Chapter Forty-four

"WHERE IS HE?!?" Goliath roared.

"I d-don't k-know, my k-king! I swear!" The terrified man choked out.

"Goliath.." Theodore stepped forward, hesitantly. "Give him a chance to explain.."

"I'll kill your entire coven if I sense the tiniest of fucking lies." Goliath sneered with a deep growl. He pulled back and gave Kane back control. "You know, it wasn't my intention to come here. I was just going to send some of my men and they were going to cleanse.. well kill your coven actually. On our way here, to this territory, I changed my mind. So tell me, why are you helping him?" Kane glared at the man. "You only have one chance to explain."

The man nodded vigorously, agreeing instantly. "Xander came to us for help. He claimed his mates beast was trying to take full control over its human. So I made him a potion to help keep her beast asleep until they can figure out how to keep her beast from taking full control. We don't practice black magic to harm others, my king. We practice it to help others, believe me. That's why we started our own coven. If you haven't noticed, we all still have our light.. if we were harming others with our magic, we would have lost it a long time ago. Black magic is the strongest magic out there and with the right practice and right people, it's benefits are useful to all." The man rambled on. "The potion I gave Xander, won't harm his mate or her beast. It'll simply put her beast to sleep for 24 hours. She won't be able to call out to her mate or use their mindlink, I swear it's completely harmless. All you do is mix the potion in a drink and that's it. There are no side effects."

"Stop saying she is his mate!" Kane hissed. "She is *MINE!*"

"Y-yours..?" The man gulped. "I h-had n-no i-dea! I w-wouldn't ha-have h-helped i-if I kn-knew.."

"Doesn't really matter now, does it?" Kane mumbled with an evil glint flickering in his eyes while gently pressing an extended claw on the mans neck.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" Terrances voice rang through the mens ears.

"And where the fuck have you been??" Kane slowly turned to look at Terrance while keeping one hand secured tightly around the warlocks neck. "You disappear the second you find out Trixie was taken and then decide to show up here, randomly? For what reason?" Kane raised an eyebrow at him.

"Kane, Xander is the man who took me and killed my mate all those years ago and again attacked Red Wood.. to find Trixie.. I took off because I'm better at hunting by myself than with others." Terrance shrugged.

"And yet, we got here first?" Kane snorted. "How's your hunt going? Have you found my mate, yet?"

Terrance just glared at him. "I've been here for two days. Noah likes to move his coven around every so often to keep 'strays' from roaming around." Terrance smiled knowingly. "I've haven't gone hunting for months, I was a bit out of tune so it took me a minute to find you." Terrance gave a playful glare towards the warlock being held up by Kane.

"Two days, you say?" Noah choked out.

"You trained me well." Terrance glanced at Kane. "Please let him go."

Kane angrily dropped the man. "WHERE IS MY MATE?" He roared. "I just.. I need her." Kanes voice broke. Theodore and William rushed towards him.

"Let's go. We'll search the area like we planned too." Theodore whispered into Kanes ear while pulling him to the door.

"While you two have some happy fucking family reunion, we'll be out searching for our missing mates." William cursed at Terrance. "Don't worry, Terrance, I'll be sure to let Trixie know how worried you are."

"Of course I'm worried! I'm here to help find her! Why the fuck else would I be here? I'm the only one who carries the same DNA as her so Noah can track her!" Terrance growled. "I waited for two days to make sure it was safe before stepping foot into a possible trap! Once I caught onto your scent and saw you guys just waltz up in here, I followed. So don't you dare question me about *MY* fucking daughter!" Terrance warned, his body tense.

"Y-you can track her..?" Kane questioned with uncertainty.

"I'll try my best.. if I fail, you have my covens full support and unlimited access to our resources, my king." Noah stepped forward and bowed his head. "Let's begin?" Noah directed towards Terrance.

Terrance walked over to Kane and put his hand on his shoulder. "Let's bring our girl home.."

~ ~ ~

"You would think they would lock me up in a cell. Haha, I mean we are being held captive, right little baby?" Trixie chuckled while rubbing her much more noticeable baby bump. " I mean, Xander threatens me with your life and then threatens me with Reeses life but then never comes back to harrass me some more since I've been here? It probably angers him to see me happy and relaxed while pregnant with you and being kidnapped." Trixie laughed a little bit. "He has no idea the life I have lived.. This here.." Trixie looked around the room. "This is nothing compared to what I've been through."

