Chapter 20

 

Beth

 

My body felt like someone had used it for a punching bag. There were so many aches I was afraid to open my eyes and see what I looked like. Chris was never going to let me go on another job with him after this one. How had I not seen that Incubus sneaking up on the SUV?

I forced my heavy eyes open and stared at a pale gray ceiling. Wait, that didn’t look right.

“Chris,” I croaked and winced as pain shot through my face. But it was only half as bad as the raw burning in my throat.

I swallowed, and a coughing fit hit me. Rolling to my side, I tried to catch my breath.

I stared in confusion at the white dresser against the far wall, which was covered in gray and white striped wallpaper and looked nothing like the wall in my bedroom.

My eyes moved from the dresser to a silk upholstered chair I’d never seen before. Was I in a bedroom in the main house? Why would they put me here?

“Chris?” I called hoarsely again. “Mason?”

A chill went through me when I said Mason’s name. Something was very wrong, but I was too disoriented to figure it out.

I sat up, closing my eyes against a wave of nausea. It passed, and I was able to open my eyes and survey my surroundings.

I was on a bed in a bedroom I’d never seen before. The room was tastefully decorated with white furniture and soft lighting. It looked like any other bedroom except for one thing: there were no windows.

It all came back to me then in one huge rush of memories. I’d been shopping with Mason and the Incubi had ambushed us. I’d seen Mason fall.

“Oh, God. Mason.”

I threw back the thick down comforter that covered me. Shock rippled through me when I saw I was wearing only my bra and panties.

I jumped off the bed like it was on fire. My feet hit the rug, and I took a step, only to trip over something. It made a loud clinking sound as I fell to my hands and knees. I looked down at my feet and gasped at the thick chain attached to a padded shackle around my left ankle. The other end of the chain was connected to a bolt in the concrete floor.

Sitting on the rug, I grasped the chain in both hands. It looked like an ordinary chain, and I should have been able to break it. I pulled on it as hard as I could, and the effort left me panting like I’d run ten miles. I dropped the chain and lay back weakly on the rug.

I heard the door open, but I was too exhausted to move. I watched warily as a man came into view, and I had to stare at him for several seconds before recognition set in.

“You,” I rasped in disbelief.

Adam Woodward’s smile faded into a hard line as he took in my appearance. He turned on his heel and went to the door. A second later, there was a scuffle and he was back, dragging the Incubus I’d shocked with the Taser.

He gripped the Incubus by the throat and pointed at me with his other hand.

“Why is she bruised? I specifically told you she was not to be harmed in any way.”

The Incubus swallowed nervously. “It was an accident. She had a weapon, and we had to subdue her before she hurt herself.”

“Four of you couldn’t do that without bruising her?” Adam shouted.

“We had to deal with the male she was with.”

Mason. Fear for my best friend overrode everything else.

“What did you do to Mason?” I screamed. “Where is he?”

The Incubus darted a look at me before addressing Adam. “He lives.”

Adam pushed the cowering Incubus toward the door. “I’ll deal with you later. Leave us.”

“Yes, Father.”

Father? Coldness spread through me as Adam turned his attention to me again. Adam was the Lilin? It couldn’t be. I would have known, wouldn’t I?

“Let’s get you off this floor.”

He leaned down and picked me up as if I weighed nothing.

“Don’t touch me,” I cried.

My Mori shrank away from the touch of a male who wasn’t my mate. Revulsion made my skin crawl, and I struggled to get away from Adam.

“Shhh,” he crooned as he laid me gently on the bed.

I scrambled away as far as the chain would allow, which was only to the middle of the bed.

“What did you do to me?” I demanded, hating how feeble I sounded. “You drugged me.”

He pulled the comforter up over me and tucked me in. Then he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Incubi power doesn’t work on your people. My sons had to give you a sedative so you didn’t wake up before they got you here. It has no lasting effects, I assure you.”

I hugged the comforter to my chest. “Where are my clothes?”

I was chained in a room, almost naked, with a sex demon who was ten times stronger than I was. Panic rose up in me, and I tried to swallow it down.

