The Empath : The Alterealm Series Book 3
Chapter Thirty-One

When I woke up, I didn’t remember where I was until a large arm wrapped around me and pulled me against a warm chest.

“It’s too early to be awake.” Chase mumbled against my ear.

I felt a warmth move through me. “How would you know? It’s so dark in here. Why aren’t there any windows?”

“Underground chambers.”

“It’s so dark.” I hadn’t realized until this moment the entire royal chambers were underground. I needed windows and light.

Chase sighed and rolled away. Low lights lit up all around the large room.

It was a tastefully decorated room, clearly masculine and all in dark tones.

He picked up a small clock from the table and held it above his face. “Did we sleep at all? It’s after dawn.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “I think we must have. We did just wake up.”

He set the clock back down with a clunk. “I’m going to need more coffee than usual.” He rolled back over and wrapped his arm around me again.

“I’m going to need clothes.” I said with a smirk.

Kissing me mouth softly, he sighed. “You have clothes.”

“Boots, gloves and a skirt aren’t going to be sufficient.”

He lifted the cover and looked down it with a grin. “I’ll loan you a shirt.”

I pulled the cover out of his hand. “Oh yes, no one will notice if I’m wearing one of your large white shirts and black boots at all.”

He held his hand up and closed his eyes. “Wait. Let me savor that image for a moment.” Dropping his hand, he looked at me again. “I will take you to your room for clothes—after.” He pulled me tight against his body.

“After? Really, again?”

Chuckling, he nuzzled into my neck. “You need to feed.”

I playfully shoved against him. “I did, twice already, as well as renewed the blood bond.” Amused hazel eyes met mine. “We’ll kill each other inside of a week, you know.”

“I can’t think of a better way to die.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m out of reasons to stall getting out of bed.” He frowned. “Perhaps I can declare today a national holiday…”

“Coffee.” I stated, trying not to laugh.

Leaning up on his elbow, he smiled. “You make a very compelling case…”

A loud knock on the door startled both of us. Chase turned and stared at it.

“My king?” Sith’s deep baritone voice came through the door.

“Yes, Sith?”

The door opened and inch, so he wouldn’t have to yell.

I slid down further in the bed and pulled the covers up, almost covering my entire head.

“I can’t replace, Alona.” Sith said barely loud enough to hear. “I went to her room, she’s not there and it’s… very disordered.”

I grimaced and remembered the clothes all over the room.

Chase grinned.

“I went to her apartment, she’s not there.”

“She’s not?” Chase said, his smiled widening. He intended to play it out.

“No, she’s not.” Sith answered. “I tried to call you, sire.”

Chase frowned. “My phone,” he looked at the table, “I don’t have it…”

“I found your phone, my king.”

Chase glanced at me and then got out of the bed. He didn’t pause to get robe or clothes. I wasn’t about to object as I watched him walk to the door. He looked just as nice naked from behind as the front half did.

Just before he reached the door Sith stuck his arm in, he was holding Chase’s pants and shirt we’d left at my apartment. “I believe it’s in the pocket of these, my king.” I could hear the amusement in Sith’s voice.

Chase took them out of his hand. Sith’s arm appeared again. “I also have the Queen of Light’s new phone.”

Chase took that also and sent me a quick look. “We’ll be to breakfast shortly, Sith.”

“Yes, my king.” Sith’s voice was no longer serious.

The door closed and Chase turned and smiled at me. “Busted.” He laughed.

We were quite late getting to breakfast, Chase assured me no one would notice or care. He was wrong. As we stepped in, Troy raised his cup to his twin.

“Sleeping late today, brother?” He grinned.

Daxx also grinned.

Chase brushed by me, with a soft touch to my back and went down the table to the coffee urn. “So it would seem, brother.” Pouring a cup, he glanced to me as I took my usual chair beside Daxx. He tilted his head slightly, the only sign he’d hoped I sat elsewhere. Taking a sip, he looked at Daxx. “How’s the search with the lists going?” He made a point of looking at Crissy then back to his twin’s mate.

Daxx frowned and looked at me, then back to Chase. “Fine.” She said carefully.

Giving her an abrupt nod, he turned to sit down. When he did, he winked at Crissy, who quickly put her head down and looked at her plate. “Brothers, what is the play of the day?”

Michael pushed his plate aside and leaned his forearms on the table. “We have three sites to check out. Ellis was able to remember enough details about camps here.”

“And what of the house he was at?” Chase looked around the table. “Where’s Leone?”

“Left at first light to go for a ride.” Rafael mumbled around a mouthful of food.

“I hope it does him some good.” Chase said then looked back to Michael.

