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Chapter Twenty-Three

DAR

“ ANDI , I need you to confirm that Mistress Lacie did not board any of the drop ships.”

“ I have scanned the levels twice, Commander DaR , and she is not on board.”

“ Is anyone else missing?”

“ Master Eric is also unaccounted for.”

“ Can you scan the communal area and see if you can pick up either of their comm units or translators?”

“ I will start the scan immediately, Commander .”

“ SCOUT ! I need you here as soon as possible.”

My Kira walks up to me, her face concerned. “ DaR , it can’t be coincidental that both of them are missing. I know Eric watches her all the time, and I heard a few rumors today that Eric and MeK got into an argument over Lacie earlier.”

Hitting the main controls, I ping MeK’s ship. His face appears, but his eyes are cloaked as are his runes, like he is ashamed of the marks that show he is mine. “ Father ?”

“ I hate to bother you this late in the rising, but is Mistress Lacie with you?”

“ No , I have not seen her since …” I watch as he fights his emotions as his eyes flash brightly, and he seems to be fidgeting with something on his hip. “ Wait , why would you be asking me this? Has something happened?”

“ We are not sure but Briar brought it to our attention that she has not returned to ANDI . The male you had words with this early rising is also not accounted for.”

“ Lacie thanked me for running him off earlier, as she said he ‘creeped’ her out. There is no way she would be with him willingly. I am returning planetside immediately.”

I see something on MeK’s face that I know he has not come to terms with.

A person does not drop everything for someone they do not care about, and I hope that he is male enough to face the mistakes he has made.

We disconnect and I turn, only to find Kira pacing around our chambers.

“ My Kira , you are close to her … any idea where she may be?”

“ No , not at all. She seems so responsible, and I simply can’t see her at least not checking in, especially with Briar , even if she did decide to stay planetside.

Lacie is such a lively child. She always wears a smile and is the first to jump in to help.

It’s easy to understand why all the guys watch her.

She’s a natural beauty, and she has no clue. ”

Rebuckling my weapons belt, I walk toward the ramp. “ Vedece is the only one I gave permission to stay as of yet, because she and KyT are working so closely together, and I know he will look out for her safety.”

“ Maybe he can help?”

Instantly , I hit my comm unit. “ KyT , I need your assistance. I will meet you outside my shuttle.” I quickly receive confirmation that he is on his way.

Kissing Kira on the forehead, I walk out of the shuttle, locking the ramp behind me.

I know Kira is more than capable of protecting herself, but my attention is scattered this late rising, and I need to know she is safe.

KyT swiftly approaches. “ Father ?”

I lift my hand, motioning to the forest around us. “ See if your friends will tell us where our two lost souls may have run off to?”

Just as he walks away from me, ANDI comms. “ Commander DaR , I have scanned the entire area inside the perimeter fence, and there are no signals from either one of them. Do you think they could have possibly been taken?”

“ At this point ANDI , I am not ruling anything out.”

SCOUT’s holo form appears before me because he is directly connected to ANDI . He already knows why I have summoned him. “ Commander , I , too, cannot find any signals within the perimeter.”

KyT motions for us to come with him. “ They are not inside the perimeter. The Timbers watched as the male followed a distraught female along the path they had set aside for humans. The female went to the aid of a young Suet on the other side of the fence, and an altercation happened. They lost them both when she exited the forest line on the other side of their territory.”

We are quickly heading to that location when I see MeK’s shuttle break through the atmosphere. I ping our location to his comm unit and we move on, as I am too concerned for Lacie’s welfare to waste time awaiting his arrival.

“ KyT , could they tell you anything else?”

“ Yes , but the news is not favorable as they have never witnessed any type of violence before, so they actually shut their senses off when the female became overly upset. Now that they understand this behavior is unacceptable, they will not allow that to happen again. They are willing to help show us the path that was taken once we get to their border.”

I hear MeK’s large footsteps long before I ever see him. “ SCOUT , go on ahead and see if you can track anything past the tree line.”

MeK appears moments later. “ Anything ?”

“ We have a few leads. SCOUT is going ahead, and the Timbers are taking us to where she was last seen.” MeK is so upset he is practically shaking all over, to the point his runes are flashing wildly. “ Son , we will find her.”

It is as if he does not hear my words. MeK rounds the end of the perimeter fence and the Timbers show us where she entered this unmapped area. Screaming , “ LACIE !” he is practically running in every direction to find her.