He smiled apologetically. “Unfortunately, my sons had to remove your clothing before they brought you here, in case you were wearing a tracking device. I know how much the Mohiri love their technology.”

“They undressed me?”

Bile rose in my throat at the thought of four Incubi taking off my clothes and touching me while I was unconscious and helpless.

Adam held up his hands. “Beth, you have no reason to fear me. I’d never hurt you or allow my sons to hurt you.”

“Tell that to your son who nearly choked me to death,” I spat.

His expression darkened. “I apologize for that. It will never happen again. You’re my honored guest.”

“Do you always chain your guests?” I laughed bitterly, and it turned into a dry cough.

Adam stood and went to a table that held a carafe and two glasses. He filled one of the glasses and brought it to me.

I stared at it suspiciously. I was so thirsty, but for all I knew he could be trying to drug me again.

“It’s just water.”

He took a sip and held the glass out to me again.

Giving in to my thirst, I accepted the glass and gulped the cool water greedily. When I finished, Adam took the glass and went to refill it. I drank half of the second one before I’d had enough.

Adam sat on the bed watching me, looking like the nice college boy I’d met, and nothing like the powerful, ruthless demon I’d learned about. I stared at his blue eyes, looking for some sign he wasn’t human. There was nothing.

“I don’t have the eyes of an Incubus, if that is what you’re looking for,” he said, sounding amused. “I did once, but my eyes changed when I became what I am now.”

“A Lilin.”

“Yes.”

His simple confirmation sent a shiver through me, and my hand holding the glass trembled. Adam reached out and took the glass from me.

“Why don’t you try to sleep some more? You’ll feel better when you wake.”

He was talking as if I really was a guest and not his prisoner. I couldn’t hold off any longer. I had to know why I was here.

“What are you going to do with me? Are you using me to get the Mohiri to back off?”

I didn’t know how the Council handled hostage situations, or if there even was a policy in place for something that happened so rarely. But Chris would do anything to get me back.

Adam shook his head. “You are not a bargaining piece. I’d never devalue you that way.”

I rubbed my temple, which still throbbed slightly. “I don’t understand. Why am I here then?”

He smiled without a hint of menace. I’d almost call it tender. For some reason, that unsettled me more than his anger.

“I brought you here for me.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”

“I never planned to take a Mohiri female, until I met you that night at Luna. You were so beautiful and charming. I was completely enamored of you. I wanted to take you that night, but Weston pointed out how reckless and dangerous it would be. I was forced to wait and watch you from afar until all my chosen females were gathered.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. Silently I cried, NO, NO, NO.

Adam continued as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me.

“I’ve been alone for too many years. Even surrounded by my sons, my life is a lonely one. I’ve wanted to take a mate for a long time, but I never found someone I wanted to share my life with. You’re immortal, so I’d never have to worry about losing you. And you’re strong and beautiful. We will make magnificent sons together.”

“No,” I uttered, swallowing back the nausea that threatened. “I’m Mohiri. We can’t…”

“You forget my power is much stronger than that of an Incubus. I’ve bred with other demons to see what our offspring would look like. As long as I feed the mother my energy every day, the baby is born strong and healthy, and a pure Incubus. Ours will be even stronger, and we’ll raise them together.”

“I won’t,” I cried shrilly. “I’ll kill you if you touch me.”

I expected my declaration to anger him, but he merely smiled.

“You’re upset right now, and that’s understandable. But you’ll feel differently with time, and you’ll come to love me.”

I recoiled at the thought of being with anyone but Chris. I could never love anyone but him, and I’d die before I let another male have me.

Adam seemed to care for me in his own twisted way, so I appealed to that side of him.

“Please, don’t do this. I have a mate, and I love him.” My voice broke. “If you care about me at all, let me go back to him.”

Annoyance flashed in his eyes for the first time. “You may love him, but you haven’t mated him. I can tell you are still pure just by being near you. It’s the other reason I chose you.”

I fought back a sob. If I hadn’t pushed Chris away for so long, we would have completed the bond, and I wouldn’t be here wondering if I’d ever see him again.

