Gabriel’s POV
“You are an idiot, Blake,” Mike said angrily.
“I know,” Blake sighed. “I will do everything I can to bring her back.”
Annie was sitting on the couch crying silently. I took her hand in mine and she looked up at me.
“We will bring her back home,” I said to her,
She nodded and rested her head on my shoulder.
“What do we do now?” Jack asked.
I could see how worried he was. He really liked her.
Everybody did. She left such a strong impact on all of us. She was kind, loving, and understanding. She changed my life. I don’t know how I managed to live without her. Now that she was in my life, I couldn’t imagine not having her beside me. She changed me. She changed Nick. She gave us a purpose. She gave me another chance at a family. I loved her with everything I have. And I couldn’t lose her. Losing my grandma was hard, and it took away a piece of my heart. Losing Aria would be much, much worse. I didn’t think there would be anything left of me.
“We were hoping you and Mike could follow her scent,” Jacob said, bringing me back from my thoughts. “Nick lost it when we reached the spot where they got into the car.”
“We found a couple of places where they could be keeping her,” Cassie said and pointed to the map. “But they are scattered all over the place. We need a direction in which they went so that we could narrow it down.”
“How can you be sure that they are even in the area?” Mike sighed. “They could be in another country.”
Nick growled, and I clenched my fists.
I had thought about that possibility, but I didn’t want it to be true. I think he was close by. He must be.
“I don’t think he is far,” Cassie said. “He was in Moon City when he saw her again.”
“I agree,” I nodded. “When he tried to rise to power the first time, Moon City was his headquarters. He used warehouses around the City. He knows the area and he is using it to his advantage. He is still close by.”
“Okay,” Jack nodded. “Let’s get to work.”
“We need something of hers so we can pick up her scent,” Mike said. “Something where her scent is the strongest.”
Nick nodded and walked upstairs to their room.
“How are you?” Annie asked me quietly.
“I’m dying inside,” I said. “I want to scream and rip something apart.”
Annie sighed and rubbed my back soothingly.
“But I know I can’t,” I continued. “I can’t freak out because I need to find her.”
“You will,” Annie said.
I heard Nick walking back downstairs. He was carrying a pillow in his arms, clutching it to himself. I could see pain and anguish written on his face.
Mike and Jack stood up to take the pillow from Nick.
He buried his nose in it and took a deep breath. He raised his head, and I saw tears in his eyes. He reluctantly gave the pillow to Mike.
“Thanks, man,” Mike said as he took the pillow from Nick.
Nick clenched his fists and nodded.
Mike and Jack brought the pillow close to their faces and took a deep breath.
“Okay,” Jack said. “We got it.”
Nick grabbed the pillow from their hands and wrapped his arms around it tightly.
“Cassie and Annie will stay here,” I said as I stood up. “The rest of us will follow Jack and Mike.”
The girls nodded, and Annie went to sit next to Cassie. I saw them leaning over the map and talking quietly.
Nick rushed upstairs to leave the pillow in their bedroom and came back downstairs.
“Ready?” Mike asked us and we nodded.
We followed them outside, along the path Nick, Jacob, and I had taken earlier.
My heart was beating painfully inside my chest. Goddess, please, let us find a clue. I need her. I can’t live without her. The Goddess couldn’t be this cruel. I just found my sister, only to lose her. That couldn’t happen.
We reached the place where Nick lost her scent. I could see the tree that Nick punched repeatedly.
“This is where I lost it,” Nick mumbled.
“Yes, the scent here is significantly weaker,” Jack said as he sniffed around.
“Are you sure they left in a car?” Mike asked. “They could have used a spell to transport to their location.”
“That’s what I thought when we searched for her the first time,” I nodded. “But her scent led us here. If they used the spell to transport themselves, they could have done that at the place where they took her, and her scent would end there. But it didn’t. They came here.”
Mike nodded and continued sniffing around.
“Let’s split up,” Jack said. “Mike and Nick go south. Gabriel, Blake, and I will go north.”
We nodded and started walking in opposite directions.
I kept staring at Jack as I followed him. I waited for a sign that he had caught her scent. The further we walked away, the less hope I had left. I was hoping Mike would catch her scent.
After a few minutes, I saw Jack’s eyes widening.
“I think I got it,” he mumbled and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
My heart started beating faster.
“MIKE!” Jack shouted.
I heard footsteps running toward us.
“Did you get it?” Nick yelled as soon as he got near us.
Jack nodded and took a deep breath again.
Mike came to stand next to him and took a deep breath as well.
“It’s faint, but it’s hers,” Mike said.
“Can we follow it further?” I asked, sounding desperate.
“No,” Mike shook his head. “It is a miracle we managed to catch it in the first place. It is very weak. If Jack weren’t a vampire and a trained tracker, he wouldn’t be able to smell it.”
I was disappointed, but at least we had something to go on. We could start searching the warehouses on the north side that Cassie found.
“Let’s go back,” I said. “We need to rest and eat before we start searching.”
The guys nodded and started walking back to the cabin. Nick stayed behind. He was staring at the direction they had taken her.
“We will come back soon, Nick,” I said and stood next to him.
“I need her back, man,” he mumbled. “I don’t know who I am without her. Nothing makes sense without her.”
“I know,” I said. “I feel the same way. She is the most important thing in the world to me. She gave us purpose. She gave us love.”
