Chapter Twenty-Five
Vaulcron jerked awake suddenly, a feeling of dread blanketing him.
He rolled over to be sure Mallory was safe, only to find her side of the bed empty.
“Mallory?” he called, sitting up and scanning the room for signs of movement. “Mallory?”
Silence.
Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Vaulcron stood and dressed in record time. He checked the bathroom first, before rushing out the door to the stairwell.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he burst into the lobby to find a few Bracadyte’s milling around, eating the sweet Danishes that Oz usually provided for breakfast.
“Has anyone seen Mallory? “Vaulcron asked, searching the Bracadyte’s sleep swollen faces.
After several head shakes from most of them, Vaulcron approached the front desk. “Yolanda, have you seen Miss. Cahill?”
“I saw her late last night,” she responded without looking up. Vaulcron watched her clicking keys on a small black square with letters and numbers attached.
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No,” Yolanda replied. “But she was carrying a bag.”
“A bag?”
“You know, like an overnight bag.”
Vaulcron’s heart began to pound. It hurt to breathe. She’d left him. Mallory had pretended to enjoy his mouth pleasuring, while plotting her escape.
A deep, sharp pain welled up inside him. Vaulcron had never known love until Mallory, and true to her name, she had devoured him, heart and soul.
He turned and stormed off toward the stairwell, mentally reaching out to her with every step he took. “Mallory?”
Why couldn’t he feel her? Not even the faintest hint of her presence could be detected. It was if she’d never existed.
When no response came, he stopped off at Amy’s room and rapped on her door.
“Just a moment,” Amy called in a sleepy voice. “I’ll be right there.”
Vaulcron stood in the hall, his muscles tense and his heart breaking. He knew in his very soul that Mallory wasn’t coming back, and try as he might, he couldn’t accept it.
The door slowly opened. Amy stood in the entrance, wearing a robe and bloodshot eyes. “Can I help you?”
“It is Vaulcron. May I come inside?”
She backed up to allow him entry. “Mallory’s not here,” Amy whispered, tears evident in her soft voice.
“I did not expect her to be. I only want to know if you spoke with her before she left.”
Amy nodded. “She came to see me late last night. Said she was heading back to the states to right the wrong that had been done to us all.”
“I thought as much.” Vaulcron could barely get the next words out. “She is not coming back, is she?”
“Not for a long time. If ever.”
“But why? She cannot stop her government from coming after us. No matter how hard she tries.”
Amy felt her way over to a chair and sat down. “You don’t know her like I do, Vaulcron. She is smarter than you give her credit for.”
Vaulcron trailed over and knelt at Amy’s feet. “Can you contact her?”
Amy shook her head. “She said she would leave a message at the hotel for me when it was safe to do so.”
Rising to his feet, Vaulcron turned toward the door. “You will inform me if she calls you?”
Tears filled Amy’s eyes. “If she calls me. She’s very overprotective of me, Vaulcron. She may stay away just to keep me safe.”
Vaulcron’s eyes briefly closed before he opened them again. “That is one of the reasons I fell in love with her. She is the strongest female I have ever known.”
“Yes, she is,” Amy agreed, wiping at the moisture on her cheeks. “And I pray that she stays safe.”
Unable to speak past the lump in his throat, Vaulcron opened the door and fled back to the safety of his room.
Mallory’s scent hit him square in the face as he opened the door to his suite and stepped inside.
“Mallory?” he tried again, his gaze moving to the couch they’d pleasured each other on the night before.
No response.
Vaulcron stumbled over to bed and dropped heavily onto the mattress. Mallory was gone, and he seriously doubted she would ever return.
Anger rose up to replace his grief. What could she possibly be thinking, facing off with the American government on her own? They would have her killed in a second if they got their hands on her.
Jumping back to his feet, Vaulcron stormed toward the door. He would follow her to the states, and stop her from risking her life. Even if it cost him his own.
A knock sounded as he gripped the knob. He jerked the door open to find the healer, standing in the hall. “I am in a hurry, Zaureth.”
“This will not take long.”
Vaulcron waved him inside. “Please be quick. I have some place to be.”
“The states?” Zaureth guessed, stepping inside.
“You spoke to Amy?”
Zaureth shook his head. “I did not have to. I saw Miss Cahill when she left last night.”
Anger reared its ugly head. “And you did not try to stop her?”
“It was not my place to stop her, Vaulcron. I could see that her mind was clear and made up.”
Vaulcron was suddenly in the healer’s face. “You did not think to come and tell me? I had a right to know.”
A strange light entered Zaureth’s eyes. “The female does not belong to you, Vaulcron. She made that clear to me when we spoke. She does not want to be mated with you or anyone else. You must respect that and let her go.”
Vaulcron’s heart nearly stopped. “She told you that?”
“She did. I am sorry, Vaulcron, but you must leave her be.”
Vaulcron had to unclench his teeth to respond. “But what of her sister?”
“Miss Cahill plans to send for Amy as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
“But not me,” Vaulcron stated, the finality of his words echoing in the otherwise quiet room. “She does not want me.”
Zaureth laid a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, Vaulcron. I truly am.”
Vaulcron wasn’t sure how long he stood there in the center of his room before he realized that Zaureth had left.
He dropped to his knees in defeat, allowing the tears he’d been holding back to freely track down his face. Mallory…