James paced up and down on the terrace like a man possessed. The entire group watched on from the kitchen, utterly helpless and at a complete loss as to what to do. They’d never seen him like this. James was capable. Their leader. Their friend.
“This is killing him,” Kat whispered to the tense group huddled around her.
“There is no greater pain in the world than what he is feeling right now,” Adele whispered back as she grabbed hold of Damian’s hand and squeezed tightly.
“We have to do something!” Isabella cried. “It’s not healthy to be acting like this. I’m worried about him.”
Damian reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “There isn’t anything we can do to help him other than find Ally and return her to his side.”
“But you two were separated for fifty years and Adele seemed to manage just fine.”
Adele snorted at her indifferent attitude towards losing a soulmate. “Isabella, you didn’t see me when I lost him. I was as lost as James is right now, but I had something that in the end forced me to see past myself and my pain.”
“Which was?” Isabella asked.
“My daughter, Vivienne,” Adele answered with a side glance at Damian. “That baby growing inside me meant more than my own suffering, my own loss…my own life. I would have done anything to protect her. But it took a few months before I could pull myself together to even function. So it’s not as easy as all that, but it can be done if you have the will.”
“Well as far as we know James doesn’t have a baby growing inside him to keep him going,” Chase remarked with the tiniest grin.
“Shut up Chase,” Isabella shot back. “I can’t just sit here and watch this! Screw it, I’m going out there. If he kills me then so be it. At least he can dwell on something else besides waiting for a message from Ally.”
Adele let out an exasperated sigh.
“She’s brave,” Chase begrudgingly admitted. “I’ll give her that.”
Isabella took a deep breath and walked outside to face down her brother.
“Go away Isabella,” he fumed without stopping his pacing or looking up at her.
“No,” she replied defiantly.
Finally he stopped and looked at her. “Have you all lost your minds? First of all I can read minds so I can hear all the conversations going on inside that way if I choose. Secondly, in case you’ve all forgotten, we immortals have an incredible sense of hearing. So when you’re standing in the kitchen, which,” he said with great flourish. “Is right next to the God damn terrace, do you really think I wouldn’t hear it?”
“Ah,” Isabella dropped her gaze for a brief moment. “Regardless, it was well intentioned. Everyone is worried about you.”
“I heard,” he said, his voice dripped with sarcasm. He turned to stare at Chase. “And really Chase, ‘James doesn’t have a baby growing inside him,’ Seriously? Just when I was starting to have some respect for you!”
“Sorry,” Chase said quietly with a sheepish grin.
“Argh,” James moaned.
Isabella stepped closer and reached out to touch his arm. “James, please. We want to help you get her back.”
“Really?” James said incredulously. “You don’t even like Ally!”
Isabella flinched back from him as if he’d slapped her. “Would you just look at yourself. Do you really think she would want you alienating everyone because you’re in a bad mood? Get over yourself James. Stop being so God damn self-centred and think about her! You can’t possibly be of any use to her like this. Grow up and snap out of it!”
James opened his mouth to argue but she held her hand up. “I’m not finished yet. Ally is an acquired taste, yes, but I’ve grown to like her. Don’t tell her that though,” she warned. “She’d be holding it over me for years. And if you were thinking clearly you would never have said that. But even if I didn’t like her, do you think this is what I’d want? That this would somehow make me happy? No! I love you, James. You. Are. My. Brother. What hurts you, hurts me. So no of course not. Clearly it’s you that has lost your mind, not us.”
James felt his emotions stretching like a rubber band. Growing tighter with every word that Isabella uttered. Finally it snapped and he walked to the railing, leaned over and hung his head.
She moved to stand next to him. Silently willing him to be the James that Ally needed him to be if he was to find her.
“Thank you,” James whispered.
Isabella looked sideways at him. “What for?”
“For saying what needed to be said. You’re right. I was being selfish, but the truth is I really do feel like I’m dying a little more inside with every hour that passes without her and I don’t know how to stop that.” He took a deep breath and looked out to the mountains that he knew Ally loved so much and tried to draw what strength from them that he could. “It’s not like she’s on holiday and I know that she is safe and sound. Vincent has her. He could be doing anything to her and I’m powerless to help her.”
Isabella squeezed his hand. “I’m not going to pretend that I know what you’re going through, because I don’t. Wherever you are is obviously a dark and painful place to be, but let Ally be your beacon of light. You’re light within the darkness. Let her lead you home, James. Then and only then will you be able to help her. And you’re not in this alone. Every single person here loves her and wants her back safe. Not for the prophecy. I don’t think anyone really cares about that aspect of things right now. But because she is a good person who deserves better than to be a captive of that monster, Vincent.”
James nodded. “You know, you’re just like her sometimes.”
Isabella snorted. “Because we’re both ridiculously good looking?”
James gave a half-smile. “No you’re both stubborn as hell, say exactly what you think, stand up for what you believe is right and have bloody tempers. Nobody else was brave enough to come out here and yell at me while I’m miserable…but Ally would have.”
Isabella started to respond but shut her mouth as she caught the scent of a vampire below them.
They both turned to stare at the creature in shock.
“James Carlisle!” It called out ominously as everyone ran outside to see what was happening.
“Where is she?!” James bellowed at the smirking vampire.
Chase muttered with concern in the background, “Why do I smell petrol?”
“The master has her. She is his to command. You’ll see her once more when the battle comes.” He pulled out a silver lighter.
“Ah,” Chase mumbled. “That’d be why.”
“No,” James roared when he noted the vampire’s intention. “Stop him!”
But it was too late. The vampire grinned even wider and dropped the lighter at his feet. By the time they had reached him, there was nothing but a pile of smoking ash. James kicked it as hard as he could sending flame grilled vampire into the air.
Every face was painted with horror.
Damian recovered first. “Tristan was right…”
“Now what?” James cried. “The only connection we had is now a pile of dust.” He kicked the pile again for good measure.
“Um…Why would he do that to himself?” Mackenzie asked.
“So we couldn’t get him to talk,” Adele answered her.
“Bit dramatic,” Logan mumbled.
“Well that’s Vincent for you,” Chase said staring at the ash.
“Yes, well that’s all bloody wonderful but I repeat, what do we do now?” James fumed and ran his hands through his hair.
“I’ll call Tristan.” Damian pulled out his phone. “Maybe he’ll have some insight.”
“The words,” James thought aloud. “Battle? What battle?”
Nobody knew the answer to that, but they all agreed that it wasn’t good.
Arabella who had joined in at the last moment, being woken from her slumber by the yelling between James and Isabella, spoke up. “One question has been answered tonight.”
“What is that?” James demanded.
“They’re in Scotland,” she said as though it was obvious. “Think about it. A vampire-gram wouldn’t be sent if she was out of the country, would it?”
“Arabella,” James said finally feeling hope again. “You’re a bloody genius!”
The corners of her mouth turned up. “No, just terribly logical.”
“Either way. At least we know that she is somewhere close by.”
James felt like a small weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He could begin to plan his rescue. Even if that was turning over every rock in Scotland.