Page 51 of Protected By the Elf Prince

My gut clenched. I was supposed to protect my beloved. “The top floor.”

“We’ll be there in ten.”

It was too long, far too long.

I ended the call before the fox could attempt to calm me.

There was no calming this.

Not while my mate was missing.

Not while fear continued clawing through my chest.

I stared into the distance as I thought of other ideas, other possibilities or clues or signs.

Then another realization struck.

My father. The king of the elves was one of the most powerful beings alive.

If anyone could help track a missing bonded mate, it would be him.

I pulled out my phone once more. My thumb hovered over his contact as I tried to control my fear and hope and rage that were all tangled together.

Then I pressed Call and listened as the line began to ring.

CHAPTER TEN

Dashiel

The ringing seemed to last forever. Each second stretched painfully long while I stood alone on the abandoned office floor.

Every instinct I possessed screamed that I should be moving or searching or burning through the city until I found him.

“Dashiel,” my father answered.

I did not waste time. “My fated mate is missing.” I continued immediately, explaining, “I attempted telepathic contact and found nothing. His mind is inaccessible.”

“When did this occur?” he demanded.

“Within the past hour.” I turned slowly, scanning the dark office again, despite already knowing Landon was not there. “He remained after work at the request of his employer. When he did not emerge, I investigated. His floor is empty.” Fear clawed its way into my voice. “Without the bond being finalized, I cannot tell if he is unconscious or…”

“You would know if he were dead, my son.”

The certainty in my father’s voice hit me like a physical force.

I stopped pacing. “Are you sure?”

“Completely. When I lost your mother, it left a gaping black hole in my chest. You would feel it, even though the bond was not complete.”

Hope flared violently and painfully. “Father⁠—”

“Fate has already connected you. You feel the slight pulse in the mark. In the ink. His death would not pass unnoticed. Close your eyes and feel, Dashiel. Sink into the ink and sense your partial connection.”

Air finally reached my lungs. I did exactly as he said and closed my eyes, searching for the mark that linked us as fated. It was deep under the skin, but I felt the slight hum.

Landon lived.

He was unconscious, possibly injured, and taken.