Tabitha closed her phone after looking at the message she had received from Marco. There was nothing about him being sorry for how he behaved towards her; or that he was worried about her. Marco’s only question was: Is Gretchen with you? Tabitha let out a huff as her heart hurt.

'You should reach out to our mate and make up,' her wolf, Safra, howled in her head.

Tabitha shook her head as she tried to push her wolf’s voice to the back of her head. She wasn’t ready to forgive how he'd treated her. Yes, she knew she was part of the problem and needed to take ownership of the trouble she had caused, but she wasn’t ready to seek redemption.

“Hey, you look like you’re struggling with some heavy thoughts. Do you need to talk about it?” Esha asked as she rubbed her bracelet.

A slight hum vibrated through Tabitha’s head. Her wolf growled menacingly at the sound, though Tabitha welcomed it with open arms. There was something about the sound that brought her to a calm place.

Tabitha shook her head. “It’s just stuff going on with the group. I don’t want to get into the details. That’s why I was happy when you called; I needed to get away and clear my head.”

Esha smiled at her deviously. “I’m glad I can be a distraction for you.”

“Distraction, yes, that’s the perfect word to use. I need a distraction,” Tabitha confirmed. Tab leaned her head against the headrest and tried to clear her mind.

“Here, this always seems to help me when I need to let it all go,” Esha offered, handing Tabitha something to eat.

Tabitha sniffed the treat before she put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes as the delicious candy melted on her tongue. The tasty goodie reminded her of something from her childhood. “What was that? I think I’ve had it before.” Tabitha inquired.

Esha continued to turn her bracelet. “Really? I’ve always known it to be a Silver City delicacy.”

Tabitha’s brows furrowed; how did the candy taste so familiar? Tabitha shrugged, pushing the thought to the back of her mind, “It’s delicious. Can I have another one?”

“Of course,” Esha said as she handed Tabitha another candy.

Tabitha took the candy and asked, “So, where are we going?”

“I thought I would treat you to a spa day. I can see you’re on edge and need to relax and be pampered.”

Tabitha smiled. “I’ve never been to a spa before,” she admitted as she put the treat into her mouth.

***

Gretchen looked at the dark building that she saw Tabitha and Esha walk into. The place didn’t look inviting, and she wasn’t sure if you need a password to enter. Gretchen looked around the shady neighborhood and found a small cafe on the corner not far from the building, then made her way across the street and into the mini bistro.

“Hi there, welcome to Sunny Cafe. Is your order for here or to go?” the friendly hostess asked with a smile.

“For here, please. Can I get a window seat, please?” Gretchen asked kindly.

The hostess smiled as she grabbed a menu, “Sure, sugar, right this way,” she told Gretchen. The hostess placed the menu at a booth by the window. “There you go. Abby, your waitress, will be with you shortly,” the hostess smiled again before she walked away.

Gretchen picked up the menu and looked it over. She looked back out the window and monitored the place across the street. The site didn’t seem to be busy. What was Tabitha doing in a sketchy place?

The waitress came up and took Gretchen’s order. She looked around the room and noticed some guys eyeing her. Gretchen quickly looked in the opposite direction in hopes she didn’t bring any attention to herself. She was wrong.

“What’s a little cutie like you doing in a place like this all by yourself?” a large man and his friend said to her as they made themselves comfortable at her booth.

Gretchen sighed and wished she had told Colson where she had been going.

***

Deak returned to the room with a city map. Vita stirred the ingredients she had prepared; it was missing one last element. She looked at Zachary and handed him a small knife.

“What’s that for?” Colson asked in a surprised tone. What kind of magic did they practice?

“Relax, I just need a drop to strengthen the connection,” Vita explained.

Colson still seemed tense. He was worried about Gretchen and wanted to ensure she was safe.

Vita finished stirring everything together and was ready to perform the spell. Vita started to chant, grabbing the powder and sprinkling it onto the map. She made sure the powder was all over the map. Once she was done reciting the spell, they waited patiently for the magic to do its job.

“It’s not working,” Colson exclaimed as he ran his hands through his hair and started to pace the room.

Vita continued to watch the map. A smile slowly crept across her face when she watched the powder inch its way into a route of where Gretchen had been. A small clump grouped to show her final stop.

“Look, the spell worked. According to the map, Gretchen is on this corner,” Vita announced.

Colson stopped and looked at the map. His heart fluttered, hoping the map was correct and they knew where his girl was.

“Come on, let’s go before she moves again,” Vita warned.

“We will stay here and watch the map while you go and get Gretchen,” Madeline told them.

Colson, Deak, Vita, and Marco quickly descended to the lobby and grabbed the next available car to take them.

“According to the map, it looks like she’s at a place called Sunny Cafe,” Vita said aloud and told the driver.

Colson bounced his knee impatiently as they drove to their destination; he just wanted to wrap his arms around Gretchen and confirm she was okay. He kept taking deep breaths and keeping his temper under control. Colson was upset that Gretchen didn’t tell anyone where she was going. This city was foreign to him, and he didn’t know if she was in a safe area.

When the car stopped at the corner in front of the cafe, Colson jumped out of the car quickly and bolted into the cafe. His hands clenched into fists and relaxed repeatedly as he looked around the cafe. His wolf let out a jealous growl when he spotted his mate across the room sitting at a table with men he didn’t know or trust. His eyes narrowed and glowed golden as he stalked across the room.

“Come on, you know you like me,” the guy sitting next to Gretchen said as he tried to put his arm around her.

“Leave me alone. My boyfriend will be here soon and is very protective of me,” Gretchen warned. She wished what she told them was true; she wanted Colson to be on his way to rescue her.

Colson walked up to the table and slammed his fists down on the table.

“Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Mate.”