Desert Heat (Complete)

{Andre’s P.O.V.}

“VOUS ME DITES MAINTENANT QUE VOTRE SOEUR MANQUE!?!” (You’re just now telling me that your sister is missing!?!) my father screamed at me as he threw every inanimate object within his vicinity towards my face.

“Adrian, tu dois contrôler ta colère!” (Adrian, you need to control your anger!) my mother shouted at him and prevented him from throwing yet another object at me.

“Comment puis-je alors que ma petite fille a disparu depuis près de deux semaines!” (How can I when my little girl has been missing for almost two weeks!) he hissed at her. Her response to him was a slap across the cheek.

“Mère!” I called out to her.

“Do not hiss at me, Adrian Dubois!” she growled as her wolf came forward.

“Mama, Papa, I did not tell you sooner because I thought we could find her. I did not want to worry you. But we have come up empty,” I explained to them and lowered my head, ashamed.

“Where is Jedediah!?” my father blasted me.

“He is out searching for her along with Dorian and the others. Dorian has sent every tracker we have in the pack to look for her.”

“Every … tracker?” my mother questioned. I nodded my head. “I understand that Vivienne is now a pack member and that her being J.D.’s mate is important, but that is a little overkill, non?”

“Mère, it’s not that simple anymore,” I told her and eyed my father who was still trying to fight the urge to snap my neck.

“Go on,” my mother said to me.

“We found out the other day that Jed is not a normal werewolf. During a recent mission to help Dorian’s distant cousin, we rescued almost a hundred trafficked supernatural beings. One of them was an Angel, who is now a member of the pack as well. She is able to sense powerful beings, which includes Alpha wolves. Vivienne went missing right before we were supposed to return, so Jed and I came back first with Dani’s assistance. Anna then questioned if Vivienne was Jed’s Luna.”

“What!?” (QUEL!?) they both exclaimed.

“Jed is an Alpha wolf. A supreme wolf according to a DNA test that was done. Because he and Vivienne have mated and marked each other, this automatically makes Vivienne …”

“Oh, mon Dieu! Mon bébé est une Luna!” (Oh, my God! My baby is a Luna!) my mother cupped her hands and said rather excitedly.

“Why is Jed not here explaining this himself!?” my father asked, his anger rising once again.

“Père, he is her mate, and he is an Alpha. He wouldn’t just idly stand by and wait for someone else to find her. He has to be the one. Dorian couldn’t even get him to stay.”

“You are her big brother! You should be out there searching for her as well, Alexandre!”

“I know that Père, but I needed to meet you and Mère here!” I defended myself. I took a deep breath and put my hands on my h**s. “Vivienne is a Luna, and it is her mate’s duty to find her now. But the problem is that we have no idea where she is. I was hoping that you could try and figure out where she might be? Or perhaps tell us who might have taken her.”

“How?”

“We need to go to their townhome.” He nodded his head, and he shimmered us there.

“Why are we here, Alexandre?” my mother asked.

“According to Christine, the day that Vivienne went missing, Monique had just learned to shimmer.”

“REALLY!?!?” my mother squealed with delight.

“Giselle, not now!” my father scolded.

“Monique had tired herself from shimmering a few times, so all of the women separated. Vivienne came home alone, and that was the last anyone saw of her. She just disappeared into thin air.”

“You think another vampire may have done this?” my father asked.

“Perhaps, but there are plenty of supernatural that can teleport or shimmer. But I figured asking you first would be our best bet.” He nodded his head.

“Where was she taken from?”

“There was a scent in the living room that neither Jed nor I recognized,” I answered. He nodded and made his way to the living room. Mère and I stood back to let him do his thing. Due to my father’s many years in his profession, he was able to sense another vampire even if the trail had gone cold. He could even tell when they came from another coven. After a minute or two, he froze in a certain spot and surveyed the area closely.

“This cannot be,” he said to himself.

“What is it, Adrian?” my mother asked.

“Someone from our coven was here.”

“What?!” we both exclaimed.

“How? I would know the scent of our coven,” I replied.

“No, this is different. It is weak, and it has been changed. But make no mistake, this individual is from our coven!”

