Intolerable

by LJ Baker

  "What if you're right?" Lex asked, proposing the question to both Willow and Chase. "What if Samuel is responsible for Ari and the babies going missing? If we can't trust him, how do we know we can trust anyone else?"

  "You can't possibly think Gabe or Dex are involved?"

  "Or Michael." Willow raised her voice, making sure that her twin being involved was definitely not on the table.

  "Of course I don't think Gabe or Dex are involved, but that leaves quite a few people to consider." Lex placed the blanket down on the couch and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

  "Then we don't trust anyone else," Willow said. "We have a small circle of those we can trust and we leave it at that. If you actually think I might be right, and I'm thinking that you do, I say we get that small group together and see what they think."

  "Okay," Lex said. "We'll meet at Gabe's in one hour. Bring your brother."

  Lex disappeared at vampire speed, leaving Willow and Chase standing there. Things had gone better than Chase expected.

  At least with Lex.

  Now they had to convince Gabe and Dex.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  An hour later, Willow found herself sitting in Gabe's living room, with Lex, Chase, Michael, Gabe, and Dex. They were the only ones that they felt were absolutely trustworthy. She was relieved that Lex didn't argue with her on Michael. For a moment, she wondered if he would insist that Michael be left out of the meeting, and honestly, how could she blame him? Lex didn't know Michael that well, so he was putting his trust in her to know that he wasn't involved.

  It was a point she would have had to argue. They would need to do an intricate tracking ritual and they would need Michael to do it. There was a lot Willow could do on her own, but some magic, especially the special kind they specialized in, could only be done with them both. But she didn't have to argue. The King trusted her on her word that Michael was not only necessary, but completely trustworthy.

  Willow was starting to understand why Michael wanted to stay there. It wasn't just about his feelings for Finn. This place was different. It felt like it could be a home for them, for her. Maybe even with Chase. She pushed the thought from her mind. This wasn't the time. Even if he might return her feelings for him, the timing was all wrong. And if things turned out badly with his sister, the timing might never be right.

  Just like when they'd told Lex, Willow sat in the background and let the males discuss her theory without her. Chase did most of the talking, but Lex helped him out here and there. Without his backup, Gabe and Dex might not have been so open to the idea. Even with it, they needed a bit more convincing.

  "I've known Samuel a hundred years, at least," Gabe said. "He isn't the easiest to be around, but why would he want to take Ari and the babies? What does he want with them?"

  "If I had all the answers, his throat would be crushing between my hands as we speak." Lex growled and slammed his glass down on a table. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but the witch thinks he is involved, and I believe her. You can trust my judgment, or not, but I'm asking for your help."

  "Of course we trust your judgment," Dex said, pushing past Gabe. "And we'll do anything we can to help."

  "There must be some magic you two can cook up to help." Lex directed his statement at Michael.

  "Now that we have a suspect, there might be something more we can do, if, you can get us some of his blood. Just like with Ari and the babies, many of the serious rituals require blood."

  "I've checked, Samuel has been missing since earlier today. No one seems to know where he went off to," Dex said. "Maybe he knows we're on to him."

  Now, in addition to Ari and the babies, Samuel, Rebecca, and Cole were conveniently missing. That couldn't be a coincidence.

  "Maybe, but that arrogant son of a bitch more likely thinks we are still in the dark. I can try calling him and getting him in for a meeting, or something, and we can confront him." Lex grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the table and filled his glass. Having a clear head was probably the best idea, but Willow wasn't about to tell him that.

  "I'm not sure confronting him is the best idea," Michael said. "If we do that, and he is involved, we could lose our only chance to find her."

  "Lose it? Between my abilities, and Gabe's, there is no way he will die without giving away what he did with them." Lex downed the whiskey and poured another.

  "No, Lex," Michael said, taking the glass from his hand, despite the death glare Lex shot at him. "Maybe under normal circumstances you would be correct, but this isn't normal circumstances. Samuel has a witch helping him, one that has very strong magic. Your powers may not work on him."

