by Lora Edwards
He went back to his job, the worry about her still present in his mind. He liked her, and he wanted her to be safe.
Chapter 20
Ovidia groaned and attempted to rub her gritty eyes. They popped wide open when she realized she was unable to pull her hands from her sides. Panic started to set in, and then she inhaled slowly. She would not panic. If she had been roofied at the club, the human was going to pay; he had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. She blinked once then again, and it came back to her—that voice, cultured with an English accent.
Stanton.
“I am so glad to extend my hospitality to you once more, Miss Valkyrie. Rest assured that this time I have taken better precautions to ensure that you will not be able to contact the institute again. Those mirrors, they are clever. I have my men working now on finding out how they function, and then I will have an in to your world, one more step in my domination over you unnaturals.”
“They will find me, don’t you worry. This is going to be the end of you and your little society,” Ovidia growled at him.
“Maybe me, but not my society. It is growing. More and more are on board, and soon you will be but a memory. You can cut off the head of a snake, my dear, but the body, it still wriggles for a time, and the body of this snake is very prepared for my death.”
Ovidia looked at him, loathing shining in her eyes. “You will not win,” she said through clenched teeth.
He just stood there, continuing to stare at her, the madness plain in his eyes.
“Why did you come here? You got away.” It was the burning question that had been flitting around her brain since she realized where she was and who had taken her.
“You, my dear. You, and you played right into my hands. I couldn’t have asked for an easier setup than a crowded dance club. I imagine you haven’t even been missed yet.”
“What about me is so special to you?”
“I have never had a Valkyrie before. Your kind is strong and elusive, with most of you staying in your home world where you belong. When I found out what you are, I was giddy with delight. I couldn’t wait to peel back your skin and learn all about your kind, your weaknesses and strengths, ways to defeat you. When you so rudely interrupted my plans, it enraged me. I had to have you,” he said, smiling sweetly.
“How did you get here?” Ovidia continued to try to think, her brain waking up from the fuzziness caused by the drug.
“I developed a serum a few months ago, distilled from the blood of those supernaturals who can walk through time without the aid of mirrors and incantations. It is a mix of fae and dragon, and now with your blood, I can make it stronger. I hadn’t had a reason to put it to the test but then you ran from me and it gave me a reason. It worked perfectly.” He sneered at her.
Ovidia felt her face drain of color. Enough of this. It was time to fight back. She reached to her side for her sword but just like before at the manor house, she was unable to call it forth. She tried again and again, but the action, which was normally as natural as breathing, wouldn’t come.
He watched with a smug grin on his face. “I think it is time for me to end this little chat. It is time for you to go back to sleep until I can arrange for a safer, more secure place for us. This time has so many possibilities.”
She shakily got to her feet. She may not have had her sword, but she could still fight. She still had her skills.
She walked steadily forward, following him as he went to walk out of the small room she was in, a rundown hotel, if she was correct. He suddenly turned, a small weapon in his hand, and before she could react, he pulled the trigger. She looked down at her hand and saw a small dart sticking out then felt herself start to sway and her vision narrow to black.
He watched in satisfaction as she slowly slumped to the floor then he left her lying there. The dart would only last a few hours, and he had to act quickly.
Chapter 21
Erik paced up and down the hallway in front of Armand’s office, determined to have it out with Ovidia before the debriefing. He should have told her about the alliance, and that none of that had mattered to him, that he had loved her and wanted to be with her, that he was confused and that was why he didn’t pursue her when his brother took up the mantle of the kingdom.
Looking down at his watch again, he growled. She was never late for anything; it was their way. As the minutes ticked past and the time for the debriefing came and went, a niggle of worry worked its way into his brain.
Striding into the room, he didn’t spare a glance for Armand’s admin, instead barging into the office. “Where is she? Did you send her out on another mission,” Erik snarled at Armand.
He looked placidly back at the other man, ignoring Flynn and Delphine’s shocked looks.
“I assume we are discussing Miss Valkyrie,” Armand asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Who else? She’s never late, so she must have contacted you,” he snarled again.
“No, in fact, she hasn’t, and that is worrisome. Please have a seat Erik. We will get to the bottom of this.” Armand reached for the phone on his desk and dialed.
“Hello Hugh? Is Teagan with you? Great, can you please put her on?”
Armand was silent for a moment while the phone was passed from Hugh to Teagan.
“Teagan, have you talked with Ovidia today? We are having the debriefing and she is not here.”
He listened to her response, his brow furrowing. Erik felt every muscle in his body tighten. He knew there was something wrong; he could just feel it.
Armand placed the phone back in its place and looked at Erik.
“Teagan saw her last night for dinner, and Ovidia said she was coming to see you. Teagan has not heard from or seen her since that time.”
“She did come to see me, and there was a misunderstanding. She then stormed out of the building and I let her go so she could cool off.” His voice trailed off as the guilt set in.
