Saving Nicole

Chapter 43: It's Time

Dallas's POV
--

She's gone. Again. After I just got her back, she's gone.

I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to kill Spencer.

Rolling over onto my back, I cover my face with my hands, whimpering pitifully. She's gone. She's really, actually gone.

Frustration and anger flares in me. I still can't mind-link her. Because of my fear of letting go, I lost her. I'm angry. Furious. At Spencer. At my father for stopping me. At myself.

She was stolen from right next to me. While I was sleeping. Why wouldn't Spencer jut kill me?

She was stolen from right next to me. I can't get over that.

Despair replaces my anger, flooding me until I feel like I'm going to explode. Why when I just got her back? Why? Why?!

I need to tell my dad. Now. He'll know what to do. I can't think straight when I'm in panic mode.

Practically leaping from my bed, I run for the door as soon as my bare feet touch the ground. I wince from the startling cold of the marble.

Everything in me aches as the full reality of what happened settles on me.

When I reach my dad, my eyes are watery and he looks up from his stack of papers at the sound of my feet slapping against the marble floors.

He sees my expression and knows immediately. He lurches upwards, his chair screeching.

"Again?" He asks quietly. I look down, nodding. Surprising me, my father pulls me into a hug. "I'm sorry." He hardly ever hugs me. Ever.

I wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his shirt. It hurts.

I pull away from him, wiping a wet streak on my cheek that I hadn't realized appeared.

He smiles sadly at me. "I keep promising this, but we will get her back. Okay?" I nod, ashamed. He suddenly grabs my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I flinch at his intense silver gaze. "Don't be ashamed or embarrassed. You should be feeling this, Dallas. Don't be ashamed." I nod again, meeting his gaze so he knows I will.

"Where.. Where would she be, dad? I don't know where she is." I shake my head, blinking my eyes.

"Let's see. Spencer, if he's smart, he'll move her to a different spot. If he's smarter, which he is, he'll assume that's what we think and that we'll search everywhere but there so he'll put her back there. She's at the same place, Dallas." I tilt my head, thinking over what he just said. It sounds correct. That's exactly what Spencer'd do. He won't see us coming.

I look at my dad evenly. "Let's prepare."

--

The next day, I help my dad with the war. The same thing I do every day.

Mica walks up to me. "Amicus!" He grins, widening his arms and stance in a welcome gesture. He sees my face and his grin drops. "What's wrong?"

"She's gone." He frowns, his eyes seeming to droop.

"She.. She is?" I nod.

"I'm going to find her." He nods.

"You will." I tilt my head, seeing a glint in his eyes.

"What is it?" I ask. He hesitates, something he never does. Something is wrong.

"Everyone knows."

"Knows what?" I ask slowly; warily. I fold my arms.

"She's a Seer. Everyone's looking for her." My eyes widen and I curse.