The Mortal Goddess

Missing

CHAPTER 2

Missing

Grace tried to wake up from the nightmare that she was trapped in but it was as if something was holding onto her and forcing her to relive the abuse she endured for the past four months. Her loving mate had one day turned into someone she didn’t know. The way he spoke to her and treated her just changed. She didn’t know what to do or what was the cause of this.

The memory of the pain she endured made her tremble with fear. What if he’d found her, and the pain she was feeling was real? It can’t be! She fought the dizziness that seemed to hover over her like a thick fog.

A brightness penetrated her eyelids as she became aware of her surroundings. As the rest of her body woke up, she became aware of how dry and itchy her throat was. Her chest shook in its attempt to relieve the irritation. Her nose twitched as it was assaulted by the scent of antiseptic cleaners, the metallic tang of stainless steel and blood, with the undertone of medicine and tablet scents. Wrinkling her nose, she squinted through the light that she was certain was placed there to blind her. When her eyes adjusted enough, she took note of her surroundings. The navy blue curtain was drawn close, directly in front of her. She was under a white sheet and wore a very paper-thin hospital gown. She cringed at the sight. She turned to the table on her right and found the dead screen of the heart monitor and a plastic cup of water with a single ice cube floating on the surface. Huh. She reached for it and took a sip. Just as she set the cup down, she heard voices from beyond her sight.

“You’re just as pathetic as they say. No wonder your coven kicked you out.” A feminine voice snarled.

Grace waited to hear what the other person would say but silence ensued. She heard a final huff and the clink of heels on the tile floor faded. She got up on shaky legs and shuffled towards the curtain. She peeked through the edges and saw a petite woman standing by the door looking defeated. Her lips pressed in a firm line and her red braided hair hung limp on her right shoulder. She fiddled with the charms around her neck and let out a sigh. She must have sensed Grace’s stare because she looked up straight in her direction.

“Oh dear, you shouldn’t be up.” The woman said, hurrying over to Grace.

As the woman got closer, she realised the woman was a foot shorter than she was and she wore a stethoscope around her neck. She wasn’t dressed like your typical nurse. She wore a loose floral blouse with dark trousers. She swung her braid over her shoulder and guided Grace to the cot. She tucked her in and guided the cup of water to her mouth.

“What was that about?” Grace asked after a few sips.

Smiling, the woman smoothened the nest of dark curls of Grace’s hair. Her touch is gentle like a mother’s. Grace relaxed under her attention.

“What’s your name, child?”

“Grace Helene, ma’am.” She said, clearing her throat.

Nodding, she took a seat on the edge of the cot facing Grace. “I’m Maria Morrison. I saw the condition you were in last night and I knew I had to be the one to heal you. How are you feeling ?” Maria said, placing the back of her hand on Grace's forehead. She hummed to herself before removing it.

Grace had been feeling a bit worried when she noticed that her cub wasn’t in the same room as her. Her wolf was getting restless and she knew her control over her wouldn’t last long. The need to have the scent of her cub and feel her warmth was a demand she was finding hard to resist.

“Other than a few sore spots, I’m fine. I… I would do even better if I saw my cub. Where is she?”

Her wolf suddenly tensed, becoming aware of something Grace herself couldn’t comprehend. Eyes wide, she turned to Maria and blurted out, “Something is not right.” She scrambled out from under the sheets and rushed out, shoving the curtain aside. The metal rings clattered to one side from the force. Her wolf ripped through the human form, leaving a slight ache in her head. Too fast.

Her wolf wasn’t letting up an inch and Grace wasn’t doing anything to stop her because she was too worried. Had something terrible happened to her cub? She didn’t think she could handle it. The only person she loves the most in the world has to remain safe or else her wolf might lose it. A feral wolf has no rights or cure. It was what all wolf shifters and generally shifters learned from a young age.

She ran down the hall, ignoring the shouts from the guards and nurses. She followed the scent of what was ingrained into her very soul. She wouldn’t lose her cub. She wouldn’t let it happen. With that, she came to the end of the scent trail that continued beyond a door. She used her strength and slammed into the door. The wood splintered and the knob rattled as it crashed into the opposite wall.

Her wolf wouldn’t let her take control until she was sure her cub was safe. She quickly went straight to the crib. Sniffing around, she pulled the blanket off. Empty. It was freaking empty and it's been this way for quite some time.

Her grief came crashing down in full force. No, no, this can’t be. She pushed the crib down and dragged the blanket from it. She berried her face in it. She was lost. Without her cub, she was nothing but a lost wolf. Who would do this to her? Can she not for once have a life filled with happiness like the times with her grandmamma's friends?

She could hear people talking and a wolf whimpering and howling occasionally in the background. She didn’t care though. Let them talk. They wouldn’t understand.

With her head still buried in the blanket, Grace felt a presence approach her. Grace didn’t acknowledge them until they tried to touch her head. Her belly was flat on the cold tile floor with her head buried in the pink blanket saturated with her cub’s scent. She scrambled away from the hand and peeked through the opened corners of the blanket.

A thick leather combat boot stood in front of her. It was attached to muscular legs, which fitted perfectly, like a second skin. She didn’t pay much attention to the blue tendrils constantly moving over the surface of the black leather. Her wolf tentatively shifted forward and poked an ankle. Pineecones and the sweet scent of rain after a long sunny day assaulted her nose. The combination soothed her soul, sending a wave of calmness through her. Who is he?

