Night's Mistress (Children of the Night #5)

by Amanda Ashley

  She went into their bedroom. Kyle’s clothes were still in the closet, their suitcases were still on the shelf. She looked into the baby’s room, but everything seemed to be in place.

  Frowning, she ran out to the garage and checked the car. It was spotlessly clean, as always. Kyle’s sunglasses were tucked away on the visor, the baby’s car seat was in its usual place.

  Returning to the house, she went into the living room and curled up on the sofa, feeling more alone than she ever had in her life. She hadn’t prayed since Dendar forced the Dark Gift on her, but she prayed now, promising Heaven that she would be the best wife any man ever had if only Kyle would bring their son safely home.

  Rafe and Vince showed up at Rane’s house at the same time he did.

  Savanah greeted her father-in-law with a smile, gave her brother-in-law a hug, and sent a questioning glance at her husband. “What’s going on?”

  “Bowden and the baby are gone.”

  “Gone?” Savanah asked. “Gone where?”

  “I don’t know.” Rane ran his hand through his still-damp hair. “Neither does Mara. She thinks he’s left her.”

  “And he took the baby?” Savanah asked incredulously.

  “That’s what Mara thinks.”

  “Sounds like a lover’s quarrel to me,” Vince remarked. “So, what are we doing here?”

  “I just came from Mara’s place. I didn’t say anything to Mara, didn’t want to worry her more than she was, but I don’t think Bowden left of his own accord.”

  “What makes you think that?” Rafe asked.

  “I walked around the house. Bowden’s scent disappeared at the gate. I think someone took him. Someone who knew how to mask not only Bowden’s scent, but his own, as well.”

  “A handy talent,” Vince muttered. “But if whoever it was masked his scent, how do you know there was anyone else there?”

  “It’s hard to explain. It was more a sense of something out of place than anything else. I tried to follow the trail, but it disappeared once I got out of the yard.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Rafe asked. “If there’s no trail . . .” He shrugged.

  Rane shook his head. “I don’t know. Put the word out on the street, I guess. Ask our people to keep an eye out for Bowden and the baby. Bowden’s car was in the garage. If he intended to leave Mara, and he left under his own power, he wouldn’t have left the car behind.”

  “Good point,” Rafe remarked. “Doesn’t make much sense to take off on foot lugging a six-month-old baby.”

  “That’s true, but why would anyone kidnap Kyle and Derek?” Savanah asked.

  Vince shoved his hands in his pants’ pockets. “If we knew why, we might know who.”

  “Maybe we’re worrying for nothing,” Savanah suggested hopefully. “Maybe he just got caught out in the rain and he’ll come home when it stops.”

  “Maybe, but Mara said he was gone when you dropped her off. That’s been what, three hours ago?”

  Savanah nodded.

  “Besides,” Rane added, “if that was true, I’d have been able to track him.”

  Rafe raked his hand through his hair. “Maybe we should call the police.”

  “Let’s keep that as a last resort,” Vince said, glancing from one son to the other.

  Rafe shrugged. “It was just a thought.”

  “And not a very good one,” Rane said, punching his brother on the arm. “When have the police ever been on our side?”

  “I should go sit with Mara,” Savanah said. “She must be worried sick.”

  “Good idea,” Rane said. “You get Abbey. I’ll bring the car around in case you need it while we’re gone.”

  “I’ll ride over with you,” Vince said. “I want to have a look around.”

  Mara grew more frantic with each passing moment. She tried to tell herself that Kyle would return anytime now, but her mind constantly came up with new and more horrible possibilities—he had taken the baby for a walk and they had been hit by a bus; they had been abducted by aliens from outer space; they had been kidnapped by werewolves, by Gypsies, by a coven of dark witches who wanted to use Derek in some horrible Satanic ritual.

  She was on the verge of hysterics when Savanah knocked on the door.

  One look at Mara’s face and Savanah set Abbey’s car seat on the floor and took Mara into her arms.

  “It’ll be all right,” Savanah said reassuringly. “Our men will find them.”

