AN: Short chapter today. I'm hoping to get on the schedule of one chapter per week but this one needed to get out today.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kresley Cole. The plot is all mine
Lachlain had no idea how much time had passed before he became aware of his surroundings. Looking through swollen eyes, he realized someone, or multiple someones, must have moved him to Emma's room as some point. Most of her things had been moved to Kinevale but there were a few things that still marked this space as hers. Several bottles of brightly colored nail polish stood in stark contrast to the oak dresser that would likely be empty. The Valkyrie were known for stealing each other's clothes. Emma's closet at Kinevale had more than one piece that hadn't started out as Emma's.
Sitting up in the bed, he noticed Bowen asleep in the chair beside the bed, deep grooves in the arm of the chair that Bowen had clearly clawed. Emma was going to be pissed; she really loved that chair. A spasm of pain shot through his heart as he thought of his mate. Standing quickly, he nudged Bowen awake and clasped his shoulder in thanks. Bowen simply nodded and stood, ready to face whatever was ahead with his King.
Striding quickly out the door, Lachlain noticed the eerie silence. Val Hall was never silent. A tremor of hope shot through his heart. Surely if Emma was dead, Val Hall wouldn't still be standing. The Valkyrie's sorrow would have torn the place down. His pace quickened as he went down the stairs in search of answers. He stopped cold in the doorway to the living room, his abrupt stop sending Bowen slamming into him. Not a single Valkyrie was moving. They were all sitting, silent and still as the dead. The Wii was still running and some game was declaring the player a loser, that all lives had been lost. Lachlain felt bile rise to his throat and he looked at the clock on the mantel. It had been 2 hours since he'd seen Nikolai trace out of Val Hall with Emma. Surely they'd have heard something by now. Lachlain scanned the faces of the Valkyrie but saw no traces of sorrow, only fear. They were still waiting, their flurry of activity suspended. Not a note of thunder could be heard, no lightening was seen flashing out the windows. Val Hall was waiting.
"Lachlain." Bowen nudged his shoulder, causing Lachlain to turn. Annika stood in the doorway to the kitchen and was simply staring at the Lykae.
"What's happening?" Lachlain's voice was more of a challenge than a question as he moved around Bowen to stand directly in front of Annika. "Have they returned?"
"Nix says they should soon. Lachlain, she won't say anything beyond that. I don't know what's happening and she left. We can't find her."
"Has she ever done this before? Had a vision and then disappeared?"
"Yes."
"And? What happened? Clearly she was found."
"The last time Nix had a vision and disappeared, Emma's mother was dying. Nix came back on her own, two days after Helen died."
Valkyrie and Lykae stared at each other, sorrow and acceptance on one face, terror and denial on the other.
Val Hall erupted into a tornado.
"Is it working?" Myst's voice was quiet.
"I think so." A voice she didn't know echoed through the darkness.
"Emma? Can you hear me?" She wanted to answer. She really did. She was tired of the dark. The dark was scary now. Why was the dark scary? The dark was home. But something had…changed.
"Give her time. I can at least hear a heartbeat now. It's stronger." That voice. That was…Nikolai. Myst's mate. What was he doing here? Where was here?
"Do you think she'll be ok? I'm scared, Nikolai." Myst was scared? Something was wrong. She struggled against the blackness, feeling it overwhelm her and push her back down. But no. She was stronger this time. This time, she'd open her eyes.
"Myst?" Two pairs of eyes stared back at her, one full of tears and the other full of awe.
"Oh my god, Emma." The tears flowed from Myst's eyes as she tenderly hugged Emma.
"What's the matter? Is Lachlain okay? Where am I?" Emma struggled to sit up felt Myst pushing her backwards.
"Rest, Emma. We'll get you home."
"It's better that she remain here for, ah, observation." Emma's eyes widened as she took in the danger around her. She was in a room she'd last seen when she'd slain Demestriu, the vampire king who happened to be her father. The strange vampire standing over her must be Kristoff, the King of the Forebearers. Emma quickly took count of the vampires in the room and knew she and Myst would never make it out alive.