Page 17 of Act of Command

Help me.

Corbin tensed and turned in a partial circle, sure his mind had finally broken with the sound of the feminine voice in his head. He narrowed his gaze on his surroundings but saw no signs of life anywhere. He couldn’t smell anything out of the ordinary.

He traced his finger over the route on the map to the location given to him. If intel was correct, she might be there. As his finger settled on the spot, his gut churned more.

No. You’re going the wrong way.

This time, he was sure he’d heard a woman’s voice in his head. He did his best to follow the mental path, but came up empty his first few tries. Panic nearly won out, but hundreds of years of preparation and of being in control helped him to focus. He tried again, retracing the mental trail, following it, reaching out mystically with his mind. At first, he assumed he’d failed again. Then he smelled it.

Her scent.

It washed over him, letting him know it was Mae’s voice he’d heard. She’d managed to connect to him mentally. As a mate should be able to.

Where are you?he returned down the same path, but she didn’t respond.

His connection to her felt weak and he wondered if she was injured, drugged or both. His lion drew back more, as if sensing Corbin needed to concentrate fully without any interruptions.

Help me,she repeated, the fear in her voice nearly breaking him then and there.

Love, where are you? What do you see around you? What do you hear? Any detail you remember can help me find you.

He’d all but given up hope she’d reply when he felt her connection once more.

Ships. The horns they blow. I heard them when they first brought me in, but the walls here are thick. I don’t hear it now that I’m inside, she returned softly, her words slightly slurred, and he felt it then on her—she was drugged.

He wanted to rip apart all who had dared to harm her. First he needed to find her. The coordinates he’d been given weren’t near the water. They were in the opposite direction. She was right. He was going the wrong way. None of the locations his men were headed to were near the water.

I’m scared, she whispered down the path to him.

His heart broke.I know, love. I’m coming. Stay strong for me.

Is it morning yet?she asked, panic in her voice.

No, he returned.In a few hours.

She was quiet and he sensed her fear.Come morning they’re going to try to breed me. They’re going to use Brad. He doesn’t want to hurt me. He’s trapped here too. He won’t be able to stop himself and he knows it. Hurry. Please.

Corbin’s hands ached and he held them out as his shifter side showed itself, claws breaking free from his fingertips.I will kill anyone who touches you!

Hurry. Please.

I’m coming. Stay connected to me as long as you can.

She didn’t reply. He hurried to the driver’s side and had to struggle to get his hands to return to human form so he could drive.Mae!

She didn’t respond.

Mae, love!

Nothing.

Corbin put the SUV in gear and hit the accelerator, going in the direction he felt she was in, not the one lined out for him in the navigation system. It began to try to correct his route by recalculating the destination. He struck out hard and fast, putting his hand through the dash, shutting it up as he kept going. Kept driving in the direction he now knew Mae to be.

His lion beat at him, making his head thick, which in turn slowed how fast he could drive. Touching his chest, he did his best to stay the course. She needed him. She didn’t need alpha male bullshit mucking it all up. Corbin hit the comm unit he and all his men wore.

“She’s not where we thought,” he said, touching it again. “Target is not at coordinates provided. I have a lead on her.”

There was no response. His beast was riding his body high enough that he ripped his comm from his ear and threw it across the SUV. He’d find her himself. He’d save her. No one would touch her. White-knuckling the wheel, he drove, following the pull deep in his gut, trusting his instincts to lead him to her. He didn’t give up on trying to reach out to her mentally again. She didn’t respond, but that didn’t mean he’d stop making the effort.

---