Page 27 of Charmed by the Alien Warrior (Spirit Mates of the Laediriian Exiles #2)
Mara
“Emily’s gone!”
Haley bursts through the door of the hut I’ve only just moved into with Sorrin a couple of days ago, her face flushed and streaked with sweat. Strands of her damp hair cling to her forehead, and she’s panting like she ran all the way here without stopping.
“What?” I stand up, nearly toppling the small pile of my belongings that I’ve been organizing. My heart skips a beat, the sudden panic in her words jolting through me like a live wire.
The words tumble out of Haley’s mouth in a breathless rush. “She seemed kind of down last night during the evening meal, so I went to the medic hut this morning to check on her. And she’s not there.”
My stomach sinks. Emily has been quiet and withdrawn for as long as I’ve known her—which is admittedly not that long—but her disappearance makes no sense. Until recently, she’d barely left the medic hut, keeping to herself and speaking only when spoken to. It’s only in the last few days that she’s started eating with everyone else at the central fire pit.
She’s been through so much—we all have—but leaving without a word? That doesn’t sound like her at all.
“She’s probably just taking a walk,” I suggest. But even as I say it, doubt creeps in. Something about Haley’s panic-stricken expression tells me she’s already ruled out the simplest explanation.
Haley shakes her head, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. “No. I checked everywhere I could think of. She’s not in the village. I even got Draggar to—”
Her words are cut off as Sorrin and Draggar stride into the hut, their expressions grim and their presence somehow filling the small space.
Draggar reaches Haley first, his strong arms wrapping around her like a shield. Sorrin crosses the room to me in two strides, his arm settling firmly around my back, grounding me with his warmth. I instinctively lean into him, grateful for the comfort of his steady presence as the tension thickens in the room.
“Vrok is gone, too,” Draggar announces, his brow ridge wrinkled in concern.
Shit.
Haley sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes going wide with realization before she covers her mouth with both hands. “Oh my God, he took her, didn’t he? That asshole took her!”
Draggar nods. “It looks like it.”
My mind spins, already hurtling toward the worst possible scenarios. Quiet, gentle Emily—who barely speaks above a whisper—alone out there in the unforgiving jungle with Vrok of all people.
My stomach churns at the thought.
Vrok has made his feelings about us humans abundantly clear—he doesn’t trust us and he doesn’t want us here. Like his father, he doesn’t think we deserve the hospitality the tribe has shown us.
But there’s more. My pulse pounds harder as the thought coils tighter in my mind. What if Vrok really is one of the traitors, like we suspect? What if he’s allied himself with the Pugj and the Tussoll?
A chill slides down my spine. If he’s working with the enemy, then whatever plans he has for Emily are far worse than I can imagine. And Emily, sweet and fragile as she seems, wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like him—someone ruthless and dangerous, driven by hatred and greed.
“But when?” I manage, my voice tight as I look between Sorrin and Draggar. “How long have they been gone?” My hands clench at my sides as a mix of fear and anger churns in my chest.
Sorrin’s arms comes around me fully this time, holding me against his side. “Long enough that their scent trail has gone cold or he covered it somehow.”
My pulse roars in my ears as I sink into him, placing my ear against his chest. The steady thrum of his second heart beats beneath my cheek, steadying me just like it always does.
Haley’s voice cuts through the quiet. “I didn’t see her at breakfast this morning, but I thought maybe she was resting.”
She swallows hard, looking up at Draggar with wide, stricken eyes.
A heavy silence descends over us, broken only by the sounds of our breathing. The heat inside the hut feels heavier now, oppressive, as if the walls are pressing in. Outside, I can hear the distant call of birds and the sound of Maalin working in his forge. Sounds that are all too normal for how wrong everything feels.
My mind races, searching for any detail I might have missed. I can’t remember seeing Emily after the evening meal last night. And Sorrin and I both ate breakfast in our hut this morning. My cheeks flush as I remember exactly why we didn’t attend the morning meal with the rest of the tribe.
I force myself to take a deep breath. “We have to find her.”
Haley pulls back from Draggar, her face pale. “There’s no telling what he’ll do to her or where he’s taking her. We can’t just stand here.”
Draggar’s expression softens as he cups her face gently in his hands, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks. “I’ll alert my father. He’ll want to send scouts to search for them immediately.”
He presses a kiss to her forehead, murmuring something soft I can’t quite hear before the two of them turn to leave.
As the door closes behind them, I turn to look up at Sorrin, my chest tight. “Do you really think he took her?”
Sorrin’s gray eyes meet mine as he gives me a small squeeze of reassurance. His voice is quiet and steady as he says, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought Vrok capable of something so low. But maybe I don’t know him as well as I thought I did.”
His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin like he’s trying to wipe away my worry. “If he did take her, we’ll get her back, my amoris. I swear it,” he says.
Although his words are barely louder than a whisper, they carry the weight of an unshakable vow. I close my eyes, just for a second, leaning into his touch.
Sorrin’s right—no matter where Emily is, we will find her and bring her home.