Nick looked at me, and I could see torment in his eyes.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go back.”
Nick nodded and we started walking back to the cabin.
Nick’s POV
“Did you find something?” Annie asked as soon as she saw us walking back inside.
“They went north,” Gabriel said.
“Oh, thank Goddess,” Annie sighed in relief.
“There is something you need to see,” Cassie said.
She looked so sad and scared. Jacob and Blake ran toward her.
“What happened, Cass?” Jacob asked her as he wrapped his hands around her.
“Sit down,” she said and pulled out of the hug. “We will tell you.”
I gulped and sat down next to Gabriel. What did they find?
“A few minutes after you left, Calvin’s phone rang,” Annie said.
My eyes widened and I jumped up. “What?”
“Sit down, Nick,” Cassie said calmly. “Let us talk.”
“Victor sent us a message,” Annie continued and pulled out Calvin’s phone.
“What does it say?” Gabriel asked, his voice trembling.
“Thank you for giving my little witch away so easily,” Annie started reading. “Your contribution to my purpose won’t be forgotten. I know you will want to find her, but don’t bother trying. By the time you figure out where we are, she will be dead. I am sending you a video so you will have one last memory of her.”
Annie stopped reading, and the silence that followed was maddening.
I saw red. My fists were clenched, and Nate was pressing me to come out. I could feel my canines coming out, and a loud growl broke the silence.
“Have you watched the video?” Jacob asked the girls.
They nodded and glanced at me worriedly.
I couldn’t move a muscle. If I did, Nate would come out and all hell would break loose.
“Play it,” Gabriel said coldly.
“Nick, are you okay?” Cassie asked me. “Will you be able to watch?”
I nodded stiffly and took a deep breath.
I need to control myself. I can’t snap. I have to stay calm and find her.
“I moved it to my laptop so everybody could see,” Annie mumbled and opened her laptop.
The video was ready, but Annie looked around before playing it.
“Try to stay calm,” she said. “Remember that we can’t help her if we freak out.”
My heart clenched painfully. What the hell was this video about? What will I see? Will I be able to handle it?
I felt Gabriel stiffen beside me. I looked at him and saw him taking a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for what we were about to see.
Annie pressed play, and we could hear the door opening. The lights turned on and I saw my mate. She was sitting on a chair. Her hands and feet were tied to the chair she was sitting on. She slowly lifted her head, and I could see that her lip was split open.
Somebody had hit her.
I started shaking. A vicious growl escaped me. I saw red. I will kill him!
Annie stopped the video and turned to look at me. “Nick, please. Try to remain in control. You need to see this.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I nodded for her to continue.
She pressed play, and we heard a man’s voice.
“Hello, Aria,” he said. “It is so good to finally have you here.”
She stayed silent, and the man laughed.
“I can see that you are not happy, little witch,” he said. “I have some questions for you before we move on to the main reason why you are here. One more thing, I am filming this so I can send it to your friends. I decided to be nice and give them one last memory of you.”
She fidgeted in her seat and looked at the camera. She looked so small and helpless. My heart was breaking into a million pieces. I wanted to hold her.
“How many people were in the cabin with you?” he asked her. “I only saw two. Your friend and her boyfriend. I mean, seeing the two of them was enough and they served their purpose, but I am curious. Who else was there with you? Calvin said there were seven of you, but I wonder if there are more?”
“I am not answering that,” she said quietly.
The sound of her voice made me gasp. I didn’t even realize how much I missed her voice. Gabriel sighed and closed his eyes. I guess I was not the only one who missed hearing her voice.
The man laughed. “Feisty. I like it. I will have fun breaking you, Aria.”
She froze at his words.
“Calvin had a great taste in women,” he continued. “I promised to give you to him once I took everything that I needed from you. Now that he is gone, you could be mine, little witch.”
NO!
NO FUCKING WAY!
HE WASN’T GOING TO TOUCH HER!
I growled and jumped up. And I wasn’t the only one. Gabriel and Jacob were on their feet, looking ready to kill him.
“Sit down,” Annie said calmly. “There is more.”
“I CAN’T!” I screamed. “I can’t sit the fuck down while she is at his mercy!”
“Nick, we don’t know where she is!” Annie yelled at me. “You need to watch this. I know it is hard, but it will be worth it.”
Gabriel, Jacob, and I sat back down, and Annie continued playing the video.
“I will never be yours, Victor,” Aria said calmly.
So, the man she was talking to was Victor.
Victor laughed. “Who killed Calvin, Aria?”
“I did,” she answered immediately.
“Why are you lying to me?” Victor asked calmly.
“I am not lying,” she said. “I killed him.”
“You are protecting someone, little witch,” he said coldly. “I am not a fool. I will break you.”
“You can try,” Aria said. “I thrive where others barely survive. I won’t break down that easily.”
Victor laughed. “We will see about that.”
He walked up to her and bent down to be at eye-level with her. I couldn’t see his face.
“One more time, Aria,” he said. “Who killed Calvin?”
“I did,” she said calmly, looking him in the eyes.
He raised his hand and slapped her.
I flinched and growled loudly. My blood started boiling. My vision blackened.
“Calm down, Nick,” Annie said loudly. “It will be over soon.”
Victor stood up and started walking away. “This is just the beginning, little witch. I will break you and you will be mine.”
The lights shut off and we heard the door close. The video ended.
