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Aric hummed and looked away, casting his gaze down the street and sweeping it around, as if looking for signs of trouble. “Just go straight back and don’t wait for me. She will let your dinner get cold.”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be too long?”
He met her gaze again. “I did. I still want you to eat.” She would have pointed out that most of his estimated half hour would likely be taken up by her walking time, but he didn’t give her the chance. He followed the instruction by settling a hand on the small of her back and tugging her forward as he bent down, until his lips were sliding over hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth and swirled with hers for a long, blood-searing second. Then it was over and he stepped away, just out of reach. “Remember, no detours.”
Rochelle watched in breathless silence as his eyes lit with an almost eerie undertone, and he held out an arm in the direction of the Lamont men. A heartbeat later, the three of them were simply gone, a rush of agitated air the only evidence they’d been there at all.
She dragged in a deep, semi-stabilizing breath and turned in a slow half-circle away from the building. She’d seen Aric use his teleportation spell before, though she couldn’t imagine it would ever not be jarring, but this was the first time she’d been trulyalonein … months. In some ways ever since she’d come to this new, magical world.But it’s temporary.She hadn’t been abandoned. They had simply agreed it was silly to both teleport back to Emyr, then return to Awora in order to gather their things or stay at least the one minimum night. It was easier if only Aric did the back-and-forth, and Rochelle stayed until they departed the following morning.
She tipped her head back and looked up at the sky. Dusk had settled, and the sunset passed, so it had already become rather dark. They were also late for that dinner.
Though she was unfamiliar with the seaside city, Rochelle remembered what Aric had taught her about searching for people she’d already met. It was a lot like using the Connector Stones in a way. So she closed her eyes and expanded her senses, in search of Tora’s aura. It only took her a few seconds to find, then she left the thread on the perimeter of her conscious as a sort of guide and started walking.
It was a shame she couldn’t linger at night by herself. The skies were clear and though the streetlamps had begun to flicker to life, Rochelle could still see the overhead stars easily. She imagined in another couple of hours, when the darkness had fully settled and the stars finished poking through, the view would be spectacular.Maybe I’ll be able to see it from a window in my suite.
She was unprepared for the hands that shot out from the side alley as she passed. The hands that latched around her, one clamping over her mouth, and hauled her off her feet and farther into darkness between the buildings. “Thought I’d never get you alone,” a rough male voice rasped into her ear. Before she could do more than attempt to breathe against the large, calloused palm, something sharp and hot shot into her spine and her world went black.
****
“I’m dying to know,” Darnel said as they stepped out of the compound, prisoners delivered, “why were you traveling with Rochelle? Did you bring her on a work trip, or did work interrupt your first-ever attempt at a romantic getaway?”
Aric fought not to glare at his friend. His entirely-too-nosy, mostly well-meaning friend. “She’s still in training,” he said. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to let her learn in a new environment, with new variables.” He didn’t intend to tell anyone he was teaching her the teleportation spell until the time came when she had mastered it. There was no need for a renewed round of lectures about reckless irresponsibility.
“Uh-huh.” They stopped in unison at the street corner, and Darnel planted his hands over his hips. “I think we both know she’s met the King’s standard.”
Aric bit back a sigh. “There was no stipulation that I couldn’t teach her more if she was willing to learn.” He inclined his head. “Thank you for rushing out on short notice.”
“Don’t mention it,” Darnel said with a grin. “Mitzi told me to ask if you were staying for dinner, but … I’m guessing you’re not?”
“I promised Rochelle I’d return as soon as I could,” Aric said. “But we’ll be back in Emyr tomorrow.” And then he’d have to check in with Vanarré again, because by mid-morning word would have spread about Harald’s imprisonment.
Darnel chuckled. “Well, say hi for me.”
Aric bid goodnight to his longtime friend and transported himself to the exterior doorstep of the Seaside Sleeper. He paused and drew a lungful of salty evening air before stepping inside. The interior of the building was surprisingly quiet, the smell of a homecooked meal lingered from the direction of the kitchen, but it was definitely not fresh. No motion came from within.
He’d barely shut the main door behind him before movement from the private side drew his attention. Rochelle would almost certainly not have been there, but it wasn’t impossible to think she’d already managed to eat and disappeared upstairs.
Tora smiled when she spotted him, then quickly glanced around, her smile dimming. “Did I miss something? Is Rochelle not with you? Honestly, I know you’re a busy man these days, but one of you could have told me you’d be so late.”
Aric scowled and immediately scanned the rest of the building. Rochelle was not there. “Did she never come back?” It seemed like a redundant question, but he’d rather take the chance that he was missing something ridiculous.
“I haven’t seen either of you since you left this afternoon,” Tora said.
He ground his teeth and twisted in place, rage lashing through him. “Call me if she returns.” He didn’t wait to say more before barreling out the door and stretching his scan in the direction of Harald’s vacation house. It was the direction Rochelle would have come from. It made the most sense.
“Wait a minute!” Tora called from behind him. “Are you saying she’s missing?”
It didn’t take long to verify that Rochelle wasn’t lost between where she’d been and where she was supposed to be. He was going to have spread his scan wider or sweep in sections, and in a busy city like Awora, that was risky. The safest place to start was at the docks. Still, he spared half a glance over his shoulder at the wide-eyed older woman leaning out her front door. “It looks that way.” But he would find her. And if she’d been taken against her will, as he assumed she had, her abductors would pay.
Aric took himself to the marina, wanting the clearest view possible of the various docked ships and any that may have been anchored or even sailing farther out. It wasn’t as if the ships were obligated to make port at sundown. Once he had eyes on the area, he extended his magical awareness again, focusing first on the closer ships before reaching out for the ones he could see on the water. A part of him had genuinely hoped to find Rochelle on one of those boats, but he supposed he’d known that was asking too much.
He turned his back to the port and reached out in the direction of the Awora Guard Station. She wouldn’t have done anything to earn an arrest, but if Lamont had friends on duty, or if the wrong narrow-minded fool had gained a foothold, she could still have been grabbed up. But he saw no evidence of any such scenario.
He found no evidence ofheranywhere.
Aric ground his teeth and withdrew his Connector Stone. It was a longshot, but sweep after sweep returned the same unacceptable result. He had to at least try. “Rochelle Bailey.” The stone spiraled into the air, rippling and wobbling, and then all at once it dropped. Meaning she didn’t have hers in her possession. He scooped his useless stone up off the ground as he contemplated his best course of action.
Darnel’s and Viveca’s tracking skills would admittedly come in handy in this situation. But neither of them could get to Awora in a timely enough manner to make a difference, not unless Aric went and got them, and he wasn’t about to leave again. So there was no point bemoaning that lost option. Maybe he’d reconsider if he hadn’t found any trails by sunrise.
