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GREY
The elevator door opened, and smoke billowed inside.
What the fuck happened? How did someone get passed my wards?
The moss-covered couch had scorch marks on it and as much as I hated the way they redecorated with plants; I missed the flowers that dotted the space.
“Aurelia,” I shouted but there was no sound.
Has she been taken?
My wolf growled in my mind. He would hunt down the bastard who took her if that’s what happened.
“Fiona? Freya? Where is everyone?” I yelled and pushed through the destruction of my home.
A groan in the hall filled my ears and I raced to the lump on the ground. “Reah, where’s Aurelia?”
“Safe, I hope,” she groaned and tried to sit up.
I pushed her shoulder down and pulled out my phone dialing magna.
“On my way, now,” Magna said.
“Hurry,” I barked.
Reah had blood gushing from her head and though she was one of the strongest half-fae’s I had ever met she could still bleed out.
“Where is Aurelia?” I asked again.
“Magicless room,” Reah slurred blinking repeatedly.
I propped her up against the wall and nodded my thanks. It was smart sending her in there since no one else would be able to use magic against her while she was inside.
The destruction continued down the hall but there was no sign of an intruder. There was also no sign of my mate.
I roared as I stomped to the door, and no one was inside the room. The bow was abandoned on the mat, but Aurelia was gone.
My wolf howled in my head and pushed to the surface, my hands turned to claws as I clenched them into fists.
I punched the wall, but my fist bounced off. Blood coated my knuckles but it didn’t stop me from punching it again and again.
A throat cleared behind me and I glared at Magna as I turned. “You knew this would happen. You knew and you still told me to go meet with Dan.”
The seer was just lucky that she was more powerful than me. Why the fuck did she tell me to go?
“No matter how uncertain the future was, this always happened. It was a trigger point in the timeline.” Magna shook her head sadly.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” I shook my hand out.
Blood still oozed from my knuckles but they were already healing.
“It means that no matter the actions of me or others, this was always meant to happen. The rest is up to Aurelia and what she decides to do.” Magna said and sighed.
“You think I’m just going to let this psycho keep my mate?” I scoffed.
There’s a better chance hell will freeze over. She’s mine.
“Think about this, Grey. How did he know that Aurelia was here without you?” Magna asked.
“He’s a seer.” I threw my hands up in the air.
“Is he? Are you sure? Or was he following Aurelia all this time and knew where to find people she had interacted with?” Magna raised an eyebrow.
He’s not a seer? Then how did he know that I was gone?
“Someone told him. Only a handful of people knew I wasn’t here.” I stomped past her to the hall where Reah was propped up against the wall.
The woman’s eyes widened at my angry glare.
“Did you tell this psycho that you were alone with my mate with only a couple sprites for company?” I asked wrapping my hand around her throat and cutting her air off.
“It wasn’t Reah, Grey.” Magna called out behind me.
I spun on her. “That leaves you, Dan, Layla and Karma. If I find out you did this for some favorable future, I will end you, Magna.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared.
“I told you it wasn’t me, Grey. Deep in your gut, you already know who it was.” She shook her head.
No. I refuse to believe its who I suspect. It can’t be. She’s been with me forever.
“You have to be wrong, Magna. It can’t be Layla. She has been my second since we were sent here,” I said and punched the wall again.
Plaster rained down to the floor and I pulled my fist from inside the wall.
“I didn’t say it was Layla. She would make the most sense though, would she not?” Magna shrugged.
“She’s been acting strange since I found Aurelia. She seems almost jealous, but is she really willing to sell us out for Aurelia to be kidnapped?” I ran a hand through my hair.
“It’s how it should be, Grey. Now is the time that you figure out the path you want. Everything you do from here on out is shaping your future, Grey.” Magna said, almost like she was in a trance.
“First, I need to find the sprites. Then we need a plan to find my mate and bring her back.” I stomped off and into the living room.
I turned over the table that was on its side and scorched from elemental magic.
A few of the plants were still smoking and as I walked past them, dread pooled in my gut. If the sprites were unhurt, Aurelia’s plants would have already been in the process of healing.
“Fiona? Freya? Where are you?” I called out as I sifted through the rubble.
Maybe they were in the kitchen when the bastard came in and are simply hiding.
I pushed through the door into the kitchen, and everything was in perfect order.
Why did the man come into the hall and not even bother with the kitchen if he wasn’t a seer? How did he know where to look?
Fuck. It has to be Layla, doesn’t it?
I growled at the betrayal. How could she do this? Is she really so jealous that she would have my mate kidnapped?
I opened the door to the pantry but there was no sign of the sprites. I spun around and moved back to the hall.
