He mentally pushed all those thoughts aside, parting them like a curtain. Dwelling on that would not help him now. He needed to concentrate on saving Mia. On saving all of the Sensitives. It made him angry that this being chose his mate as its target.
"Can you track it somehow?"
Gwen's eyes narrowed slightly and she pursed her lips. She just stared at him for several seconds. He could almost see the wheels in her head turning.
"Maybe." She said hesitantly. "Just not in the traditional sense. I know enough about its energy I might be able to ask around about it and see if anybody knows where it might be. But that's the best I'll be able to do. If it has fled the area or if it's not from the area and nobody knows it, we might be stuck. I'll see what I can do. I'll start as soon as this meeting breaks up."
Hope sprung up and Viking tried hard not to count on it. While it would be great if Gwen could find this being so they could track it down, he didn't want to rely too heavily on it.
"Does anyone else have any ideas?" Viking looked around the room.
No one responded. Only shuffling glances between everybody.
"Has anyone suggested to kill all the Sensitives yet?" Deuce asked smiling.
Marco scoffed. "Yeah I did, didn't go over well. Pretty sure we're not going with that one."
Deuce snorted then leaned back in his chair and put his hat over his face.
Viking wanted them to be serious. But he understood even though the other men kidded around they would've suggested serious ideas if they had one. Though with Deuce's history, he might have been at least partially serious.
This didn't bode well. He didn't like the idea of waiting for this being to attack Mia in order for them to do something. It brought on flashbacks of the early years with Gwen. Viking always preferred to be on the offense and then the defenses. He felt as if there was something they could be doing to prepare themselves.
"Okay, well if no one has anything else constructive let's break this up. Raider, check in with the groups will you? Everyone else tell your individual groups they need to be on the lookout for this kind of thing. While no one will be able to identify it, at least we can be looking out for weird behavior. Gwen, go ahead and start looking. Let me know if you find anything. I'm going to call King and let him know where we stand."
There were various murmurs as people departed. Viking didn't stay to see if anyone had questions for him. Normally he would have stayed and babysat Gwen. But in this particular instance he had to call Cesar. He would rely on Poet to look out for her. He knew the other man would protect Gwen with his life.
Viking walked down the hallway and into the small office. He shut the door behind him and locked it so no one else could walk in on the conversation before dialing Cesar's direct line. The other man picked up after two rings.
"It is quite late, Viking. And I still have not heard from my wife that she is going to bed. This cannot be a good sign."
Viking relay the events since he last spoke to Cesar, keeping his tone as plain as possible. He knew the king was not going to like his news. Viking hadn't even finished when Cesar started cursing.
"There truly is no other way to screw this up. Do I need to come out there? Or Roman? Or Apollo?"
Viking shook his head before answering. Even though Cesar couldn't see him. "No there's nothing any of you could do if you were here. We would still be in the same boat just with more power."
"So Gwen is searching for this being as we speak?" He didn't sound entirely happy with that idea.
"Correct. I believe Poet is with her. So hopefully she does not endanger herself too much. Once I'm off the phone with you I am going to check on Mia then go down and sit with Gwen while she searches. Even though she won't be able to communicate with me easily she should still be able to do some mentally. Hopefully we can find this thing and Gwen will be able to banish it to the Spirit World and we will be done with it."
There was a pause as if Cesar was weighing his words. "You do not sound as if you believe this is a likely outcome."
Viking sighed. The last few days were wearing on him. "I don't know how likely it is. It seems a bit like a longshot. She wasn't able to do it before. So the likelihood she would be able to accomplish it now seems slim. But we don't really have other options. If you can think of something Cesar, by all means, let me know. But right now it's almost as if our only course of action is to sit and wait. Which I hate about as much is you do."
The pause was longer this time. "I am afraid my friend I do not have an alternate course of action for you. I wish that I did. If Gwen cannot find this thing or get some sort of lead, the only thing I can think of is querying the MPs in the kingdom and seeing if any of them know some way of tracking something like this. I will send out Warriors now to different MPs we know are of a certain level of strength. That way they get to them first thing in the morning. If any of them has an idea I want it as soon as possible. I will be in touch with you late morning tomorrow if we get any information."
Viking said his goodbye to Cesar before they hung up. Viking stood in the office for several moments. He couldn't decide whether he hoped Gwen found the being first or if he hoped an MP would have some miraculous way of beating it. Both seemed like a longshot. He didn't like their odds. Cracking his neck, he opened the door and headed for the staircase. If he could even just look at Mia even as she slept it would help him.
He felt guilty. His world endangered Mia. Although his association with her is not what put her in danger he couldn't help but feel guilty. She was a kind, funny woman who deserved better than to be afraid of some being hunting her down. He didn't think he could ever give her the picket fence and all that. Though he wasn't even sure if that was what she wanted.
He opened the door to his apartment and before his mind even registered it his senses told him something was wrong. His power reached out to her almost automatically and found the apartment empty.
Panic and anger sliced through him as he ran to the back of the apartment. The bedroom was empty. He searched every room and the balcony. She was nowhere to be found.
