Braison was sprawled out in the sand like a starfish with Albert sitting on his back and Olli laying on his head. The dogs seemed proud of themselves. They did good work. It almost made me smile…and then I remembered Saffie.
Saffie was trapped inside a metal box, and that one hurt to do. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if someone stole Tegan from me. I would have been inconsolable. I would have destroyed everything to get to her. But I couldn’t let Saffie go after Riah, not when we just got her back. Not when dealing with the fae. We had to make a smart plan to get them back or we’d never make it out of Seelie alive.
Because that was where they went. I didn’t know that for a fact but it was a damn good guesstimation. That opening was not the Seelie tunnel, though it looked similar enough. And if I was right, and they were taken to Seelie, we had to sneak in or we’d be dead.
I glanced around to the others and found everyone an absolute disaster. Most of them seemed to be physically beat up from trying to catch the entire Bishop family. The Bishops were family goals, you take one down and they’ll all attack. Of all the Bishops to take, she took the youngest one. The child. I wanted to scream and rip my hair out. Bentley was my soulmate’s baby brother. My father’s nephew. My best friend’s brother. Hell, by now he was my brother. He didn’t fight. He’d only just begun learning.
But if there’s any kid that can survive the fae it’s Bentley. He’s got enough of Tegan in him to survive. He’s not a dumb kid — my heart stopped as I realized he wasn’t the only kid taken. Amelia and Landy went too. Amelia was one hell of a firecracker but she was no fighter. And Landy…Landy wasn’t even one of mine. She was the kid shifter cousin to the king, a kid who couldn’t even shift. I cursed. I have to call Koth now. DAMN IT. Why didn’t I just send them home?
There was so much shouting and panicking I couldn’t think straight.
“All right. Everyone just calm down.” I held my hands up. “Just breathe for a seco—
Tegan screamed and slammed her fists into the sand. Rainbow magic exploded out of her like an atomic bomb…and everything went bright white.
I hissed and shielded my eyes — but then it was gone. I looked up and gasped. We were back in the living room of my house, my old house here in town. I glanced around to do a body check and make sure we were all here. I saw everyone that hadn’t been taken, and they looked fine. Whatever magic had been placed on them was gone now.
Saffie looked up and her lavender eyes widened as she realized we were no longer on the beach. She jumped up and charged for the door but I jumped out in front of her. She slammed into my chest at full speed. I steadied her shoulders.
“Let me go. Let me go!” She screamed and her voice was raw.
“Saffie—”
“I have to find him! I have to get to him!” She beat against my chest with balled fists. “Ple-e-ease. I have to save him. I have to—”
“Breathe.” I dragged her into my chest, then wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tight. “Breathe, Saffie. We’re going to find him and the others, but we’re going to do it smart.”
She sobbed and crumbled in my arms. That was okay. I wouldn’t judge her for that. I glanced over her tiny little shoulder to my soulmate and found her staring at the kitchen with a blank expression.
“Tegan?”
I lost him. I should’ve been there. I should’ve stopped her, she whispered in my head.
My chest tightened. Dammit. I held my hand out toward her. “Come here.”
She stood and hurried into my arms next to Saffie. I’d never seen Tegan get emotional like this, I’d never seen her lose control like that. Both unnerved me more than I cared to admit, but right now that had to take the backseat.
Because they weren’t the only ones hurting.
My father sat on the floor a few feet in front of me with his head hung between his knees. Timothy and Mona were at his side, trying to cheer him up. Hunter stood, then grabbed Cooper by the back of the shirt and dragged him up to his feet. Cooper let out a broken sounding groan and then collapsed into his father’s arms. Devon rushed to Emersyn and held her tight. A second later, she dragged Em over to where Hunter and Coop were and the four of them gripped each other.
Deacon cursed and sank onto the couch directly beside Emersyn. Royce sat beside him with his hand on his shoulder.
Willow and Chutney were consoling Braison. Albert and Olli were laying between his legs.
Jackson looked a little frost-bitten but he still held a teary-eyed Hope in his arms.
“Give her to me.”
I flinched and turned toward the soft, deep feminine voice. Savannah stood just beside me. She waved her arms between us. “Give her to me. They need you.”
“It’s fine—”
“It’s not.” She shook her head. “Nothing about this is fine and that’s okay. But you’re the only one that’s gonna pull them out of this so we can get them back. Sooo. Gimme.”
I opened my mouth and then shut it. She was right.
“Saffie, come here,” Savannah whispered and gently pulled on her arm.
I loosened my grip and Saffie went right to her. Savannah nodded to me over Saffie’s shoulder, then turned and led her over to the brown sofa on the left side of the room. As Savannah pulled a weeping Saffie into her lap, I reminded myself not to underestimate this civilian. I hadn’t been sure about her in the beginning, with all her rebellion and black magic, but there was a good heart there. Something told me she’d wind up good friends with Tegan in no time.
Tegan growled against my chest and I felt her magic tingle over my skin.
I held her closer, squeezing her as tight as I could. “This is not your fault. There’s nothing you could’ve done besides get yourself killed and then we’d all be screwed,” I whispered in her ear.
She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes and black eyeliner smudged under her eyelashes. She rested her chin on my chest and even though she was glaring I knew it wasn’t directed at me. I forgot.
“Forgot what?”
I forgot I could…I could…teleport. I don’t know, I just panicked and I was scared and I just forgot in that split second and now Bentley’s gone.
I cupped her face in my hands and forced her eyes up to mine. “He is not gone. Just temporarily misplaced. We will get him back. All of them. We will do whatever we have to do, okay?”
She bit her bottom lip, then nodded. “Okay.”
“But I don’t know what that whatever is, babe. We need you.” I kissed her forehead and then stepped to the side to face everyone, though I kept one hand on hers. “Guys…”
Everyone looked up to me and I saw my own emotions reflected in theirs.
Anger.
Fear.
Sadness.
I cleared my throat. “Guys, I know…I know how you’re feeling but we can’t sit here and stew in it. We cannot wallow in our pain, no matter how much we all want to. There are five people who are now counting on us to get them home. So let’s channel all of this we’re feeling into that. Okay?”
“Into WHAT?” Braison cried and tugged on his red hair. He didn’t meet my eyes and I knew why. “We don’t even know who took them or where!”