Chapter 78 (Crossover Event #6)

(**Parker**) 

As the sun faded from the sky, tension in the bar only gets worse. Mainly between Edmund, Owen, and him. With every hour that has passed, Edmund gets angrier and angrier at the unwillingness to turn Owen over to Killian.  

The thought crossed Parker’s mind, briefly, to turn Owen over. If it will get Rayne and their child back safely. Owen even volunteered to go, but now that he is a father, it just doesn’t feel right to put him in that kind of situation. 

He closes his office door, rummages through the chest in the corner, then pulls on a clean pair of pants. He spent the last three hours flying around the docks looking for any sign of Rayne, Killian, or any of the men Owen showed him that work for Killian. After finding nothing around the docks, he widened his search area. Declan and some of his shifters joined the search. 

They started down at the docks and spiraled out in all directions as they widened the search area. In the end, there was nothing to find. Every scent they picked up was human or one of their own who had already been out searching hours earlier.  

Parker would have stayed out longer, gone out further than any of the others, but exhaustion made him turn back towards the bar. Now, after getting dressed again, he heads towards the stairs to go back to the ground floor, only to stop as Arabella reaches the top of the stairs. 

The look on her face makes his heart rate speed up. She looks worried and hesitant when her eyes meet his. “What is it? Have you found Rayne?” 

“Let’s go into your office.” 

A bed feeling settles over him as he leads her into his office. What could she have found that would put that look on her face? Arabella has never hesitated to tell him anything she has seen in a vision before. What did she see to change that? 

Closing the door softly behind her, he gestures to the sofa for her to take a seat. Rayne’s scent clings to the very air in the room. It makes him cagey and long for her to be here with him. Without her the entire place feels hollow. 

“We will get her back, I swear it, Parker.” 

“I hate myself for how I treated her before she left. If I had just be calmer and listened to what she was saying, she wouldn’t have left. She wouldn’t have gone down to the docks alone. This is all my fault.”  

Tears slip from his eyes as he lowers his body to the floor.  

“Hey, this was all set into motion before you two had that fight. Killian and Nathaniel would have taken her at the first chance they found. This isn’t all on you, Parker, even though you were an ass.” 

The sobs he has been holding back since he learned Rayne had been taken finally break free. His body shakes with the fierce outpouring of his emotions. Arabella wraps her arms around him to let him know he wasn’t alone. Not a single word is said between them as he just rocks back and forth. 

When there was nothing left to let out, he pulls away then stands up off the floor. Pulling Arabella up, he wraps her in a brief hug then walks to the mini-fridge to grab two bottles of water. He hands one to her before he takes a seat on the sofa. 

“What did you see?” 

“I didn’t have a vision, but I received a phone call from a mutual friend. Monroe.” 

Parker frowns at the mention of the leader of the biggest rogue pack on the west coast. They haven’t heard from Monroe since he helped them take Wilson down. That was over a year ago. Why is he calling Arabella? 

“I was going to Redwood with the girls to help Sebastion Drakos with a situation he found himself in. Monroe set this up for him. He has been helping Sebastion with his Collectors issue.” 

“Did they find the little girl? Zasha?” 

“From what I understand, they not only found her, but they also found the other part of Treadstone’s collection that he had in Portland. Between Drakos, the Horsemen, and Monroe’s rogues, they freed them all and got them to Canada.” 

Parker’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Maybe it is a good thing to have the rogue leader on their side. “How many did they free?” 

“I didn’t ask over the phone, but I was planning to when we got there.” 

“What is the issue you were going to help him with, and how does that relate to us here?” 

“It doesn’t. One victim that they saved was used to create a wedge between Sebastion and Irina. A spell was cast on her to make her see her mate when she looks at Sebastion. She marked him by force.” 

That is one of the biggest taboos in the supernatural world. To mark someone against their will is to take their choice away from them. It can also prevent them from finding their true mate if they have one out there.  

“So, what did Monroe tell you that made you hesitate to talk to me.” 

Arabella takes a deep breath, looks down at the water bottle in her hands, then she looks up again. “I called to tell him we would not be coming out there right away. He asked me why, so I told him about Rayne going missing. That was when he told me what was going on there.” 

“Tell me, Arabella.” 

“Sebastion was taken too.” 

Anger spikes instantly through his heart when he hears this. A nasty thought, a jealous one, goes through his mind. Then he dismisses it just as fast. Rayne didn’t run away, they kidnapped her. Even if she ran away, it wouldn’t be to her ex-mate. 

“How?” 

“Magic was used to create a portal. Someone took him in plain view of most of his pack as they were announcing Irina being their Luna. After giving it some thought, I think I know who took Sebastion and why.” 

Unable to sit still any longer, Parker stands up and paces the room as he listens to Arabella. “Who took him? How does it relate to Rayne and the situation here?” 

Again, Arabella hesitates.  

“Mates are forever linked to each other. Sebastion was the one who the Moon Goddess originally put in Rayne’s path. I know Selene always intended for you two to end up together but there is still a link between them.” 

Parker spins to look at her, anger in his eyes as he thinks of Rayne still being tied to another man. Even if that other man now has a new mate with a completed mate bond, it still makes the animal side of him territorial. Rayne is his mate now, their bond is solid, and they have a child on the way.  

“How does that link work? Do they still feel the mate bond?” 

“No, not at all. It is like a magical thread that ties their souls together. A very weak thread that will eventually break as your bond with Rayne grows stronger and Sebastion’s bond with Irina grows stronger.” 

“So, it is only there now because all this is still new for the four of us?” 

“Yes.” 

Relief floods through him, but fades just as quickly as it came. “Nathaniel took him, didn’t he?” 

