Destined (War of the Covens 2)

“How come she’s only finding out now? Her trace?”

Marion shrugged but the move was more violent than vague. “She had no reason to suspect them before, so she didn’t go looking.” But Caia could see the uncertainty in her eyes. This was insane. Irrational. And Marion knew it. She was just … afraid.

“Why are you here?” Caia asked softly.

The witch scoffed at her question. “I would’ve thought that was obvious.”

Oh crap. She does know about me.

“Caia, we need you at the Center. We held off because of Jaeden and Ryder’s ceremony, but it’s done now, and we need you there to help control this situation. Half of them admire you and the other half fear you. It’s perfect.”

“Did Marita request this?”

“Who else?”

Did Marita really think she would be stupid enough to return to the Center, to a trap? She must think I won’t be able to come up with a reason not to return with Marion.

“Okay,” she improvised, hoping she looked sufficiently agreeable. “You go back. I have to settle things with the pack. I’ll get Lucien to drive me to the portal tonight.”

“Caia, just say goodbye now.” Marion shook her head.

“I can’t. I might not be coming back. This is important.”

“Magic Fitness won’t even be open by the time you get there.”

“Like that will stop me.”

Marion heaved an exasperated sigh. “Marita specifically told me to bring you back now. Arrggh. Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

She disappeared, leaving Caia trembling with relief. She found Lucien waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase and quietly related what had happened.

“What the Hades are we going to do now?” he hissed.

“I don’t know.” She shook, her heart feeling like it was going to explode, she could feel it in her throat. “I don’t know.”

She dodged quizzical looks from Magnus and Dimitri who stood in the doorway of the sitting room drinking scotch.

Brushing fingertips absently down Lucien’s cheek from her higher position on the stairs. “Six heads are better than two. I know it’s unfair, but this is kind of an emergency.”

“You want me to get Jae and Ryder.”

“Yes. Get them, meet me at the car. We’re going to Ryder’s apartment to talk this over with Laila and Vil.”

He nodded, planting a quick kiss on her lips before he turned to Dimitri and Magnus. Cleverly, he managed to draw them away from Caia while searching for Jaeden and her mate.

Caia blew out a shaky breath and headed outside, taking the porch steps two at a time. Thankfully, the pack had parked their cars around the edges of the circular driveway, so Lucien’s truck wasn’t jammed in.

She was just about to open the passenger door when she heard a crunch of gravel behind her, and a burst of pain slammed from the back of her head like a speeding train, knocking her into darkness.

25

Taken

Lucien could feel the panic building in his chest, threatening to cut off his airway.

Ryder flew in from the backyard, his breathing heavy. His eyes were bleak as they fell on Lucien, surrounded by most of a very silent pack. He shook his head. “She’s not there.”

“Lucien!” Malek hurtled in from the front door. “We checked the whole driveway over again. You might want to see this.”

He jerked away from his mother’s comforting touch, following the boy outside at a frenzied pace. He refused to listen to the whispers among the pack, that maybe she hadn’t been taken, maybe she had deserted them. Caia wouldn’t leave him willingly. His chest constricted with fear.

Malek led him down to his truck, where Daniel stood by the passenger side, his face pale.

“What is it?” he snapped.

Daniel just pointed and Lucien felt his whole world tilt as his eyes found the splash of blood across the passenger door. Caia’s blood.

No.

“CAIA!” He turned and bellowed into the night. “CAIA!”

He would’ve yelled himself hoarse if Jaeden hadn’t broken through the surrounding crowd. Distantly, he saw his mother crying, Magnus close to tears. What were they crying for? She wasn’t gone! He couldn’t breathe.

“Lucien!” Jaeden stumbled toward him, her face flushed with fury.

He looked at her, dazed.

“Do you think it was Marita?”

“She wouldn’t have dared hurt her.” Ryder shook his head in denial.

A darkening beast was uncurling in Lucien’s chest, growing stronger and more furious every minute he stared at the blood on his truck door. Caia had been missing for an hour. She’d gone missing after Marion had turned up. The beast roared with bloodlust.

“We better hope she hasn’t,” he ripped out in a voice he didn’t recognize, “or my muzzle will be the last thing she ever sees.”

Epilogue

The Deception

Caia’s head throbbed with impossible pain, a pain that shot from the bloody lump on the back of her head down her arms and into her back. She blinked, her eyes adjusting in the darkness of the cold, damp room she now found herself in. She hit up against something hard. As the light filtered into her eyes, she realized she was in a metal cage.