Chapter 45

Paris was counting down the hours that felt like a lifetime and now and then forced himself to look at Soraya, that was sleeping. ‘I love her, but I love Ann more. Urg, how can I even love if I don’t even have a bloody heart?’
Paris brushed a stranded lock of hair out of Soraya’s face. “It is time to go princess.”
Soraya’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at Paris, reaching out and touching his face.
Paris folded his hand over hers. “ready?”
Before Soraya could even respond, he picked her up and sped off, hoping that Merch and his nest won’t catch up to them before he reached Alaska.
***
“Wife,” Merch greeted casually when Paris entered the nest house with Soraya in his arms.
Soraya’s face went white as the blood drained from her face.
Paris's eyes went from Merch to Shysie as he slowly put Soraya down on her feet.
“I know you,” Soraya said, frowning at Shysie, but didn’t know from where.
“She is your girlfriend. One of them?” Soraya questioned, remembering what she saw when she drank from Paris to see the memories they shared.
“Ex-girlfriend,” Shysie said and folded her arms over her chest.
“Also, the bitch that stole our lives,” Paris spat.
Soraya looked around, searching for the other woman in Paris's life.
“Don’t worry princess, she is not here,” Shysie chuckled.
“Where is she?” Paris demanded to know.
“Yes, where is she?” Merch asked, looking at Shysie.
“What does it matter to you?” Paris challenged.
“You took what belonged to me and now I am going to take what is yours. It is only fair, right?” Merch dared.
“She does not belong to me,” Paris said angrily.
“Well, you can’t have them both, lover boy,” Shysie remarked.
Paris sped over to Shysie and grabbed her by the throat. “This was your plan all along?”
Merch grabbed Paris in an armlock. “Let go of her, or I will rip your head off your shoulders.”
Paris let go of Shysie, but Merch didn’t let go of him.
“Let go of him!” Soraya slammed her fist against Merch’s solid back.
Merch let go of Paris and grabbed Soraya. “So, who is it going to be?”
“I don’t answer to you and neither does she nor Ann,” Paris spat, pointing at Soraya.
“Ah, but you see, Soraya does belong to me, but I hear she was yours first. I tell you what; send for Ann and let’s see what she has to say about you and your wife of a day,” Merch suggested.
“Leave Ann out of this!” Paris shouted.
“Leave Ann out of what?” Ann questioned, walking into the nest main house where several unfamiliar faces were standing around.
Soraya slipped her hands around Paris and whispered. “Please don’t let me go.”
Paris looked at Soraya and then at Ann, whose eyes were on Soraya’s hands that were clinging to Paris.
“Your wife of a day? I thought she was dead,” Ann said, feeling as if she has been stabbed in the chest. Ann recognized Soraya from the times she drank Paris’s blood.
Before Paris could explain, Merch sped over to Ann. “Need a shoulder to cry on?”
“Fuck off,” Ann rolled her eyes at Merch.
“Trust me when I tell you, you are going to need it in a moment. Why don’t you ask him if he slept with her?” Merch suggested in a loud whisper?
“Of course, they slept together. They were together for a long time before they got married, right?” Ann asked, studying Paris’s nervous face.
“Recently,” Merch said smoothly, with an evil smile, unable to take his eyes off Ann.
Ann looked at Paris and could feel the tears build up in her eyes.
“Ann, let me explain,” Paris started, trying to pull away from Soraya.
“Don’t,” Ann said, stopping him from talking.
“Instead of looking for Jessica, you went off looking for your wife. What is wrong with everyone? We should be looking for Jessica!” Ann yelled and finally allowed the tears to roll down her face.
“If I find this Jessica, will you be mine?” Merch questioned, full of hope.
“Arnt, you married?” Ann spat, wiping the one side of her face.
“Since he was married to her first, he should have her,” Merch said, and wiped the other side of her face with his thumb, sending anger through Paris.
“Don’t touch her!” Paris said and sped over to attack Merch, but Merch grabbed him and held him at a distance with just one arm with his other hand gently at the side of Ann’s face.