Adam’s face softened. He reached for me, but I flinched away, which made him sigh. “You don’t have to fear me. I’d never hurt you.”

“You are hurting me.”

“Once you’ve fed on my power, you’ll change your mind. And then you’ll see how happy we’ll be together.”

I clutched the comforter tightly. “Incubus power doesn’t work on me. You said so yourself.”

He smiled indulgently. “You keep forgetting I’m not a normal Incubus. It will take several feedings to weaken your resistance, but you’ll come to want me as much as I want you.”

I stared at him in horror as the weight of his words hit me. “If you take away my resistance, it’s the same as drugging me and forcing yourself on me.”

Adam looked as if I’d slapped him. “I would never take a female by force or use violence against one. Females are to be cherished, and I’ve never been with one against her will.”

“Don’t you see that using your power on them is taking away their free will?” I pleaded, though I already knew there was no getting through to him. How could he not see that what he was doing was the ultimate violation?

I put my hand to my face as a wave of dizziness washed over me. My eyes suddenly felt heavy and unfocused as I stared at the glass in Adam’s hand. “You drugged me again,” I accused.

He stood and set the glass on the night table then leaned over me. “It was a mild dose, just enough to make you compliant.”

I shrank away from him as fear mingled with the lethargy stealing over me. “Compliant for what?”

His hand caressed my face lovingly. I loathed his touch, but I couldn’t raise an arm to push him away. All I could do was stare at him helplessly as he leaned over me.

“Shhh. Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “I have no desire to make love to a drugged female. All I would take now is a kiss.”

“No,” I protested drunkenly as the room dimmed.

“Yes,” he murmured.

The last thing I felt as sleep took me was his mouth on mine.

 

Chris

 

I glanced at my phone for what seemed like the hundredth time. I’d gotten used to Beth texting me often, but I hadn’t heard from her since she’d let me know she and Mason were done shopping. That was almost two hours ago. Los Angeles traffic was bad this late in the afternoon, but she should have been home by now.

Forcing my attention back to the report on the computer screen, I managed to get through two pages before I looked at my phone again.

“She’s probably held up,” Nikolas said.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “I know, but I can’t stop feeling like something’s wrong.”

“Call her. No sense worrying for nothing.”

“You’re right.”

I picked up my phone and dialed Beth’s number. It went immediately to voice mail.

A cold lump formed in my gut, and I tried her number again to no avail. This time, I left a short message for her to call me.

I hung up and called Mason next. His phone rang four times before it went to voice mail. I left a message for him, too, and met Nikolas’s questioning look.

“Neither of them is picking up. I don’t like this.”

His brows drew together thoughtfully. “Beth’s wearing a tracker?”

“Yes.”

I was out of my chair before he finished the question. Out in the control room, I went to Will, who was monitoring all the team locations.

“Can you bring up Beth’s location?” I asked him.

“Sure.”

He typed her name into the search bar on one of his screens, and the map zoomed in on a blinking blue dot in Long Beach.

Will pointed at the screen. “I know that area. It’s a bunch of little craft shops. There’s a seafood place I go to close by.”

The coldness in my stomach grew. It had been almost two and a half hours since Beth had said they were heading home.

“Something’s wrong,” I said to Nikolas, who had followed me. “If they’d decided to shop some more, Beth would have let me know. And neither of them is answering their phone.”

Grabbing a mobile receiver, I entered the device number for Beth’s tracker.

“See if anyone is close to Long Beach, and have them meet me there,” I told Will. “Tell them to call me if they find Beth and Mason.”

“On it.”

I headed for the garage, and I didn’t need to look to know Nikolas was behind me. Neither of us spoke as we straddled our bikes and donned our helmets. My mind was too full of worry to make conversation, and if anyone understood, it was Nikolas.

I alternated between calling Beth and praying she was okay during the ride to Long Beach. Traffic was terrible as always, but Nikolas and I knew how to maneuver through it and get there in half the time it would take a normal commuter.

Dusk had fallen when we reached the little row of shops. I looked at the receiver mounted on my dash. The map showed that Beth was in a parking lot behind one of the shops.

