Almost Out of Time

Chapter 27

            “Nicole was taken, I think they were Irish,” I snapped.

            “Ah, young Chase,” Axle breathed. “You’ve lost your mate…”

            “Help me find her!” I screeched stepping towards the black phone that sat on my father’s cluttered desk.

            “Calm down, boy, I will help you. We will be there soon,” Axle spoke again, with a harder edge to his voice. Then the line was dead, he’d hung up.

            I breathed out a sigh and paced again. “Nicole?” I asked, dipping into her mind. No answer. No acknowledgement. She was dead, mated, or sleeping. God, I hope she’s sleeping.

            “Have you tried using your mind-link?” Hannah asked.

            “No, of course not,” I replied, sarcasm dripping off each word.

            “She’s probably sedated,” my father nodded knowingly.

            I walked to the window and looked out back at the set up that was made for my ceremony. I felt a tear seep through my eyes. I shut them tightly, remembering her outfit, her beautiful face, every detail that made her, her. She couldn’t be gone from me. It wasn’t possible. Not again.

            “Chase!” a female voice shouted in my head. “Chase, help me!”

            “Where are you, Nicole?” I asked, my eyes widening.

            “I don’t know…” she trailed off. “No! He knows I’m talking to you! I love you, Chase. I…I…”

            Her voice faded away. “No!” I yelled, letting out a string of cuss words.

            “You heard from her didn’t you?” Hannah asked.

            “He put her under again,” I growled, feeling my body temperature rise in anger.

            “She’ll be okay. She’s strong,” Hannah nodded, confidently.

            “I know she’s strong but that doesn’t mean he’s not stronger,” I said, running my hand through my hair.

            “Chase, they will be slaughtered for taking her from us,” my father nodded. “I won’t let them live for this. She is a part of our pack.”

            “WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE US UP?!” A loud voice yelled from outside the office.     

            “Natalie we couldn’t, you were knocked out!” another voice said in defense.

            “OUR FRIEND IS MISSING YOU DIPSHIT!” Natalie screamed in return.

            “I know and I’m sorry but there was nothing I could do,” Jonathan shrugged as Natalie, Lisa, Mack, and himself walked into the office.

            “Nat, Jonathan is right. Besides there’s nothing we could do right now anyway,” Lisa spoke. Both girls exchanged glares before Natalie looked at me.

            “What are we going to do?”

            Jonathan cut me off. “No, you aren’t doing anything, Nat. You and Lisa aren’t ready to do anything.”

            “Okay fine what are you guys doing?” Natalie asked, rolling her eyes.

            “We’re waiting for Axle and then we’re going to figure out who that was that took Nicole,” Hannah sighed, falling back onto the leather couch.

            “That’s all we can do right now,” Magnus added, in reply to Natalie’s raging red facial expression.

            “That fucking sucks,” Lisa snapped walking to the window.

            “I know,” I nodded, my eyes on the red and gold designed carpet.

            My mother put a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll all work itself out, Chase.”

            “No…not without a large fucking push it won’t,” I snapped, storming towards the door. “Let me know when Axle arrives. I’m going to continue trying to get ahold of Nicole.”

            No one responded but I all knew they would. I left the office and ran outside. I began walking towards the alter but stopped when I saw something reflecting the sunlight from the grass. I bent down and picked it up. It was Nicole’s ring. The one I’d given to her. I curled my hand around it and fell to my knees, allowing my hands to cradle my face.