Declan hadn't heard from Cahal. He'd never called him back, and no matter how many times he called, the bastard never answered. Declan was growing tired of his games, but he didn't know any other trackers. They were few and far between.
Nobody could find Rowan, or Cahal for that matter. Which was starting to make Declan curious. Had Cahal double crossed him and taken her for himself? That wouldn't be hard to imagine if Cahal had seen her. Declan's wheels were spinning. He could only search for her at night, which wasn't enough. He could feel himself slipping without her. If only he could find Dr. Oliver Pratt who had been working on a serum. A serum that would give vampires the ability to walk in the sun- day walkers. Declan would be the first of his kind to walk in the sun, and with this ability he would be damn near invincible. He could walk the earth during both the day and the night. He would find his bride, and then he would rid this realm of the elusive Vertigen. He could have it all. It was all within his reach.
Declan knew what he needed, a tracking spell. It was time to involve the darkest of witches, Xanthe. He hadn't spoken to her since the Dorchada factions split. The witches liked to keep to themselves, unless they found someone or something they wanted. It was the only way, and he had something they wanted, too. Xanthe was a powerful witch. Her spells were indomitable and her potions were legendary. She could raise the dead or heal the sick, but there was one thing she hadn't been able to do. She had been trying to open a gateway into another realm for centuries knowing that one day Vertigen or Declan would over run her, because the witches had never been their equal. He could offer her a way out of this realm if she cooperated with him.
Declan wouldn't waste another minute. He picked up the phone, "Bhaltair, call the guys in. I have a suspicion that they won't ever find Rowan in this realm. We need a tracking spell."
"Cahal took her. Didn't he?" Bhaltair closed his eyes and released a long, slow breath already anticipating Declan's next move.
"It would explain how Raine got away from Vertigen and why Rowan appears to have fallen off the fucking map." Declan would hunt Cahal for his betrayal. He'd blatantly ignored his request for services.
"That means we're left with..." Bhaltair couldn't even say her name.
"Xanthe." Declan's eyes were like molten lava.
The line went silent as they both thought about what this meant for their team. Xanthe had it bad for vampires, especially Bhaltair. But he'd made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. Their last exchange had been less than pleasant, and Bhaltair hated that they had to ask for her help. "The last time I saw her, I told her I would rather walk into the sun, chewing garlic, slamming holy water chasers than to lie down with her."
"I remember. She's heinous, but don't worry. I think there's another way." Declan already had a way of controlling the witch- ever the puppeteer.
Bhaltair breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, because no room is dark enough, no spell is strong enough and no trance is deep enough for me to ever touch that witch."
"Tell the guys we head to Woodhenge tomorrow night, after I've contacted Xanthe." Declan hung up the phone. The ferocity within him was building exponentially, his eyes darkened. He stared at the wall in his office, "I'm coming Rowan." He picked up the phone and dialed...
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It had been two months and no one had seen or heard from either Ian Robinson... or Rowan McKellan.
Thank you for reading the first book in the series. I hope you enjoyed the characters and the story thus far! If you want to know what happens next, Book 2 in the series, Recherche, and Book 3 in the series, Virago, by Micque Synne are both available on many e-Reader platforms. I am currently working on writing Book 4 in the series, Kalopsia. Thank you for your interest in the story, and the characters that are so near and dear to my heart.