  Mara nodded, then dissolved into tears.

  Murmuring words of comfort, Savanah held Mara until her tears ebbed; then, after settling Mara on the sofa, Savanah went into the kitchen to fix two cups of hot chocolate, though she feared this was one instance when all the chocolate in the world wouldn’t be enough.

  Mara was drying her eyes when Savanah returned to the living room. Taking a seat on the sofa, she handed one of the cups to Mara.

  “Where can they be?” Mara stared into her cup as though she might find the answer to her question inside.

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure they’re all right.”

  Mara took a deep breath and released it in a long, shuddering sigh. “I’ve made a mess of everything.”

  “Stop that! This isn’t your fault.”

  “Of course it is.” She looked at Savanah. “I just want my baby back.”

  “I know. I know. Rane and the men are out looking for them, even now. I’m sure they’ll find Kyle and Derek. I just know they will.”

  Mara nodded. She had to believe it. If she didn’t, she would surely go insane.

  Mara paced the floor in front of the fireplace. Each tick of the mantel clock sounded like a death knell to her ears. Where was Kyle? Hours had passed, with no word from Rane or Vince or Rafe.

  As the hours passed, she found herself hoping that Kyle had kidnapped Derek. At least then, her son would be safe. That scenario was far better than the ones her imagination continued to spew up in living color, not the worst of which was the very real possibility that Kyle and Derek had been kidnapped by a vampire carrying a grudge and hoping to get even with her by hurting those she loved.

  She glanced at Savanah, who was asleep on the sofa, with Abbey cradled in her arms. Looking at Abbey made Mara’s arms ache to hold her son.

  She sank down in a chair, only to rise again a few minutes later. She couldn’t rest, couldn’t sleep, until she knew her baby was safe.

  Rane appeared in the living room just after dawn.

  One look at his face, and Mara knew he hadn’t found anything.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “There’s just no trail to follow.” He kissed Savanah, who had just finished nursing the baby. Sitting on the sofa, he took Abbey in his arms and gave her a hug.

  Vince and Cara appeared ten minutes later. Again, there was no good news.

  Mara sat on the chair in front of the hearth, her arms crossed under her breasts. Rafe was her last hope.

  He arrived a few minutes after seven, along with Kathy. Rafe glanced at his father and his brother, then went to kneel in front of Mara. Taking her hands in his, he said, “It’s like they’ve vanished from the face of the earth, but we won’t stop looking.”

  “Maybe we should contact Roshan,” Vince suggested. “He’s the oldest member of the family. Maybe he’ll have some ideas.”

  “No.” Easing her hands from Rafe’s, Mara gained her feet. “I want to thank you for what you’ve done, all of you, but there’s only one man who can help me now.”

  Vince and his sons exchanged knowing looks.

  “Blackwood,” Rane said quietly.

  “Yes. He’s the oldest of our . . . of your . . . kind. If anyone can find my son, he can.”

  She was grateful that no one tried to talk her out of it. She couldn’t just sit here and wait. She had to feel that she was doing something to help.

  “I’ll take you,” Rane said.

  She smiled, grateful for his offer. Today’s airplanes were fast, but vampire transportation was faster, and safer
.

  She just hoped that, after the way she had treated Logan, he wouldn’t slam the door in her face.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Shivering uncontrollably, Kyle Bowden paced the narrow confines of his cage. The cement floor was bitterly cold beneath his bare feet. There was no chair, no bed in his prison, nothing but a rough wool blanket for a bed, and a covered chamber pot in one corner. Six steps carried him from one end of his gloomy cell to the other.

  A glance at his watch told him it was a little after seven, but he didn’t know if it was morning or evening, didn’t know where in the hell he was, or how he had gotten there. But his biggest concern was his son’s whereabouts. He didn’t know if Derek was dead or alive.

  Damn. The last thing he remembered before waking up here, wherever the hell here was, was sitting in the nursery, giving the baby a bottle. Had that been hours ago, or days? He had no way of knowing, hadn’t seen anyone since he’d regained consciousness.

