Missing in action

I left my wing and felt eyes on me, well eyes in the sky. Bill's new security system sucked really, I couldn't go anywhere in hallways without a camera following my every move. Quinn was busy setting up an office in one of the free rooms of my wing, I got bored with it all and decided to go for a walk since walking outside was forbidden I'd have to settle for this house. I felt bad about the argument with Bill and I shouldn't have told him I hated him. Jason was safe and in a hospital since Quinn intervened and Bill really didn't know his location. I did owe him an apology. Being the better person, I decided to do that.

I made my way to his office and knocked on the door with no answer. Opening the door, I began to speak before he sent me away. "Bill, listen..I wanna say--" I looked around in the office and saw blood on the floor, from the smell I identified it as Kiara's. No one was in the office, things were scattered over the floor like there had been a struggle.

I rushed up to Kiara's room and knocked, still nothing. Opening the door, I saw her room empty and panicked. The guards coming around the corner laughing caught my attention and I sped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "Where's Kiara? Bill? Where are they!?"

They exchanged looks with one another and one spoke up. "Miss Griffen left last night in a rush and the King left earlier wishing not to be disturbed. Why?"

I started to panic more...would I feel if she was dead since I'd had her blood and she once had mine? What about Bill wouldn't I know. I turned and rushed back to my room to alert Quinn that something was wrong, really really wrong. I could feel it. And that's when I felt the sharpest, most shattering pain ever and dropped to my knees with a scream.

Kiara stepped out of her tub at home. Nothing like a nice long hot soak to ease her troubles. Her foot was healing nicely and she could walk pretty much normally now. She hadn't heard from Bill at all which suited her just fine.

As she stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself she felt this sharp pain on her midsection, like something had cut her open. She doubled over and in a panic opened up the towel to inspect herself.

Nothing.... her stomach was intact, nothing but the simple barbell piercing on her navel.

"Weird..." she muttered to herself but before she could straighten up she felt pain course through her veins. Like someone had poured hot acid directly under her skin. She hissed and fell back against the wall, shaking all over. The pain bore deep into her muscles and for a moment rendered her unable to move.

Quinn's was in the middle of setting up the laptop when his head snapped up....Jessica.....something was wrong.....she was in pain....he didn't understand but he knew...

"Jessica?"

He stepped out into the bedroom and she was not there. He grabbed one of the guards and lifted him off his feet.

"Were is Ms. Hamby?"

The color had drained from the guard's face as he struggled in Quinn's grip.

"She went looking her the King. Something about talking with him about a fight..."

Quinn threw the guard to the side growling for the others to stay back. He looked from face to face....

"You.....Will.....Find.....Her....Now!!!! GO!"

The guards scattered down the halls as he followed his instincts, letting them lead him toward her...

I tried to get to my feet but couldn't, it was the most intense pain ever. It was like the silver I'd been shot with, but with like six bullets instead of one. I remained on my knees as the guards rushed out into the hallway, tears falling down my cheeks as I reached and clutched air. "Quinn, oh god. Qui--" I felt another sharp pain and screamed again. Bill was either dead, or dying. It had to be, there was no other explanation and that alone killed me inside.

Quinn stumbled as he felt the sharp pain again...Jessica....

"Find Her!" He screamed as he forced himself to run, following her now fading scent down the halls. Seeing her down one of the side halls, he rushed to her, taking her weight into his arms and supporting her, seeing the pain in her eyes, but no harm done to her...then it made sense.....Compton....something had happened....

I cried and felt the pain he was going through, it was like it was happening to me. "Qui--it's...it's..." I pressed my lips together and felt the rush of more tears. Quinn held me in his arms and I replayed the last thing I said to him, "I HATE YOU!" I covered my face and buried it into his neck, I may never see my maker, my father again. And it might be all my fault, he talked about a danger, a threat...and here it was and I still didn't know.

"Qui--it's...it's..."

Quinn held her close...

"I know, Jessica....I know....somehow I know..."

I cried into my hands as my face covered it and my head nestled into his neck. His words were soothing, but it still hurt to know I was possibly losing or lost my maker. I'd never felt this before, not this much pain not being my own. It was intense, I didn't know what to do or how to focus. I managed to look up as my stomach remained in knots. "I have--I have to help him--what do I do?"

"I have--I have to help him--what do I do?"

As much as he wanted to make her feel better, she needed to focus first. She was their best chance....unless...He grabbed his phone and dialed a number...

"Ash, no time for questions....key a track on cell tracer 16, I need the location as soon as you can. Yes I know it takes longer if it is not in use. Call back as soon as you have it."

He put the phone in his pocket and looked at her.

"We've now done what we can. My people will track his phone. That should lead us to where we need to get. I promise."

I rested my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes as he spoke on the phone. The pain and feelings were subsiding and that scared me. Was Bill dead for good, who or what was this threat? Where was he and why? I was so confused and had so many questions and my words continued to haunt me. 'I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.' Why had I said that? I couldn't take it back either.

When he hung up I looked up at him and nodded. "I wish I could feel him, but I can't. Is--does that mean---" I couldn't ask the question, all I could do was feel my lip tremble and my insides shake with fear and hurt. What had I done?