“Erik,” Armand said sharply, “she is a trained Valkyrie—in most situations she would be able to handle herself better than most that I know. Teagan is going to Ovidia’s apartment now to see if she is there. She has a key to the place so she won’t be roasted alive by magic when she attempts to gain entrance without Ovidia being present.”
“So we just sit here and wait, hoping she forgot or slept in?” Erik stared at Armand’s passive face, not believing the man could be so calm.
“Yes. We do not want to go off on a tear if she is just sleeping or has lost track of time training.”
“Has that ever happened before? Has she ever lost track of time,” Erik asked, a hopeful note entering his voice.
Armand lowered his gaze to the desk, the worry line on his forehead becoming more pronounced. “No, she hasn’t,” he said quietly.
The room fell silent as they stared at the phone, waiting for Teagan’s report. Erik paced the room like a lion in a cage, a thousand thoughts going through his head. He needed to find her and explain, make her understand that he missed her, that he needed her in his life. She couldn’t be gone now that they had found each other again.
The shrill ringing of the phone stopped his pacing.
Armand picked it up and put it to his ear. Through the phone, Erik could hear the panic rising in Teagan’s voice as she told Armand there was no sign of Ovidia, that the clothes she’d been wearing the night before were still missing from the closet. There wasn’t any sign that Ovidia had returned to the apartment after their dinner.
Armand replaced the receiver and looked at Erik. “Now we worry. Teagan is on her way, and she knows the most about Ovidia’s habits and goings on. We will get information from her and then we will act.” Armand picked up the receiver again, dialing a number and ignoring the others in the room.
“Hello, Stuart. Yes, it’s Armand. Can you please come to my office? I have a situation I believe your specific talents are going to be needed for. Thank you.” He hung up. “We will find her Erik, and God help whoever has her if she gets l
oose of them.”
The door burst open and Teagan rushed through, a wild look in her eyes. “She isn’t there and she isn’t answering her phone. I have a really bad feeling about this.” She turned her desperate gaze on Erik. “We have to find her,” she said, her eyes turning accusing. “What did you do? She said she was coming to see you after she left me at my door.”
“We had a misunderstanding and she stormed out of the building. Teagan, where would she go?”
Teagan stood there, her eyes staring into the distance as she thought. Then her eyes shined in fury.
“Club Diablo—she loves to dance there, and they have cute bartenders. She would have gone there if you had a fight. Dancing is one way she cools off,” Teagan said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Erik another glare.
He ignored it. He deserved anything she threw at him. This was his fault; if he had come clean with Ovidia when they had first started the mission, none of this would be happening.
“Then we start there.” Erik strode toward the door.
“Wait,” Armand called out, meeting the fire in Erik’s gaze with a cool look.
“Wait? Every minute we wait could make it too late. We have no idea what has happened to her or if she’s still alive.” He choked out the last part. Her being gone was unfathomable.
“She isn’t dead—I would feel it. We have a bond.” Teagan looked at Erik with slightly less hostility. “It’s something from the fae side that was enhanced by the dragon power I gained when I married Bran. Because I have strong feeling for Vid, I always have a vague sense of her. If she were dead, it would disappear, and I can still feel her here.” Teagan rested her hand on her heart.
Erik let himself relax a fraction. Behind him, the door slowly opened. He turned to see a man coming in, his eyes widening at the crowd already assembled in the office.
“Ah Stuart, please come in.” Armand gestured for the man to come farther into the room.
“Stuart, this is Erik, Teagan, Flynn, and Delphine. Stuart has a unique talent of being able to see where someone has been. Teagan, did you bring something of Ovidia’s?”
Teagan nodded, pulling a necklace out of her pocket.
Upon seeing it, Erik blanched. “Her betrothal ring,” he whispered.
The sapphire and diamond ring had been strung on a chain, and the gem winked in the light.
“You said you needed something with a strong emotional attachment,” Teagan said, not looking at Erik.
“That will do perfectly,” Stuart said, reaching out to take it. “With this, I will be able to track her movements at any point in the past. Is there a certain time period you’re looking for,” he asked Armand.
“Yesterday from around nine PM forward,” Erik answered, cutting off the director.
“I will need to go to the place she was last seen,” Stuart replied, clutching the ring in his hand.
“Erik, you go with Stuart and retrace Ovidia’s steps. If you find out where she’s been taken, let us know and we will send reinforcements,” Armand said quietly. He looked at the rest of the people assembled. “The debriefing is rescheduled. You are free to go.”
Delphine and Flynn stood up and went over to Erik.
“When you find out where she’s being held, call and we will come as your backup.” Delphine squeezed Erik’s hand and they left.
“Bran and I will come as well,” Teagan said, giving Erik one more fierce look before she strode out of the office.
He would have some amends to do there, but first he needed to find Ovidia.
“Let’s go Stuart.” Erik left the office, Stuart following close behind.
As the door clicked shut behind them, Armand ran his hands through his hair. He was very fond of Ovidia, and he hoped she was found safe and unharmed. Those that had taken her were in for a nasty shock—kidnapping one of the institute was grounds for immediate retribution, and blood would be spilled before night fell again; his vampire side told him that much. He just hoped it was the enemy’s and not that of a friend.