  Knowing it was useless, he wrapped his hands around the steel bars and gave a hard yank. Nothing happened. The bars, set in concrete, were thick and solid. His hands tightened on the bars as he gazed at his surroundings. It didn’t take long; there wasn’t much to see. The room was a twelve by twelve foot square. The walls and floor were cement; there were no windows, and no furnishings save for a battered desk, a brown leather chair, and a small lamp that held the dark at bay. His gaze lingered on what looked like a doctor’s bag on a stainless-steel table. Visions of illegal experiments flashed through his mind.

  Sliding down into a sitting position with his back against the wall, he cradled his head in his hands. “Think, Bowden.” How long had he been there? He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. It was scratchy with stubble. His stomach growled, reminding him that lunch had been his last meal. So, as near as he could figure, it was morning. Mara must be frantic with worry by now. He would have demanded to know where he was, where his son was, if there had been anyone to ask. Not that he was in any position to make demands.

  He muttered an oath as a horrible thought insinuated itself into his mind. What if this was all Mara’s doing? He wasn’t blind. He knew she wasn’t happy living with him, that she regretted their marriage. Had she arranged for . . .

  No! He slammed his fist against the floor. He wouldn’t believe she had planned this. But what if she had? What if she had arranged for someone to dispose of him, permanently?

  Damn. The thought made him break out in a cold sweat, but once acknowledged, it burrowed deeper into his mind. Getting rid of one human male was probably no big deal to a woman who had once been a vampire. In her time, she had undoubtedly dispatched any number of lovers once she tired of them. Poor lovesick fool. He was probably just one more in a long line of men she had used and discarded.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Logan swore softly as a knock on the front door roused him from a deep, dreamless sleep. His internal clock told him it was late afternoon. Rolling onto his side, he pulled a pillow over his head and closed his eyes. Whoever the hell was pounding on his door could just come back later.

  He bolted upright as Mara’s scent reached his nostrils. What the devil was she doing here? For a moment, one fleetingly foolish moment, he thought of ignoring her. And then he threw the covers aside and hurried down the stairs.

  Heedless of the fact that he was stark naked, he opened the door.

  He took one look at her face, drew her into the house, and closed the door. “Here, now,” he said, “it can’t be as bad as all that.”

  “It’s worse.”

  He didn’t ask questions, just wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

  The touch of his hand in her hair unleashed the flood of tears she had been holding back and she collapsed against him, sobbing.

  Swinging her into his arms, Logan carried her into the living room. Still cradling her against his chest, he sat down on the sofa. “All right,” he said quietly, “tell me all about it.”

  “It’s Derek . . . he’s . . . he’s gone. Kyle took him.”

  “Took him? You mean he’s kidnapped him?”

  “Yes, and we can’t find either one of them.” She sniffed noisily. “Rane and Rafe and Vince looked everywhere. They couldn’t . . . couldn’t find any trace of him or . . . or the baby.”

  “What do you mean, they couldn’t find any trace of them?”

  “No tracks, no scent. Nothing.” She took a deep breath. “They searched the house, the yard, everywhere, but there was no trail to follow. It’s like Kyle and the baby just disappeared into thin air.”

  “I’ve never heard of a mortal being able to disappear into thin air, or into anything else, for that matter,” Logan said dryly.

  “I know, but he did it. And he took Derek.” A fresh spate of tears flooded her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “Logan, where can he be?”

  “I don’t know.” Unable to help himself, he brushed a kiss across her brow. “Do you remember during the War? Some of the vampires were able to mask their scent, not only from the werewolves, but from other vampires, as well.”

  “I remember,” Mara said, wiping away her tears with her fingertips, “but no one ever figured out how they did it.”

  “Yeah.”

  She sniffed again. “You know you’re naked, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but it was nice of you to notice.”

  How could she help it when he stood there, all his masculine glory on display?

  He grinned impudently.

