Page 69 of To Crave Deeply
“Yes, but this is different. If Jasper doesn’t come back, he’s about to be thrust into a position of leadership and power without any real warning.”
Saskia was right. Taking responsibility for leading a side mission was one thing, but taking responsibility for not just our team but the rest of the Elite was terrifying. The Elite were a team of highly trained mercenaries, assassins, and soldiers who were created during the Dark War as a peacekeeping force. Since then, we’ve policed the magical worlds and protected those who needed it.
There was still no sign of Jasper. Where the fuck had he gone?
“We can’t stand around here waiting. We need to do something.” As much as I hated the idea of leaving a man behind, we couldn’t stand here on a prayer, hoping that Jasper turned up. He was a fierce warrior, and I had no doubt that if he were still alive, he would be able to take care of himself.
“I know. I just never thought he’d do that,” replied Saskia with a hint of grief lurking in her tone.
I placed my hand on her shoulder and her cornflower blue eyes met mine.
“He will be fine. I’m sure of it.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. I turned and walked back to Alec, leaving Saskia to hurl one last fireball into the cave in the hope that Jasper would miraculously appear. I heard her sigh deeply before her footsteps crunched on the gravel and she walked back towards us.
He would be fine. He had to be.
“How do we get out of here?” I asked our new leader.
Alec stopped pacing and looked at me with determination in his eyes. “I’ve already called out to Rae. She’s going to get Lucifer to transport us back topside. She wasn’t happy about it, but she said that now the wards aren’t draining him, he should have some power to help us.”
My brows raised in disbelief. “How the Hell did you reach Rae when our comms devices don’t work down here?”
He smiled smugly and showed me a small mark on the inside of his left bicep. “It’s anoratiorune and allows me to communicate with Rae through magic. Pretty neat, really.”
“Okay. So, Lucifer pulls us out of here and then what?” Saskia said, folding her arms across her chest.
Alec coughed nervously. “Then Fenris will portal us to the edge of Strigavallis and we will seek an audience with the Witch Queen.”
“Is that wise?”
He frowned at me. “Look, I know I’m not Jasper and this is all a bit new. But until he comes back, I’m going to have to run things, and I’d rather you didn’t question me like I don’t know what I’m doing. I know what I’m fucking doing.”
I held my hands up defensively and took a step back. “Okay, you’re right. I suppose this is a learning curve for all of us.”
Alec nodded and then cocked his head to one side as if listening to something. “Rae says it’s time.” He glanced over my shoulder into the deep cave where Jasper disappeared. “We will come back for him. I swear to you, when this thing with the witch is over, we will come back and find him.”
As I felt Lucifer’s magic wrap around me, I could only hope that Alec was right. I didn’t want to face Lori knowing that Jasper was missing, and I sure as shit didn’t want to keep another secret from her. I promised her that I wouldn’t hide anything from her, and now I was breaking that promise twice. I hadn’t told her about Cassian, and now I was going to have to hide the fact that Jasper had disappeared into a cave and not returned.
I hated myself already but now… Now I utterly despised myself.
Chapter 22
LORI
Strigavallis was just as pretty as I remembered it. Luscious greenery and bright blue skies stood before me, and I had a hard time holding back the sigh at its beauty. The place was straight out of a fairy tale and nothing like home.
Well, the Conclave. Strange how I thought of that as home now. It had become such a part of me that my little terraced house had become firmly part of my past. I knew I was never going back there, and I was okay with that. I wasn’t at first. But I knew my home was here now. With Lucifer and Jasper and the team. I belonged here and I had a true sense of family in this place.
Selene looked over the fairy tale village with a scowl etched into those perfect brows. The crown still sparkled on her blonde curls, and I was dreading the wrath of Violette when she saw her.
Urgh. This was not going to be pretty.
Torsten stood behind me, his hand still resting on my hip, and I found myself enjoying his casual touch. It grounded me and kept me from falling into a panic. I still had no idea what Selene was going to do now that we were here, and I didn’t trust her to play nice at all. This was the first time she’d been free in six centuries. I wouldn’t put it past her to escape.
“This place is hideous. What kind of witch would live here?” Selene said disgustedly.
Was she looking at the same thing as me? Selene cast her eyes over the castle nestled into the foot of the valley and grimaced. Yep, we were definitely looking at the same view. Did she see something that I didn’t?
