Page 56 of The Monsters We Are

But he couldn’t answer that drive to search for her. Couldn’t pass the boundaries of the town. He’d sent others to search—some by foot, some in vehicles. Dragon shifters had taken to the sky, able to cover a lot of ground fast.

Most of those who went out on foot had already returned—not including her coven—reporting that they were no signs of her. The tire tracks they’d discovered were days old, too faint to follow, and were apparently left by an all-terrain vehicle. Seth had confirmed that a small nest of vampires had left Devil’s Cradle a few days ago in an SUV that belonged to the leader. It couldn’t have been them who’d taken her, they were long gone.

So where the fuck was she?

Cain cricked his neck, his nostrils flaring at the headache that was beginning to build in his temples. “Maxim, have people search the town and city again.” He fairly barked the order, unable to temper his voice. “Anyone who took her would have needed a vehicle to get her to Aeon. If none are missing from the storage facility, I can’t see how else someone got her away.” It was possible, of course, that she’d been teleported away from here—various creatures possessed the ability—but it was equally possible that she’d been hidden by someone who might have the idea to smuggle her out of Devil’s Cradle at a later date.

Maxim nodded and hurried away.

Azazel, Seth, Lilith, Dantalion, and Eve remained close by. Cain wasn’t sure if they were there as a show of support or to be ready to take him down in the event that his rage swallowed him whole. If it was the latter, their presence was pointless. Even collectively these people stood no chance of subduing him or his monster.

Whatever the case, none dared get too close to Cain. He couldn’t blame them. He was a hair’s breadth away from losing it.

There was no getting his pulse to calm. No stopping adrenaline from shooting through his blood again and again. No getting rid of the burning sensation in his lungs.

Every muscle in his body seemed coiled with tension. His clothes felt tight and confining. Fuck, his own skin felt constricting. Just the same, his ribs seemed too snug, making him feel like he couldn’t drag in enough air—a sensation that was worsened by the phantom weight on his chest.

Lost in its rage, his inner creature was having its own personal crisis. The monster thrashed and hissed. Its movements weren’t smooth and fluid as usual, they were jerky and stiff. It wanted to kill. Torture. Destroy. And it didn’t particularly care who its victim was. It simply craved the release.

“Is it possible that she decided to give herself up to Adam?” Eve softly asked, hesitant.

Grinding his teeth at the stupid question, Cain rolled his neck and shoulders. “Of fucking course not, Wynter’s not suicidal,” he replied, his words coming fast and hard like bullets.

“But maybe she thinks that Adam might leave you and everyone here be if he finally has her,” Eve added.

Still pacing, Cain shook his head hard. “She knows that giving herself to Adam wouldn’t change anything, and she’s no martyr.” He rubbed the side of his neck, feeling his tendons standing out.

Eve delicately lifted her shoulder. “Do you think . . . I know it would hurt to consider it . . . but is there a chance she’s fled to seek refuge elsewhere?”

Cain felt his brows snap together. “And why the fuck would she do that?”

Eve flinched at his tone. “Adam has put a price on her head, and she knows she’s in danger here. If she fears what he might do to her—”

“Wynter wouldn’t run,” Cain snapped out.

“She ran from Aeon.”

Halting, he fired a glare at his mother. “Because she was alone. She had no backing there. Here, that isn’t the case. And Iknowshe wouldn’t willingly leave me or her coven.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“Not everyone abandons those they care for when all goes to hell.”

Eve blanched. “I deserved that.”

Maybe. Maybe not. Right then, he didn’t give much of a fuck. Not when she wanted him to consider that Wynter could have left him. Maybe Seth hadn’t liked her suggestion much either, because he hadn’t stepped in to defend Eve.

Azazel cleared his throat. “I don’t believe Wynter left of her own accord. Not for a second.”

“No, nor do I,” said Lilith. “And if she had, she would have needed a vehicle. We have already had it confirmed by Maxim that none have been taken from storage.”

Eve’s lips flattened. “Perhaps she walked to the nearest town and stole a car from there.”

“The nearest town is even further away than Aeon,” Azazel told her, a note of impatience in his voice. “If Wynter had headed that way on foot, she’d have been spotted by now.”

Cain gave a hard nod, pacing once more. “The trackers reported that they found no traces of her, so we can safely say she didn’t willingly stroll out of here.”

He rubbed at his tight chest. A roar seemed trapped there, and it appeared to gather in strength with every moment. He wasn’t sure he could keep it contained much longer.