Kayden sat in silence at Chase's dining room table with his head down. He fought the cold pain in his chest and the tears threatening to shatter his tough-guy image. As soon as the call went out that Dani had been taken, all the warriors fanned out across the city to look for the van that had been used. It had been reported stolen, so the human police were also looking for the vehicle. The human police scanners were being monitored from the Enclave.
Mason and Griffin grimly discussed defense strategies for dealing with the attack that they could expect from whomever would be taking Danielle's life and power that night. How would they defend against someone who could put them down before they could even see him coming? How could they defend against someone who could disable an entire Wrath team at once with just a thought? How could they defend against someone who could read their memories and steal their defense strategies?
Kayden couldn't even begin to pay attention to Mason and Griffin or help plan the next move. His future had just disappeared. She had been stolen in broad daylight, off the street. He should never have trusted Chase to protect her. Chase couldn't even protect her from his own fiancée. Chase had shut himself in his bedroom. He blamed himself for Danielle's disappearance, and he should have.
Debbie entered the dining room with a bag from the dress shop. "Griffin, do you know how to reach Danielle's next of kin? We should notify them and send her belongings." Kayden lifted his head for the conversation.
"Actually, she has no family. There is no next of kin for us to call. Nobody out there will be missing her or wondering where she is tonight," Griffin replied sadly. Chase emerged from his room to stand in the doorway.
"I guess we should give her things to Kayden then?" Debbie walked to the end of the table and set the bag in front of Kayden. She patted him on the back.
"Why would you give it to Kayden?" Chase chimed in.
"She gave me a message for you, Kayden." Debbie turned to address Chase's question. "Her last words before she climbed into that monster's van were for him. She was so brave. She was trying to comfort J. R. the whole time. Right up until he stabbed that needle into her leg." She turned back to Kayden. "Do you want to go talk in the other room?" she asked him.
"No! Tell me now! What did she say?" he barked and then took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just not dealing with this well, Mrs. Deidrick."
"It's alright, Kayden." She stroked his shoulder. "It was clear to me that you and Danielle had a special relationship. She told us you were taking her to the gala as her date, not just as a warrior escort. She was actually wearing the gown she'd tried on for the event when he took her. I guess I should have paid for that gown," Debbie said, her thoughts wandering.
"What did she want you to tell me, Mrs. Deidrick?" Kayden asked, trying to reel her back in.
Debbie reached into her pocket and retrieved the broken necklace with the warrior charm Danielle had given her and dangled it in front of Kayden. He took it and couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"She asked me to give you this. She wanted you to know that she was sorry and said you shouldn't blame yourself. This wasn't your fault."
Nathan felt the glorious thrill of victory when he pulled away from the curb downtown with his quarry unconscious in the back. He'd stolen the van to pull off the abduction. It had gone perfectly. It had been too easy to grab the boy out of the store when he'd stood by the door, looking bored and obviously unattended. Nathan had received a call from a trusted source with information regarding the girl's general location and absence of any warrior protection. How the information was obtained didn't matter. He had been overjoyed when the call came in. He hadn't heard from his master since the day his master had tossed him unceremoniously onto the street. This was Nathan's chance to get back into his master's good graces.
It was a stroke of luck to witness the exchange of affection and playfulness between Danielle and the unknown boy she embraced. It was just what Nathan needed. He knew she wouldn't let anyone harm a kid, if she could prevent it. All he had to do was get his hands on the kid, and the girl would follow. He hadn't done too much damage to the kid. He'd cut just enough to make the girl move faster at the slightest trace of blood on the kid's neck. He had released the boy as soon as she was out, and slammed the door shut, racing away from the scene. He ran a red light to prevent either of the two witnesses from following him.
In the rearview mirror he could see the girl sprawled on the floor in her fancy gown. He laughed, thinking to himself that she was even gift-wrapped. On the other side of town was an abandoned warehouse near the port. His master used it as a holding tank for his men and hostages, as needed. Nathan would go there to get in touch with his master via his guards. Without a valid phone number or address for his master, Nathan had no other option. The area was quiet, but he proceeded with caution. He knew they would see him coming and attack if he weren't careful.
Rounding the last turn, he was shocked to see yellow police tape across the main entrance to the building. He pulled over and went to try the door. It was unlocked, so he pulled down the tape to enter. The place was vacant. There was no one to report his capture to or help him get in contact with the master. What was he going to do with her? Shit, he wasn't sure how much of the drug he had left, but if he couldn't get her to his master, he was sure he had enough to kill her. He wouldn't allow anyone else to steal his glory and turn her in, and he knew he couldn't hold her once she woke. He cursed and stepped out of the warehouse. Nathan opened the driver-side door and climbed into the seat a second before a shot rang out, shattering the window and spraying glass and hot metal into the van.
Chase couldn't take it anymore. They didn't even have a body, and everyone was acting like she was already dead. She'd only been missing a few hours. The warriors and Wrath were still out searching. Kayden, the mighty warrior, should have been out there with them, but he was apparently happy to sit there and be the grieving widower to a girl who didn't even belong to him. It pained Chase that he'd driven Danielle right into Kayden's arms, and there he sat, clutching her shirt to his face.
If he really loved her, Kayden would know she was still alive, the way Chase did. He would feel her energy buzzing in his mind. If he had ever really felt the depth of her soul, he would know her heart still beat strong.
Taking a deep breath, Chase entered Danielle's room. Her scent was so strong in there, it took his breath away. He hadn't been in that room since she moved into his home. The pajamas she'd worn during breakfast were lying across the bottom of the bed. There was a bottle of pink nail polish on the bedside table that matched the shade of the toes he'd admired while she sat with her feet propped up on the chair at his side. Her closet door was open, and he noticed that her clothes were hung neatly by color from darkest to lightest. He didn't know why, but that made him laugh. He opened one of her drawers, and all the socks and underwear were organized in a similar fashion, neatly folded and separated by graduating color. Even her dirty clothes were already separated and ready for the laundry room. She just hadn't seemed that anal to him.
Chase flopped down on the bed and decided to see if he could reach her. They had a connection, and if he tried hard enough, maybe he could find her. Chase realized that he was grasping at straws, but it was worth a shot. He concentrated on her and called her to him in his mind. He reached out further and further to find the unique sound of her voice. Chase concentrated on the sense of oneness they shared when they were joined and communicating, as if they were two parts of a whole.
He had to smile when he thought of how she would think of him, unaware that he could hear it plainly. But her ability to control her projections was improving, much to his dismay. She said he smelled like happiness, sunshine, and love. He wanted to be all those things for her and more.
Time passed with no response. The fear built again. Chase demanded she respond to him, but there was nothing but dead air.
He couldn't sit there waiting for news any longer. He got to his feet and went back to the dining room. "She's still out there, Kayden. I can still feel her. I love her and I'm not going to stop looking until I know she's really gone. I know you care for her too." Chase put out a hand to his oldest friend. "Let's go. We can cover twice as much ground together."
It was unfathomable to Mason. His son, Chase, and Kayden, who'd been his son's best friend since childhood, seemed to be in competition over his goddaughter. Mason wondered if they would fight over her if they knew she was half-human.