Disappearances

Lake

Just after midnight, Sylas and I finally reach the spot where I buried my most prized possessions at the beginning of winter.

I try my best to get Lynne to shift, but she’s as silent as ever.

“What are you doing?” Sylas asks as I bend down and begin to dig the soil up.

“Well, my wolf is being a brat, so I have to do this barehanded,” I reply. This ground is so much harder without claws.

“You can’t shift on a whim?”

“Shifting takes both parties, Sylas.” I grunt as I’m finally able to see the box containing my items. “Just as Lynne can’t be in my form without my consent, I can’t be in hers. It’s a mutual respect between counterparts.”

“So, your wolf’s name is Lynne?” Sylas asks. “I hope to see her someday.”

I ignore his comment and pull the heavy box from its hole. The dirt is easily swept off the top with my hand.

Inside lies a backpack with my father’s books and some toiletries. Underneath that is an outfit sewn by a friend of mine, Oliver. Her skills with a needle and thread are magical.

“I need to change.” I stare at Sylas, who returns my look blankly.

“Oh! My bad!”

The stupid vampyre walks away with his back turned. I watch him closely until he’s out of view, then slip off my dress.

I linger in my underwear for a moment. The crystal around my neck is glowing purple. This means my mate is at a distance that I can’t get to easily. It lies just over my mating mark, which I rub lightly.

“Lake, you may want to hurry!” Sylas calls. “I sense at least three males coming this way. And fast!”

I quickly slip on the outfit. It’s a high-necked black short suit tailored to every curve of my body, with a diamond cutout that reveals my mark. Oliver also included a belt with a communication crystal laced into the fabric.

I slip on the thigh-highs and combat boots she also crafted for me. This outfit makes me look like I’m an assassin wannabe, but it’s all I’ve got this short notice.

“We need to leave.” Sylas appears before me with blood smeared all over his nice outfit. “Now.”

With no direction to go but north, off we go.

***

“I think we lost them for now,” Sylas says several hours later, wiping sweat from his brow.

We’ve been running all night, constantly pursued by trackers and warriors from the Dark Moon Pack. Every time we deal with one group, another shows up to replace them.

“How the hell does Evin have so many men to dispose of?” I groan. My lungs and muscles are on fire.

“I’ll tell you once we’re in a safe location,” Sylas says.

My eye twitches slightly. I’m tired of having to be patient today.

“We’re obviously not going to get anywhere with this shit situation.” I take a small fiber from my belt and tear the small string. “Time for plan B.”

“Plan B?”

“Shh!” I exclaim. “I need to concentrate!”

Sylas watches me silently. His odd confidence in me is a little unnerving. Derrick is usually one for arguing for the last word, but not this male.

I’m not used to it.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. The fiber in my hands starts to vibrate lightly.

“Lake?” Oliver’s voice rings in my head. “What’s going on?”

“Oliver, I need to get to you fast. I’ll explain when I get there,” I whisper. “Can you help me?”

“Child, of course,” Oliver says. “Do you see that tree with the hole in the trunk?”

I look around and find it. “I do.”

“Take that vampyre and walk into the trunk. You must be quick. I can only hold the portal for a few seconds.”

“There they are!” a voice growls. “We got them now!”

I grab Sylas’s hand and make a beeline for the tree Oliver pointed out. Sylas follows with a bit of a struggle.

“Lake, why are we deadheading for a fucking tree?” he asks.

I ignore him and keep running. Time is too precious for his tedious questions.

Just as two wolves close in enough to catch my leg, I jump and bring Sylas right through the tree with me.

We land and roll into the frozen grass of Oliver’s realm. The smell of death looms in the air.

~Yep. It worked.~

I take a minute to catch my breath. My body and mind are so tired. I need a freaking nap.

“Lake, I’m flattered, but I can’t breathe,” Sylas mumbles beneath me.

I gasp before getting off him. How did I land on him when he was behind me?

“Sorry!” I exclaim. “I don’t know how—"

I’m interrupted by a small stone hitting me square between the eyes. The smell coming from it is a familiar one.

“Oliver, really?” I groan.

“Don’t you, ‘Oliver, really,’ me, young lady.” Oliver’s voice is rougher than usual.

She appears kneeling in front of me. Her eyes are narrowed with disappointment between her locks of red hair.

