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Scrolling through my calendar, I make sure there isn’t some function I forgot about, but no. There’s nothing. Where the fuck is my submissive? As I call her phone, it just rings. She doesn’t pick up.

The girl better not be bratting. I am not in the mood. A growl vibrates through my chest as I slam the door behind me and head out to the journalism lab. Even if she’s just engrossed in her work, this is unacceptable. She’ll look really funny if I attach a damn leash to her throat so I can keep her by my side.

Irritation and arousal swamp my senses as I stride over to the lab. Usually she’s the only one there. If it’s a hard fucking she wants, then that’s what she’s going to get.

My cock softens as I open the door and see it empty. No lights. No computers glowing. Nothing.

This isn’t right. Where the fuck is she?

Again, I call, but this time, I listen out to see if maybe she’s playing a joke on me. Nothing.

Fear grips me, robbing me of my breath as I tear down the hall and get back into my car. As I drive over to Todd’s office, I call up Grigori. If anyone will know what to do in this situation, it’s him.

Thankfully, Todd is a fucking technology vampire who never seems to leave his office. At least I always know where he is. As I slam into his small room, he jumps and curses under his breath as something small, metallic, and expensive-looking drops to the floor.

“You’re paying for that,” he grumbles as he uses tweezers to pick it back up.

“Bill me. I can’t find Ashleigh. She’s not in the dorm. She’s not in the journalism lab. She’s not answering her phone. What can you do?”

He sits up in his chair and clicks a few keys on his board. “Okay. I need you to calm down for a moment. When was the last time you saw her?”

“One o’clock. I left her dorm after having lunch.”

“Okay. That’s a start.”

His fingers fly over the keys, making the rhythmic clacks ring out into the small room. Every now and then, he nods and hums under his breath, but says nothing.

“Well? Where is she?”

“Not helping,” he barks out as he hits a few more keys. “Okay. So it looks like she studied for a bit, then got a series of texts around one-thirty. She left soon after.”

When he turns the screen toward me, my stomach plummets as I watch her car exit the campus and go onto the interstate. She could be anywhere. “And she hasn’t come back?”

“Not that the campus cameras show, and they record all vehicles in and out.”

“Fuck!” I roar as I slam my hand against his desk. “What else can you tell me? Can you track her phone? Anything?”

“Did you put the app on there like I suggested?”

“Of course I fucking didn’t. The last thing I wanted is for someone to see it and ask her about it.”

“Ahh. Well. I don’t really know what to tell you. I can have one of our officers look into it, but that might take a bit. Are you sure she didn’t just go visit her parents or something? They’re not that far from here.”

“No, they’re not. But I don’t want to call them unless I know something is for sure wrong. The last thing we need are the Hartwells breathing down our necks. You said she got some texts. Can you see who they’re from?”

“Not without the app. It’s essentially spyware allowing me complete access at any point I want.”

“Goddammit,” I roar.

“I’m going to need you to breathe, John,” Grigori murmurs as he comes into the room. “Anger and fear never help anyone.”

I whirl around to face my old friend and glare at him. “Easy for you to say. It’s not your submissive who’s gone.”

“No. It’s not. But you do remember Chelsea was kidnapped by my uncle. Yes? She suffered horrifically until I found her. So if you are trying at all to imply I don’t know how you’re feeling-“

I raise my hand as I step back and shake my head. “No. You’re right. I was out of line. I’m just so fucking out of my mind with fear for the girl.”

“I get that. But we need cool, calm heads. That’s the only way we’ll find her.”