He shook his head at Chase. “We couldn’t replace anything about the location of the house.” He motioned his head to Victor. “We’re hoping if we replace members still at these camp locations Troy or Arius can replace out the location from them.”

Mitz came out and set a plate in front of Chase with a smile. She glanced to me. “The usual, my dear?”

I nodded, not wanting to voice I was starving and to pile it up the same as Chase’s. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, love.” Mitz hustled back into the kitchen.

“What time do we leave?” Chase asked, waving a piece of toast around.

“Why are you so cheery today?” Quinton asked. “Not one sarcastic word has come out of your mouth.”

Chase’s eyes briefly connected with mine and then he smirked at his older brother. “I’m sorry, how lax of me. Must be from lack of sleep.”

Quinton gave him an odd look and then shook his head. “We have to wait for the last guard change and then we’ll head out.” He motioned to Rafael, “we want to make sure the guards are fresh and alert anytime we’re not here.” He shrugged. “Which allows us a brief time to sleep.”

Rafael nodded. “Until we know more about their abduction plans, all of the local villages are being regularly patrolled.”

“Anything useful from our new inmates?” Chase took a bite and looked down the table at Arius.

Sighing, Arius leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Unfortunately not. They only knew about their part. They know of others in the same situation, but no details.”

My heart ached knowing there were other women out there being held as Alyssa and her friends were. How would we replace them all? I felt the warmth of reassurance fill me and looked to Chase. He was watching me with a pained expression. Sighing, he stood up, and picking up his plate and cup to walk around the table and sit down beside me.

I glanced to see the expressions around the table, everything from surprise to smirks.

Picking up my hand in my lap, he squeezed it. “We will replace them. All of the women being held against their will.” He said softly.

“Count on it.” Daxx nodded.

“Cristy and Daxx have been working on it through most of the night.” Victor assured me. “We decided focusing on the easiest to locate would be the best course of action. The faster we can replace them, they can as well.”

Crissy nodded. “I’ve been going through my notebook too, with Daxx, checking for anything that could be related.” She sighed loud. “Or not, there’s too many to know for sure.” Shaking her head, she glanced to Victor, “I hate the not knowing part.”

He clasped her small hand in his large one on top of the table. “I know, heart, but you will prevail, you always do.”

I felt hope as I looked around at the determined faces. I may not know all there was to about this family, but I did know if they said something would come to be… it was going to happen. “Okay. How do we narrow down the search?” I glanced to Chase. “There are so many possibilities.”

“I feel that way about these halls.”

Everyone turned to see Emil standing in the door.

“I took three wrong turns trying to replace my way here.” He said, exasperated.

Chase turned in his chair. “Brother. Is there a problem?”

Emil shook his head and quickly sat at the empty chair at the end of the table. “No. Aside from this maze of damn hallways.”

Mitz came out of the kitchen and set a plate in front of me. She paused and smiled at Emil. “Can I get you anything, dear? Some green tea perhaps?”

A surprised expression appeared on Emil’s face. “Yes. Thank you.”

She bobbed her head and went back into the kitchen.

Emil gave chase a curious glance, Chase shrugged. “It’s Mitz.”

Someday when there weren’t women to replace and evil men to stop, I needed to replace out more about the woman that oozed nothing but pure love while seeming to know everything.

“I spoke to Ellis last night.” Emil glanced down the table at Victor. “He’s taking in some training while he’s here.”

Victor nodded. “As he’s part of the royal family, combat skills are never moot.”

Emil frowned. “That’s not reassuring, but I agree, learning to handle himself won’t be a waste.”

“Aside from your awesome switchblade skills, do you train?” Rafael asked, standing to reach a plate of biscuits across the table.

Emil shrugged. “I’ve had training. None that I was required to use in the last few hundred years though.”

Chase chuckled. “Better hone them, lost brother, more hands on our side will help ensure this ends quickly.”

Quinton snorted. “Have to replace them to end anything.”

Michael leaned back in his chair. “We know more of what we’re up against, and their plan at least.” He sent Quinton a look. “That’s more than we had a few weeks ago.”

“We’ve stopped many.” Crissy said rubbing her forehead, “I just wished I could see more.”

Daxx turned to look at her. “You see any more than you already do and your head is going to pop off your neck.”

Crissy smirked. “It can’t do that.” She shook her head and then picked up her notebook in her lap. “I’m going to my tower until it’s time to sleep.”

Victor leaned over and kissed her before she could get up. “I’ll be along to collect you shortly.”

“Okay.” Grabbing her pack, she almost skipped out of the room.

Mitz came out and set a cup in front of Emil. She stood there with her hands clasped. “I’m so happy to see you.” With a gentle smile, she turned and walked back to the kitchen.