“I turn my back for four months and you’re once again in trouble!” Oliver scolds. “Not to mention the company you’re keeping.” She eyes Sylas with a look of disapproval.

“Oliver, I really don’t need a lecture right now,” I beg. “Can we rest here for a while? You know the situation.”

Oliver sighs and stands. She crosses her bony arms and looks at Sylas.

“You’re going to be troublesome,” she states. “Come along, children. Benjamin already has food in the works.”

***

The dusty bell over Oliver’s diner door rings loudly as we enter. Sylas trails me closely, an expression of concern on his face. He’s not used to wandering souls like I am.

“Benjamin!” Oliver calls. “Once the food is ready, please bring it out!”

“How has he been lately?” I ask as we take a seat at one of the old booths on the edge of the diner.

Sylas scoots in after me. I’m squished between him and the large window to my right. It desperately needs to be dusted and washed.

“He’s fading more lately.” Oliver sighs. “It’s only a matter of time before he becomes like my customers outside.”

I squint out the window. The innocent customers who used to love this diner were also punished when the Fates invaded this realm. Oliver herself is still rotting away, but she looks the same every time I see her.

I can tell by the bags under her eyes that her magic is fading, though. My heart aches at the thought of her not being around anymore.

Since meeting her at eighteen, Oliver and I have become like mother and daughter. Though she scolds Derrick more than me, she still loves us like her own children.

Benjamin shuffles through the kitchen doors holding a bowl of his signature fruit salad. He sets it down on the table and hovers nearby, swaying back and forth.

“You can return to the back, Benjamin.” Oliver taps his hand. “Thank you.”

I can see the emotions hidden behind her stony expression. Her sadness over Benjamin’s state is palpable.

“So, about this kerfuffle you’ve gotten yourself into, little lady,” Oliver says. “Your mate is the damsel in distress this time, eh? What a plot twist.”

“Not funny, Oliver,” I grumble.

“And your little friend here—he’s interesting,” Oliver adds, turning her attention to Sylas. “This aura is one I haven’t sensed in almost a thousand years.”

“A thousand—” Sylas takes a breath. “Not even the oldest vampyre has lived a thousand years.”

“Sylas, we Celestials live too long to have what you call age.” Olive flips a piece of cantaloupe into her mouth. “Putting that aside, though. What’s your interest in helping my she-wolf?”

~Way to get straight to the point, Oliver.~

“There’s more to it than just helping, miss.” Sylas shifts into a more comfortable position with his arm behind me on the booth.

“Ah, yes.” Oliver nods knowingly. “That thing with the Sun Goddess and Essences. Selene is her name, if I’m to be addressing her correctly. I haven’t met her, but I’ve heard good things.”

“Like what?” I raise an eyebrow. All of this is so foreign to me.

“Shush, my child.” Oliver shoves a grape in my mouth. “You’ll learn that with time.”

“The Dark Moon Pack is up to something,” Sylas explains. “I was undercover, doing some investigating, when this one showed up. Then shit hit the fan, and now I’m here.”

I give Sylas a look. Is he really blaming me for this? And what the hell was he doing investigating my grandfather’s pack?

Sylas takes notice of my confusion. “Vampires in the surrounding area have gone missing. Like, one day they’re out and about, and the next, nothing.”

“The vampires have families, lives, and jobs,” he adds. “Our queen sent me to investigate the disappearances and to bring back any news I could.”

“Wait, ~queen~?” I blink a few times. “Like, a full-on queen?”

“Yes, Lake.” Sylas chuckles at my surprise. “Our queen rules over all vampires. She governs our people to ensure no human knows of our existence—just as your alphas do for individual packs.”

“Huh.” I try to wrap my head around that concept.

“~Anyway.~” Oliver clears her throat. “Queen Sylviana doesn’t usually give direct orders. She has generals for that.”

“Correct, but this area’s vampire population has gone down by over sixty percent, so the queen is taking a personal interest.”

I pop a piece of juicy watermelon into my mouth. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with Derrick and why I can’t get him.”

“Wolves have also gone missing in Dark Moon and the surrounding areas,” Sylas says grimly.

The watermelon turns sour in my mouth. Oliver just looks at me with pity.

“How do you know this?” I ask.

Sylas rubs the back of his neck. “I witnessed some of their...experiments.”

“What do you mean, ~experiments~?” I growl.

“They need the blood of a vampire to complete extractions.”