Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
“I’m up for it,” Paxton said, walking out of the building.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Vero protested. “I don’t know why I have to remind you all the time that you’re the fucking king.”
One of Paxton’s dark eyebrows rose. “Hunter Kayrs is my family just like you,” he retorted. “I’m going to find him.”
The helicopter’s blade silenced and Silas jumped out before reaching in the back for several large bags.
“At least the surveillance cameras have arrived,” Vero muttered.
The lodge door opened again and Lyrica walked out, wearing jeans, a heavy coat, and tall snow boots. She brought him a cup of coffee. His heart warmed, even though the chill of losing Hunter wouldn’t quite leave him. The guy had to be somewhere.
“I can help you search,” she said, her hands encased in thick mittens.
“No, I need you to interview everybody again,” Vero ordered. “Everybody who attended speed dating first. I know they all ran outside when they heard the explosion, but I want to know who saw Hunter last. Where did he go?”
There wasn’t a doubt in Vero’s mind that Hunter would have headed right for the explosion, especially since his cousins lived on that side of the house, and yet he remained nowhere to be seen. Vero hadn’t even thought about him until he could take a breath.
Paxton’s face darkened. “He would never have left Hope inside like that. Something happened to him.”
Silas jogged up, his eyes a mellow red as he grunted when he dropped the camera materials gently on the porch. “What happened? It looks more like an explosion than just a fire.”
“It was,” Paxton said curtly. “Did you get everything we needed?”
“I did.” Silas looked around. “Is everybody all right? Was anybody hurt?”
Lyrica leaned closer to Vero, probably without knowing it. He liked that she sought shelter from him.
He shook his head. “We don’t think so, but we can’t find Hunter. When you flew over the camp, did you see anything suspicious?”
Silas scratched his chin. “No. All I saw was white snow and the aftermath of a storm. It looked like the wind whipped a few trees bare. That’s why I couldn’t come back till this morning.”
Paxton glanced at the now silent helicopter, which was far beyond anything the humans had yet to invent. “Maybe we should look for him from the air. We’ve searched everywhere in camp, every building, every vehicle, every possible hiding place.”
Vero’s gut hurt. Hunter fought brutally well, and yet he’d disappeared without so much as a whisper. Who could have managed that? How many people would it have taken to get him away?
The door opened yet again, and Hope walked outside, encased in a thick, long, black puffer jacket, a hat on her head. “Who needs coffee? I have more brewing. We’ll bring out a pot in just a minute.” Worry pinched her face, which had gone pale. “Nobody’s found Hunter?”
“Negative,” Vero said.
Paxton slipped his arm over her shoulders. “We’ll find him, Hope. I promise.” He glanced at the twins. “However, you two need to get her out of here. Go to Realm headquarters.”
Instantly all three protested. “We’re not going anywhere,” Liam snarled, “until we find my cousin.”
“Agreed,” Collin said, his voice low.
Hope nodded vigorously. “We can’t go home without him. We don’t know where he is, Paxton. You have to understand that.” Her lips pressed into a firm line.
Vero looked at them, wondering what that kind of loyalty felt like. He thought he and his cousin had had loyalty, but he’d been wrong. His cousin, who was now dead, had known about Vero’s lineage for years and had never said a word. Had never told Vero that he even had a brother. It had been as much of a shock to him as it had been to Paxton.
Paxton looked over at him. “What do you say? We take the helicopter up and look?”
Vero nodded. “Yeah.” Guilt filtered through him. He hadn’t really talked to Hunter since discovering his spying on the Kurjan nation the day Paxton became their king. Should he feel guilty? He didn’t even know anymore.
“We’ll go too,” Liam said, standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother.
“No.” Paxton looked at them, his face unyielding, no give in his voice. “I need you to keep an eye on Hope. Protect her and Lyrica. I promise if we see anything, we’ll call it in.”
Collin’s face hardened in front of their eyes, but he nodded. “Agreed.”
Vero fought the very real urge to place a kiss on Lyrica’s nose and instead shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking toward the helicopter. His heart hadn’t mended all the way from the wooden shard, and one of his knees still felt out of joint, but he’d healed the internal damage he had sustained from the explosion.
Next to him, his brother limped just enough for Vero to notice. “You want to fly or want me to fly?” Vero asked.