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Roman shoved me harder into the jagged rocks of the mountain. “Speak. Quickly.” Then, he turned to the old witch. “We’re still going to discuss you knowing about all this days ago.”
She didn’t seem at all afraid of the wolf shifter. Instead, she gave her attention back to me. “You gave me your scales and blood. I can track you anywhere on Earth, and you don’t have what you need to save your realm, because it belongs to me. Tell us what happened to Dawsyn.”
“You got the short end of the stick with in-laws,” Lykem whispered, garnering a snarl from Roman, but a grin from Beatrix.
I ignored them and started relaying everything I knew. “River was taken and I’m assuming used as bait to get Dawsyn to cooperate with whoever has her.”
“You don’t know who took my daughter?” This time it was Cait who snarled.
“Not yet, but it’s not for lack of trying.”
Lykem clasped my shoulder. “Cillian has only slept and ate when he’s been forced to. Even then, it hasn’t been enough. He’s spent hours scouring our realm for your daughter as have several others including myself.”
They all seemed to ignore him, so I repeated much of the same.
“How is it that you can’t find a single wolf amongst the dragons?” Roman asked, being held back by Cait and still seething.
“Our world isn’t like yours,” I said. “We have magic, but it’s not something we can track. Someone has been attacking our realm for months now, and I believe that’s who took Dawsyn, but I don’t know why. What I do know is that I won’t stop until I’ve found her.”
“Yet, you’re not looking for her now,” Beatrix stated.
“Only because he knew her family deserved an update,” Lykem interjected again.
Cait bowed her head once in my direction. “We appreciate that. Now, tell us how we can help.”
“There isn’t—” I started to speak, but Roman cut me off.
“Don’t tell me there isn’t anything we can do for our own daughter,” he snapped. “You have no idea what we’re capable of.”
I held my hands up in defense. “I have no doubt that you’re each a force to be reckoned with, and I would love the help, but I can’t get you into my realm. Only those with dragon energy can get in.”
“Yet, that’s where my daughter is,” he pointed out, forcing me to take the conversation in a direction I was hoping to avoid.
“I believe the person that took your daughter forced her to become his mate,” I said, the words tasting like acid on my tongue and making my stomach churn.
“There’s no other way they could have gotten her in?” Cait asked, an ache in her tone that only a mother could have for their daughter in this situation.
I shook my head. “The connection I felt to her—one very strong—is gone. That would have only happened one way.”
“Unless she figured out how to reject you,” Roman said. “River told us that Dawsyn wasn’t sure she wanted you.”
No, she hadn’t been, but I knew better. Dawsyn didn’t do this because it was what she wanted.
“She wouldn’t have disappeared like this and rejected him,” Cait said. “And she would have needed a witch to help her. Something she shouldn’t have known about.”
All eyes went to Beatrix.
“Well, I didn’t tell her,” she said. “I didn’t even tell the two of you when you wanted to know.”
Lykem stepped forward. “If I can get the portal to allow others through, would you come help us?”
Roman answered with a resounding “yes” before Lykem had even finished speaking.
“That would be appreciated,” Cait said as well.
Beatrix was the only one who didn’t respond, but after our previous interactions, that didn’t surprise me.
“Only two of our elders still live,” Lykem said. “I will speak with them as soon as we return and see what can be done.”
