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Chapter Seventeen
Jack
The storm, if one could call it that, had abated by the time we arrived. Tree limbs lay scattered across the road that led out to the outskirts of Mystic Springs, where Frank Anderson’s farm stood. The storm had only taken out one power line, but it was enough to have the utility trucks in the area within the hour to repair the damage.
What was more interesting than the downed power lines and strewn tree limbs was the residual magic that hummed through the air.
“Do you feel that?” Claire asked, leaning forward in the passenger seat. Her eyes continued to scan the sides of the road. She was looking for something that would give an indication of where Darla was.
But there was nothing to see. Whatever magic was surrounding the place, it was hiding something beneath its surface.
“Yeah, I feel it,” I said, scanning the highway. “It feels like there’s a glamour around this place.”
Claire sighed. “They’ve got her hidden. Maybe both of them are right here. We just can’t see them.”
“It’s likely a combination of the glamour they’ve got here, as well as the magic left behind by Darla’s light show. Whatever this magic is, it’s too explosive for just a glamour.”
There was little chance of finding Darla or Taryn if a glamour surrounded the place. Not without a way to pierce through that glamour. I didn’t have the sort of magical skills that would allow for that, and I was certain Claire didn’t either.
We continued to drive along the highway, circling back and making sure we didn’t miss any paths into the forest that lined the road where we’d found the downed power lines.
“What’s around here? Other than the Anderson farm?” Claire asked, looking around, her eyes wide as she tried to notice anything amiss.
“Nothing substantial, as far as I know. Just a lot of land owned by various entities who will likely try to sell it to the state or other farmers. Most of this area is unused. Either that or it’s refuge.”
The only thing we knew was that Darla had tried to send out another SOS. That was enough to tell me that — just as with the cabin earlier — she had been in the vicinity recently. And if there was a glamour, she likely still was.
I pulled the car onto the shoulder and put it into park. Turning, I looked at Claire. I tried not to stare at her too often. Her beauty caused a constant ache in the center of my chest. My hands always ached to reach out and touch her. I had to clench my fists to keep my hand from reaching up so that I could brush my knuckles across the soft skin of her cheek.
Over the years, I’d done my best to touch her as little as possible. Each touch made me want to let the alpha warlock inside of me take over and do something I knew we would both regret.
“If I park so we can watch, are you going to jump out of the car again and attempt to walk home on your own?” I asked her.
She rolled her eyes but settled back into the seat, watching for any sort of movement alongside the road. As the utility trucks began to roll in, I could feel Claire getting antsy.
As painful as it was sometimes to be around her, I enjoyed little times like this when we could sit and do nothing. Just be with each other, me and her, quiet and together. No bickering. No arguing. Just being.
Granted, there were plenty of things I would much rather be doing with her, but I was still just happy to be closer to her like this. As much as I tried to keep space between us, I couldn’t deny how much I enjoyed being close to her.
Which was a problem because if there was one thing Claire didn’t need, it was being closer to me. What she needed most in the world was to be completely free of me.
I’d done nothing but cause her pain since that day I’d found her. There were times I wondered what would have happened had I given in. Given in years ago and made her mine. Taken her. Rutted her. Claimed her.
But then I thought of Lana Rogers. How she had shown up at my cabin on the verge of a heat, desperate and unhappy, begging me to take her. I thought of how much she hated her mate. The thought of Claire ever feeling that way about me turned my stomach. The thought of her ever going to someone else when I was her mate made me want to tear someone apart.
The only way to ensure that never happened was to find a way for her to be free of the forced bond that had been placed on her. It hurt like hell to deny her, but I was determined to protect Claire, my mate, from the effects of the drug that had been given to her that day.
For while she would always be my mate, there was no reason to subject her to a life of being forced to be mine.
Darla and Taryn’s disappearances had begun to take a toll on Claire. She’d had to relive that day at the cabin over and over since this whole thing had begun. As far as I knew, Claire hadn’t been to the cabin where they’d taken her that night since I’d found her there. And now, she’d wound up right back there with all those bitter memories staring her in the face.
Sneaking a peek at Claire, I could see that there were dark circles beneath her eyes and her eyelids were drooping. She wasn’t sleeping well.
“Have you thought any more about leaving Mystic Springs? Maybe it would be the best thing for you.”
I hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud. It was just something that strayed into the corners of my mind and now the question hung out there, surprising us both. She turned to me and I could see the dissatisfaction in her eyes. Along with worry.
Was she worried about what I would say next? Or was she just worried about what was going to happen to the girls? I knew she considered finding Darla and Taryn a sort of personal responsibility due to what had happened to her, and I hated that. It wasn’t fair to her. She’d already been through enough.
