weakness.
Her brother had been away on military duty. He’d returned to their family home but there was something different about him. She’d soon discovered that Caiaphas had fallen victim to a vampire. He fed on her one night but did not end her life, so she became like him. He’d explained to her that he wanted family around and that’s why he’d changed her.
She loved the fact that she would never grow old or die. Being frozen in time had its perks. There was only one thing missing in her life that she wanted—Dane.
The Anchor Tavern had been a popular hangout for sailors who’d been away at sea. She had waited months for his ship to return to port. It was a perfect scenario. Her plan had been to make Dane a vampire and he would become her mate. It had worked for her brother. He had taken a mate that way and she’d been completely devoted to him—or at least she was until Dane had killed her.
She’d almost succeeded with her plan that night but Dane had escaped the carriage and she’d been forced to flee when the Order sent Hunters. It was such a shame.
After that, Dane was lost to her. However, Lucia kept tabs on her coveted male over the centuries, watching and waiting for the right opportunity to try again. He had lived without the comforts of a female until recently, when she discovered he’d found his mate.
That bitch is going to die
.
“Lucia, what are you doing here?” Caiaphas raised an eyebrow when she entered his office unannounced.
“It’s been a long time, dear brother. How are you?”
“Indeed it has. I’m quite well. What brings you out of hiding? France is quite beautiful this time of year.”
She closed her eyes. “Let’s not play. You know why I’m here. Dane has taken a mate.”
“I should’ve known this was the reason for your visit. Damn it, Lucia, do not interfere with my plans!” He slammed his fist on the desk.
“You know I can’t do that. I’m drawn to him. Besides, I’ve an opportunity to snatch his mate right out from under his nose. He’s searching for her.” She smiled. Teasing Caiaphas was such a fun game. He knew she could sense things he couldn’t. It put him at a real disadvantage. But she couldn’t resist.
“Are you here to toy with me or is it your intent to help this time?” He rubbed his temples and she sensed his irritation.
“I’ll not allow Dane to find happiness in the arms of another woman, so yes, I suppose I’ve come this time to help.” She wouldn’t allow him to be harmed though. Not yet at least.
“Are you still holding out hope that you can somehow tame him?”
“I have no ideas of grandeur. He is lost to me.”
“I’m pleased to hear you’re finally seeing reason. Your help would be invaluable if your intent is to really give it.” Questioning her motive was smart on his part because she hadn’t decided if she’d really give her help or not.
“Are you asking me if I’ll use my very clever gift to locate what you seek?” Lucia loved this game. It was like chess. One had to anticipate her opponent’s move before deciding her own.
“It’d be nice. “
“She’s no longer human.” Lucia watched as the corners of her brother’s mouth turned down.
“How very unfortunate to hear. I’d assumed he’d never break his vow. I guess my sources were wrong.”
“It’s going to be unfortunate for her.” Jealousy gripped Lucia.
That
witch will pay. I have something special planned for her.
“Jealous, are we? I assume you know where they are?”
She didn’t like the smug expression Caiaphas displayed. No, she didn’t like it one bit. “Don’t taunt me.”
“Did I offend? Sorry if I bruised your precious little ego but you already know I never approved of you and that murdering son of a bitch.”
Oh yes. Caiaphas had a score to settle but so did she.
“At the moment, Dane and his mate are not together—he’s lost her.” She loved the expression on her brother’s face. This was so much fun.
“How?” Caiaphas leaned forward.
Your anticipation is almost comical. Oh, I have to give him something to cling to, I suppose.
“She accidentally traced in her sleep.”
“Do you know where? Tell me.”
Temper, temper…
“I see the opening of a tunnel or a cave but the rest is fuzzy. You know these things. They’re not always accurate.”