“I belong to the Vampire King,” Ann said and stepped backward, away from Merch’s touch.
Ann stomped out of the house. “I will find her myself.”
‘No, you won't,’ Shysie thought with an evil smile on her face that did not go unnoticed by Merch. Merch dropped Paris and sped after Ann.
“Tell me more about this Jessica, I want to help,” Merch said, slowing down into a walk next to Ann.
“As I said, I belong to the vampire king,” Ann spat.
“The more reason to get into your good graces then,” Merch chuckled.
Paris stumbled out of the house, but Shysie sped after him and held him back. “Are you sure you want to leave Soraya alone back here? Besides, Ann made it clear she was with Michael. She didn’t even care to fight for you.”
Paris allowed Shysie’s words to sink in and went back into the house.
“Come, I will take you to my room,” Paris said, holding his hand out to Soraya, that was crying.
‘Now to expose the princess to the royal brothers and hope one of them is her fated mate,’ Shysie smiled, looking after Paris and Soraya that were making their way to his room.
“Where is Paris?” Michael questioned when he arrived a day later at his nest.
“Check his room,” Shysie said and continued to feed on a human.
“You all, get ready, we are going tracking,” Michael said and walked to Paris's room.
“Paris, you are coming with me,” Michael said, storming into Paris’s room.
“You are not Ann,” Michael remarked, looking from Soraya to Paris.

“Meet Soraya,” Paris said and stood up from the chair he was sitting on. “Soraya meet the new vampire king,” Paris showed toward Michael.
“Your wife? I thought she was dead.” Michael frowned, confused. “Where is Ann?”
“She left to go look for Jessica,” Paris said.
“I thought Wynn and Deacon would have sniffed her out by now,” Michael said with his confused eyes on Soraya, wondering, ‘does this mean Ann is all mine?’
“Merch is an excellent tracker. If anyone is going to find this Jessica girl, it will be him.” Soraya shuffled on the edge of the bed where she was sitting.
“Merch?” Michael questioned.
“Merch is her current husband, and he left with Ann, but he is not a good guy,” Paris said, looking at Soraya.
“And you allowed her to leave with him?” Michael stormed out of the room and sped out of the compound.
Paris followed him, “she warned him off. She told him she is with the Vampire King, so I doubt he will try anything,” Paris explained, trying to justify his actions.
“She really said that?” Michael asked.
“Yes. She is crazy mad at me,” Paris said, sounding sad.
“We will talk about this later. I am going after them,” Michael said, and took out his phone to call Deacon.
***
“Any leads on Jessica?” Michael asked when Deacon answered his phone.
“Dead end after dead end,” Deacon answered.
“Keep me updated,” Michael said, before hanging up.
Michael sniffed the air, for Ann’s scent sped off after it.
***
“I bet you she is inside,” Merch said, after his nose led him to a remote cabin in Alaska.
“Well, let’s go found out,” Ann said and wiggled herself out of Merch’s arms.
“Not so fast. This vamp is crazy,” Merch stopped Ann from proceeding.
“So, you know him?” Ann questioned, her eyes studying Merch’s face.
“You can say that,” Merch said and decided not to tell Ann that the vampire was not really crazy, but he owed the vampire.
“You stay here, and I will go in alone. If I don’t return, call for help.
“Fine,” Ann said and waited. As soon as Merch was inside the cabin, Ann took her phone out and called Michael.
***
“Are you ok?” were the first words that came out of Michael’s mouth.
“I am fine,” Ann started and before she could get out another word, Michael continued.
“Be careful with Merch. I hear is a bad vampire,” Michael warned her.
“Besides the flirting, he has not given me any reason to think that,” Ann chuckled.
“I am going to kill him,” Michael exclaimed.
“For flirting?” Ann laughed. “I think we found Jessica, but I don’t have a clue where I am.
“Are you still in Alaska?” Michael asked.
“Yes,” Ann said and looked around.
