“How would you know that?” I asked, facing her with a glare. “And why would I trust you?”
I then looked at one of my five guards. Could I ask one of them to risk their life like this? “Oh, screw this.”
I wanted my damn mate, and I wanted her now! This was my fight for her, so I’d get her.
Sucking in a deep breath, I parted the long stringy branches and stepped toward the shimmering light—only to have Justice pull me back. Again. As I spun on my heel, a black tennis shoe hurtled past my face and hit the colorful wall of magic. With a sharp, loud zap, the shoe disappeared, leaving a puff of dark smoke and the acrid stench of burning rubber in the air.
Shit.
Maybe this was a time to think more and act less. That could’ve been bad. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the panicked, desperate thoughts driving me. Being without Nai, thinking she was hurt, was tearing me up inside, but I wanted us together alive.
“You owe me new sneakers.” Justice patted my shoulder, but his demand fell empty and discarded.
All I saw was the pity in his eyes.
My attention flicked to my guards, and I balled my fists. “Jonas and Garret, fetch the master mages from school: Carn, Jin, and Helo. We’ll have them break the protection spells.” I faced Justice and growled with frustration. “I don’t care about the repercussions.”
The two guards raced off, back toward the school, and I resisted the urge to follow.
‘Just tell Noble to send the mages up here,’ Justice spoke into my mind. ‘You’ll cut down on travel time that way.’
I rested my hand on Justice’s shoulder. I wasn’t thinking clearly; everything was a panic in my mind. ‘Thank you.’
I repeated the request to Noble, who assured me he’d get right on it.
‘Stay there until I know something,’ Noble said. ‘No sense in you running around the island like a chicken with your head cut off.’
But I couldn’t just stand here, waiting. I paced the small glen, pausing at each end to glance at the tree. The more I looked at the damn tree, the more I debated another trial like with the door in the library.
‘Don’t do it,’ Justice said, making me jump.
I met his gaze, and he shook his head.
‘I know you want her back. We all do,’ he said. ‘We’ll get her back, bro. But she’ll skin you alive if you do anything stupid.’
‘How do you know I was going to do anything stupid?’ I snapped, my frustration boiling over.
He snorted. ‘You’ve got stupid written all over your face.’
A heavy, sinking feeling pulled through my chest and then churned through my gut.
‘Rage?’ Noble’s voice, filled with trepidation, hit me, like a punch to my stomach. ‘The master mages are gone. You gave them the weekend off, remember?’
‘Gone,’ I repeated stupidly, and my gaze jerked to Justice. ‘Why did I let them leave? Stupid.’
Justice gave me a pitying look, but it was Noble who answered.
‘There’s a meeting on the High Mage Island. They said it was to discuss the best approach to a relationship with a new king. I totally forgot until now. I’m sorry, bro.’
Panic coursed through me, and each breath tore at my chest. I swallowed hard and looked to Justice.
‘I’m out of ideas, brother. What if she’s hurt? What if she needs help and I can’t get to her? What if her grandfather was bad this whole time and he’s hurting her—?’
‘No.’ Justice growled. ‘We can’t think like that. Come on, I’ve got an idea.’
When he turned and started to shift into his wolf form, I followed him, ignoring Mallory and her little crew, who were likely glaring daggers at my back. I needed my mate.
‘Nai! Where are you?!’
Chapter Three
“This is brilliant,” I told Justice as we drove through the streets of Mageville towards the portal that led from the Magic Lands to the mortal realm in Montana. There was always a high mage or advanced level mage working the portal. I could ask—no, demand they let me through one of the portals on Alpha Island. Or at least demand they return my mate to me. “Why didn’t I think of it?” I mused under my breath.
Justice cast me a side-eyed look from the passenger seat. “Panic turns your brain to mush.”
“I only panic when it relates to Nai,” I admitted, thinking about all the stupid decisions I’d made when I discovered she was my fated mate. “One day, you’ll find your mate and know what it’s like.” I chuckled, thinking of my stoic brother chasing after a girl. “I can’t wait to see how you roll when you’re in love.”
He just shook his head and pointed to the road.
“If you scare one more mage, I’m going to take over as driver,” he said, referring to the cloaked figure walking in the ditch rather than the sidewalk because of my distracted, high-speed driving.
Fair enough.
My mouth dried as we exited the populated parts of Mageville and headed toward the dense woods at the border. I just hoped Kian wasn’t on duty. That asshole wasn’t someone I wanted to owe a favor—let alone ask one of him.
As we approached the border, Nai’s aunt stepped into view, and I sagged into my seat with relief. Of all the mages I could have found here, she was the only one I was inclined to trust. She’d helped us once; surely, she’d help again—especially because Nai’s safety was something we both wanted.
I pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. Rolling down the window of our SUV, I was relieved to see that when she saw me, she smiled. Genuinely.
No hate there.
“Greetings, King Courage of Midnight,” she said, her voice like wind chimes.
News traveled fast.
I returned her smile. “Greetings, Sariah. I’m so glad to see you. I need a favor, and it’s kind of urgent.” This was no time to shoot the shit and ask about the weather. I wanted Nai in my arms. I needed to inspect every inch of her for injuries and then take her to bed. “I hope you can help.”
She frowned and tilted her head, her eyebrows pulling down exactly like Nai’s did when she was inspecting something. Crazy how much she looked like Nai.
“What’s wrong?” Sariah asked, dropping her voice and leaning forward.
My voice shook a little. “Nai’s gone. I’m not sure if she was kidnapped or—”
“Kidnapped!” Her eyes went wide.
I nodded. “She was with her grandfather, and then they left to High Mage Island—in the middle of my coronation. She wouldn’t take off and not tell me anything—”
“Oooh.” Sariah drew back as understanding dawned on her face. She offered me a small smile filled with pity. “I see.”
‘What the hell does that mean?’ Justice asked through our bond, his voice barely human as he growled.
I didn’t bother answering because I didn’t know. Instead, I clenched the steering wheel and leaned out the window, trying to keep my smile in place when all I wanted to do was bellow in frustration.
“You see what?” I ground my teeth and tried again. “What exactly do you see? Do you know where she is? Because if you know, I need you to open a portal to my mate. Right now.”