He should have told them everything, but he didn't. It would do more harm than good now if Danielle was really gone. So many lives would be affected. And for what reason, if she wasn't there anymore? Griffin's bond to Sarah would have been in question, because he had already been bonded to Tessa. Griffin's reputation would have been damaged, due to the scandal of having had a human mate. Griffin would have also likely killed Mason for keeping the secret all these years.
Tessa would blame him. He'd promised to protect Dani, and he'd assured Tessa no harm would come to her under the protection of the warriors. How could he tell her mother that Dani was gone?
He needed to go to Tessa. This wasn't something he could do over the phone. But he was hesitant. Chase was right. They didn't have a body. What if she fought her way out? What if she was released, like the Prince girl had been? On the other hand, if his child were missing, he would want to know now, not when it was all over. Tessa had been through so much pain in the past twenty-one-plus years. He did not want to put any additional stress on her until he had some solid facts to tell her.
Chase had come to him repeatedly, looking for a way out of the betrothal to Samantha. Mason believed Chase was in love with another girl, but Chase had never told him the girl's name. Mason hated to see his son so unhappy, but the union was very important to the houses and the future of the nation. At the time Mason consoled himself with the knowledge that after Chase was bonded, he would be happy, and he wouldn't think about the other girl anymore.
If he'd known before that Danielle was Chase's new love, it would have changed everything. Tessa would need to be willing to go public with their story, but he was sure Dani's happiness would be the most important thing to her. Danielle was Griffin's daughter too. Chase could bond to Danielle, and it would have the same meaning as if it were Samantha, with one exception: Dani wasn't a full-blooded vampire.
How would Griffin feel about the switch? Mason suspected Sarah would lose her mind if Chase selected the half-breed child of Griffin's secret first union instead of one of her girls.
Mason was focusing on what could have been, instead of the reality of the situation in front of him. He would need to help his boy mourn the loss of his first real love if she didn't come home. It all brought to mind the memory of the agony he'd felt in Tessa's touch, the agony he'd felt in Griffin so long ago. Chase was clearly in love with Danielle. Mason had never seen him so passionate about anything in his life.
Debbie came to sit with Mason.
"Did you know about Chase's affection for Danielle?" she asked, taking his hand. God, he loved his mate so deeply. He prayed he'd never know the kind of loss Griffin had suffered and that his son was now possibly facing.
"No, but I did know he didn't want to bond with Samantha because of another female." He threaded his fingers with hers.
"I spoke with Danielle about Chase earlier today. I was taken aback by her description of him. I intended to speak to him about her. Maybe talk to you about having her moved from his home, because of the way Sarah was reacting to her staying with Chase. Seeing his behavior makes me ashamed of myself for denying him love. I guess it's too late now. Even if it weren't, we need him to honor our agreement with Griffin."
And there it was. Even if Mason had known about Danielle and Chase, he would still hold him to the engagement, because there were too many variables and what-ifs concerning Danielle. They had agreed to do all they could to fulfill Leann Vaughn's prophecy. She said a child from the house of Vaughn and a child from the house of Deidrick would bond in love and bring an end to the fear of their children and the pain of their loss.
It might have been crazy to believe it would work, but the children were worth the risk. Mason had to believe that fate would take over and bring about any changes that needed to take place without his further interference.
Every warrior who was on duty, and many who weren't, including Kayden, spent the day out patrolling and sweeping the surrounding area for the stolen van used by the vamp hunter. Dani had become an unofficial warrior, due to her bravery and self-sacrifice. There was an added urgency to the search because they were looking for one of their own. Warriors were a loyal sort. Most of them lived side by side and raised their families in a close-knit community, a true brotherhood. As Dani was their first little sister, they were a bit protective of her, but she was more than a little sister to Kayden.
None of the single warriors believed Kayden would hold on to Dani for very long. There was actually a pool going with guesses as to how long it would take Kayden to screw it up. Kayden didn't give two shits what anybody thought of him but Dani.
He'd nearly collapsed when he believed she was gone forever. It had taken Chase's reassurance that she was still alive to shake him from the daze he'd sunken into. He couldn't sit there waiting for news. He had to go out and get her back. After a day of unsuccessful hunting, coldness had settled over Kayden. It was a chill he suspected would never recede if Dani wasn't found very soon.
Sitting at a red light with his bike vibrating beneath him, Kayden was lost in thought, and he almost didn't notice the white van cross the intersection in front of him until the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Chase saw the van at the same time and reached over from his bike to tap Kayden's arm and nod toward it. He and Chase had temporarily put aside their differences to join the hunt, and it looked like their refusal to stop searching might have just paid off.
They turned to follow the van on its journey across town. When he was close enough to see the van's plates, he knew they had their man. Actually, it was the woman he was after. The man was going down for his actions. Of course he knew his orders were to apprehend the assailant for questioning and punishment by the council, but the guy was a proven danger to the vampire race. Too many of their young were dead because of this asshole. He was human, not a vampire, so he had no true right to a trial before the council. The first clear shot Kayden got, the bastard was going down hard.
The van finally pulled off onto a side road. It would be harder to follow him without being noticed on their bikes, but the good news was there were only a few roads leading in and out of the area by the port. It seemed like a good time to call for backup. Kayden called the Enclave dispatch center with his position and positive ID of the suspect's vehicle. That place would be crawling with warriors soon enough. He took one road, and Chase split off and took the other.
All he needed before taking this bastard out was confirmation that Dani was still in the van. If not, he would beat her location out of the vermin.
After giving the van enough space to reach its location, he followed and found it parked outside of an abandoned warehouse. He moved in on foot. The driver was nowhere in sight, so he pulled the pistol from its holster hidden under his jacket and crept around the corner keeping as low as possible, until he reached the back of the van. Peeking in the window, he could see Dani sprawled facedown on the otherwise-empty floor of the van.
The door of the warehouse slammed against the wall, and he heard some unintelligible cursing from the front of the van. Perfect. The bastard would never know what hit him. Kayden waited for the piece of shit to climb into the vehicle. Without hesitation, Kayden crept up to serve his brand of justice, but he was too late. A shot rang out from just to Kayden's left, shattering the window and striking the ex-bartender in the head. One shot, and it was over.
Kayden turned with his gun still raised and ready to fire. Chase stood there, still wearing his helmet, and the sight of Nathan's corpse reflected in the black glass of his shield. They both lowered their pistols and Chase flipped up his shield. He stared blankly at the male he'd just killed. Neither the council nor any warrior would hold the shooting against Chase. It would be simple to explain the need to secure the hostage at any cost. They would say the guy had attempted to flee, again. He would have driven away in another moment if he hadn't been stopped. Kayden would corroborate the story for Chase. Kayden was just pissed he hadn't moved faster and taken the shot himself. Shit, he had years of training with his father, and he hadn't even heard Chase creep up on him.
They turned their attention to the back of the van. Opening the door, they found Dani barefoot in a black gown. She was beautiful, even in her disheveled state. He and Chase checked her over for injuries that would prevent them from moving her. She seemed all in one piece, but unconscious. Empty syringes were scattered around the back of the van. Kayden wondered how much of the drug Nathan had given her. So much for being the superwoman with fangs everyone believed her to be. She was vulnerable and fragile now.