Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Ivor dashed into the bedroom, shouting, “Rowan!”
He expected to find the beautiful man in pieces somewhere in the tiny room, so he tried to brace himself. But the room was empty—just more of the same debris everywhere. It crunched under his feet as he walked back into the living area where Emory stood.
His mouth was dry with fear, and he tried to swallow as he stared at his friend. “Emory, we have to find him.”
“I know.” Emory tilted his head, staring hard at him. “You have to realize it will probably find him before we do. He must have the arm ring on him. Might even be wearing it. The draugr is following that.”
“It must have sensed it here as well to have torn this place apart. I wish it had found it.” He knew the utter bleak feeling in his chest showed in his gaze. “Fuck, he could be anywhere.”
“We’ll check all the hotels in town.” His friend reached out and touched his arm. “Shit, Ivor, you really like this guy.”
“There’s something I felt when we were looking at each other. Something I’ve never felt before.
“You think fate is in play here?”
Ivor slowly nodded, as the urgency to find Rowan had every muscle in his body tight. “I know it is. Let’s go.”
They made sure to lock up the apartment as they left.
Over the next few days, Ivor grew more and more frantic as they didn’t find Rowan. They checked every motel and hotel in town and in the towns close by and nothing. Ivor used his power of seduction to question everyone, but they simply couldn’t find him.
And Ivor was afraid, so afraid he could barely function, because that draugr had more than likely gotten to Rowan. He had to have been wearing the arm ring.
Ivor now stood outside another hotel and glanced around for Emory who had walked down the sidewalk a ways to make a call to Dax. He probably should have been calling his friend, too, to congratulate him on moving in with his soulmate. But he could only think about Rowan, out there somewhere and vulnerable.
Emory walked back to him while he slipped his phone into his back pocket. He stopped right in front of Ivor, eyeing him with real concern. “Ivor, I think you’d better prepare yourself to admit that we failed. I’m sure the draugr has found him by now.”
Ivor shook his head. “I just can’t let myself believe that.”
“You don’t even know this guy. Why are you taking this so hard?”
He sighed and rubbed his gritty eyes as he tried to come up with a reason. One he didn’t have. “I honestly don’t know, Emory. I felt something when I saw him. Like a connection—a strong one.”
“He was cute, yes, but—”
“He’s beautiful,” Ivor interrupted. “I got the strangest feeling that he felt something as well. The way he looked at me…”
Emory frowned as he kept studying Ivor; then he nodded. “We’ll keep looking. We also need to check in with Xavier soon. There’s another motel just down the street we haven’t checked. You go there, and I’ll call Xavier.”
“Okay.” Ivor left him and jogged toward the motel. When he walked into the front office, he didn’t have the patience to try and get information from the clerk, so he let his pheromones spill heavy and thick into the air.
The head of the short man behind the counter shot up, his eyes flaring wide.
Ivor approached him, forcing a seductive smile that did exactly what he hoped. The clerk’s knees buckled so he leaned heavily on the counter, desire glazing over his eyes.
“I need to know if a tall, thin, red-headed man is checked in here. Name is Rowan Forrest.”
His pheromones were doing their job because the clerk instantly nodded and Ivor’s breath stopped. Finally!
“He was here two days ago, but he’s long gone now. Is there something else I could do for you? Anything.”
The disappointment threatened to crush Ivor. “Do you know where he went?”
The clerk shook his head. “No idea. He didn’t even check out. Just took off sometime during the night.” He ran his gaze up and down Ivor’s body and licked his lips. “You’re welcome to stay here. Get a room. My best one is free.” He paused. “And I’m off shift in an hour.”
Ivor forced himself to smile at the spelled man. It wasn’t his fault that Ivor had pushed so much magic on him after all. “Thanks for the offer, but no.”
“Are you sure?” His eyes pleaded now as he started breathing heavily.
Ivor reined in his magic until that glazed expression finally left the clerk’s face. He blinked and glanced around the room, his brows nearly meeting in a frown of confusion.
“Thanks for your help,” Ivor said before turning to walk back out.
He stood on the sidewalk and took a deep breath of the cold winter air. Rowan had been here and taken off. If he’d been killed, the clerk would have told him that.