The Silver Dagger

Taken

Aiyana jerked awake. How long had she been asleep? The sun didn't look like it had moved. She rolled over and reached for her phone on the bed-side table. It hadn't been long - not even an hour - but Kobe had already messaged her three times, and there was a message from her aunt too. Had she finally gotten a new phone? 

"We have your friend. Bring the blade or he dies."

Nope, not her Aunt. The message had been sent only a couple of minutes ago.

"Who is this?" she texted back. She watched the screen for a moment, then rolled out of bed. Which friend did they have? She jogged down the hall. Cliff was still in bed. No one else was there.

Her phone dinged again. "You know who we are. You have one hour."

"Where are you?"

"His mate can lead you. It must be only you and her."

Mate? They didn't mean Nate did they? How could they know about Sophia - she'd only arrived just this morning.

She ran out to the main living area. Mimi was in the kitchen, and a few other wolves were around but she didn't see him. "Has anyone seen Nate?"

"Last I saw him he was in the yard," one of the men volunteered.

The driveway and the yard were almost empty. Only one person was nearby. She was sitting on a bench under a tree near the driveway.

"Sophia! Have you seen Nate?"

It looked like she wiped a tear off her cheek but when she turned to face Aiyana, Sophia was smiling. "Nate? He just left with his mother. Why, is something wrong with your friend?"

"Something is wrong with one of them." She scanned the buildings and the yard. What other friend did she have who had a mate? Did they mean Alpha Miguel? "Have you seen the Alpha?"

"I don't know what he looks like."

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him when they arrived earlier. Aiyana sprinted back into the house, but came to an abrupt halt in the kitchen where Alpha Miguel, his wife, and Dr. Patel were all standing around the island.

"Aiyana, what's wrong?" Alpha Miguel asked.

She handed him her phone.

He scanned the messages and looked up, his kind face more fierce than she'd ever seen it. "Who Is AA?"

"AA is my Aunt Aimee but that's not her. They stole her phone when they searched her house. All I know is they are Scottish."

"These are the people Cliff is supposed to be protecting you from?"

"Yes."

"What's this blade they're talking about?"

"I think it's a letter opener that belonged to my father."

"Is that what they were searching for when they destroyed your room?"

He heard about that? "I think."

"Show me."

She unzipped the running pack she's found and stuffed in her backpack while cleaning up her room. It wasn't a fanny pack. It was more like a belt since it was long and skinny and just meant to carry keys** - her phone didn't even fit in it - but the blade and her remaining Epipen did. She slid the sheath off the thin blade and laid it across her palm so they could see it.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Mimi said, reaching for it.

Aiyana wrapped her fingers around it and moved it out of her reach. "No. It's silver."