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It was here that Gabby stopped. Nikolas waited beside a brown-skinned male vampire of Indian descent sitting on the sofa. The male’s wide shoulders drooped and the dejected expression on his handsome features indicated he was barely holding himself together. This must be Ahmed, Maria’s mate.
His heartbreak and despair touched a part of Felix buried deep within his psyche.
“Thank you for coming back so quickly,” Ahmed said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“You did the right thing,” Gabby assured him. “Can you tell us what happened?”
Ahmed let out a shuddering sigh and then took a deep breath. “After you left, Maria continued looking for the missing vampires. She wasn’t too worried. Joey and Eli tended to run off for a few days and come back. But then Diana disappeared. It wasn’t like her. She didn’t leave the House for long without checking in, so Maria went searching last night. When she didn’t come back, I thought she must’ve found another place to stay during the day, but when I woke up tonight, I couldn’t sense her through the mating link.”
The male was holding on to his sanity by a bare thread. Felix was friends with the personal hell Ahmed was in when the mating bond disappeared. It reminded him too much of the past. “But it didn’t feel right. She’s not dead,” Ahmed said it as if to convince himself. “I know she’snot dead!”
“Are you sure?” Felix asked.
The look Gabby shot him was pure venom. He had to confirm. It wasn’t unheard of for the living mate to live in denial when their mate died suddenly.
Red circled Ahmed’s eyes. “She’s not dead. I’m not crazy.”
“I believe you,” Gabby said and wrapped her arms around Ahmed’s shaking frame.
Felix bit back the instinctive growl at her open affection for another male. Her glare dared him to react.
For a second, he saw himself tearing her away from Ahmed. The tips of claws digging into his shoulder brought him back to his senses.
Don’t,Nikolas’ cold power speared through him, dampening the fires of jealousy.
“But why? Why can’t I sense her?” Ahmed was oblivious to Felix’s near loss of control.
“You said you tracked her,” Nikolas said, letting go of Felix. “Where did you lose the trail?”
Ahmed pulled away from Gabby, glancing up at Felix before his gaze flickered away. Maybe he wasn’t so oblivious after all. “At Joshua Tree National Park.”
“Let’s go then. Maybe we can find something,” Gabby said.
“Not tonight.” Nikolas shook his head. “It’s too far to get to before sunrise.”
Felix could tell Gabby wasn’t satisfied, but there was nothing any of them could do. Vegas was the only place where vampires were free to walk in daylight. Anywhere else, they were still bound to stay inside during the day.
Nikolas pulled Ahmed up to his feet. “Come. You need rest.” To Gabby, he said, “Josie can help you to your rooms.”
Josie, Felix learned seconds later, was Haven’s AI system. A maternal voice came from a speaker somewhere in the room. “Welcome home, Gabby. It will be my pleasure to help you to your room.”
Even though she blocked him through the mating bond, she couldn’t hide the strain around her mouth or the way she rubbed at her temples. The urge to ensure his mate’s comfort overrode everything else.
He took Gabby’s hand and tugged her toward the door. “Josie, which way?”
“Take a left, please,” the AI instructed.
The hallways they passed were paneled with wood and wall scones lighting the way every few feet. A few recessed alcoves held marble busts, which, if they were real, would be worth a fortune.
When Josie indicated they’d arrived at Gabby’s room, Felix turned the doorknob.
“Wait.” Gabby stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “Josie, is there a room for Lord Felix?”
“Yes. His rooms are two halls down.”
When Gabby made a move to step back, he pulled her against him. Her scent wrapped around him until he wanted to bury his head against the curve of her neck and soak her in so he’d never be without it.
“I’m staying with you today,” he muttered.
