Marcus slammed his mug down on the desk. “What the hell are you waiting for? Get Zephra here now.”
Isabella pressed her hand on his. “I’m warning you, Drayton—she may not see anything, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Thirty minutes later, Marcus stood inside Steel’s office with the witches. Isabella wandered around, waving pungent sage leaves in the air. Swirls of white smoke trailed behind. Zephra sat in the burgundy leather chair with her eyes fixed on a spot in the center of the room.
“Is she all right?” Marcus asked.
“Yes. She’s reading the room. Only she can see the memories stored here,” Isabella responded.
Marcus kept his focus on Zephra as she squirmed and wriggled in the chair with a glazed look plastered on her face.
“This isn’t the place Ella was taken from. The scenes replaying show nothing to suggest it. The night she disappeared, it was a full moon, and I felt a shift in the electromagnetic field around the earth. It was like an earthquake. Only powerful magic creates that sort of disturbance. The ripples of energy are all around this place. I feel its presence.” Zephra spoke aloud, not looking at anyone in particular. Standing up, she ran her hand over the desk and wandered around the room.
The office door creaked open. Doctor Davies poked her head in. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I didn’t realize you had company.”
“It’s all right. Was there something you needed?” Marcus asked.
“Um, nothing that can’t wait.” The doctor gripped the door.
“By the way, you said Ella had an appointment with you on Monday. What time?” Marcus asked with his arms pressed on the desk, observing the doctor.
“I’m not exactly sure. Let me think.” The doctor’s gaze shifted from his as she pondered her reply. “I think…it was around four, perhaps a little earlier. I can check in my diary, if you like. I keep all my appointments listed there.”
The uncertainty in the doctor’s voice had Marcus arching an eyebrow and taking a hard look at the young woman who always came across as being efficient and organized. Now her dithering struck him as odd. Something was bothering the doctor. She seemed rattled, not her usual calm persona. Just as he was about to ask her to step inside so he could ask a few more questions, Jake entered the room, panting.
“Boss…you need to come…to see the live news footage we recorded. The Padre just made an appearance on mainstream television, denouncing the needless violence in Boston. He’s made a statement saying he has proof of the existence of other species and their involvement in the spate of murders. The woman at his side looks remarkably like Ella. Daniels is working on blowing up the picture to see if we can get a clear view. Anyway, social media is going wild over his broadcast. What the hell is going on, boss?”
His stomach tightened. A visual of Ella? It would confirm she was at least unharmed. But he could not respond to Jake’s question; he was as in the dark as the rest of them. His instincts told him the Morrigan was capable of anything, and they had grossly underestimated her intentions from the beginning.
“The Morrigan is starting a war, pitting the humans against the supernatural creatures. Destroying mankind. I don’t know what her end game is, but she likes the feel of power, of being in control. That much I know.”
Marcus glanced over at the witch, whose eyes rested on the doctor. “Elizabeth, it seems you were the last person to see Ella. Zephra, would you go to the medical center and carry out your ritual there? Discovering the last few hours and understanding what happened will help us find Ella.”
The witch nodded at him. If the news report revealed it was Ella, he would take a team from Orion to bring her home. Was this another trick to lure him away? He peered at Isabella and sighed. Everyone was off their game. Lost in their own personal hell. Raine had not surfaced since Steel’s death, and Isabella was determined to put Roman in the past.
Reaching the witch-turned-vampire’s side, he said, “If this is Ella, I have to go. Will you look after Nate?”
The doctor inched forward and grabbed his sleeve. “I know his routine. I could watch him.”
Marcus spun around. The hairs along his nape called out to him as he examined the doctor closer. “Don’t you have Issac to care for and work to do?”
“My assistant can manage. There’s not much to do right now. Issac’s stable. We just need him to wake up.” She smiled.
“I can take Nate, and I’ve enough supplies of blood in the fridge to keep me going for days. Jake insisted because we’ve been working through the night.” The witch glared at the doctor.
He didn’t have time to hash this out right now. Whatever was going on with Elizabeth would have to wait until he returned.
“Great, Izzie. I’ll drop off everything you’ll need before I leave,” he said. “Zephra, get back to me when you know something.” Marcus nodded at the witches and the doctor before leaving the room with Jake, headed for the command center.
CHAPTER NINE
Isabella lay Nate down in the crib, sound asleep. She stroked his butter-soft cheeks and listened to the peaceful melody of his breathing. Ella would never leave her baby, never.
Once Marcus had left the office, an awkward silence filled the room until Zephra pointed toward the door. “Shall we? I’d like to walk through where Ella met you on Monday, Doctor.”
It was strange how her sister spoke to the doctor almost as if she didn’t like her. Although she didn’t dislike