I followed a parking sign to a wide alley between two buildings. The alley opened into a small parking lot with a handful of cars and a large black SUV.

It wasn’t until I pulled up to the SUV that I saw what was beside it. Fear knifed through me when I took in the sight of Raoul and Jordan kneeling beside Mason, who lay on the ground. His Ducati stood nearby beside Beth’s Harley. Beth was nowhere to be seen.

Raoul stood when I shut off my bike, and his grim expression made it impossible to breathe for a moment. My hands shook when I removed my helmet and met his gaze.

“What happened?” I heard Nikolas ask.

Raoul’s eyes shifted to him. “Incubi. Mason said there were at least four of them. Maybe more. They jumped him and Beth as they were walking to their bikes.”

“Beth?” was all I could say.

“Took her,” Mason said weakly.

I fought to control the rage building inside me. Losing control now would not help Beth, and finding her was all I cared about. Forcing myself to stay calm, I went to Mason.

One side of Mason’s face was a massive bruise, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Jordan had his shirt pulled up to expose the dark bruising along his ribs.

“Bastards were…waiting for us,” he said between gritted teeth. Remorse filled his eyes. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help her.”

“It’s not your fault,” I told him, sounding a lot calmer than I felt. “Did they say anything? Give you any clue to where they were taking her?”

Mason tried to sit up and fell back to the pavement.

“No.”

I looked at Beth’s bike as if it could tell me something. A glint of silver near the back wheel caught my eye, and I crouched to see what it was. My gut clenched when I saw the silver chain with the tiny dove pendant. I picked it up and tucked it into the inside pocket of my jacket.

Going to my bike, I grabbed the receiver, which showed a blinking blue dot close by. I scanned the parking lot, and my gaze landed on a blue dumpster.

My mind filled with images of Beth lying on a pile of trash. I couldn’t feel her. What if she was –?

No. I’d feel it if she were gone. The bond was still there, so she was alive.

Raoul ran to the dumpster and peered inside. Then he leaned in and grabbed something. When his hand reappeared, it was holding Beth’s brown leather jacket. I’d know it anywhere because it was her favorite, and she wore it whenever she rode her Harley.

I walked over and took the jacket from him. Reaching into the inside pocket, I found the tiny round tracking device, exactly where I’d placed it before Beth left the house. A search of the other pockets turned up the key to her bike.

“Do you see her phone in there or her Taser?” I asked Raoul.

He looked down into the dumpster and pressed his mouth together like he was reluctant to speak or like he didn’t know how to tell me what he saw.

My heart thudded painfully against my ribs. Please, God, no.

“Tell me,” I said in a voice I barely recognized.

“She’s not here,” Raoul rushed to say. “But…”

He reached into the dumpster a second time and lifted out a pair of women’s jeans, a white shirt, and a pair of women’s biker boots. I didn’t need to smell them to know they carried Beth’s scent, because I’d seen her in that outfit a few hours ago.

The world tilted. I couldn’t think about why the Incubi would undress Beth before they took her away. If I did, I’d completely lose it.

“If they found her tracker, it’s likely they removed her clothes in case she was wearing another device in them,” Nikolas said.

“But why would they take her?” I asked, hearing the desperation in my voice. “What use is she to them?”

“Maybe they plan to use her as a hostage to force us to back off,” Jordan suggested.

Raoul frowned. “Then why not take Mason as well? Wouldn’t two warriors be better to bargain with?”

Jordan looked up from helping Mason. “It seems to me that Incubi place a higher value on females than males. They probably think we do the same and would be more likely to give them what they want for Beth.”

I felt a flicker of hope, but it did nothing to ease the fear clawing at me. Beth was at the mercy of a monster, and I had no idea what she was going through right now. She could be hurt or afraid, and all because I hadn’t kept her safe. I should have listened to my instincts and taken her away from here. She would have been furious with me at first, but at least she’d be safe.

I turned to Nikolas. “I can’t stand here waiting for them to call us. I’m going to ride around and see if I can find anything.”

“I’ll go with you.”

I shook my head. “I’d feel better if you were running things at the house.”

He started to speak but let out a heavy breath instead. “Check in regularly. I’ll let you know if we hear anything.”