Arius pushed his chair back and looked to Emil. “Grab your cup, brother, I’ll show you the cells and fill in the latest before you go see Ellis.”

Emil stood and picked up his cup. “Filling in any blanks is always welcome.” He glanced around at the others and gave an abrupt nod. “I will no doubt come across you later,” he turned to follow Arius, “somewhere in these halls.”

Daxx tapped a hand on the table and then looked at me. “After you eat, get Chase to bring you to Troy’s office, that’s where we’re set up for now.” She glanced to her mate, an unenthusiastic expression on her face. “Until we’re allowed a weekend pass again.”

Troy sighed loudly and stood up. “I have some things to look into.” He bowed his head to Chase. “Until later.”

Everyone filed out with one reason or another, until Rafael was the only left sitting at the table with Chase and I.

“So,” Rafael smiled across the table at us, “how’s things?” He glanced to Chase’s arm and then my own, looking for a tattoo to be evident.

I paused in taking a bite and looked to Chase, who had a hard look on his face.

“Things are fine, Raf, don’t you have somewhere to be?” Chase asked him in a bored tone.

Rafael shook his head. “Nope. Well, just have to check in at the temple with Clairee about keeping a mystical eye out on Leone, but other than that my shift is over.”

Chase picked up his cup. “I hope he gets through whatever is going on.”

He leaned closer to me and I had to wonder if the seasoned king needed his own reassurance. I reached under the table and rested my hand on his knee. Warmth filled me as I met his soft understanding look.

Placing his hand over mine he looked back at his brother. “I keep hoping it’s only a relapse—he had some pretty wacked out illusions when he was kicking his addiction.”

Rafael rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ve thought the same, but I don’t think he’s fallen back into it, Chase, I really don’t.”

“I agree, despite hoping for the easiest answers.” Chase released my hand and stood up with his cup. Going back down to the coffee urn, he topped off his cup.

I could feel the worry from him. “Could it be—” I waved my hand around, “I don’t know about such details of magic and other abilities your people…”

“Our people.” Chase added walking back to sit down.

I blushed slightly. “Our people have, but could it be some woman is trying to get his attention?” I shrugged and held it. “Leone is very—he has tunnel vision, and is quite focused from what I’ve seen, perhaps he’s just missed some interested counterpart trying to get his attention.” I sat back and clasped both hands in my lap.

“Huh.” Chase’s brow furrowed. “I hadn’t even thought of that.” He looked at Rafael. “Has he been dating at all since…” he huffed out a breath, “I can’t even remember when Leone last kept female company.”

Rafael leaned on the table, his head resting in his hand. “I don’t know either. He’s all about work, work, work.” He rolled his eyes.

Chase leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I pray you’re right, my beloved.” Straightening, he motioned to Rafael. “Stop by the library on your way to the temple and see what his prophecy says—maybe we’ve all just missed something that’s been staring at us for millennia.”

Rafael smiled and stood up. “I hope you’re right, sister.” He winked at me. “Better be keeping her brother, or someone else might have to.”

Chase growled, “Over their dead, quartered body.”

Rafael laughed. “I thought so.”

We could hear his laughter as he went down the hall.

Chase motioned to the plate in front of me. “Eat. Then I’ll take you to Troy’s office.” He gave me a heated look. “You could work out of mine today.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “Then neither of us would get any work done.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And that’s a problem?” Leaning closer, he brushed a kiss on my lips.

“My king.”

Chase jolted at Sith’s voice coming from the door.

“What?” he asked, not hiding the annoyance in his tone.

“You’re needed on our side, there’s a group with complaints about the frequency of guards riding through.”

Chase huffed out a breath and turned to look at him. “If they’re complaining, then it means they have something to hide the patrols are disrupting.”

Sith bowed his head slightly. “That was my thought as well.”

Standing, Chase leaned down and kissed me quickly again. Picking up his plate, he took a step and then grabbed his cup. “Stay here with Alona, take her to Troy’s office after she eats.”

“Yes my king.”

When Chase stood beside him near the door, he paused and looked at him. “This morning was not funny.”

Sith smirked. “My king.” He bowed his head in a more exaggerated manner.

“Hate being out pranked by a guard.” Chase murmured as he left the room.

I motioned to the table with much food still on it. “Sit. Eat.”

“We have a guard’s kitchen…”

I pointed at the chair with my fork. “I don’t care. Sit, eat, keep me company while I eat.” I looked around at the empty chairs. “This room is haunting when it’s empty.”

“As you wish, my…”

I glared at him. “Do not.”

He grinned and sat down.