  "Michael is right," Willow spoke up for the first time. "Don't you think that if your powers worked, you would have already picked something up from him? You've been around him all this time, and you didn't suspect anything at all, did you?"

  Lex didn't respond. He didn't need to. No one suspected Samuel. No one, but Willow. Something about the guy rubbed her the wrong way right from the start. There was actually something familiar about him, something that reminded her of Julian. For some reason, she couldn't put her finger on it.

  She went into things not trusting Samuel, so maybe that was why she picked up on it easier. It was also why she tried to convince herself she was just imagining things. Maybe if she'd trusted her instincts more from the start, all of this could have been avoided.

  "Okay, so what do we do? We can't just let him walk around the city like nothing happened." Gabe grabbed the bottle off the table and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Willow had never seen Gabe drink. She was sure he did, but maybe like at home, after a long day, or at one of those snooty wine tasting parties, or some shit like that.

  "My suggestion is that you do invite him for a meeting. Tell him you want to get everyone together and go over what is being done. Then when you have him there, find a way to get a drop of his blood without him suspecting anything." Willow knew it was easier said than done, but these were big, bad, vampires, they should be able to find a way to get a few drops of blood on the sly.

  "How exactly do you suggest we get his blood without his permission?" Lex scoffed and pulled the glass of whiskey back from Michael.

  "I don't frigging know. I can't come up with everything. You're the vampire king, come up with something." Willow threw her arms up in the air. "We need to stop wasting time and you need to stop drinking." She glared at Lex and he put the glass down. Part of her wondered if he would lash out at her for acting that way. Instead, he swallowed hard and nodded.

  "The longer we wait, the less chance we have of getting my sister and those babies back safely. That is what we all want here, isn't it?" Chase asked, looking around the room, pausing on each face. "Make the call, Lex."

  Alexander pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his cousin. Surprisingly, the guy picked up and agreed to the meeting. Either he was trying to cover his tracks, or he really did think he was smarter than everyone else. Unless, he knew they were on to him and would use the opportunity to get rid of them all.

  Whatever way it went, they were about to find out.

  ***

  Back at the mansion, the security team gathered, including Samuel, to give Lex an update on the search for Ari and the babies. Or that was what they thought they were doing. Chase sat in the corner with Willow, trying to look interested. Not that he wasn't. He certainly wanted to know what was being done to find his sister, but he was more interested in how they were going to get Samuel's blood without him realizing what they were doing.

  Jameson went around serving the vampires cookies and drinks as usual. Something was off about the old man. He spilled a drink, dropped a tray of cookies, and almost knocked himself over bumping into Gabe, and then Samuel. Chase was starting to think it was about time to retire the poor guy.

  Maybe he knew something. He was always lurking around. And being one of the staff, he did go unnoticed most of the time. Chase just wasn't sure if the guy knew someth
ing about their plan, or if he knew what Samuel was up to. One way or another, he would find out when all of this was over.

  It took nearly an hour before people started clearing out and Chase had had enough. There were no clues to where his sister and the babies might have been taken. They were no closer to finding her. Sixteen strong vampires, two witches known for their seeking abilities, and it was as if Ari and the babies had just vanished off the face of the Earth.

  Chase wanted to hit something. Or kill something, when he looked at Samuel. It took everything he had not to confront the bastard, or let on that he knew the guy was involved. He wasn't sure how Lex held it together. That was his cousin, blood family, and he'd done the unthinkable. If it were Chase, he might have ripped the guy's head clear off his body. Hell, if it wasn't for Willow keeping her hand on him the whole time, he might have done it anyway.

  Samuel was the last to hang around. Even Gabe and Dex left to make it look normal. Not that asshole cousin though. He stayed until the very end, going on about security for the kids, as if that was still on important issue to Lex while his mate and newborn babies were missing.

