Children of the Moon: Book Six

by Yvonne Robertson

“What about the counselor?” Lukas asked.

  “Julia Decker is still in a bad way but we think she will make it. She is being guarded and they will alert me as soon as she can speak. He may have said something in front of her but I think it’s a slim chance.” Jay added.

  “I need to do something to help find her,” Connor said, the frustration evident in his voice.

  “The best thing you can do is to go home and wait until we have a lead.” Jay didn’t pull any punches. “I promise to keep both of you in the loop, every step of the way.”

  Lukas looked as happy about being dismissed as he did but he also knew Jay was only trying to do his job and their constant questions would only slow him down.

  “Okay, we will get out of your hair for now, but I want to know the minute you have anything on her whereabouts, anything at all.” Connor limped back toward Lukas’s truck.

  “I promise,” Jay called out.

  They climbed inside the truck and turned around to head back up the mountain. Lukas cursed and brought his fist down on the middle of the steering wheel and Connor was surprised it hadn’t split in two. There was a trickle of blood spilling onto his jeans but he didn’t notice and Connor thought there was no need to fill the silence with inane chatter. They both felt helpless that she was missing, taken by a psychopath who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted from her.

  Hope ushered them both inside and insisted they eat.

  “I know you’re not hungry but we need to be able to go at a moment's notice when we have a lead and you both need to keep your strength up.”

  “You're not going anywhere near that maggot, Hope, not in your condition. Neither are you,” Seann said as he came into the room and Bree opened her mouth to speak.

  “I am a good tracker, you need me,” Bree argued with her brother, but she knew she had already lost her argument when Nate shook his head,

  “Seann’s right, Bree. Danvers will use anything against you and I know you won’t put yourself or our babies in danger.”

  Bree sat down deflated and India grinned.

  “I can track too. You and Hope need to chill out here and keep these babies out of harm's way. There will be plenty of opportunity to use your skills after they are born. Let’s face it, there is never a dull moment around here.”

  Hope looked deflated but Nate was right and Lukas didn’t need to be worrying about her as well as worrying about finding his sister.

  Roisin placed two large trays of golden-brown steak and onion pie on the table and a mountain of fluffy mashed potatoes and honeyed carrots. Everyone filled their plates and tucked in and despite the somber occasion, the food was gone in a matter of minutes.

  Connor forced himself to eat the meal but shook his head when Roisin offered him a slice of chocolate and raspberry cake for dessert. She was a great cook but he wasn’t doing it justice. His stomach was churning uncontrollably, wondering where Summer was.

  “Eat, Connor!” India put the slice in front of him. “When we get on the road, we may not have a chance to eat again. Plus, the more you eat, the quicker you will heal, you know that.”

  “Yes, boss.” He couldn't help but smile at his brother's mate. India was tough and sassy and was a great fit for Garrett. She was becoming like a little sister to him, just like Rylee.

  “Don’t fight it, bro. When Indie sets her mind to something it’s easier to just go along.” Garrett pulled his mate onto his lap.

  Connor scoffed the cake in three bites and poured himself another coffee.

  Despite his obvious anxiety, Lukas was smiling at their antics. He told them that this pack was the closest thing he had ever had to an extended family and since his father and stepmother had passed away, there was only him and Summer. He loved living here with them and he just wanted Summer back so that they could all get on with their lives.

  Lukas’s cell phone rang and he answered and stepped out into the hallway so that he could hear. His puzzled expression probably meant that he didn’t recognize the number or the caller ID but with Summer gone he couldn’t take any chances it may be about her.

  Connor stood up quickly when Lukas came back into the room and everyone fell silent. His jaw was clenched and it didn’t look as if he was the bearer of good news. Hope went to his side as everyone fell silent to hear what he had to say.

  Connor held his breath as he said a silent prayer to the goddess.

  “As you know Summer and I had different mothers and when her mom married my dad she left her coven to live with him as they disapproved of the match. That was her aunt, Daria Blackwood, her mother’s younger sister. Her daughter went missing from a shopping trip with her friends two days ago. The man who took her was driving a dark gray truck, the same one that I believe Danvers took Summer in.”

  “You think Rob has taken this girl too?” Lexi said, her fists clenched and her cheeks pink.

  “Yes, her name is Raven Blackwood. She is only sixteen years old but is the most gifted young witch in the coven and as Summers' cousin, he can also use her as leverage to get Summer to do what he wants. She called to ask for my help, not knowing that Summer is also missing.”

  Lukas’s eyes were glowing and Connor knew he was only holding on by a thread.

  Hope put her arms around him and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mate's calming influence was immediate but Connor knew the list of people wanting to kill Danvers was getting longer by the minute and he didn’t want to be at the end of the line, he wanted to be front and center.

  “We are still no further forward in locating them though,” Imogen said quietly as she rocked baby Cian in her arms. “I wish I could see something but my visions are sporadic at best.”

  “The witches have no idea where they have been taken either but her mother is working on a locator spell to try and track down her daughter and her niece.”

