Chapter 71-Without a Trace

I have been on auto pilot for the last month.  Marcus was still missing and I felt empty and incomplete without him.  His car had been found abandoned on the bridge.  The cops wanted to rule it a possible suicide, insinuating that he jumped.  I refused to believe that.  There was no way he would take his own life, not when he had so much to live for.  Reluctantly they left it as an open missing person case.  His entire family came out when he first went missing but I spent most of the time locked away in our room.  I didn’t want to face them, I couldn’t face them knowing that his disappearance was most likely my fault.  After they left I tried to do all the things I should do as a mother willing myself to be strong for Dax and Dunham.  I was all they had.  They needed their father just as much as I needed my husband and until he returned to us they needed me.  At night however, alone in the darkness the grief would swallow me.  I would cry muffling my heart wrenching sobs so the boys wouldn’t hear me falling apart.  I would cry out for him begging him to come back to me.  Some nights it felt like my prayers were answered and he would be there holding me, willing me to be ok.

Those would be the nights I could sleep peacefully.  Carter and my OB were concerned for my health and that of the babies.  They couldn’t even bother telling me not to stress, both knew it was pointless.  All they could do was monitor me and hope for the best.  Each day that went by made it harder to hold on to the hope of him being found alive and well.  The fact Aric and Bynni had been unsuccessful in picking up any sense of him only added to the hopelessness that was consuming me.  As the time went on, it dawned on me that Mulo’s intrusion into my thoughts had stopped.

 Either it was a major coincidence or whatever bond he had with me was weakening.  I knew he was jealous, but he wouldn’t seriously do something to Marcus would he?  I felt as if I needed to confront him but part of me didn’t really want to know.  I wanted to, needed to hold on to the hope that Marcus was just missing and would still be found alive.  I knew he was getting sicker so I was unsure of how much time he had.  The tears burned in my eyes as thoughts of him alone and in pain somewhere flooded my mind.  The babies started kicking bringing me out of that dark place.  They needed to know their father, and if he took that from them I would never forgive him.  Grabbing my keys I decided I wasn’t going to hide from him.  It was time to start taking command of my life.  He and Marisol were not going to keep dictating things to me.  I knew that one or both of them had something to do with this.

I stood outside his door.  I knew he knew I was coming.  He always did.

“Come in, it’s open.”

I walked in to be met with the sight of him feeding on a half dressed woman.  He gave me a smug look while he continued to take his time.  I wanted to look away, I tried but he held my gaze.  The woman let out a soft moan as he released her while giving me a satisfied smirk. 

“Go upstairs and rest.  You’ll need your energy.”  He spoke to her but continued to look at me.  She turned and nipped at his lip before looking over her shoulder at me.  Without a word she sauntered past me heading upstairs as she was told.

“Amari, what a pleasant surprise.  I thought you would be off enjoying your second honeymoon or something.”  He tried to sound nonchalant but I picked up on the undertone of humor in his voice.  I clenched my hands into fists at my side.  He knew I was coming and was also fully aware Marcus was missing.  He was deliberately trying to get a reaction out of me.  I took a couple of deep breaths to steady myself before following him out to his balcony.

“You know why I’m here.  Quit pretending that you don’t!”  I wasn’t going to play this game.  All I needed was to find out what he did with Marcus and leave.

“Why would you think I know where your human is?”

I watched as he sipped on his drink.  His eyes glowing as he stared back at me.  I was tired.  I didn’t want this as my life any longer.  I left home after my sister’s death looking for a new life, something better.  I have had to deal with nothing but heartache and despair.  The man that stood before me wasn’t the same one I loved as a teen.  No the man that stood before me couldn’t even be called a man yet somewhere deep in my soul a part of me betrayed me.  A part of me wanted to remain connected to him and I couldn’t explain why.  I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts.

“I know you.  I know you think you have some claim to me.  So just tell me, what did you do to him?” 

He drained his drink in one gulp.  “Why is it we are always talking about your human?  Can’t you visit me just to see how I am doing?”

“He’s not my human…he’s my husband.” I said through clenched teeth.  “And why should I be concerned with how you are doing, when you don’t extend me the same courtesy?”

Mulo started walking towards me and although I tried to stand my ground I took an involuntary step backwards.  I flinched as he reached out for me but I had no where to go.  The babies were going crazy as he rubbed his hand on my stomach.

“They sense your distress.  It’s not good for them.”

“Well give them back their father.”

His hand continued to swirl around, as it did they began to calm.

“I cannot.”

I looked at him unable to keep the tears from falling.

“You can’t or you won’t?”

“You have it made up in your mind that I had something to do with your hum…husband’s disappearance.  I understand blaming me is better than believing he just ran off.”

“No!” I yelled trying to shove him away from me.  “He loves me, he loves us and he wouldn’t leave.  Not willingly.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

“So you think I would force him?”

“Don’t act like that’s just a novel idea.  Do we need to revisit Jesse?  You got rid of him twice.”

The anger that flashed in his eyes shook me.  His fangs descended and the true nature of the beast within him rose to the surface.  I swallowed the urge to scream, I was scared but I wouldn’t let him intimidate me.

“Tread lightly dear.  You keep making these false statements about me and I might start to get offended.  Is your ego so fragile that you can’t admit a man would leave you?  Twice.” 

I got angry then.  He was trying to make me be the problem, but I knew he had something to do with Jesse leaving.  I couldn’t prove it, but I knew. 

“Let’s not talk about egos!” I hissed “You were jealous then when you thought I might be falling in love with Jesse.  The fact that I AM in love with Marcus is eating-you-alive!”

A growl escaped from his throat that was low and deadly.  I pushed aside the fear that was threatening to overcome me.  I pulled strength from the love Marcus and I shared.  I thought about what we had to overcome, how he believed in me, stood by me. 

“There is only one man I will allow you to love and it isn’t your weak human!”

“You have no control over that!  You think just because you take him away I will stop loving him.  You think that will bring me back into your arms…your bed?  It’s not going to happen.  Now tell me where he is!”

“I have more control than you think.”  There was something in his words that caused me alarm.  He pinned me in an intense stare, his eyes glowing brightly.  A smile spread across his lips revealing his still lengthened fangs.  My head started to ache, I was frozen.  I wanted to get away but I was lodged between him and the glass.  His hands held my wrists tightly.

“You’re not a man.” I said fighting through the pain.  My heart was racing the babies were in a frenzy yet I kept going.  “You are a cold heartless bastard.  It makes my skin crawl to think I loved you.  That I let you touch me, that I wanted you to touch me.  What I share with Marcus you can’t take away.  Whether he’s with me or not, you could never measure up to him.  You will never have my heart or my body again.”

With each word I spoke I saw the anger rising up in him.  His hands tightened on my wrists and I bit my lip to keep from crying out from the pain.  The most menacing grin spread across his face.

“You’re wrong on both counts.”  He leaned down as if he were going to kiss me instead he leaned close to my ear.  “I don’t want to hurt them but you leave me no choice.”

Before I could respond, I felt his fangs pierce my skin.