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Khloé, baby, wake up and answer me.
There was still nothing but white noise.
He kept on pacing. It felt like his muscles were straining against his skin, trying to force him to act on the need to do something. Anything. It rankled that he couldn’t. His demon hated it just as much. The entity had no patience at the best of times. It wanted immediate action. Wanted to hunt and destroy the person who’d taken its mate from it.
Come on, baby, talk to me, Keenan pleaded. But there was still no response.
So much adrenaline pumped through his system, he was surprised his hands weren’t shaking with it. He wanted to pound his fists into the wall. Wanted to release the terrible wrath that had coiled in his stomach and demanded a target.
His demon’s rage fed his, making it hard to think. So many dark images and scenarios tore through his mind. The mental overload was too much.
Harper rubbed her arms, as if to warm them. “I don’t know why Thea would have taken Khloé. I do know someone must have undone the spell that bound Lane’s gift, because he just used it on Asher. The power he let out was magnetic. It meant to steal something from him.”
Jolene’s eyes narrowed. “Do you think it worked?”
“I’m not sure,” replied Harper, looking at her son, who was idly fiddling with his father’s collar. “He doesn’t seem to have decreased in power.”
Knox nodded. “I agree. And his demon isn’t worried.”
“But something zoomed out of Asher and into Lane,” Larkin pointed out. “Could it have been one of his smaller gifts?”
“I truly don’t know,” replied Knox. “I’ve asked his demon—it’s avoiding the question, which is never good.”
Harper swore beneath her breath.
Beck rubbed at his brow. “Anyone have an idea of why Thea would take Khloé?”
“It could be a simple case of her wanting revenge on Keenan for claiming Khloé instead of her,” suggested Levi. “Scorned she-demons can be vengeful creatures.”
Martina frowned. “If it was that, wouldn’t Thea have killed her already?”
“Not if she wishes to make Khloé suffer for a while first,” said Levi.
Jolene sniffed. “Khloé would overpower her in an instant.”
Ciaran nodded. “Then maybe she wants to sic her kid on Khloé to strip her of her gifts so that she’s helpless against Thea during torture—Lane’s presently unconscious, so Thea would need to keep hold of Khloé until he wakes and can use his gift on her the way he did on Asher.”
Harper looked at her son again and stroked his hair. “I can’t understand why she targeted him. I mean, what difference would it make to her if he’s stripped of his powers for a few hours?”
Knox scraped his jaw with his hand. “Thea said that Lane couldn’t temporarily transfer the gifts he stole from people onto others. What if that was untrue? What if Thea wanted to strip Asher of his powers so that she could have them for a short while?”
Harper hissed out a breath. “It’s possible. Maybe even probable. But why would she want them? And why would she want them enough to risk making an enemy of us? That’s plain suicidal.”
Keenan flicked a look at the wall clock, wishing time would move faster; wishing his woman would wake; wishing he hadn’t taken pity on Thea and Lane’s situation. Maybe if he’d turned her away, she never would have taken Khloé. Given how spiteful Thea could be, he thought it likely that she’d make his mate suffer in some way if she could.
Khloé wouldn’t meekly sit still while someone kept her captive. She’d do what she did best—she’d annoy the holy fuck out of her captor until she pushed them too far. That was what worried him most.
Dread sat like a heavy weight on his chest. It weighed him down until he came to a halt, feeling rooted to the spot. “I should have seen it coming. I should have known that Thea would retaliate after the things I said to her at the disciplinary meeting.”
Larkin took a step toward him, but he backed away, not wanting to be touched. He felt too tense, too edgy, too close to violence.
The pounding in his ears wouldn’t slow or quieten. His fists felt hot, and his jaw ached from how hard he’d been clenching it.
He fought the urge to lash out at those around him. He couldn’t afford to lose control. He needed to keep his shit together. He was no fucking good to her like this.
Keenan breathed deeply through his nose and cast all worst-case scenarios out of his mind. Instead of trying to fight the cold rage, he reached for it. He pulled it around him like a cloak of icy calm, using it to numb the other emotions overpowering him. Fear and anxiety didn’t have any place here.
“You’re not to blame, Keenan,” said Larkin. “This happened purely because Thea—for a reason we can’t be sure of—stupidly decided it would be a good idea to snatch Khloé.”
