Heathen

|18|

"Let's go. We will find Locanas, and get you a translator in the process. That will make everything easier I think."

I glare, following him down the hallway quickly. One of the guards tries to tell me that no raslers are allowed here, but one bark from Salsh has him shutting his mouth.

I should never have taken Elodie here. She was afraid, she was always afraid, and I never knew why until now. It's all my fault. I should've personally escorted her to the Emperor. Instead, I let her be in danger.

How can I ever forgive myself?

We file into some sort of room where many Rytarian males are gathered. Fray goes through another door, quickly coming out with a translation chip in hand. I don't waste time shoving the thing in my ear. The pain is temporary. I turn to Fray's mate, ready to interrogate her.

"Where is my female?" I ask, clenching my fists at my side. I won't rest until she's found.

"Like I said, I don't know. I heard she was returned, but when we got to the Guards, it was too late. I know it was him. It has to be that big bastard." She sobs, clutching a tissue to her face as her crying takes over.

"Where would he take her? What does he want from her?" I demand answers.

A young warrior steps forward.

"He spoke often of her, he wants her for his mate."

Fray growls low.

"I thought he was over that. I told him he wasn't allowed to court her."

I pale.

"So he plans to mate her by force then?" I ask, fear penetrating my heart. No one answers me. That's the only answer I need. My worst fears are coming true.

We need to find her. Now.

"We'll split up. Look anywhere and everywhere. He can't have gotten far with her. Report back to Barre. He'll take care of Locanas, I'm sure." Fray looks to me for confirmation. I nod. I will likely kill the male that dared to terrify one as pure and sweet as my Elodie.

Praying to the Gods that I'm not too late, I hurry to find her before anything bad can happen to her.

I turn, stomping through the hallway quickly. All the males split up in different directions. Finding my female is their priority now.

I try any door that I can, not finding anything but furniture and large rooms. Around me the halls are filled with Rytarians searching for the lost treasure that is Elodie. I have to find her before something happens. The terror coursing through me is enough to halt my breathing.

How am I supposed to find her when the thought along of her pain and fear makes me weak at the knees?

Salsh suddenly darts in front of me, his nose twitching. And that's when I realize that I had him here all along. A hunting rasler's sense of smell is unmatched.

I frantically search my pockets for Elodie's hair ribbon, going to my knee to show it to him. Slash stares at the ribbon, pressing his nose to the fabric and taking a long whiff of it.

His red eyes dart up to my face to meet my gaze.

"Find her."

And he's off. I run after my pet as he sprints down the long hallways, passing every corridor and door. His snout is high in the air, searching for any faint whiff of her that he can find.

He leads me through a hall that takes us to the kitchens. I narrow my eyes at our surroundings. Could Salsh have made a mistake? Did he follow his nose to food?