What the hell was going on here? The last he’d seen the sixteen-year-old he’d been asking for dating advice over some girl he liked. Now he was gone.
“Tell me everything,” he ordered.
Thane recited the incident. Danny went to the festival with four of his friends. According to his friends, they cut the festival soon after the theatrics with Amy and made for the woods to hang out. Oddly, none of the friends recalled returning to the festival with Danny or even thinking twice about where he’d gone.
“So he just disappeared in the woods?” Lyonis sat at his desk and buried his face in his hands. Not one disappearing child since he reigned and now within the span of a month two had disappeared.
“That’s what it looks like. We’ve already tracked over every square inch of the place, no signs of struggle,” Jackie said.
Lyonis stood. “Where’s that vampire? Get Draven to check out the scene. He sensed something last time.”
Jackie and Thane exchanged weary glances. “He left,” Thane said.
“What do you mean he left?” He hadn’t meant to shout but his words echoed off the walls.
God, he needed to pull himself together. He was mated now, finally had the woman he wanted, had a child on the way. Then why was his gut twisted a thousand times with dread? He’d woken today with an awful feeling. It wasn’t exactly what he expected after mating with Willow last night. When he’d gotten the call about Danny, he wasn’t even surprised. But he knew that Danny wasn’t the only reason his beast was agitated. Something bad was about to happen or was coming to his pack. He couldn’t let it happen. He’d do anything in his power to keep them safe.
“Some of the pack saw him go into The Wolf’s Den asking about his frimar. Apparently she left him. Don’t blame her really. So he went after her.”
Lyonis was quiet for a long while. His guards understood and kept silent while he thought. It pained his ego sorely but he knew what he had to do.
“I’m calling Tyrian en Kulev.” Their eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Why him?” Jackie said.
“We need the Atal Warriors.”
“We do not need those undead vamps!” Thane shouted.
Lyonis stood in a rush. The air around him crackled with anger. “Do not talk back to me.” He sensed he surprised his underling, but Thane hid it well by ducking his head.
“I mean no offence, Alpha Lyonis. What can they do that we can’t?”
Jackie took a step towards Thane. “Since when do we call on help for our problems?”
Lyonis knew this was unheard of. It wasn’t like he was happy with the idea but something in his gut told him he might need them.
“Since now. We have an ancient demon that wants to kill our Queen. I’m not about to let that happen. Whatever’s happened to Stephanie is happening to Danny. If we take care of the demon, then this all stops,” he said.
He watched the hard expressions on his lieutenant’s faces. Slowly they nodded.
“Good. Now prepare for guests, I’m calling the Atal Warriors.”
It wasn’t until the next day that Tyrian came to meet with him. Along with him he brought his mate, her sister Lily, and two guards named Henry and Rayn. The last to teleport in was the demon Telal Demuzi. His unnatural demonic presence unsettled Lyonis like bugs crawling along his legs.
They each took a seat in the conference room. The air in the room crackled with tension so thick only lightning could break it.
“Where’s our sister?” Chloe demanded. She looked like she was about to leap across the table and shake him until he told her. Her mate wrapped his arm around her, which seemed to calm her.
“She’s at home. I’m sure she’ll be excited to see you both,” he said.
“Why isn’t she here with us?” Lily said softly.
Lyonis looked sharply at her. For once the youngest Bellum sister wasn’t bouncing in her seat or vying for the demon Telal’s attention. A soft frown pulled at her mouth as she sat there quietly.
“She’s with child. I’ve asked her to stay at home to rest.” Inwardly he flinched at the lie.
The Bellum sister’s exchanged jaw-dropping gapes then leapt to a stand at the same time.
“A baby!” Lily said with astonishment.
“A baby!” Chloe said threateningly.
“Yes, a baby. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it. We’re mated now.”
I’m sure she’ll tell you that I ordered her at home. He had a brief flare of panic that he quickly quelled. She wouldn’t escape him; she wouldn’t be leaving with her sisters. He wouldn’t allow it.
Telal leaned back casually but his words were anything but. “I hope you didn’t send for me to talk about throwing you a bachelor party.”
Lyonis didn’t laugh. “We’ve had two incidents,” he began then related the missing occurrences of Stephanie and Danny to them. By time he was finished the room sat in silence.
“Well the demon’s using them to get to Willow,” Lily said simply.
“What are you talking about? Since Stephanie’s been back her parents say she’s been back to normal. Doesn’t even remember her whereabouts of that night.”
Lily nodded then said, “Sure but then she met with Willow in the bathroom and the demon showed itself.” She said the words as easily as if she were reciting her favorite colors.
Lyonis leaned forward in his seat, blood beginning to boil. “What are you talking about?”
All eyes turned to her. She only shrugged. “I had a dream of a young girl standing before Willow in a bathroom. The girl wasn’t herself though. The words she spoke were demonic.”
Before Lyonis could say anything, Chloe spoke up. “What did it say?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a dream. Things were blurry as they usually are. I didn’t hear any words. Only had impressions of the demon inside the girl. Willow was scared.”
Lyonis’ hands curled into fists. His mate had been scared and he didn’t know about it?
“I haven’t heard anything about this. Why wouldn’t she have told me?” The thought that Stephanie had been walking amongst his pack while a demon possible sat inside her sent his hair standing on end. The thought that she might have gotten close to Willow with that thing inside her nearly sent him into a rage.
“Ask her that,” Lily replied.
“I intend to.”
Telal sighed as if bored. “Again, why did you send for me?”
Lyonis looked Telal and Tyrian in the eye. “I need your help. Something’s coming.”
“Unless you require a load of guns then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Telal said, coming to a stand.
Lily came to a stand too and walked around to face him. “You can too. You know more about this demon after my sister than anyone here.”
The demon sent her a withering stare. “I already told you everything I know.”
Lily clamped her mouth shut and stared him down with a withering glare. “You’re staying.”
He cocked a condescending brow.
“I’d like the assistance of the Atal Warriors.” It pained Lyonis to say that so much that he couldn’t hide his grimace.
Tyrian readily nodded. “Agreed. I will have them stationed here immediately.”
He answered so readily that Lyonis wasn’t prepared for it. He’d been expecting to coerce the vampire commander into it. The knot in his shoulders eased a fraction.
“You need to keep Stephanie away from Willow. Probably away from the whole pack,” Lily insisted. She hadn’t returned to her seat but stood close to the demon who made a pointed interest in ignoring her.