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“I have to tell you guys what Red and I realized before all of this happened. We may know what Amber has planned,” he says.
“Why did you wait to tell us?” I growl. I can’t believe that they didn’t share their theory with us sooner.
“Because as soon as she started to say it, you made us leave to hunt Amber’s people, then James got injured,” he growls back. That’s a good reason. I guess I should have let her finish talking before rushing them all out the door. I’ll work on that.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense. What is it?” Orym asks, trying to broker peace between us.
Luca holds up his hands in defeat. “I’m not trying to fight, especially now. But something clicked and if I got the same idea that Red did, I think we’ve figured it out. Amber is the one who took Delilah’s blood when Dec was kidnapped. She had to be. And she’s been injecting supernaturals and humans with something, then getting upset when they die from it.”
He pauses, and I finally understand what he’s trying to tell me. “That bitch is trying to make a hybrid army,” I whisper.
“Exactly. So, she’s not going to stop until we stop her,” he insists. I know he’s right, and now there’s even more urgency to find Red.
“But what does she want with Garnet?” Orym asks.
“Her power. Even if it kills her. Amber thinks that if she has Red’s power, she can make the hybrid transformation work. That has to be it,” I say, staring off into the woods. How can we defeat what we can’t find?
“We have to find them. Maybe Amber doesn’t have Garnet. But is that better or worse? We have no idea where she is or what happened to her. And with James barely hanging on, she has to be out of her mind with worry.” Orym’s words echo in my head.
I lead the guys to where we’re meeting the search teams. Everyone is pretty organized, and they seem to be waiting for us. “We’re ready to start the search, Alpha.”
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to being the head alpha here. It’s all I ever wanted, but more responsibility than I realized. I wonder if it would have been better to take Red and leave the pack instead. But that would have left these people at Gunnar’s mercy, and that’s not something I could do.
ORYM
I’m more than a little panicked that Garnet disappeared. I have no idea if Amber is involved or not, but finding out that she’s escaped from where the council was holding her makes it a pretty convincing argument. I know that Garnet is worried about James, no matter where she is or who has her. She would never just abandon us, so someone must have taken her. But who? And why?
It’s up to us to find out and get her back. Once we meet up with the search teams, I wait for Ryland’s orders. I’m not sure if he’s going to split us up or keep us together. “We should each go with a different team, since we can communicate telepathically,” he decides. I nod and follow one of the teams into the woods. He and Luca can figure out which ones they’ll go with. I’m too anxious to wait.
I’m not paying much attention to anything except finding Garnet. It doesn’t matter which wolves are in my search team. The only thing that matters is her. I would rather start this search where she disappeared, but it’s not my call to make. And I refuse to undermine Ryland’s authority, even within our pack. So, I keep the thought to myself. I can always go back there later and do it myself.
Or I could sneak off now and do it. No one would know if I slipped away. I toy with the thought before making a decision that might end badly for me. With everyone else distracted, I head toward the waterfall, in the opposite direction of the search teams. I understand why Ryland thinks Amber would be on this side of the forest, but I’m not really looking for her. I’m looking for our girl. I need to know that our mate is okay. That is the only thing I’m focused on right now. Until she’s safe in my arms, I cannot search for Amber.
I work my way silently through the woods, keeping low to avoid being seen. If Ryland realizes that I’ve left, he can always call to me through the mate bond that we all share with Garnet. Of course, if he realizes that I’m gone, he might consider that I won’t respond. That doesn’t matter. I have to find her.
When I’m far enough away from the search parties, I stand straighter and pick up my pace. Desperation claws at my heart as I run to the waterfall where I last saw Garnet. I never should have let her walk behind me on the way back from gathering the red honeysuckle for James’ healing potion. At the time, I had thought I was keeping her safe. Now I know it was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
It doesn’t matter that neither Ryland nor Luca have blamed me. I blame myself. And honestly, they should too. I have to find her and get her to safety.
GARNET
I have no idea how long I’ve been in the Fae realm. Don’t the stories speak of how time moves differently here? I’m certain they do. But are the stories true? I have no idea, nor do I trust my new captor to answer any of my questions.
I grip James’ hand tightly as we follow Trevan through the forest. This place is like a rainbow-colored mirror version of our woods. I think I know where we’re going, since I figured out how things relate to what I grew up with. We make a left turn and come to a clearing.
In the spot where Ryland’s cabin sits in our reality, there’s an enormous castle. It blends in with the trees, standing tall and majestic over everything. “Is this your home?” I can’t stop myself from asking, though I don’t expect a response.
“It is. Do you like it?” I can’t see how my opinion matters, but the moment he asks, I feel compelled to tell him what I think.
“It’s gorgeous. I don’t understand anything in this place, but it all feels so familiar. It’s like I’ve been here before. I know that’s ridiculous, because Luca and I only played with you near the waterfall,” I insist.
“The land calls to you, child. This realm is your home. The people here are your family. That’s why it feels familiar.” His words do little to calm the anxiety building in my chest.
Trevan leads us into a gated garden behind the castle. I’m a little surprised that there are no guards, but he seems to know that the coast is clear. I wonder how many times he’s slipped away in the past.
“I need you both to be quiet. Do not speak to anyone unless I tell you that it’s okay. We have to be careful getting inside. Once we are safely in the palace, you’ll be able to move about freely. I just need you to trust me for now,” Trevan’s insistence has me agreeing without objection. I wonder if it’s because he’s the king and has some kind of Fae power over me.
I’ll have to ask about that at some point. If I ever feel like he’s actually going to answer my questions. “There are a lot of things we need to discuss, Trevan. We can go along with your request for now, but only if you promise to give us some answers.”
