Night's Mistress (Children of The Night 5)

“Are you sure Bowden’s the one who took him?”

“Yes, of course. I mean, they’re both gone . . . Who else would have taken the baby? And why?”

“I don’t know. All I’m saying is that maybe someone else took the kid and Kyle’s out looking for him.”

“Oh.” She had never considered that, but what if Logan was right? “I should call Rane and see if they’ve heard anything.”

“Good idea. In the meantime, I’ll get dressed and go see what I can find out.”

Mara nodded, though she couldn’t help thinking it seemed a shame to clothe such a gorgeous hunk of man. Chiding herself for her wayward thoughts at such a time, she called Rane, listened intently as he told her that Rafe and Kathy were staying at her house on the off chance that Logan was right, and Kyle was out looking for Derek.

“My mom and dad are checking all the towns and cities hereabouts,” Rane said. “I was just getting ready to go give them a hand. Once we cover Oregon, we’ll head down the coast. Roshan and Brenna will be here later tonight. Don’t worry, Mara, we’ll find them.”

After thanking Rane and bidding him good-bye, Mara curled up on the sofa. She comforted herself with the knowledge that they were doing everything they could, but all she could think about was Derek. Was her baby crying for her, even now? Was he in the hands of strangers, hungry and frightened? If Logan was right and her son had been kidnapped, maybe she should go back home in case the kidnapper called or sent a note demanding ransom. Yet even as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed the idea. As far as she knew, only a handful of vampires even knew she had a baby, and they were all friends. Still, she couldn’t ignore the possibility that the word had leaked out, that her enemies had learned she had lost her powers. Kidnapping her son would be the perfect way for her enemies to avenge themselves on her.

Fresh tears stung her eyes. She should have put the baby up for adoption, given him to a nice normal couple . . . She groaned low in her throat. She hated waiting, hated depending on others.

Rising, she paced the floor, her feet sinking into the thick carpet. Where was Logan? Where was Kyle? And where, oh where, was her son?

Mara was dozing on the sofa when Logan returned an hour later. “Did you find out anything?” she asked.

“No.” Sitting beside her, he shrugged out of his jacket, then kicked off his shoes. “I went to Hells’ Hollow and asked around.” Hell’s Hollow was a club that catered to vampires. Preternatural glamour hid it from human eyes. “No one’s heard anything. As for vampires being able to mask their scent from other vampires, someone mentioned witchcraft.”

“Witchcraft?” Mara asked, frowning. Witches and vampires rarely intermingled. Some believed the blood of witches was poison to vampires, but it was just a myth that reared its head every hundred years or so. Had it been true, Roshan DeLongpre would have been dead years ago because his wife was a practicing witch.

Logan shrugged. “Maybe some witch has come up with a spell or potion or something else that’s effective.”

“Maybe.” Except for Brenna, Mara didn’t remember any other witches being active in the War between the Vampires and the Werewolves, but in this day and age, anything was possible. “Do you know of any vampires who are currently involved with witches?”

“Other than DeLongpre? No. Anthony Loken’s dead. His son is dead. That crazy woman, Serafina, is dead, and so are most of the members of her coven. I don’t know of any other practicing witches hereabouts. Brenna might know.”

Mara nodded. To the best of her recollection, Brenna had never mentioned knowing any other witches. But then, most witches, like most vampires, preferred to remain in the shadows.

Logan ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t think . . . ?”

“Think what?” Mara asked.

“You don’t think Ramsden’s in on this, do you? You never did trust the guy.”

Ramsden, she thought. Of course. “Remember I told you he seemed overly curious about the baby’s father?”

“Yeah. Did you ever figure out why?”

“No.”

“Well, let’s put the good doctor at the top of the list. I’ll call him first, but if he’s in on this, he’s probably in hiding somewhere. If I can’t get ahold of him, I’ll put the word out that I’m looking for him.”

“And for Kyle, too.”

“Right.”

She nodded, her throat suddenly tight, her heart swelling with gratitude. In spite of the awful way she had treated Logan in the past, he was right there by her side when she needed him the most. No recriminations, no bitterness in his eyes when he looked at her. How could she have been so blind all those years ago? Not only was he gorgeous and sexy, but he loved her as no other man ever had. Why had it taken her so long to realize that she loved him, too? She could have saved herself a world of grief and loneliness if she had only admitted she cared for him. They could have explored centuries together; now she would be lucky to live for another fifty or sixty years.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “So sorry.”

He didn’t have to ask what she was apologizing for. He knew. “Forget it. It’s yesterday’s news.”

“You’ve always been so good to me, and I . . .”

“I said forget it.”

She looked at him, her heart breaking for all the lost years, for the pain she had caused him. She was hurting inside, aching for her son, filled with frustration and fear. She looked at Logan, and wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, to forget everything, if only for a little while. “Logan . . .”

He read it all in her eyes, her pain, her loneliness, her fear. Her desire for him. He could have taken her there and then, but cutting in on another man’s territory was where he drew the line.

Rising, he said, “I asked you not to marry him.” He held up his hand when she started to protest. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I know why you went with him, maybe better than you do yourself.”

“Don’t you want me?”

“You know damn well that I do. I wanted you the first time I saw you, and every night since then. I’ll want you for as long as I draw breath.”

“I love you.”

“I’m going to go make those calls. Why don’t you try and get some sleep?”

She stared after him as he walked out of the room, and then she put her face in her hands and wept for everything she had lost, everything she had thoughtlessly thrown away.