“Reah, did you see the sprites?” I asked as I rounded on her.
She was still slumped against the wall. “No, I didn’t see them. I figured they were in the kitchen.”
“They aren’t there,” I grumbled.
“Did you look in all the cabinets?” Reah asked.
I spun around and stormed back to the kitchen. If I didn’t find them hiding in the cabinets, I didn’t know what I would do. I already lost Aurelia; I couldn’t lose them too.
I opened every cabinet in the kitchen, pushing aside pots and pans and dishes. I called out to them to let them know it was safe but there was no answer.
“They aren’t hiding in the kitchen.” I hung my head.
Magna rushed into the room as fast as her old bones could take her and a grin parted her lips.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Those sneaky sprites,” she chuckled. “They’re with Aurelia.”
“How the fuck did they manage that?” I ran a hand through my hair.
“I’m not sure but they are safe and when the time comes, that’s how we find her,” Magna said.
“What do you mean when the time comes?” I growled.
I couldn’t let them stay with that madman. What was she thinking?
“We have no way of knowing where he’s taken them. What do you suggest we do but wait for the sprites to lead us there?” Magna planted her hands on her hips.
She was right but I didn’t want to think about what might happen to her while she was with the psycho.
My wolf snarled in my mind and thrashed in my chest. He was very close to the surface and ready to shift right there.
I took a huge cleansing breath through my nose in an effort to push him back and a scent caught in it.
“That scent. Why is it similar to Aurelia’s?” I asked as I followed the scent down the hall into the magicless room.
“He’s fae, they have similar scents,” Magna called after me.
“This is different. It’s like their scents are tied together somehow. I’m not sure.” I shook my head as I walked over to the bow on the floor and picked it up.
I placed it back on the wall where it belonged and sighed.
Why would their scents be tied together? Who was he to her?
My wolf snarled again and beat against the cage I kept him in. There was no reason for him to lose control when there was no one to punish.
Magna’s soft footsteps followed me to the door but stopped. She hated this room as much as any magic user did.
“Dan needs to come and check this out,” she said nervously.
“I’m not bringing them into my home. They caused this and my wolf will go insane.” I shook my head.
My wolf wanted to hunt Layla and Karma down and destroy them along with the fae who’d stolen our mate. He wasn’t the only one, but I had to do this in a way that they would never see coming.
I couldn’t have my prey fleeing before I got my claws into them.
“Grey, are you sure it’s wise not to call on them when you need help with something like this? You could end up making them suspicious that you know what they are up to.” Magna raised a brow.
“They wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway. It’s a no-magic zone. Karma’s mimic spell won’t work in this room.” I scan the room with a frown.
“It’s worth it to find out where he came in from and what he did before he came down the hall,” Magna said thoughtfully.
She wasn’t wrong but I hated having traitors in my space. How was I going to keep my wolf from tearing them apart when they came in here?
How could I keep them away from Aurelia’s plants and flowers? They didn’t get to enjoy her magic when they were the reason she was gone.
“Fine,” I huffed and pulled my phone from my pocket.
“Boss?” Dan asked on the first ring.
“Are Layla and Karma still there?” I asked.
“Yes, they wouldn’t leave until you came back,” he grunted.
“I need you all to come to the penthouse. There’s been an attack and Aurelia was kidnapped.” I punch the wall again angrier than ever.
“We’ll be right there.” Dan hung up the phone before I could respond.
People need to stop doing that before I let my wolf out and he takes a chunk out of them.
“They’re on their way.” I growled and paced the room.
I didn’t want to touch anything until they got there and started the spell in case it hurt our chances of finding anything useful.
Fifteen minutes of pacing was getting to me when the elevator door dinged and opened to Dan and the others.
“What the hell happened here, boss?” Dan asked with wide eyes.
“I told you we were attacked.” I turned and scanned the room.
I had to turn my back on the women. My wolf was snarling at me, pushing to the surface.
“Not that, I mean yeah, your penthouse is wrecked but is your couch covered in moss?” Dan covered his laugh with a cough.
“Aurelia has been learning a new skill and the sprites got a bit overzealous.” I shrugged.
“Where is Aurelia?” Layla asked from behind Dan.
“She was kidnapped,” I growled spinning on her.
“What?” she asked with wide eyes.
“What about our challenge?” Karma shrieked.
I glared at her. “She’s been fucking kidnapped; what do you think?”
Is this witch for real? She’s making this about her?
“You’re here to do a job and you will do that job without complaint, or you will no longer be welcome or employed at the facility.” I punched the wall again.
They were pushing every button I had and doing a shit job of convincing me they didn’t do this.
They were lucky I was biding my time, but their luck would soon run out.