  “A car just pulled into the courtyard and not one I recognize,” Kandis said as she and Liam came in the front door, she had baby Addison in her arms.

  She handed her little daughter to Bree and went back outside to greet their visitor.

  Connor got up and paced the room to loosen up the muscles in his thigh. He was glad Rafe wasn’t here to chastise him about resting it more, not that it would have influenced his decision any, but he didn’t want to fight with the doc when he was only trying to help.

  He went into the kitchen and took a soda from the refrigerator and popped the top. He had never felt so useless and the inaction was driving him crazy.

  “Guys, you need to hear this.” Kandis came back inside with an older gray-haired woman on her arm who looked scared to death.

  “Eleanor!” Hope stood up to greet the old lady who had the craft shop next door to Summer’s store. “I have never seen you outside, what’s going on, why have you come all the way out here?”

  “I never wander further than my backyard, dear. Haven’t done so in many years.” She sank into the chair that India held out for her.

  Bree offered her coffee and they all waited patiently while she added some honey, took a sip and then looked around the room.

  “Summer has been trying to get in contact with you but I guess I’m the only other telepath in town. It started about an hour ago and the messages have been coming in stronger each time. She is okay for now and is being held with another young witch in a very nice house somewhere out in the country. She wants me to describe it to you all, see if anyone recognizes it.”

  Connor leaned against the wall and waited as she described the two-story mansion to the best of her abilities, the layout she had seen so far, the furniture and the decor, but she didn’t have much more to go on yet.

  No one seemed to know where it was and Connor was getting frustrated.

  “Did she say anything else, anything at all.?”

  The old woman chuckled.

  “Only that whoever planted the rows and rows of perfectly straight trees at the back of the property didn’t gel very well with mother n
ature and that her brother would have hated it.”

  Finn gasped and looked at his sister.

  “Mom said that they sold that house years ago, could Rob have been the one to buy it?”

  “What house, what are you talking about?” Connor demanded to know.

  “My father owned a country house but he never spent any time there since he got elected to the senate and Lexi and I always hated the straight lines and the rigidity of the forest at the back of the house so we never went there. Neither did our mother, she much preferred living in the city and it allowed our father free reign to shift away from her prying eyes. He said he sold it years ago, but maybe he gave it to Rob, he was the chosen one after all.”

  “Where is this house?” Seann demanded.

  “About an hour north of the city. If we go across country, we could be there in a little over two hours,” Finn said.

  “Liam, Garrett. Get everyone into teams and let's ship out of here, you have fifteen minutes. Kandis, let Jay know what’s happening and ask your Mom to come here and help with the kids and get a full security team up here to protect them. Eleanor, you are welcome to stay here too until we all get back. In fact, it would help us enormously if you could communicate with Summer and let her know that help is on the way,” Seann softened his voice as he addressed the older woman.

  “I am happy to help. I may be agoraphobic but I can still make myself useful. I could start by holding this little one.” She held out her arms to Imogen and she placed little Cian in her arms.

  Let’s go, people!” Garrett said quickly, taking charge. “Liam, Kandis and Lukas will take team two with them, Seann, India, Connor, Finn and myself will take team three. Team one and everyone else will be here to protect the Den. Any questions?”

  “I’m coming too!” Imogen stood up. “He threatened me and my daughter, I am coming with you.”

  Seann looked as though he was going to argue then shook his head.

  “Finn, go with Liam’s team, Imogen can come with us.”

  Connor felt the adrenaline course through him, he was going to find Summer and bring her home again. If Danvers had hurt a single hair on her head he would rip out his beating heart with his bare hands.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Summer

  Dinner had been torture, but she had managed to play along and ate just enough to keep her strength up. She had been sending out telepathic messages for the last two hours and the only person she had been able to connect with was Eleanor. Her messages were getting through and Eleanor had made the trip out to the Den to tell the pack what was going on. She knew they would be here in a couple of hours and she had to be careful not to give the game away. Danvers was nobody’s fool. More important than anything else she knew Connor was alive and her heart ached with relief.

  She had tried and failed to get Danvers to allow her access to Raven under the premise of finding out her abilities. He refused, saying they could get together tomorrow and work from the basement. The thought of being trapped in the basement again brought back terrifying memories of her imprisonment before and the things he had done to her. His favorite punishment had been to strip her naked and let the guards ogle her while she was in her cell or working on spells. She had never been ashamed of her body but the lewd comments they threw her way made her feel like a piece of meat. The thought of him treating Raven the same way made her feel nauseous, she was still barely a child.

  She had been beaten too but he had never done the dirty deeds himself, instead watching as his guards had rained blows on her. He had used her and Annalise against each other, having them cast spells to prevent the other from harming him or his men.

  She paced the floor impatiently as she waited for Connor and Lukas to arrive. She had no doubt that they would both be leading the charge to come to her rescue. Her independent nature should have been offended that she was relying on being saved by the men in the pack but Summer had never had a problem with admitting that there were stronger people around her. Besides, the quicker she was away from this awful man, the better she would feel. She hoped that Raven was doing okay too and wished she could reassure her. The kid had looked terrified which meant she was smart.