“Thanks.”

I turned to my bike, and Nikolas called after me.

“We’ll get her back.”

I couldn’t answer because I was struggling to hold myself together. The most fear I’d ever felt was when Nikolas and Sara were taken by a Master last year. The odds of finding them alive had been so small I’d thought I would never see them again. I’d comforted myself with the knowledge they were together at least.

That fear didn’t come close to the terror gripping me now. Beth was alone with a demon almost as powerful and dangerous as a Master, and she didn’t have Sara’s power to protect herself.

I didn’t have a destination in mind when I got on my bike. Without a clue to the Lilin’s whereabouts, all I could do was ride around and cover as much ground as possible, trying to sense Beth. She was still in the Los Angeles area. It wasn’t just wishful thinking. The Lilin’s activity was heaviest here, which meant he had a lair close by. And if he took Beth to force our hand, he’d keep her here.

All night, I rode through countless streets, stopping only once for gas. Nikolas called every few hours, but there was never any word about Beth. I knew he was worried about me, but I couldn’t go back to that house, not yet. Beth was out here somewhere, and until we got a new lead, this was my best chance of finding her.

I tortured myself, thinking about the years I’d spent trying to get Beth out of my system, believing there was something wrong with me for wanting her. So many wasted years. My heart gave up the fight the first moment I saw her get off that Harley. She’d been back in my life for less than a month, and I knew I couldn’t live without her.

It wasn’t until the following afternoon that Nikolas tracked me down at a food truck in Santa Monica. I hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before, and I was forced to eat to keep up my strength. I was leaning against my bike, making short work of a hot dog when he pulled up beside me.

“How did you find me?”

“We’ve been tracking your phone all night.”

“How’s Mason?” I asked.

“Better. Margot fixed him up.”

He gave me an assessing look, and I knew what he was going to say before he spoke.

“You need to sleep.”

I clenched my free hand into a fist. “I’ll sleep when I find her.”

“You pass out on your bike and you’ll be no good to anyone, especially Beth,” he replied in his no-nonsense way.

“I can’t sleep, not when she needs me.”

He crossed his arms and sighed. “When I was looking for Sara, I would have driven myself into the ground if you hadn’t been there. You said I was thinking with my heart and not my head. I’m telling you the same thing now. You need to rest.”

I wanted to argue that Sara had taken off of her own free will, and Beth was a captive. But it wouldn’t change the fact that he was right. I was exhausted, and my body needed more than food to keep going.

“I’m supposed to protect her, and I failed her. It’s killing me, thinking about what she might be going through.”

“We’ll find her,” he stated with conviction. “A dozen warriors arrived from Longstone this morning, and we have more coming from other strongholds today. David and Kelvan are closing in on him, and they’re sure they’ll have something soon.”

His last comment gave me the first hope I’d had all night. David and Kelvan had tracked down a Master from nothing more than a drawing of a house Sara had taken from a vampire’s memory. If anyone could do this, it was them.

The driveway at the command center was so full of vehicles I had to park my bike on the patio. I told Nikolas I’d see him in a few hours and let myself into the guesthouse. The silence of the empty house pressed down on me as I entered Beth’s bedroom and lay down on her bed. Her unique floral scent surrounded me, comforting and tormenting me at the same time.

Solmi, my Mori wailed, its anguish mixing with my own until I could barely breathe from the pain in my chest.

We’ll find her, I swore to us both.

The Lilin had made a fatal mistake when he stole my mate from me. I wouldn’t stop hunting him until I found her or avenged her. Either way, he’d signed his own death warrant.

 

*     *     *

It was almost dark when I woke, but a glance at the clock by the bed told me I’d slept for less than four hours. I was surprised I’d managed that many.

There was no way I’d go back to sleep, so I got up and went over to the main house to shower and change before I headed out again.

The house was less crowded than I expected, considering all the vehicles I’d seen when I arrived. Wondering where everyone was, I went to the control room. I already knew there was no news, because Nikolas would have woken me the moment he heard something.

