The Missing Magistrate (Dani’s POV)
I watched as Hue sat pale and lifeless on the couch. Every so often he would get up long enough to yell, pound on the walls, sob and sink to the floor before Oliver, Ian, or I would encourage him to sit back down on the couch. My heart lurched a little more each time. It had been twenty-four hours since Kat went missing and she went silent on Hue’s mental link.
“Anything?” I asked hopefully.
Hue’s eyes had deep black circles under them when he looked up at me. “Sometimes I think I am getting something but when I try and focus she’s not there. What if she’s…?”
“Don’t say it!” Ian snapped loudly. “If you think you can sense her you probably can. She’s alive. I swear she is.”
I looked across the room to Oliver. He grimaced and continued to talk on the phone. Yesterday afternoon Hue left us all messages in an absolute panic. He said his connection with Kat had gone dead and he couldn’t reach her. It was only after a few hours of hysterics we figured out that he meant the mental link and not the phone.
“Yes, I understand, thank you,” Oliver said as he clicked the end button with an air of finality. We all looked up at him expectantly. “Nobody in the OAC has had any contact with her. I checked out Myeongdong’s Cathedral and Fae Tower last night and it was empty. It looked abandoned.” He looked at Ian “Did you notice anything today?”
Ian shook his head. “Her scent was barely there and there was no trace or scent of her inside at all. Nothing from MacFlurry either.”
I reached over and squeezed Hue’s hand. “She’s out there and we’ll find her. She’s a tough cookie. She slays Dragons, tackles Werewolves and is fearless in the face of Vampires. If I had to put my money on someone it would be her.”
He tried to lift the corners of his mouth at my words but was to exhausted with worry to succeed. “She was nervous and apprehensive about the meeting yesterday. I thought it was just because she was new to being a Magistrate. What if she knew something wasn’t right?” Tears streamed down his face. “I feel hollow inside.”
“She’s going to come back to us,” Ian said flatly.
It was all Hue needed to spring to his feet again. “How?!” he yelled. “How do you know that? You have no clue what it’s like to lose your Soul Mate! You couldn’t begin to fathom what I am feeling right now.”
Ian took a deep breath and looked like he was counting backwards from ten. “You’re right. I didn’t lose a Soul Mate, but I did lose my mate and both of my sons. I also had to watch as the first person to bring me happiness in a long time found her Soul Mate and grew more and more distant from me. I may not know firsthand what you are feeling, but I know what it would mean to me if I lost Kat. You may not be able to feel her but every atom of me believes she is out there and still alive. I don’t know why, but I just know!” His hands were shaking as he snapped off the last of his words and for the first time in months many of us remembered what had been between Ian and Kat. He turned on his heel to face Oliver. “Who knows how long she’ll stay that way if we don’t find her. What can you tell us about her assignment?”
Oliver handed Hue a dark substance in a glass and took a deep breath. “Kat had picked up a case about two lovers being kept from binding because of family and species ties. She researched the local gargoyle clan and went to go meet with them at the tower. When I went to check it out it didn’t look like the clan had been there in over a decade. What is more interesting is that no one at the OAC has seen or been able to get a lead on Lord Jellenaine since the day he came in. Birda can’t even really remember his face. She just knows he was a Unicorn.”
“That seems really odd,” I told the group. “You would think a six hundred year old virgin would remember a Unicorn.” They all nodded. “Is it the result of some sort of magic?” I asked.
“Most likely,” answered Oliver.
“What sort of creature would do this?” I asked. “Why would they want Kat?” I stopped for a moment and thought about how to clarify the statement. “I mean, we want her and all, but why would someone target her?”
Ian quirked a brow. “She’s a Fae and Darkling hybrid who happens to also be a Tempest. On the rarity scale… she’s up there.” Ian turned his attention to Hue. “Have you told Lady Jura yet? If not, I can do it. Maybe she will have some insight on what’s going on.”
I stood up. “Actually, I should go. Ian, you have muscle and tracking skills I don’t, but if Lady Jura has any leads or Vallen has any books that could prove useful, my strength is researching.” I realized what I was saying as the words came out of my mouth. Everyone looked as shocked as I was. I straightened my shirt and raised my chin. “She’s my friend, I have to help if I can.”
Hue stood up and walked over to stand in front of me. “I should be the one to tell Lady Jura, but I do agree you may be the best one to comb libraries. Chances are my vault will hold the books you really need.” With that the world swirled around us and we were standing alone in the great hall of the nest.