Her wolf didn’t respond. She bit the tip of his shoelace and pulled. She yipped as the shoelace gave way, causing her jaw to hit the hard floor.

Grace was surprised by the playfulness of her wolf. What was going on with that? She couldn’t stop her wolf’s tail from slapping the ground nor the lightness that was settling over her. With the blanket clutched between her teeth, she sat down and looked up at him.

He crunched before her and spoke softly to her. “Hello Grace, why don’t you shift so we can talk about what happened here. I’ll help you find your girl.”

Her eyes widened at his words. Find her? She had never even thought of that during her breakdown. Did he truly believe that they could find her cub? Her eyes misted. She nudged his stubble chin with the tip of her nose gently and shifted to her human form. Grace grabbed the blanket and held it to her chest, not because of her nudity, more so she could keep what was left of her daughter close to her. The only thing filled with her scent.

Grace looked at the man before her, now able to see him clearly, and boy was he a remarkable sight. His onyx eyes gazed at her with both curiosity and concern. They tracked the length of her body before making its way back to her face. She could feel her wolf lying contently with a smirk on her face, that is, as much as a wolf can smirk, at the back of her mind. Something was up but, unfortunately, her wolf refused to give up any info. b***h.

Hey, let me have some fun, her wolf complained to her. She then proceeded to curl her tail around her belly and let out a tired yawn before drifting asleep.

She was napping at a time like this. Grace was so shocked; she didn’t hear the question the man asked.

“What… i…” she stumbled over the words, pushing their way to the surface as she tried but failed to come up with something both polite and less awkward.

A dark eyebrow rose questioningly. He held out a long flowing cloth towards her without a word. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Since when was she ever embarrassed by her nudity? It was normal for a shifter. She took the cloth and shook it out. A bathrobe? She glanced at the almost shredded hospital gown and ripped the rest of it off. It felt great riding herself of that hideous thing. She donned the fluffy black robe and folded the pink blanket, stuffing it in one of the wide pockets in the front.

“Zachary Yvain” he said, straightening up to his full length.

She shook his extended hand, suppressing her shock at his intimidating height. “Hello.” She said, releasing his hand.

Her palm tingled pleasantly from its brief contact with his. She rubbed the area, ignoring the butterflies awakening in her chest, and looked around the room quietly. It was a mess. A leg from the crib was broken, the contents of the side table were overturned, spilling baby formulas and napkins on the floor and claw marks marred the four walls as well as the floor. The only things remaining untouched were the ceiling, the windows and the bathroom. Did I really do all of this? Gosh, what a mess. I must have scared everyone. How am I supposed to fix all of this?

Grace was about to burst into tears when Maria came rushing towards her. She nearly lost her balance as the nurse engulfed her in a tight hug. She instantly felt a warm peaceful tingle as Maria’s magic flowed through her body. Maria’s body trembled as she mumbled tearful words to her.

“I swear, I only left her for five minutes …didn’t know… it’s my entire fault.” Maria said, releasing a heartbroken sob. She lifted her head from Grace’s shoulder and wiped her tears with her palms, a determined look took hold of her face. “We will find her, I swear. I wouldn’t let you lose her too.”

Grace’s heart warmed at her words. She had found herself a true companion and she knew that Maria would do her best.

“Thank you, Maria.” she said, hugging her once more.

“I have an idea. You can stay at our guesthouse. It is not like we use it often.”

Grace followed Maria, listening to her describe her accommodation at the guesthouse.

(Zachary POV)

He watched the pair until they disappeared down the corner of the hall. With all the incidents following this female’s arrival, she has become the talk around town. He was very curious now about her. What sort of trouble was she in? He has to find out. This mission (yes it was now a mission) would force him into close proximity with her and, for reasons he did not understand yet, he did not mind it. Actually, he looks forward to it. Gods only know how bloody boring life has been with humans at war. Most supernaturals were keeping a low profile, even criminals, in this chaos.

“You should call dibs before someone else does.”

Zachary turned towards the sound and spotted Charlie strolling from the opposite side of the hall. Smiling, he greeted the redhead with a slap on his shoulder. “When will you stop this matchmaking gig of yours, ole man?”

“Who are you calling old?” Charlie said, combing a hand through his greying beard self-consciously. He turned to Zachary, his expression grim. Zachary swallowed the heavy lump that was taking form in his throat. He was always a bit nervous around Charlie, unsure of what kind of feeling he was reading from him.

Charlie Morrison is an empath. A strong one. He is also fully trained in marital arts and healing. The man could read a room with ease but, of course, the effects of magic have its side effects. Reading and manipulating emotions can be very exhausting and Charlie was not immune to its effects.

“You should take her to Adra. We need to figure out what is really going on. It’s been years since a child was stolen from us.”

They both leaned on the cold hard wall as the incident ran through their minds. Each experiencing their own. What a terrible time it was. It was a time in their clan that no one can ever forget.

Zachary clenched his jaw at the onslaught of memory. He did not want to remember. As much as he acts as though it did not affect him, it did and he cannot let the terrible sight he had witnessed weaken him. Not at a time like this.

“And this time it’s not humans.”

Zachary turned to him sharply. The man looked even grimmer, if that was possible. He saw the confidence of his observation. If it was true, then that girl was in even more trouble than he thought. Supernaturals use children for even more nefarious reasons.