I found Sara, Jordan, Raoul, and Nikolas sitting at the conference table talking. Mason, who looked paler than usual, was sitting on the couch with a red-haired warrior I hadn’t seen in four years.

Rachel’s tired eyes widened slightly when she saw me, and she stood as I headed for her. I took in her drawn complexion and the dark shadows under her eyes as I wrapped her in a warm hug.

“I’m so sorry, Rachel. I should have taken her away from here as soon as we knew what we were dealing with.”

She hugged me back then held me at arm’s length. “None of this is your fault. Just focus on getting her back.”

Someone entered the room, and I turned to see who it was. I sucked in a breath when I saw the blond couple who watched me with worried eyes.

“Mom? Dad? When did you get here?” I asked as they crossed the room to me.

“Landed an hour ago,” my sire said as my mother hugged me tightly. “Tristan called last night, and we left as soon as we could.”

My mother let me go and stood back, wiping her eyes. “No word?”

“No,” I said roughly.

“What can we do to help?” she asked, businesslike again.

My mother was one of the most coolheaded people I’d ever known. In a crisis, she was the person you wanted overseeing the situation. It was a trait she shared with Tristan.

“Beatrice, James, great to see you,” Nikolas said, coming over to us. “It’s been a while.”

“Too long,” my mother replied. “I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Nikolas’s smile was grave. “So do I.”

He waved for the others to come over and introduced them to my parents. My mother surprised Sara by pulling her into a tight hug.

“Tristan talks about you so much I feel like I already know you. And Chris has told us so many stories about your adventures together.”

Sara gave me a sidelong look. “I bet he has.”

“Where are you two staying?” I asked my parents.

My sire looked from my mother to me. “We haven’t even thought about that yet.”

“Stay here,” I told them. “You can take my room.”

My mother frowned. “Where will you sleep?”

“I’ll stay in Beth’s room.” Not that I expected to sleep much.

I turned to Rachel, who had joined us. “Unless you need a room.”

Mason spoke up. “I already gave her mine.”

“It’s settled then.” My mother smiled. “Now, put us to work. That’s what we’re here for.”

Nikolas motioned for us to sit. I stood while the rest took seats at the conference table. I didn’t plan to be here much longer because I still had a lot of ground to cover.

“We’ve been contacting everyone we know in the local demon community,” Nikolas said. “Many of them are too afraid of the Lilin to even talk to us. Sara’s managed to reach out to a few of them, but all we’ve gotten so far is suggestions for places to look. Most of our people are out there checking out these places. So far, we’ve found nothing.”

“Is there nothing else we can do?” my sire asked.

Sara answered him. “We also have some guys trying to track down any property the Lilin might have here. We’re expecting an update from David any minute.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the phone rang. I leaned over and hit the speaker button before anyone could move.

“David?”

“Yeah. Is the gang there?”

“We’re here,” Nikolas said. “Any luck?”

“Yes.”

My heart leaped. “What?”

David cleared his throat. “Kelvan found two names linked to Jonathan Wells from his time in New York. Henry Durham and George Ramsey. I decided to add them to my property search, and I got a hit for one of them. Henry Durham has a house in Bel Air that he’s owned since the seventies. And he’s an Incubus.”

Hope flared in me. This was it; it had to be. It was too much of a coincidence.

“What’s the address?” I asked, already calculating how long it would take me to get there.

“Hold on, Chris,” Nikolas said as everyone stood. “We don’t know what we might be walking into. Let’s make sure we have plenty of backup before we go.”

“Beth might not have time for us to wait for backup,” I snapped. “I’m going.”

“I am, too,” Mason and Rachel said at the same time.

Jordan held up a hand. “We have all of us and Sara. I think we’re covered.”

Nikolas looked unhappy, and Sara scowled at him.

“Oh, no. You are not pulling that protective mate thing on me. I’m going.”

“David, the address,” I called over the clamor of voices.

He read off an address, and I plugged it into the GPS on my phone as I was hurrying out the door. I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t look back to see who followed. All I cared about was Beth. Every minute we waited was another minute she was in danger.

I would tear that place apart to find her if that was what it took. And I would kill anything that got in my way.