  Lex pretended to be interested until even he couldn't handle it any longer.

  "Look, it's been a long day and I'm not in the mood to hear about the vamplings. Handle it." Lex waved his arm and walked Samuel toward the door of his office. "You can see yourself out, right?"

  For just a moment, Samuel paused and glanced over Lex. It looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind.

  "Yeah, sure. Take care of yourself, cousin." They shook hands and Chase noticed Lex tense his other into a fist. Samuel didn't appear to pick up on it, but Chase knew Lex was at his breaking point.

  After Samuel left the room, no one spoke. They waited until they heard the front door close, the footsteps in the gravel out front, and still no one spoke. It wasn't until Jameson poked his head into the room that anyone even relaxed enough to take a breath.

  "All clear, sir."

  "Were you successful?" Lex lifted his head to look at Jameson with a raised brow.

  Jameson stepped completely into the room and smiled. "Yes, sir. I also have another bit of excellent news."

  "And what is that?"

  "I found the bandage from one of the babies feet, from the newborn testing."

  "And that is important, why?"

  "It has their blood on it."

  ***

  After waiting about an hour, just in case anyone was watching, Lex summoned Michael back to the mansion. While they waited, Willow prepared the seeking ritual. She would need Michael to complete it, but she could get things started on her own.

  Chase watched her work, admiring the way she moved, as if performing magic was second nature to her, a natural talent. She spoke over the ingredients, chanting in an unfamiliar tongue. It flowed through the air like a symphony, charging the room with an electric buzz.

  When Michael arrived, he waited in the doorway, not disturbing his sister until she was finished with her part of the ritual. After her movements stopped, she bowed her head, and waited several moments, just breathing heavy, with her hair covering her face.

  Chase wanted to step in, to make sure she was all right, but Michael put his arm across Chase's chest, and held him back.

  "Wait."

  She stayed like that a long time, too long, if you asked Chase, but Michael insisted they needed to leave her be. He didn't look as concerned as Chase felt, so chances were, she was all right.

  Just when Chase thought he would lose it for sure, knock Michael down, and check on her himself, she lifted her head, letting her hair fall away from her face and opened her eyes. Without a word, Michael joined her.

  "Where is the blood?" Michael asked, looking from Chase, to Lex.

  It was Jameson who came forward, holding two small cups. "Do you want the blood from the baby, or um, mister…"

  "Samuel, he means." Lex stepped forward and put a hand on the old man's arm. It was the first time Chase noticed Lex being caring toward the butler. Maybe Chase had him all wrong like Ari said.

  "Wait," Chase stepped up to the cups and peered in. "How did you get Samuel's blood? When?"

  Chase watched Lex like a hawk the whole time Samuel was there. He never saw him do anything that would get them a sample of his blood. When Jameson had come in with the blood on the bandage, Chase just assumed that was good enough.

  Jameson smiled. "I was able to nab a little when I bumped into him."

  That sneaky old bastard. Chase had seen him knock into Samuel, but he didn't think much of it. He'd been dropping things and knocking shit over the whole time. Chase just thought he was old and clumsy. And that was likely exactly what Samuel thought as well.

  So they had blood from both.

  Michael held his hand over each cup and chose the one with the napkin in it. Samuel's blood. He brought the napkin over to the table where Willow had begun doing her thing and placed it in the bowl in the middle. They held hands and chanted something Chase couldn't make out, while he, Lex and Jameson watched.

  It seemed wrong not to have Dex and Gabe there for this sort of thing. Lex was afraid that if they returned, it would seem suspicious if anyone was watching. They still weren't sure who to trust. Apparently, Jameson was in the inner circle.

  After the twins finished their chanting, Michael pulled out a small dagger and sliced across both his own, and Willow's palms. Each let their own blood drip into the bowl onto the napkin and herb mixture Willow had prepared earlier. There was a puff of smoke, some flashes of blue and green light, and the whole thing went up in flames.