Before panic totally took him he had a moment's thought that this must've been how Cesar felt when Gwen had gone on non-corporeal.
He did the only thing he could think of. He shouted down to Gwen. "Gwen, I need you to track down Mia. She's gone from the apartment. I don't know whether she left of her own free will or not. Although I don't know how someone could have broken in here."
It took a second but then he felt Gwen's connection before she responded. "I'm out searching give me a second to get myself closer."
Viking waited impatiently before he finally decided he couldn't stand around the apartment and do nothing. He ran downstairs into the lounge. When he didn't see Gwen or Poet he ran up to the top floor and let himself into her apartment. When he walked in he saw Poet reading a book in the living room. The other man gave him a curious look. Before he could make a snide remark Viking spoke over him.
"Mia is missing."
Poet snapped his book shut and stood up. "I assume you're here to speak to Gwen then. Scratch that. I'm assuming you are here because you have already spoken to Gwen."
Viking only nodded as he walked past the man to Gwen's bedroom. Both men stood in the doorway and watched Gwen's prone form. She lay on the bed under the blankets. To all the world looking as if she was sleeping. But Viking knew better. He was only there a second or two before he heard Gwen.
"All right I'm starting from the beginning. I see you with Poet in the doorway. I'm going to search the building." There was a long pause it felt too long for Viking's comfort but he knew he couldn't rush this.
"She's not in the building. I am going to start circling. Each circle will be wider and wider until I come across her."
The pause was longer this time. He knew it was bad when there were several curses before she acknowledged him.
"This is bad Viking. Very bad. She's a mile south. Moving fast. She stole one of the shop veh
icles. I'm not sure how she found the key. She's not speeding. You can still catch her. But you need to take at least two people with you. That thing. That thing we’re so worried about catching, ironically, is with her. It's in her. Don't ask me how. But it's there. I can see it hovering around her like a shell. If you can bring her back here. And we get her in the interrogation room. We can work on trying to get it out of her."
Viking sprinted for the door. He was touching the knob when he yelled at Poet over his shoulder "Stay here with Gwen. Make sure she stays okay." Then he dashed downstairs.
He ran back in to the lounge. Where he'd last seen Raider. He got lucky and both MPs were there as well. It looked like they were about to leave.
He pointed at all three of them. "You're coming with me. That thing has Mia and she's driving south. I have no idea where she's going. We are going to catch her to drag her back here so Gwen can remove that thing from her. So help me if that thing hurts her because that medallion didn't work I'm going to have both your hides." He left the room without waiting for a response. Assuming the other men would follow him.
Sure enough when he reached the car and unlocked the doors both MPs got in the back as Raider hopped in the passenger seat. Viking was frustrated his mate connection was not strong enough for him to be able to track her himself.
He reached out to Gwen as he turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Where is she now?"
"Still south. But she's moved parallel to the freeway. She's not getting on four-o-five. Which seems counterproductive. She's about six miles south now. She's started driving recklessly. I am not sure where she's headed. But it looks like it might be in Renton. I'll let you know if that changes."
Viking dodged in and out of traffic. He hopped on the freeway. It was a gamble but he figured if she was headed to Renton he might be able to make up some time if he could drive faster than her.
Then Viking had an idea. “She’s in one of the company vehicles. Raider, call Poet and have them track it. We have GPS on those things. He should be up to tell us exactly where it is."
"I can do one better. I downloaded the app to track them on my phone on a whim two weeks ago. Let me log on and I can track her."
Out of the corner of his eye Viking could see Raider pulling out his phone and tapping the screen. After a minute or two of silence he made a celebratory noise.
"Got her. She's headed south. It looks like she's getting on the freeway. You might catch up with her. She's getting on two entrances south of us. Although I'm not sure if the freeway is the best time to pull her over. It might be best to watch and see where she's going."
Viking growled. He agreed, but at the same time he didn't like the idea of that thing being in his mate any longer than possible.
He turned his attention to the backseat. "The plan is to catch up with her and take her back to the shop to the interrogation room. Do you think you two can come up with a spell to separate that thing from her? Or at least get it out of her long enough we can trap it in the interrogation room?"
There wasn't even a pause before Marco answered. "Yes, absolutely. The shop has more wards on it than that office building did. And we reinforced the wards on the observation room after that things seeped through a couple weeks ago. I'm sure we could come up with something to separate that thing from Mia. Or at least, get it to leave her body long enough for Gwen to deal with it. But Lucia is better at that than we are. I'll give her a call and let her know to meet us at the store."
Viking knew Lucia would be capable of it. He had seen her do something similar to the thing connected to the kidnapper weeks before. All he kept thinking was at least they had a solid plan. They had a way of getting this thing. Even if it wasn't ideal and attached itself to his mate.
He would not make the same mistake as last time. He would not let it sacrifice his mate so it could escape.
Pushing the accelerator farther down, Viking started eyeing vehicles on the freeway, looking for one that matched one of their vans.
