Page 44 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

I parked the car in the driveway of my condo and stepped outside, closing the car door behind me. I peered up at the charming little two-story house; the paint was a lovely peach, with white trim—the front door a nice mahogany color.

The door…

It was slightly ajar. And the frame appeared as if a chunk of the wood had been snapped out. Like…someone had broken in.

My heart kicked into overdrive. The blood in my veins pumping throughout like supercharged pistons. Dropping my purse, I raced inside the condo. I called on my inner wolf. She leaped to her paws, ears pricked and hackles raised, ready to call upon the shift and engage whoever was on the other side.

I darted down the long corridor, my gaze snagging on the bloodied footprints and blood smears that streaked down the length of the hallway. One was a distinct crimson handprint, followed by a smaller handprint. My lungs seized in my chest.

Stars, no!

I whipped around the corner, rocking to a stop as my gaze caught on the living room.

The couch was tossed on its side, the dining room table flipped over, and chairs knocked down as if someone was running after something, chasing someone. In the center of the living room lay Thelma, the nanny. Crimson blood pooled from beneath her body, forming a dark puddle on the hardwood floor. Her eyes were still wide open; her face twisted in a cry—frozen in time.

I shook my head slowly, the room spinning out from underneath me. “No, no, no!”

I surged past the nanny as I combed through the condo.

“Melodina!” I cried. “Melodina! Where are you?”

She was not downstairs. Vaulting up the stairs at the back of the living room, I stopped in another hallway. I burst into her room. Her bedsheets were undisturbed, and her dolls and toys were propped on the dresser as always. I fled her room and burst into mine. Empty. The house was empty, save the body downstairs. I sank to my knees, and my body was wracked with uncontrollable tremors.

Mellie’s body wasn’t in the house. Which meant someone had abducted her. I ran downstairs and returned to the living room.

I raked my quivering fingers through my hair.

Okay, Ember, get it together! You can do this. You need to track your daughter’s scent.

I inhaled deeply, breathing in a steadying breath. Then I sniffed the air, letting the scents waft into my nostrils. The iron metallic tang of blood was the strongest. It permeated the room, thick and cloying, bitter at the back of my throat. Then, I caught the sugar and nutmeg scent belonging to Thelma. Tears pooled in my eyes as my gaze snagged again on her body, covered with blood. I swallowed thickly.

Focus…

I inhaled deeper and caught the scent of lavender and rain that belonged to my daughter. And underneath her scent rose another, this one foreign and familiar all at once—a scent of sunshine and earth…and Lanair.

My fangs jutted forth, claws slicing out.

“Summer fae,” I growled low in my throat. They had been in here.

But why the hell would summer fae be here in the human realm and my home? No one knows about Melodina being half-shadow fae.

I approached Thelma and kneeled down, rolling her onto her back. In the middle of her chest spanned a row of deep cuts in the shape of slivers with jagged edges. Starbursts, a weaponized light that summer fae could harness to bring down the enemy. Except Thelma had been no threat to the fae. But she’d been an obstacle in the way of what they’d wanted—Melodina.

I saw her broken fingernails, the blood underneath them, her torn clothing, and her tangled mass of hair. She had fought and died trying to protect Melodina.

I brushed a hand along her ice-cold brow. “Thank you,” I whispered in a hoarse voice. “Thank you for fighting to the end for my daughter.

I pushed to my feet, my legs feeling numb, my body weak with despair.

It was my turn to fight for my daughter. I couldn’t go after Melodina by myself into the summer fae realm. Werewolves were forbidden from entering their territory. I’d be killed on sight. But I knew of a race who was strong enough to go toe to toe with them—the fearsome shadow fae. The only being who could save her now was the shadow fae crown prince, Drake, her father.

My gut twisted at the thought of revealing Melodina’s identity to him.

But I had no choice….I had to save my daughter, no matter what the costs.

My lips thinned; I pulled out my cell phone and called 911 for Thelma’s murder. I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Thepolice would never find the culprit. But Thelma deserved this much, and her family needed to be contacted as soon as possible by the police. My fingers tightened around the phone. This would also clear me of being a suspect in Thelma’s murder.

Within fifteen minutes, the police arrived at my door. I stood leaning against the wall of the corridor, unable to look at the murder scene, when the knock at the door came.

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