“At the library,” I answered, handing him the little machine. “I think it masked Lyric and Ransom’s scents because I can’t get a trace on her.”
He lifted it to his nose, and his pupils dilated slightly. “It can’t be…”
“Can’t be what?” Lachlan prompted in a low growl.
“It’s impossible,” Julian muttered to himself, then glanced up at us. “It’s been centuries. I need to be sure. Can I borrow this?”
I nodded, knowing if anyone had a chance of identifying that chemical, it was Julian. Or was it a chemical? There was something herbal in there, too.
“I’ll find you as soon as I’m certain.” Julian walked off without another word, turning left at the fork in the tunnels to head to the archive.
The three of us stood at the glass, watching Gabriel do his best to save our wounded brother, who also happened to be the only person in the world who might be able to tell us just who had taken my mate.
“He’s out of the woods,” Lachlan announced as he walked into the war room six hours later.
“Thank God,” Benedict sagged in relief.
My own shoulders relaxed the barest of inches. Ransom would make it. It had been touch and go there for an hour or two as we’d stared through the operating doors, but he was a tough fucker.
Eight. Fucking. Hours. That was how long my wife—my mate—had been in enemy hands. She was still alive. That bond between us was faint and delicate as a thread of spider-spun silk, but still there. And I still couldn’t scent her. Couldn’t trace her. Couldn’t do a goddamned thing but sit and stare at her phone like it might spontaneously give me the answer to where she was.
“Is he awake yet?” Hawke asked, hot on Lachlan’s heels.
“No. Gabriel said he’d call as soon as he was conscious,” Lachlan answered.
“You’re supposed to be with Avianna.” My gut wrenched into a knot, and I nearly flew out of my chair. I was already missing the love of my life, I sure as hell wasn’t about to lose my sister, too.
“Relax.” Hawke waved me off. “Olivia is back at full strength, and I may have locked them into Avianna’s suite.”
I blinked.
“You what?” Benedict swung around from his seat at the ops station, his brows skyrocketing.
“They’re safer that way. Trust me.” Hawke practically seethed with aggression as he pointed at me. “Your sister is a fucking menace who doesn’t listen to a damned thing anyone else has to say.”
What the fuck? She was a little headstrong, but menace wasn’t quite accurate.
“Little Avianna?” Lachlan fell into his chair and tilted his head at Hawke. “You’re telling me that sweet little girl gave you trouble?”
“Oh, she might look sweet, but trust me—” Hawke started, ripping his hands over his hair and lacing his fingers on top of his head.
An alarm sounded from the ops station, and Benedict swung back to the monitor. “Holy fuck, Alek, we have a problem.”
“Where?” Within a heartbeat we all stood directly behind him, watching the video feed from the security cameras at the edge of the estate.
“Hold on, it will pan back. See? There’s a woman out there, and something tells me she’s not out for a hike in the moonlight.” Benedict pointed to the screen.
Fuck. That knot in my stomach twisted a little tighter.
“That redhead’s not a moon, she’s a fucking space station,” Lachlan muttered. “How the hell did she find us?”
“Is that—” Hawke craned his head.
“Valor,” I confirmed, already headed back to the table where I’d set my weapons down after cleaning them.
“Lyric’s best friend,” Lachlan filled Benedict in as I holstered my glocks.
There was zero fucking chance her being here was coincidence.
“I’m with you.” Lachlan checked the clip in his own weapon and holstered it.
“Me, too.” Hawke was already strapped.
I nodded once, and they followed me out of the war room.
“Fucking fine, I guess I’ll just stay here?” Benedict called after us.
We wended out as soon as we hit the staircase.
The bite of cold only lasted a few seconds before we materialized just inside of the estate’s glamour, less than a dozen feet away from where Valor was pacing in the headlights of her Mercedes.
I shook my head once, and both Lachlan and Hawke went instantly still at my sides. A few more steps and she’d be able to see us. We’d lose the element of surprise. There was no chance Lyric had given away the location of the estate, which meant Valor had come by the information through other means.
“I know you’re out here somewhere!” Valor shouted down the snow-covered road that appeared to dead-end right in front of her face. “Seriously, this road doesn’t just stop, does it?” She scooped up a handful of snow and molded it into a ball.
“What’s she going to do? Start a fucking snowball fight?” Lachlan shook his head, his voice completely shielded from Valor’s ears by the glamour.
She chucked the damned thing right at his face, but it fell flat, sliding down the glamour like the wall Valor saw it as.
“She would have nailed your ass,” Hawk muttered with a smirk. “Honestly, who names their kid Valor?”
“Pretentious fucks, that’s who,” Lachlan answered, watching the woman rub her hands up and down her arms. “And where the hell is her coat?”
“She’s at the edge of our compound, and you’re worried about her coat?” Hawke shot a hefty what-the-fuck glance at Lachlan.
I didn’t take my eyes off Valor. If she knew something, we were wasting time. If she didn’t, we’d give away one of the greatest secrets our species held. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t know something.
“Damn it, come on!” she shouted. “I’m not out here at four-thirty in the fucking morning for fun!”
“She has a good point,” Hawke noted, folding his arms across his chest.
“You can’t be serious,” Lachlan growled. “Alek, it’s against the laws of our kind to expose—”
“I know our fucking laws,” I snapped. “My wife is missing, Lachlan.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” My level-headed second flexed his jaw.
“I’m not losing my mind!” Valor yelled, her teeth starting to chatter as she reached into her back pocket.
Both Lachlan and Hawke palmed their weapons.
Valor pulled out her cell phone.
“Says the woman with no coat,” Lachlan muttered.
“I know you’re out here, Alek!” She flipped her cell phone’s screen up toward the trees, as if she knew there would be cameras watching—which there were. We just happened to be closer. “See?”
Every muscle in my body locked. Fuck the rules, we had to bring her in.
“I put a tracker on Lyric’s phone, and it’s pinging loud and clear beyond this hill!” She shook the phone, or maybe she was just cold. It was hard to tell with humans.
“Fuck,” I snapped, my hands forming fists as the ounce of hope I’d let myself feel drained out of my heart. Ockham’s razor: the simplest answer was the truth. Just because Valor knew where Lyric’s cell was didn’t mean she knew where Lyric was.