“Why would someone from our coven take Vivienne!?” my mother asked in shock.

“Papa, can you tell who it is?”

“Non. The individual scent is not here.”

“Wait, how could anyone from our coven have known how to find her? We never told anyone where she was. We only announced that she found her mate and that he was a wolf,” my mother specified.

“But Vivienne went to go visit. What if she told some of her friends, and someone overheard?” I replied.

“No one in the coven is stupid enough to do such a thing. They would be asking for a death wish! Your father is the General of our coven. The Prince is Vivienne’s friend. She is loved by all!” my mother cried. Her worry was starting to show.

“There is something else,” my father stated.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Alexandre, hold your mother.” I was confused but still did as he told me. I held onto one hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

“There is another scent on top of Vivienne’s.”

“What? But you just said—”

“It is not the kidnapper, Alexandre,” he said, cutting me off. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Adrian, what is it?” my mother asked with concern and fear in her voice.

“If I am right, which I seldomly am ever wrong, Vivienne is with child.” My mother gasped and I could feel my anger rising.

“But, she didn’t say anything when she came to visit, Adrian.”

“Giselle, I don’t think she was aware. If I couldn’t sense it during her visit, then she was exceedingly early into the pregnancy.”

“Jed wouldn’t know either then. Oh, mon Dieu. What am I going to tell him?” I questioned, rubbing the back of my neck.

“I need to return to the coven and find the betrayer!” my father hissed, circling back to the fact that someone in the coven was responsible for Vivienne’s abduction.

“I’m going with you!” I insisted.

“Non,” my father said point-blank. I furrowed my brows at him. “This needs to be done carefully, Alexandre. If you go in guns blazing and fangs out, you will spook the betrayer. You would put both Vivienne and your niece or nephew in danger. If she is early enough into the pregnancy, whoever has her may not know yet. We cannot let them know that we are onto them. Let your mother and I go back and see if we can find any details. If I have anything, I will send for you.”

“Père, it takes 15 hours to get to France from here. At least let me get my jet in the air while I wait for your call.”

“Very well then.” He took my mother’s hand and shimmered back to France. I closed my eyes and tried to center myself. I couldn’t stand feeling powerless and unable to do anything. My family are the most important people in my life. Vivienne was no exception, and now she was carrying a new life inside of her.

Our age difference made our relationship so much stronger than most siblings. It’s not every day you can tell someone that you’re 72 years older than your younger sibling. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. She looked like a porcelain doll with her platinum blonde hair, bright blues, and rosy cheeks. I love Vivienne more like a daughter than I do a sister, which is why I’m so protective of her.

While she was growing up and learning to shimmer, she would always land in the oddest of places. She once landed in the rose bushes when she was five, and she got cut up all over. I nearly had a heart attack seeing her injured that way. Then when she was ten, she shimmered into a coven pool before she ever learned how to swim and almost drowned. Thankfully, a coven member saved her and alerted me. I would always have someone watching over her until I knew she would be okay on her own.

I walked out of the townhouse and back towards the packhouse. I texted Dorian to let him know what my father had found out. He replied almost instantly and said that they were on their way back. How was I going to tell Jed that not only was his mate missing, but his unborn pup as well?

{Adrian’s P.O.V.}

Upon our arrival back at the coven, I immediately went into my chambers and started to ransack everything in sight. My daughter was missing. My miracle princess. No one touches my family and lives to speak of it.

“Adrian! Adrian! S’il vous plaît!” Giselle shouted, desperately trying to subdue my unchecked anger. She grabbed a hold of my arm and was able to wrap her arms around my neck. I didn’t even think twice before sinking my fangs into her neck where my mark resided and started to feed on her. The sweetness of her ichor had me aroused in seconds, but also calmed the vampire within me. After drinking for a moment, I was able to release my hold on her and set her down.

“Je suis désolé, mon cher. J’avais besoin de me nourrir de toi.” (I’m sorry, my dear. I needed to feed on you.)