Rage fills Arabella’s eyes at the mention of the Warlock. The air in the room crackles as her power comes to the surface. “Yes, I am positive that he took Sebastion.” 

“Why?” He asks. Even though the answer is something he fears, he already knows. 

“In order to bring Olivia back, he needs to break the bond Rayne has with Sebastion. He needs her soul pure and free of any bond to clear the way for his intentions. Three souls tied together will make it harder for him the do the first ritual. Three souls.”

Arabella repeats that line twice more. Three souls, not four. This news gets Parker’s attention right away. Three souls. Rayne, the baby, and Sebastion’s. What about his soul that is now tied to Rayne’s? Does that mean Nathaniel is unaware of the mate bond that is now there? 

“He doesn’t know about me? My scent is all over her. How much of his power has he lost?” 

“His power used to rival mine, if not stronger than me. With the loss of his mate, he lost something that could have strengthened him. Now, I fear he has lost his soul, too. Dark magic has a high price to pay. What he is trying to do will require Necromancy. That type of magic is not available to White Witches.” 

So Nathaniel sold his soul to the dark side to bring back his beloved mate. Parker can see his point of view now that he is at risk of losing Rayne. However, the means the man is going to need to be stopped. Three lives are in the balance of being snuffed out. 

(**Rayne**) 

Killian left the room shortly after he made his announcement. A few minutes later, five enormous men enter the room with a sixth one right behind them. By their scents, they are all werewolves except the sixth man.  

He was obviously their leader. That man is something else entirely. His aura is dark, but there is a light ring surrounding it. Rayne has never seen anything like it before, so she is at a loss to what he could be. At the sharp intake of breath from Sebastion, she turns her attention back to him. 

Recognition flashed through his eyes. “We meet again, Muscles.” 

A deep chuckle from the leader makes Rayne look between Sebastion and the man he called Muscles. A laugh bubbles up in her throat at the nickname. All six men are built like bodybuilders, but the leader is easily twice the size of the other five men. 

“Indeed, however this time will be more pleasant. At least it will be if you behave and don’t fight back.” 

“You are the men who did this to him?” 

After she spoke, his attention swings to her for the first time since he entered the room. A chill sweeps down her spine at the piercing gaze. She feels his magic try to probe her mind like Nathaniel had earlier. A frown, then a smirk are the only indications given that this man understood. 

“You must be the lady they meant our performance for. I must admit, you don’t look how I imagined you would. You are not a blonde.” 

“I am not his mate. She is a blonde.” 

Muscles snapped his fingers, spread his arms out to the left and right, then the five werewolves spread out along the walls next to the door. Three on one side and two on the other. Once they were in place, he sauntered further into the room. When he reached the chair that Killian placed earlier, he took a seat. 

“Since we are going to be spending the next few hours together, I think it would be good to get introductions out of the way. My name is Asher, and these five men are my brothers. We are rogues for hire.” 

“Wait, you are a werewolf too? Your scent doesn’t pick up as one like theirs does.” Sebastion says. 

Asher nods his head but doesn’t elaborate on why his scent is different. “I know your name, Alpha Drakos. We have met before, but it was when we were children. Now, who is this lady if she isn’t your mate?” 

The door to the room opens before Rayne answers. Ayasha saunters into the room with anger in her eyes. “We didn’t bring you brutes here to chat with them. Get them up off their feet now. The van is ready.” 

Sebastion surges to his feet, then helps Rayne up. He puts his body directly in front of hers in a protective stance. Normally this would piss her off, but since she can’t shift, she will take all the help she can get.  

This move makes Ayasha laugh. “Protective over her, are ya? Well, since you were not part of our plan, we will see how long that protective instinct lasts when her mate comes for her. Now, let’s get the fuck out of this building before Nathaniel gets back.”  

Ayasha stomps from the room, slamming the door behind her as she leaves. 

“Well, that is our cue to get to work, boys,” Asher says. His men peel off the wall then advance on Rayne and Sebastion. 

“There is no need for violence. We will not fight you,” Rayne says.  

“Smart and beautiful. Are you sure she isn’t your mate, Drakos?”  

Without waiting for Sebastion to answer, the five werewolves circle around them. Soon they are being ushered to the door. A long hallway leads them out of the building to what looks like a loading dock. They parked a white delivery van in an empty cargo bay. The van has a local Florists logo on it. Smart. It will blend in with the area. However, this Florist went out of business a year ago. It will stand out to those who live in the area and know it shouldn’t be here. This could benefit them once they get to their destination. 

Ayasha hopped down into the cargo bay to open the van’s back doors. She gave Asher a look that clearly shows her impatience. “Let’s get moving already. Killian is waiting for us at the church.” 

Asher turns to Rayne then bends down low. The next thing she knows, he tosses her over his shoulder. Her stomach churns with the sudden movement. Being upside down didn’t help the situation, either. Before she could stop it, she vomits all down his back. Without missing a beat, Asher tosses her into the back of the van. 

Sebastion soon joins her similarly, minus the vomiting.  

“Why didn’t you tell me she is pregnant?” Asher asks Ayasha.  

The anger in his voice didn’t surprise Rayne. She did just puke on him. Most men wouldn’t be happy with that in the best circumstances, let alone in the worst.  

The doors to the van slammed shut before Ayasha responds. A few moments later, the van is moving. Rayne moves around until her back hits the side of the van, then she sits up. Her mind is racing as she thinks of any abandoned churches in Bodega Bay. 

There are three. Which one are they going to? One is on the very edge of town. That would be the best choice for Killian. 

“Can you feel your wolf yet, Sebastion?” 

“Faintly. Why?” 

“If I am right about where we are and where we are going, we have about twenty minutes. I can hear my wolf, which means now that we are out of that room, I can link Parker.” 

“Call the calvary, Rayne.”