“Here is where we had our last confrontation. She strode off toward the elevators,” Erik informed Stuart.
The other man just nodded and closed his eyes. He stood still for several long moments. Just when Erik was about to break the silence, the other man’s eyes flew open.
They were lit with a strange green light.
“Come,” he told Erik in a deeper tone of voice than he had used before when they were in Armand’s office.
Stuart started toward the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor. They rode down in silence, Stuart’s blazing green eyes moving back and forth as if he watched something only he could see.
Stepping out of the elevator, Stuart pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and slipped them over his eyes as they left through the front doors of the institute. Stuart slid into the car waiting for them and Erik followed.
“Club Diablo,” Stuart intoned to the driver, and they smoothly moved into traffic. The air in the vehicle was tense, but neither man moved to break the silence. Stuart appeared to be concentrating, and Erik was fervently hoping this would work.
The car stopped at the curb in front of the club and both men exited. It was closed, which made sense as it was late morning.
The two men stood there, Stuart stock-still as he took in the scene.
“Hey, are you guys cops?”
They turned to see a handsome sandy-haired man approaching them.
“No, are you looking for the police,” Erik asked impatiently.
“Yeah, I work at the club and I think something happened to one of the women who is a regular here.”
Erik narrowed his eyes and with a slight nod from Stuart, he asked, “What was the woman’s name?”
Sandy-haired guy frowned and stood a bit taller. “If you aren’t the cops, why should I tell you?”
Erik grabbed him, ramming him up against the building. “Look punk, I’m looking for someone. It’s important that I find her before something bad happens, and if it does because you won’t tell me what I need to know, it will not end well for you.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Ovidia. Her name is Ovidia.”
Erik’s eyes bored into other man’s. “What happened?”
“She came to the club last night, seemed upset. We flirted and I thought maybe this time she would follow through.” His eyes widened even more as Erik’s grip tightened. “I gave her the drink she ordered then she went out on the floor to dance. A while later I saw a man half dragging her off the dance floor, saying she’d had too much to drink, but I had only served her one and she always came to me. I jumped over the bar and went after them but by the time I made it to the door, they were gone. I called the police and they came to the club, said they would look for her. That was last night, and they haven’t been back.”
Erik released the man and shook his hand. “Thank you. I’m sorry for the rough treatment.”
“It’s all right. It’s obvious that you care about her. Please do me a favor—if you find her, can you let me know? I just want to know she is safe.”
Erik nodded and watched as the man went back into the empty club.
“This way,” Stuart said, pointing toward an alley behind the building.
Erik followed him as he led, twisting and turning through narrow streets and winding alleys.
Stuart abruptly stopped next to a wooden door in the back of nondescript building.
“Here, this is where her trail from yesterday stops, at this door. I can feel that it continues beyond it, but I believe we agreed to call for reinforcements at this point,” Stuart said, giving Erik a slight smile.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Erik fired off a quick text to the institute then put it away and looked at Stuart.
“It’s done, but I am not waiting.” Before Stuart could protest, Erik jerked the door open and vanished into the black interior.
It was pitch black and cold; Erik felt the chill of the stones aro
und him. He whispered an incantation and a cold blue sphere of light glowed softly above his hand. He pushed it up and out then the orb danced around above him, lighting his surroundings. Boxes and crates were stacked all around the room. If he had to guess, he’d say he was in the back of a storefront of some kind.
He heard the faint sound of voices and moved closer to them, seeing a set of stone steps in front of him. Extinguishing the light, he slowly made his way down them, hugging the wall and pulling out a gun from underneath his shirt.
As he descended, the voices became clearer, and he heard the sweet sound of Ovidia’s voice lowered to a growl of anger. He allowed himself a quick smile. Whoever had chosen her to abduct was going to learn the hard way that they had tangled with the wrong woman.
Reaching the end of the flight of stairs, he stopped and peeked around the corner. He saw Ovidia on the floor, her hands and feet bound in silver chains, her eyes alive with malice.
In front of her stood a man dressed in a nice suit and tie, bowler hat perched on his head. He seemed somewhat old-fashioned, but he looked familiar.
The man turned a bit, and Erik had to try hard to hold in a gasp. Stanton.
His foot brushed the stone step and made a small scuffing noise.
Stanton turned farther and looked at the hallway. “Erik, so good of you to join us. Please come, we have a spot picked out for you,” Stanton said.
Erik came swiftly around the corner, gun at the ready, but Stanton was faster and prepared. As Erik raised the gun, he felt a pinch and a sting then the world went black.
“I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t wait for you—he just went barreling in there,” Stuart said to the assembled members of the institute.
“Men—why do you have to be so hotheaded,” Teagan asked, rolling her eyes.
“I would have gone in after you, my heart. Nothing could have kept me out here and waiting,” Bran said, looking into her eyes.
Teagan felt her heart swell for the man beside her. “I know you would have,” she said softly, squeezing his hand.