Fates Entwined

18

"Two days."

My heart ached for his poor family. “That must have been terrifying for everyone.”

Jordan ran a hand over his face. “Tell me about it.”

I buckled my seat belt. “Let’s talk to the other male who went missing."

Jordan drove us to a local coffee shop, where he said the other male worked. I'd expected another kid, not the nineteen-year-old guy behind the counter who fixed us a latte while also explaining that he remembered nothing. According to him, he'd been smoking weed a few miles outside the town to avoid getting in trouble with his parents, and he didn't remember anything after that until he was walking back into town a few days later.

I felt comfortable pushing a little bit harder with his mind since he was an adult, but I still couldn’t remove the block or get around it. I did manage to see a few flashes of memories that were very similar to what I’d seen in Russell’s mind. Somewhere dark, possibly in a cave. But nothing more.

Once that was done, Jordan drove us out of town to check out the two locations where the males went missing so I could see them for myself. As I stared out of the window, I watched the buildings and houses fade away while the road stretched out ahead, disappearing into the distance as it wound its way through the desert landscape. The midday sun cast a warm, golden glow over the rugged terrain, which wasn't as barren or desolate as I'd originally thought it would be.

I rolled down the window, letting the warm, dry air wash over me, carrying with it the faint scent of plants I didn't recognize. To our left, towering mesas rose up from the desert floor, their sheer cliffs bathed in the warm light of the sun. To our right, the desert stretched out endlessly, dotted with the occasional cactus or scrubby bush. The colors seemed to shift and change with each passing mile, from the rich reds and oranges of the rocky outcrops to the soft, sandy hues of the land. It was a vast canvas of earthy hues and striking contrasts, and I couldn't help but admire its beauty.

It was very different from where I'd previously lived, but I had to grudgingly admit that it wasn't all that bad.

“Thank you again for helping us,” Jordan said. "I know you don't want to be here, but I really appreciate it."

"I'm glad I can help." I studied his face while he drove, noting the lines of worry on his forehead and the tension in his jaw. These kidnappings had obviously been weighing heavily on him as an alpha. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“I just can’t believe this is happening right under my nose and there's nothing I can do to stop it. When I find Roxandra..." His voice trailed off in a growl.

"I know," I said, ignoring the urge to reach out and physically comfort him. "We won't let her get away with this."

Jordan nodded, and then he waved as we passed a few Leos on patrol. The air changed a few seconds later, a tingle inside me that told me I'd passed through magic.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Sun magic wards. Brea put them there to protect my pack from Roxandra, should she ever return."

"Somehow I don't think it's a coincidence that both males were taken outside of those wards." I tilted my head. "But couldn't Roxandra just remove them?"

"She could, but my mother would feel it and raise the alarm." He glanced at me. "She's part Sun Witch too."

"So I've heard."

Jordan pointed as we approached a large hill which did look like a nose if I squinted. “We’re here.”

We spent the rest of the day investigating the two locations where the males had gone missing. I used all of my tracking skills and even some moon magic to try and uncover some new clues but found nothing except a few lingering traces of sun magic. Not enough to prove they'd actually been there or uncover what they'd done or where they'd gone. Larkin might have been able to find something more, but all Jordan had was me.

I could tell he was getting frustrated by our lack of progress too, even though he didn't take it out on me. I didn't blame him either. We'd spent the entire day searching, and in the end, I had what? A few glimpses of somewhere dark, and nothing more. Nothing we could actually use to find Roxandra or stop her from taking any more males. Which meant I wasn't going home anytime soon.

CHAPTER TEN

Doing all that magic had given me a massive headache, and Jordan seemed to sense I wasn't in the mood to chat during our trip back to Daybreak. To my surprise, he didn't drive us to his house but kept going to a different part of town I hadn't been to yet.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to get something to eat. You look like you need it."

I started to argue but then sighed. "Fine."

"I know dinner with me is probably the last thing you want, but my beta's wife owns this amazing Mexican restaurant. You'll love it."

"That does sound good. I could use a margarita or five."

Jordan grinned. "I'm sure we can make that happen."

He took us to downtown Daybreak, which was larger than Coronis and a lot more colorful, with adobe buildings and a southwestern style that fit the Arizona desert perfectly. We drove past a couple of cute restaurants with outside seating and string lights, a bookstore, a bakery, and some clothing stores. On the other side of the street, I saw a small grocery store that looked locally owned, and there was a nice park with a playground and a few good patches of grass.

We parked in front of a restaurant called Paco's with a bright green and red awning, and Jordan pulled the door open for me. A delicious aroma hit my nose as we stepped inside the cool, dark space, where a woman with curly dark hair and a warm smile greeted us.

"Jordan!" she said, kissing his cheek. "Who is this lovely lady you've brought tonight?"