“Well, you have a signal, so see if you can go online and pinpoint your coordinates,” Michael suggested.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Ann asked. “I will send you my coordinates in a second.”
Ann hanged up but before she could get her coordinates, Merch came out of the cabin and sped over, “who are you talking to?”
“Michael, the Vampire King,” Ann said.
‘Good, he will be able to come and save her,’ Merch thought.
“I apprehended the vamp. Jessica is inside,” Merch lied, and picked Ann up. He sped over to the cabin and went inside.
“What is going on? The vampire does not look like you apprehended him.
“Jessica escaped. He didn’t even know until now,” Merch explained.
“Ok, so track down her scent,” Ann said with a frown, wondering why the vampire was looking at her.
Before Ann knew what was going on, they forced her into the very same room where Jessica was held captive.
“Merch!” Ann banged on the door.
“Now we are even,” Merch said, and left.
‘I will sniff out Jessica and then let Michael know where to find Ann. Dammit, I hope he is not going to kill me,’ Merch thought as he sniffed around for Jessica’s scent.
***
Inside the cabin, the vampire was hopeful, “let us hope your little friend comes looking for you.” The vampire was supposed to hold Jessica until Torvald came for her and he knows he was facing certain death if Torvald arrives, and Jessica was not there.
Ann looked around, thinking, ‘how did Jessica escape?’ Ann felt her pockets and pulled out her phone, “seriously?” Ann’s phone battery ran out.
‘How did you escape?’ Ann thought and studied her surroundings, but it was too dark for her to see anything.
***
THE DAY JESSICA WENT MISSING
Jessica opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. “Where am I?” Jessica asked herself out loud. Jessica could pick up the strong vampire scent, ‘a vampire nest?’ she thought to herself.
“Let me out!” Jessica banged on the wooden door.
“Shut up or you don’t get dinner!” She heard a voice from behind the door.
Jessica listened carefully to count how many voices she could hear. After what seemed like forever, Jessica realized, she was being held captive by only one vampire.
“Why are you doing this?” Jessica yelled from the other side of the door.
“There goes your dinner. If you want breakfast, I suggest you shut up,” the vampire shouted.
“I will shut up if you give me something to drink.” Jessica thought of a way to get the door open.
“There is a bathroom in there,” the vampire said, and pulled a string outside the door. A light flickered on.
Jessica rolled her eyes and thought, ‘great.’
‘Why don’t I remember anything?’ Jessica tried to think about the last thing she remembers, ‘walking from Deacon’s house to mine…I had sex with him!’ Jessica thought back at what Deacon said, still not knowing that he was lying.
‘Can’t even remember if he was good or not,’ Jessica thought with a sigh and lowered herself to the mattress on the floor, thinking, 'at least the vampire has the decency to give me clean sheets.
“Lights please,” Jessica shouted.
The vampire switched off the light again.
For the longest moment, Jessica lay in the dark cabin and wondered if it was day or night and whether she was still in Alaska.
‘Why am I not scared? And where is my spirit wolf?’ she thought, staring into the darkness. It didn’t even occur to her to mind link Deacon or her pack. What Jessica does not remember was that an Enchantress placed an obedient spell over her and performed another spell to force her spirit wolf back into the afterlife.
In turn, the vampire ordered her to obey him and not to try to mind link anyone.
Jessica does not know when she fell asleep, but she woke up as the door closed again.
“Dammit,” she exclaimed as the light went on. A tray of breakfast near the door.
Jessica inspected the food with caution before slowly eating. She started to eat faster when she realized that she was actually hungry. ‘When was the last time I ate?’
‘Does anyone even know that I have been abducted?’ Jessica wondered in silence while she ate.
After eating, Jessica opened her mouth to speak but then closed her mouth, thinking it was best not to speak.
The time went by slowly while Jessica thought about why she had been abducted. ‘Is it to prevent Deacon and me from getting married? Without a mate, the supernatural might not deem him fit enough to be a king. That can’t be it. Michael and some of the other kings and queens are without partners