Josie was too hot. She moved away from the bonfire, searching for the breeze coming off the ocean. The farther away she got, the higher the flames licked. She turned toward the water, but a line of men stood in her way. Dressed in loin cloths, Malakai and six other men stomped their feet in time with tribal drums. Josie was mesmerized, frozen in place as the heat scorched her skin. She needed to get to the water, but with every step she took, the dancers moved with her. The drums thundered louder, the beats reverberating in her chest.
“Kai, I need the water!” She waved her arms, but it was as if he looked right through her. “Kai, please!” He didn’t respond. The men, in synchronized formation, pumped their arms down, palms up, and sharp claws extended from their fingers. The men advanced on her, a stomp at a time, and Josie backed up with each step they took.
“Joselynn.”
“Malakai, please,” Josie begged, her voice lost in the night.
“Josie, wake up. She’s too hot. We gotta do something.”
Josie turned to see who was talking to her, but she was surrounded by wings. Seven pairs of leathery wings stretched out, tip to tip, in a circle of Gargoyles. Something cold touched her forehead, and Josie shivered. She tried to reach up, but her arms wouldn’t move. Her body shook violently, and she fell to her knees. The six men with Malakai disappeared as if they’d never been there, and Kai, the man, dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Josie, can you hear me?”
“Not Josie,” she muttered as her teeth chattered. “Sunshine…”
Chapter Seven
Family Day at the manor was getting underway, and Frey leaned against one of the posts on the patio, watching Amelia and Rain dancing in circles. He was amazed at how much the boy had recovered from being held by Dr. Craven. The kids fell down, dizzy, and Frey grinned at their antics. When the glass door slid open, Frey looked over his shoulder to find Rafael stepping outside with Sebastian in his arms.
“How’d you manage that?” Frey asked, tilting his head toward his nephew.
Rafe grinned. “I pulled the King card.”
“Rafe?” Julian came around the side of the house. “Good, you’re out here.”
“What’s up, Jules?”
“It might be nothing, but someone was searching for Kaya on the internet. I didn’t get the alert until this morning, or I would have called. I traced the IP address to Joselynn Pierson. No worries on that. She’s possibly Kai’s mate,” Julian elaborated.
“Why would Kai’s mate be searching for Kaya on the internet?” Rafael asked, patting his sleeping son on his diapered bottom.
Frey turned, giving them his attention. “Kai had a date with Joselynn last night. Maybe it went well and he was talking about mates?” Frey couldn’t think of any other reason. His phone rang in his pocket. When Frey saw it was Lawton, he frowned. Frey excused himself, and as he stepped away from his brother and cousin, he put the phone to his ear.
“Lawton? Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. Malakai hasn’t shown up for his shift, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“That isn’t like him. Okay, hang tight, and I’ll get Lorenzo to come relieve you.”
“I’m good hanging here for however long you need.”
“Thank you, Law. I’ll still get Lor to come help out.” Frey disconnected, worry filling his gut. Gargoyles didn’t get sick, and Kai was as dependable as the sun rising.
“What’s going on?” Rafael asked.
“Kai’s not at the gym. I’m going to talk to Lor.” Frey called Kai’s number as he searched the manor for Lorenzo. It went straight to voicemail. “Kai, give me a call, Brother.” Frey found Lor talking to Jasper and Trevor in the game room. “Excuse me, Lor. Do you know if Malakai was swapping shifts with someone today?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“He hasn’t shown up to relieve Lawton. I called Kai, but it went straight to voicemail.”
Lorenzo stood. “I’ll head to the gym and swing by his place on the way in case he had car trouble or something.”
Frey ran a hand through his hair. “He would have called me. Something’s wrong.”
“Wrong with who?” Gregor asked.
When Frey turned, the game room was filled with most every family member. “Malakai didn’t open the gym this morning, and he’s not answering his phone. I’m gonna run over and check on him.”
“I’m going with you,” Dante said. “This isn’t like him, and I don’t want you going alone. Just in case.”
“You think something happened to him?” Abbi asked, stepping into Frey’s arms.
“I hope not, Sweetheart. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.” Frey kissed his mate gently before leaning over to kiss her belly. He hated leaving her behind, but if something were wrong, he preferred she stay where she would be guarded by the other males.
Frey hurried to his truck with his cousin at his side. He was glad it was Dante who offered to come with him. His cousin had a gift none of the others in their family had. The ride didn’t take long since it was only a few miles from the manor. When they rolled up to Sixx’s house where Kai was staying, Frey looked around. “His Jeep’s not here.”
Dante scrambled out of the truck. “No, but Malakai is. Something’s happened. It’s bad.” They took off running toward the back of the house. When they rounded the corner, Dante slowed his steps, muttering, “What the fuck?” He approached Kai slowly, and Frey held back. Malakai was sitting in one of the patio chairs, slumped down, staring off into the distance. Dante knelt at Kai’s feet and placed his hands on the other Goyle’s arms. Dante focused inwardly on Kai, and when he turned to