Viking had no idea how fast he was going. But when he finally saw their van a moment later Raider confirmed that it was indeed right in front of them on the GPS. He couldn't help the predatory smile on his face. They were going to corner this thing. Once and for all. Though it had only been a problem for a few days, it felt longer.
He followed the van but kept a discrete distance so the being wouldn't notice they were following him. Sure enough, just as Gwen predicted the van pulled off at a Renton exit. Viking sent a mental note to Gwen that they were tracking Mia via GPS and let Gwen know to prepare the interrogation room for when they arrived.
After another five minutes of tailing the van they were in a residential area. Viking started to get an odd feeling.
"I'm not sure why, but I think we're headed for Mia's aunt's house. Her aunt is a sensitive too. That would be the quickest way to mount his army. Simply go after people Mia and her aunt know. If I'm right, we have to grab her before she knocks on the door."
No one else in the car said a thing. They were probably hoping Viking was wrong. After a few more minutes, the van pulled over to the side of the street. Viking passed it and pulled over a couple cars further down the street. As he opened his door he turned to look at the MPs.
"I need you to throw a spell at her that will knock her unconscious. As well as keep that thing trapped inside her. I have a sneaking suspicion she herself is already unconscious. We need her immobile to make it easier for us to carry her."
"Not a problem." Answered Barrett.
With that, they all got out of the car. Mia was already heading up the driveway by the time Viking made it to her. Luckily his Warrior speed moved so fast he had already picked her up before she noticed it.
Before she could scream he put one hand over her mouth, the other around her waist as he lifted her towards the car. As soon as he got there the MPs started chanting over Mia. He didn't release her until he felt her go limp in his hands. Then he lifted his hand away from her mouth. He turned slightly so he could see her face. Her eyes were shut. Her body wasn't moving other than to breathe. He turned to the MPs.
"Thank you. Now let's get back in the car."
He opened the passenger door, got her seated and put the seatbelt on. He dug into her pockets until he found the keys. He then turned and threw them at Raider. "Will you do the honors of driving that back to the shop?"
Raider caught the keys and gave a swift nod before turning to head back to the van.
Viking and the MPs climbed back into the car. No one spoke until they were back on the freeway. He heard Barrett's voice come from the backseat.
"Is it just me, or did that almost seemed too easy?"
"Shut up. Don't jinx it. I don't think having to follow her down to Renton counts as easy. We haven't rid her of the thing yet. I think the thing is just desperate. It's down to one body. By the way, Viking, Lucia texted me. She arrived at the shop around the time we pulled over. Turns out she was heading for the shop anyway after we had been there all day." Marco chimed in from the backseat.
Viking didn't respond. There really wasn't anything he needed to say. They rode the rest of the way in relative silence. Viking sneaking glances at Mia. Making sure she was still out. She looked peaceful, as if sleeping. He wasn't sure how the MPs had done it. But they seem to have knocked her out enough that even the being couldn't move.
When they got to the store he removed Mia from the car as gingerly as possible. He didn't want to injure her or throw her about. The last thing he wanted was for her to be injured in any way because of this being.
Barrett reached the door before Viking. He knocked on it to get someone on the inside to let them in since Viking couldn't necessarily reach his keys. A few moments later Raider opened the door.
As they all shuffled inside. Viking made sure to stand behind off to the side of everyone else so as not to jar Mia. When Raider looked at him questioningly Viking answered his unasked question.
"We're putting
her in the interrogation room. I realize she's passed out. But it's the only room we know for sure has the spells we need." He knew how ludicrous it sounded. He couldn't believe that he was putting his mate in interrogation, especially when she was unconscious. But there was no other choice.
Raider looked away before he turned and walked ahead so he could open the door for Viking. The two MPs continued to walk and entered the small observation room.
Viking strode into the room and could see Carter and Deuce already in place. He set Mia down on the chair gently. Rope already sat out on the table.
Viking didn't dare let anyone else tie his mate up. He slowly and carefully tied her arms and her lap so she would sit in the chair properly without assistance. The being wouldn't be able to get up and cause problems once she woke up again.
When he was finished, he backed away. Only a step at first, making sure she could sit on her own. Once he was sure she would stay put Viking tapped his earpiece and went to stand in the corner of the room. He didn't dare leave. It almost felt like abandoning her. Even if he was just next-door.
Viking tapped on the glass. "Lucia, I'm assuming you're in there. Either come in here or let me know if you can do the spells through the mirror."
There wasn't even a pause. "If you will give me the okay I will wake her up from here. I also have Barrett and Marco on standby to knock her out again if need be."
Viking rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do it."
There was a beat or two where nothing happened. Then it was as if Viking could see the magic working its way through the mirror to Mia. It was one of the non-Warrior gifts he inherited from his mother. He couldn't describe it to anyone if he needed to. It seemed as if there was a light fog moving from one area of the room to another.
After a moment or two Viking knew it wasn't Mia who woke up. The posture was wrong, the expression was wrong. This was the being,
It did not look happy. In fact, it looked rather pissed off.
"Where am I? What have you done? Let me go this instant! You filthy humans don't know we are dealing with."
Viking Sensitivity (Night World Series Book 2) Page 23