"I wish I could feel him, but I can't. Is--does that mean---"

Quinn shook his head as he held her...

"Trust me, Love...You would know if he was gone. I have seen it...there would be no doubt. Just put your trust in me. Waiting for the phone call is the best course right now."

He looked to the guards running toward them down the hall...

"Get every room he was seen in today sealed and inspected...any clue could be vital."

I sighed a small sigh of relief, but the fact of the matter was, Bill was gone and he was being hurt I knew and could feel it. Then something else struck me. "Oh, Quinn...the office, her office. There was blood, a lot of it. Do you think---is she? Kiara...she's missing too."

"Oh, Quinn...the office, her office. There was blood, a lot of it. Do you think---is she? Kiara...she's missing too."

Quinn shook his head, smiling.

"No, Jessica..I am sure she is fine. Last I heard she was going to her own place for the night...probably still there..."

He looked to a guard...

"Try to contact Ms. Griffen. Bring her up to speed."

He looked back to Jessica.

"You just need to try to focus, Love. Your connection to him will be the strongest...we may need that later."

I nodded and bit my bottom lip, closing my eyes and searching, searching for anything that could tell me where he was, help me in locating him, feeling he was alive.

Nothing.

I sighed and focused harder. Still nothing. Opening my eyes I looked at Quinn with determination. "I can't let him die. I won't. It can't end like this, it just can't." I fought my way out of his arms and wrapped my own arms around myself, looking up into his eyes. "I didn't mean it when I said I hated him, I don't hate him Quinn. I don't." Tears brimmed my eyes again as I just kept repeating the words 'I don't' over and over.

Quinn lifted her in his arms, carrying her to her room. He laid her in the bed, pulling the chair next to it. He rested his hand on her arm...

"We will do everything we can, Jessica....and I mean everything."

He pulled out his phone and called Vincent.

"Yes, Sir...how may I be of assistance?"

"Vincent, contact Azrael....we need the twins, as soon as he can arrange it. Have them wait for my calling. That way when they come here, they will be where I need them."
"Sir....the twins? are you certain Sir? You know how....yes Sir. I will deliver the message..."

Quinn shut down the phone and returned to watching over Jessica...

I laid back on the bed and tried to stop focusing so hard knowing it would just have to come on its own. It had been an hour since I last felt what I felt and I still could shake this eerie feeling like I was missing something, something important. Quinn's words gave me reassurance that we'd find him, we'd save him.

I snapped my head to look at him with a confused look as he spoke of twins. Who the hell were 'the twins', and why was he insisting on them. "Twins? Wha--did I miss something?" I was now beyond confused.

"Twins? Wha--did I miss something?"

Quinn smiled and tried to mask is concern...

"No...no...just calling in some friends in case we need some backup...they are very...um....useful. We do not call on them often, and have to go through a secondary contact to do so but they are quite the impressive pair when they need to be."

My eyes widened and I slowly sat back as I continued to look at him sideways. "Twins...reinforcements." Quinn was calling in reinforcements. I had a feeling things were about to really get deep, and...dangerous. Jesus Christ could I have one week where everything was great, fine and dandy? Blowing out a breath, I leaned my head back and nodded, placing my hands on my head. "Can vampires get headaches? Because I swear I have one."

Kiara had stumbled her way into her bedroom. Her body still ached but pain was something she was used to, so in turn she knew how to ignore it. However something was clearly wrong.

"Bill..." she muttered. She was still blood bonded to him so chances are he was in physical pain. However...

"Fuck him..." said her inner voice. He had been so convinced she was sluting around with anything male that her injured pride kept her from worrying too much about the vampire.

"I can't ignore this..."
"Sure you can... look at him. He jumped at the first chance to get out of his engagement"
"He was tricked... some other vampire must have fed him lies"
"Or maybe he was just all too willing to believe anything"
"He was stressed out about Jessica. She had hurt his feelings"

Back and forth she argued with herself into her phone rang. She groaned and reached for it. She recognized the phone number as one of the guards from the mansion. With a sigh she answered.

"What is it now?" she asked in a grumpier tone than she meant to use.

"Miss Griffen.. Miss Hamby has been incapacitated. Mr Quinn asked that I call you and inform you that the King is missing"

She swore under her breath and thanked the guard for the heads up. So her suspicions were confirmed, the question is... would she bother to help him this time around?

"Can vampires get headaches? Because I swear I have one."

"Well....Daemons can so I do not see why vampires would be immune..."

He climbed onto the bed and just held her close...

I leaned against his massive chest as he held me to him, my hand running against his arm as I looked out into space thinking of everything. The sparkle of my diamonds on the engagement ring caught my eye and I looked down with a smile. "Sucks I can't take Advil."

After a few moments of silence, I had a thought and spoke it aloud. "Who could possibly want to hurt him now? If he wasn't always so secretive about his life and past maybe I'd know. I know his maker is dead, but that's it. What if I can't find him, what if our bond isn't strong enough. I'm like his child and here I am pretty much useless." I doubted myself.