Trixie let out a heavy sigh. "I should be finding out if you're our sweet little princess or tough little prince but instead.." Trixies rambling was interrupted by Thomas busting through the door and slamming it shut.

"Trixie, I have to leave." Thomas said quietly. "I have a mate and a pup I have to get back too. I can't die here, fighting for something I don't support."

"Why are you here and not with your family?" Trixie frowned but then her eyes widened with realization. "Fighting?? They're here!!" Trixie perked up.

"It's a long story and I hope some day, I'll have the chance of telling you but right now, I have to go before he gets down here and finds me with you." Thomas gave Trixie a tight hug and shoved something in her hands. "Take this."

Trixies eyes widened with horror. "What! No!" She tried to shove it back into his hands.

"Trixie, if Xander or any other rogue comes down here, you shoot them, got it? It won't kill them but it'll sure as fuck slow them down. You do NOT leave this room with anyone. You stay here and wait for him, got it?" Thomas grabbed her face in between his palms, making sure she understood every word he said. "Got it?" He said more sternly.

"Y-yes." Trixie nodded her head.

"Good.." Thomas paused and just looked down at Trixie. "I have to go now.." He hesitated for a second. "Tell my king I'm sorry for my betrayal." Thomas ran out of the room before Trixie could say another word.

Trixie just sat there on her bed, waiting for any type of noise on the other side of the door but an hour had passed and nothing had happened. She was beginning to think Thomas lied to her and fooled her. That was until she heard a roar so loud that it shook the walls and floor of the room she had been forced into. A roar that she immediately knew who it belonged to.

"Daddys here, little baby!!"

~ ~ ~

"You sure this is the correct way?" Kane growled out. They had been speed walking for two hours. He was becoming impatient.

"Yes, my king. This is the exact direction.." Noah was cut off by Kane holding up his hand to silence him.

*Do you hear that?* Goliath whispered. *It sounds like a heartbeat? It's slow and faint?*

All the men stopped to look for and listen to what Kane was clearly distracted by. Kane took fast steps towards the faint heartbeat and let the sound lead him into a small open field. They all stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw.

"No.." William whispered while taking off towards the middle of the field. Kane and Theodore followed after him, stopping a few feet away. "Help him!" William cried out while pulling Reeses limp body closer to his.

Theodore managed to get William to release Reeses body so he could check him over. "William, he's in bad, bad condition." Theodore sighed. "His breathing is shallow and his heartbeat is way too slow."

William looked up to Kane. "Heal him! Please!" He choked out. "I can't lose him!"

"Will, I can't heal him. I don't have that power.." Kane went to explain but William snapped.

"You healed Jake! Why won't you heal Reese!" William didn't even try to hide the hurt in his voice.

"William, I didn't heal Jake. I just removed the curses the symbols caused when they pierced his skin. The angelic blade is why it's taking so long for him to heal." Kane explained. "You need to mark him. It'll solidfy the bond and he'll start to heal like us."

William nodded his head frantically and leaned down towards Reese and whispering in his ear. "I had this all planned out. It was supposed to be special, I'm sorry." William placed a soft kiss to the marking spot and let his instincts take over from there.

After William removed his canines from Reese, Theodore started checking over him again. "His heart beat is picking back up.." Theodore let out a heavy sigh.

"Take him home, William." Kane ordered. William of course didn't argue and lifted Reese up like he weighed nothing. William disappeared, blinking straight to the castle hospital.

Kane could see the worry on Theodores face. "He'll be okay. You know the second Evy hears of it, she'll fight tooth and nail to get down to the hospital and heal him. William will be fine, Theo." Kane reassured him.

"I know, I know." Theodore let out another heavy sigh. "Let's keep moving."

Kane and Theodore made their way back to their men, who were patiently waiting back at the border of the open field.

They walked for another thirty minutes before Noah shushed everyone and crouched behind a bush, motioning towards all the rogues surrounding a decent sized house, hidden within the forest.

Kane on the other hand, didn't plan on taking the quiet approach, he let Goliath push forward with him. They didn't hesitate a second before stepping out into the open, releasing the loudest roar they have ever made.

Goliaths deep, sinister voice echoed throughout the forest. "Who's ready for a little fire?"