  “Will you help me find Derek? I won’t blame you if you refuse, but, please, Logan, I’m so worried about him. As far as I can tell, Kyle didn’t take anything for the baby with him—no diapers, no bottles, no warm clothes, nothing.”

  “Are you sure Bowden’s the one who took him?”

  “Yes, of course. I mean, they’re both gone . . . Who else would have taken the baby? And why?”

  “I don’t know. All I’m saying is that maybe someone else took the kid and Kyle’s out looking for him.”

  “Oh.” She had never considered that, but what if Logan was right? “I should call Rane and see if they’ve heard anything.”

  “Good idea. In the meantime, I’ll get dressed and go see what I can find out.”

  Mara nodded, though she couldn’t help thinking it seemed a shame to clothe such a gorgeous hunk of man. Chiding herself for her wayward thoughts at such a time, she called Rane, listened intently as he told her that Rafe and Kathy were staying at her house on the off chance that Logan was right, and Kyle was out looking for Derek.

  “My mom and dad are checking all the towns and cities hereabouts,” Rane said. “I was just getting ready to go give them a hand. Once we cover Oregon, we’ll head down the coast. Roshan and Brenna will be here later tonight. Don’t worry, Mara, we’ll find them.”

  After thanking Rane and bidding him good-bye, Mara curled up on the sofa. She comforted herself with the knowledge that they were doing everything they could, but all she could think about was Derek. Was her baby crying for her, even now? Was he in the hands of strangers, hungry and frightened? If Logan was right and her son had been kidnapped, maybe she should go back home in case the kidnapper called or sent a note demanding ransom. Yet even as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed the idea. As far as she knew, only a handful of vampires even knew she had a baby, and they were all friends. Still, she couldn’t ignore the possibility that the word had leaked out, that her enemies had learned she had lost her powers. Kidnapping her son would be the perfect way for her enemies to avenge themselves on her.

  Fresh tears stung her eyes. She should have put the baby up for adoption, given him to a nice normal couple . . . She groaned low in her throat. She hated waiting, hated depending on others.

  Rising, she paced the floor, her feet sinking into the thick carpet. Where was Logan? Where was Kyle? And where, oh where, was her son?

  Mara was dozing on the sofa when Logan returned an hour later. “Did you find out anything?” she asked.<
br />
  “No.” Sitting beside her, he shrugged out of his jacket, then kicked off his shoes. “I went to Hells’ Hollow and asked around.” Hell’s Hollow was a club that catered to vampires. Preternatural glamour hid it from human eyes. “No one’s heard anything. As for vampires being able to mask their scent from other vampires, someone mentioned witchcraft.”

  “Witchcraft?” Mara asked, frowning. Witches and vampires rarely intermingled. Some believed the blood of witches was poison to vampires, but it was just a myth that reared its head every hundred years or so. Had it been true, Roshan DeLongpre would have been dead years ago because his wife was a practicing witch.

  Logan shrugged. “Maybe some witch has come up with a spell or potion or something else that’s effective.”

  “Maybe.” Except for Brenna, Mara didn’t remember any other witches being active in the War between the Vampires and the Werewolves, but in this day and age, anything was possible. “Do you know of any vampires who are currently involved with witches?”

  “Other than DeLongpre? No. Anthony Loken’s dead. His son is dead. That crazy woman, Serafina, is dead, and so are most of the members of her coven. I don’t know of any other practicing witches hereabouts. Brenna might know.”

  Mara nodded. To the best of her recollection, Brenna had never mentioned knowing any other witches. But then, most witches, like most vampires, preferred to remain in the shadows.

  Logan ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t think . . . ?”

  “Think what?” Mara asked.

  “You don’t think Ramsden’s in on this, do you? You never did trust the guy.”

  Ramsden, she thought. Of course. “Remember I told you he seemed overly curious about the baby’s father?”

  “Yeah. Did you ever figure out why?”

  “No.”

  “Well, let’s put the good doctor at the top of the list. I’ll call him first, but if he’s in on this, he’s probably in hiding somewhere. If I can’t get ahold of him, I’ll put the word out that I’m looking for him.”