  We aren't talking tiny little flames. We're talking poof, time to burn down the house, flames. Chase was ready to run for a fire extinguisher when Lex stopped him.

  "They know what they're doing," Lex said, one hand on Chase's shoulder.

  After about five minutes, the flames died down and the twins released hands and took a step back.

  "The ritual was a success," Michael said. "We should be able to track Samuel as long as Willow and I stay together. I can't promise it will be precise, or fast, since he does have other magic working on him, but we will be able to find him."

  "And the babies?" Lex asked.

  As much as he wanted Ari and his twins back, Lex wanted revenge on whoever was involved. Samuel would pay for his part in all of this. Chase was sure of it. Whether or not they would find his sister and the babies safely, was a whole other story.

  Willow came forward this time and took the bandage out of the cup. She placed it in a separate bowl and they followed the same thing as before, as far as Chase could tell.

  The bandage had the blood of one of the babies. So in theory, from what Willow explained, they should be able to use it to find them. Rebecca had been thorough in cleaning up any evidence, or anything else that could be used to find them, but she'd missed the bandage, thankfully.

  Chase still couldn't figure out how Samuel and Rebecca were related in all of this. Or how Cole Porter fit into all of it. Somehow, they were working together. They weren't sure if more were involved, but they did know for sure now, that Lex's cousin and the midwife both were.

  When the ritual was finished, Michael took hold of Willow's arms to steady her. She was pale and drained. The only color to her was the dark scarlet of her lips. Chase felt a weird twisting in his stomach. He wanted to be the one to hold her up, to care for her. He wasn't used to having those feelings for anyone but his twin. Even still, with Willow, it was different. He felt protective over her in a way very different than how he felt for Ari.

  A week ago, he would have shrugged it off, denied it, but everything was different. His world had once again, been turned upside down. This time though, he felt like he had more to lose.

  After Michael let go of Willow, Chase stepped forward and took her arm, leading her to the couch to sit. She didn't put up any sort of fight, or try to act like she had it covered. Instead, she melted into his arms and pressed he
r face to his chest. With her there, his anxiety calmed just enough.

  "So, now what?" Lex asked, directing his query to Michael.

  "Now we give my sister a minute to recover. She did all the prep and that takes a lot out of a witch. When she's feeling up to it, we can see where the spell leads."

  "How do you know which one the spell is leading you to?"

  "We set it up so that the magic to track Samuel will flow through me and the magic to track the baby's blood will flow through Willow. You'll need us both together, but only one will hold the magic for each. We should feed her. It will help her recover faster, and I think we need to start looking for Ari and the babies as soon as possible. It's already been long enough."

  "If you can track Samuel, why can't we just start with that while Willow recovers?" Lex asked, as he motioned for Jameson to get Willow some food.

  "Samuel is close. I can feel him strong. There's no need to bother with him right now." Michael felt his sister's forehead, then sat on the arm of the couch next to her. "I seriously doubt he has your mate and babies help up here in Vampire City. So that means they're not with him and we need to find where they are."

  "You can tell how close he is… just standing there?"

  "Yes." Michael shrugged, as if that should be common knowledge. "I am connected to him by blood now. When you bloodshare, can you not feel the person through that bond?"

  Lex nodded. "I can."

  "Well, it's similar to that."

  Jameson returned with the food and Willow scarfed it down like she hadn't eaten in a week. When she was finished, she leaned her head back for several minutes, breathing slow and deep. After what felt like an eternity, and when Chase was sure that Lex was on his last shred of patience, she stood and shook out her limbs.

  "Ready to go find those babies?"

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Still feeling weak, Willow piled into a van with Lex, Chase, Michael, Dex, and Gabe. Since Michael was blood-connected to Samuel, they could keep watch on where he was, to be sure he didn't know personally what they were up to. They couldn't know if he had more help spying on them, but it was the best they had. Lex insisted that Dex and Gabe come, and to be honest, Willow agreed.