“We should get back,” Lucien said reluctantly.

“I’m afraid to.”

“Why?”

“In case we never have a moment like this again.”

“Caia.” He pulled her up so he could kiss her tenderly. “I promise you that after the storm passes there will be plenty of moments like this for us.”

Although averse to shimmying back into the little strappy dress she wore, Caia did so, and hand in hand they walked back through the woods to their home.

Where another surprise awaited them.

Jaeden was waiting with Ryder in the backyard, their faces a perfect mirror of anxiety.

“What’s wrong?” Lucien picked up his pace.

Jaeden shook her head. “We’re not sure. Marion’s here.”

Caia’s heart jarred and she rushed past them and into the house. She found Marion talking with Magnus, and Caia could tell immediately from her body language that something was wrong.

She must know.

“Caia!” Marion’s eyes lit up when she saw her. “Thank Gaia.”

Or not.

“What’s going on?” she asked in trepidation.

The magik took her by the wrist and led her all the way upstairs and into her old bedroom.

“Marion?”

“Caia, everything is a mess.” Marion pushed her hair back frantically. Caia had never seen her so uncollected before. “My sister found out that certain members of our Council have been feeding information to the Midnights! She can’t get a handle on all who were involved - they’ve combined their power to manipulate the trace… so she has dissolved them. The entire Council. The Coven is in chaos... there were actual riots inside the Center!”

Marita had dissolved the Council because of her. Caia couldn’t believe it. How could this be happening? This couldn’t be happening. She felt breathless and faint, all of her plans crumbling around her. Saffron had been right. She hadn’t been prepared for the lengths Marita would go to, to remain in power and annihilate the Midnights.

“How...”

Marion shook her head. “She has witnesses from within the Council member’s households. This level of treachery is unthinkable. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“How come she’s only finding out now? Her trace...?”

Marion shrugged but the move was more violent than vague. “She had no reason to suspect them before, so she didn’t go looking.” But Caia could see the uncertainty in her eyes. This was insane. Irrational. And Marion knew it. She was just… afraid.

“Why are you here?” Caia asked softly.

The witch scoffed at her question. “I would have thought that was obvious.”

Oh crap. She does know about me.

“Caia, we need you at the Center. We held off because of Jae and Ryder’s ceremony, but it’s done now and we need you there to help control this situation. Half of them admire you and the other half fear you, it’s perfect.”

“Did Marita request this?”

“Who else.”

Did Marita really think she would be stupid enough to return to the Center, to a trap? She must think I won’t be able to come up with a reason not to return with Marion.

“OK,” she improvised, hoping she looked sufficiently agreeable, “You go back. I have to settle things with the pack. I’ll get Lucien to drive me to the portal tonight.”

“Caia, just say goodbye now.” Marion shook her head.

“I can’t. I might not be coming back. This is important.”

“Magic Fitness won’t even be open by the time you get there.”

“Like that will stop me.”

Marion heaved a huge sigh of exasperation. “Marita specifically told me to bring you back now. Arrggh. Fine,” she snapped, “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

She disappeared immediately, leaving Caia trembling with relief. She found Lucien waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase and she quietly related what had happened.

“What the Hades are we going to do now?” he hissed.

“I don’t know.” She shook frantically, her heart feeling like it was going to explode. “I don’t know.”

She dodged quizzical looks from Magnus and Dimitri who stood in the doorway of the living room, drinking scotch.

“OK.” She smoothed a hand absently down Lucien’s cheek from her higher position on the stairs. “Six heads are better than two. I know it’s unfair but this is kind of an emergency.”

“You want me to get Jae and Ryder.”

“Yes. Get them, meet me at the car. We’re going to Ryder’s apartment to talk this over with Laila and Vil.”

He nodded, planting a quick kiss on her lips before he turned to Dimitri and Magnus. Cleverly he managed to draw them away from Caia while searching for Jaeden and her mate.

Caia blew out a shaky breath and headed outside, her feet taking the porch steps two at a time. Thankfully, the pack had parked their cars around the edges of the circular driveway, so Lucien’s truck wasn’t jammed in.

She was just about to open the passenger door when she heard a crunch of gravel behind her, and a burst of pain slammed from the back of her head like a speeding train knocking her into darkness.

25 - Taken

Lucien could feel the panic building in his chest, threatening to cut off his airwaves.

Ryder flew in from the backyard, his breathing heavier than usual. His eyes were bleak as they fell on Lucien, surrounded by most of a very silent pack. He shook his head. “She’s not there.”

“Lucien!” Malek hurtled in from the front door. “We checked the whole driveway over again. You might want to see this.”

He jerked away from his mother’s comforting hand, following the boy outside at a frenzied pace. He refused to listen to the whispers among the pack, that maybe she hadn’t been taken, maybe she had deserted them. Caia wouldn’t leave him willingly. His chest constricted with fear.

Malek led him down to his truck, where Daniel stood by the passenger side, his face pale.

“What is it?” he snapped.

Daniel just pointed and Lucien felt his whole world tilt as his eyes found the splash of blood across the passenger door. Caia’s blood.

No.

“CAIA!” He turned and bellowed into the night. “CAIA!”

He would have yelled himself hoarse if Jaeden hadn’t broken through the crowd the pack had formed around him. Distantly he saw his mother crying, Magnus close to tears. Why were they crying? She wasn’t gone!

He couldn’t breathe.

“Lucien!” Jaeden stumbled towards him, her face flushed with fury.

He looked at her dazedly, his throat closing with terror.

“Do you think it was Marita?”

“She wouldn’t have dared hurt her.” Ryder shook his head in denial.

A darkening beast was uncurling in Lucien’s chest, growing stronger and more furious every minute he stared at the blood on his truck door. Caia had been missing for an hour. She had gone missing after Marion had turned up. The beast roared with bloodlust.

“We better hope she hasn’t,” he ripped out in a voice he didn’t recognize, “Or my muzzle is the last thing she’ll ever see.”

Epilogue - The Deception

Caia’s head throbbed with impossible pain, a pain that shot from the bloody lump on the back of her head down her arms and into her back. She blinked, her eyes adjusting in the darkness of the cold, damp room she now found herself in. She hit up against something hard. As the light filtered into her eyes she realized she was in a metal cage. Bile rose up in her throat, her heart pounding with terror. What had happened? Where was she? Oh goddess, had Marita kidnapped her? A door opened with a burst of artificial light revealing the face of the distinguished man who stepped quietly into the room.

“Who are you?” she asked immediately, her hand wrapping around the bars. It was then she realized that a glow surrounded the cage. Magik. A shield to stop her attacking with her own.

He winced as he looked her over. “He hit you harder than he should have.”

“Who are you? How did I get here?”

“Take a moment, Caia.”

At those words her trace began tingling with its familiar icy vapor and Caia slumped back in disbelief. “Nikolai?” she gasped.

“Well done.” He smiled gently at her, and she pushed trying to feel his intent. Pain exploded in her head. She was too weak from the knock she had taken.

“How?” she croaked.

He stepped aside from the doorway and another figure strode in, a smug smile on his face. “I’d like to introduce you to someone. This is Kirios, Caia.”

Kirios’ dark hair flopped over his forehead in familiar disarray, his pale handsomeness a punch to the gut...

She snarled in impotent fury.

“Reuben.”

The End