Page 9 of Sight of Fate

Desperate, I try to focus on her and the shop. It’s not real. I take another deep breath and exhale to her count of five. My shoulders and back begin to itch unbearably, but I don’t dare let go of the counter until the citrusy smell of the candle she’s burning eventually drags me back to the present.

My face burns as heat fills it. “Thank you. I’m fine. I’m good.” I turn my head to search for my wallet. “How much do I owe you?” My voice is raspy, but I force the words out.

For a second, everything is silent as I wait for her answer.

“Ten dollars,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what just happened, but I promise you’re safe here. In Greystone.”

Tapping my card to pay, I finally force myself to look at her. “I hope so.” Taking the sleeping bag, I head out of the shop, leaving her standing there with a worried expression on her face and her hand reaching for the phone.

Chapter Six

TEAGUE

Anticipation is making it impossible to get any work done. I pick up my phone, then set it down. She’ll call when she gets here, I assure myself.

Macklin would tell me I’m impatient. That the Fates have a plan for everything. And after what my actions cost him, I tried waiting. For a thousand years I waited and followed his lead. Stood with him and Andros as we built Greystone and became its guardians. The first Vale and the blueprint for twenty-eight more Vales across the world.

Vales are sanctuaries, providing supernaturals with a place where we can live in the open, instead of hiding in the human world like a dirty secret. Where shifters can be themselves in whatever form they wish, vampires can escape the tyranny of their sires, and magic is wielded without worry. All races are welcome.

Macklin took on the running and expansion of Greystone, but that left me and Andros with little to do. I turned my attention to building successful companies. I love the intricacies of the cutthroat business world. Andros found his niche in the legal aspects of our operation. And since we provide the Vale with money and jobs, it’s a win-win situation.

Or it was. Somewhere along the way, the adrenaline rush disappeared, and the victories turned hollow. One company blurred into another. I was lost, drifting, outwardly coping, but inwardly wondering if this was all there was to this endless life.

Until a month ago, when Raine Thompson came to my office and shattered my world. A witch with second sight, she told me that if I didn’t find our mate, she would be lost forever. Forever. The word was so permanent it stole my breath.

Unwilling to take the chance, I picked up the phone and called Carlotta, a high-level witch, and arranged to meet with her. Using my blood, she crafted the spell and cast it out into the world. No matter what my mate needed, the spell would adapt to her circumstances and entice her to accept. It was a pure gamble. There was nothing to prevent her from declining. Or ignoring it. For three weeks, I waited, hope dwindling with every second that passed.

Then Charli called…

Macklin comes storming into my office. “What the hell is going on? You know all new people need to be vetted before they’re accepted into the Vale. It’s an ironclad rule for a reason.” His blue eyes are glowing with anger.

Leaning back in my chair, I raise a cool eyebrow. “As I was the one who helped write that rule, I completely agree. In fact, I have someone arriving tomorrow. A new employee named Charli Ford.”

He snorts. “Already met her. Yesterday.”

I shoot to my feet. Why didn’t she call? “Where is she? You didn’t scare her off, did you?” I grab my phone and call the number she gave me, but it rings and rings. Hanging up, I lean over my desk and glare at Macklin. “Spill.”

He narrows his eyes. “I don’t know where she is right now. Yesterday, I got a call from Victoria at Second Chances, asking me to drop by. When I got there, your employee was in the dressing room. Victoria thought she was a drifter, passing through on her way to the campground, because she asked for a sleeping bag.”

Why would she need a sleeping bag?

He continues. “When I dropped it off, Victoria was on her way out but promised she’d give it to Charli in the morning. I didn’t like the thought of an unknown wandering around Greystone. So I checked hotels and the campground. They didn’t have any reservations or campers with that description.”

“Where did she stay?” I ask with a frown.

“Best guess? Her car,” Macklin says with a glare. “I searched downtown but couldn’t find it. Why would you invite her here and not set her up with a hotel room?”

It was freezing last night. My stomach drops, and I hang my head. “I didn’t know she was here. I swear.” There’s no way in hell I’d let our mate stay in a fucking car overnight. Neither would he, except I haven’t exactly told Macklin she’s our mate. “We need to find her.”

I grab my phone and head out the door, Macklin at my heels.

His phone rings, and he answers it as we’re getting in the elevator. “Macklin.” He listens for a few minutes, his expression getting darker and darker. “Thanks, Victoria. We’ve got this.”

“What? Did she see her?”

Mac explains what happened at the store when Charli came to pick up the sleeping bag. “Victoria said the word ‘witch’ triggered her. Damn it. I don’t like this. How did you find this employee?”

According to Raine, Charli isn’t aware of her heritage, but if that’s the case, why would she get upset?