  Eleanor’s voice shook her out of her daydreams. Connor, Lukas and a whole bunch of other pack members were almost here and they wanted to know exactly where in the house she was being held. She was so grateful that Eleanor could hear her!

  Summer went to the window and peered down to make sure she wasn’t being watched before pulling up the blinds and putting her hands flat against the glass. She chanted a simple spell and the glass began to flicker, giving off a pale purple glow. She closed the blinds again and pulled the heavy brocade drapes just in case Danvers should come back to snoop around some more.

  She closed her eyes and forced her mind to empty as she sent a message back to Eleanor to relay to the others in her rescue party. They should find her easily now with the glowing light in the window, but she needed to be ready to go as soon as they got here. She sent a silent prayer to the goddess that none of Danvers’ men would see the light before then.

  She pulled on a pair of jeans, a pale blue sweater and pulled the laces tight on her running shoes. She packed a few of her personal possessions in a small backpack she found at the back of the closet. She would need to leave her case and most of her clothes behind when she went. The backpack too if it came right down to it.

  She risked another peek outside through the blinds, but the night was still and she couldn’t see anyone out there. She wished she knew where they were holding Raven too because she wasn’t leaving here without her. They had both been brought upstairs so she was in one of the other bedrooms in this corridor but probably not right next door, Danvers wouldn’t want to risk them communicating with each other before he was ready. Everything always had to be on his terms, that much hadn’t changed.

  She heard voices in the corridor and she stuffed the little bag under the bed and pulled the quilt up to her neck to hide her outdoor clothes. The voices were getting nearer so she closed her eyes and forced her breathing into a slow even rhythm in case Danvers decided he would come inside. He had never much cared for her privacy when she was his prisoner before and she had no reason to think that would have changed. The fancy room she was staying in didn’t make her any less a prisoner than the dark cell she was held in before.

  They moved on past her door and she breathed a sigh of relief. The voices belonged to two of the guards and not Danvers, but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t check on her himself at some point tonight. The sooner the pack got here, the better.

  She went back to the window and peered out into the night and something caught her eye in the distance. She stared intently at the spot until she saw it again.

  A white wolf! Imogen was the only white wolf she had ever known, the pack was here.

  “I see them, Eleanor,” she whispered.

  Her heart raced as she watched a few other wolves briefly show themselves before they disappeared back undercover.

  The waiting was the worst but she had no choice. As soon as Danvers knew they had company, he would come for her and use her as a shield to protect himself. She searched the room for a weapon but there was nothing here that she could use with any real effectiveness..

  Eleanor’s voice filled her head telling her to hide until the coast was clear.

  She looked in the closet and then the bathroom and decided on the latter, at least the door had a lock. It wouldn’t hold against a fully grown wolf but any time she could buy was better than nothing. There was a heavy oak dresser against the far wall and she managed to push it across the carpet and onto the tiled floor of the bathroom. She went inside and positioned it just behind the door, leaving a gap wide enough for her to dart through should Danvers or any of his men come looking for her.

  She went back to the door and put her ear against it but couldn’t hear anything but the pacing of the guard as he walked back and forth. She timed him an
d he was just outside her door approximately every four minutes. She listened until he disappeared around the corner of the hallway again and timed him until his footsteps were on this side of the hallway once more. She only had one minute and thirty seconds max to get downstairs if she could ever get the door unlocked.

  She pressed her cheek against the door and tried spell after spell but nothing budged. Why the hell hadn’t she kept up with her craft. Selling potions, lotions and smudge sticks was one thing but this was who she was and her lack of pride in her work may very well cost her dearly.

  “Think Summer, think!” she was frustrated.

  Suddenly the lock on the door clicked and Summer sprinted for the bathroom before one of the goons could grab her.

  “Stop, Serena.” A female voice carried softly on the air.

  She turned to see an older version of Raven. She would have known her anywhere, this was Raven’s mother and her mother’s sister.

  “Aunt Daria!”

  “Come, we don’t have much time before the guard comes back,” she urged.

  “One minute and thirty seconds.” Summer said as she grabbed the backpack from under the bed and followed her aunt out through the door and closing it gently behind her.

  They stopped at the first door at the top of the stairs and Daria ushered her quickly inside where Raven was waiting. She closed the door and Summer held her breath as they listened to the guard’s steps getting closer and closer toward them again.

  Summer put her ear to the door and when the guard turned and the steps were fading she gestured 3.2.1 with her fingers and they slipped out into the corridor and down the staircase turning at the bottom toward the kitchen and the back door. The rear of the house was in complete darkness but Summer’s shifter genes gave her superb eyesight as well as super-sharp hearing and she led them quietly to the back door without knocking anything over.

  Daria stepped forward and chanted a spell to unlock the door that gave way with ease.

  Kandis was waiting right outside the door and Summer had never been so glad to see anyone as she was to see the tough as nails blonde. Kandis could handle herself against any wolf, even Rob Danvers.