“Ne vous excusez jamais, chérie. Je savais que tu en avais besoin. C’est pourquoi je ne t’ai pas combattu.” (Never apologize, darling. I knew you needed it. That’s why I didn’t fight you.) she replied. I nodded my head and kissed her. Once I regained my composure, I sat down with her on my lap. “Adrian, I know you better than you know yourself. You were hiding something from Alexandre.” I wasn’t even surprised when she said that. Giselle did know me better than I knew myself. She knew me better than anyone, and it was the reason I knew I couldn’t help but accept our bond when we first met 124 years ago.

She claimed me as her mate and didn’t care that I was a vampire. Her family forbade us from being together, but she fought tooth and nail against them. When I marked her, her pack was not receptive to me, and her parents disowned her for accepting a vampire mate. I brought her back to the coven where she was welcomed with open arms.

“Adrian, what are you hiding from Andre? You know he would do anything necessary to protect Vivienne. She’s like a daughter to him more than a sister.”

“I know, mon cher. It is why I am afraid to tell him who has Vivienne.”

“Wait, you know who has her? Why would you lie to our son!?”

“Because, if he finds out who has Vivienne, it will drive him over the edge, like it did the first time this person tried to harm her.”

“First time?” I nodded. Giselle was a smart woman, and she knew that there was only one person in our lives that ever tried to hurt our daughter. Her eyes turned blacker by the second and her breathing labored with rage.

“How?” she asked me.

“I do not know, but that is why I could not tell Alexandre. He will move mountains to find Vivienne, and it would put her life in more danger than it already is. As long as her pregnancy is not revealed, she and our grandchild will be safe, for now.”

“Adrian Dubois, vous écoutez bien. Vous trouverez ce putain de salaud et vous lui arracherez le cœur!” (Adrian Dubois, you listen well. You will find this f*****g bastard and you will rip his heart out!) she growled at me.

“Oui m’dame.” I pulled her closer to me as she rested her face on my neck. Just as I needed to feed on her to calm myself, she needed to inhale my scent. The way of the wolf was far less invasive than the way of the hominus nocturna. After Giselle returned to her usual self, I had her rest while I went to go speak with the King of the coven. I knocked on his chamber door.

“Entrez!”

“Votre Majesté”

“Ah, Adrian! Entrez! Entrez! Comment ça va?” (Ah, Adrian! Come in! Come in! How are you?)

“Not well, my king,” I answered.

“Non? Que s’est-il passé?” (No? What has happened?)

“Louis, I need to ask you something, and I am asking as a friend,” I requested.

“Of course, anything for you mon ami,” he said and gestured for me to sit down. “What can I do for you?”

“Louis, where is Claude?” I asked him without hesitation.

“Why are you asking about that ingrate? He is in prison where he belongs.”

“Then explain to me how he was able to kidnap my daughter!”

“Quel? Vivienne has been kidnapped?”

“Oui! And by Claude. I would know his stench anywhere! It was lingering all over Vivienne’s home in America. Luckily, the scent was so weak that Alexandre could not pick up on it.”

“Adrian, tu es sûr que c’était Claude?” (Adrian, are you sure that it was Claude?)

“I have never been more certain, Louis! Now tell me where he is!”

“I told you, he is still in his prison!”

“Where was he exiled!?” I asked.

“You know that it is against the law for me to disclose that information, Adrian. Only I, the king of this coven, and the Grand Elders are to know of where he was exiled to.”

“Louis, do you not understand? Claude has Vivienne. He may have her at the prison!”

“I am telling you that it is impossible, Adrian! No one can shimmer out of the prison!”

“Louis, will you at least do me the courtesy—as my friend and as my superior—to verify that he is, in fact, still there!? Vivienne is not just a coven member, or my daughter anymore!”

“What do you mean, Adrian?”

“Louis, Vivienne’s mate is an Alpha wolf.”

“Es-tu sérieux?” (Are you serious?)

“Oui, and what’s worse is that I think she is pregnant.” Louis’ eyes widened. “Louis, dis-moi où est la prison de Claude. Je dois vérifier de mes propres yeux.” (Louis, please, tell me where Claude’s prison is. I need to verify with my own eyes.) I pleaded. I saw his stance falter the more he thought about it. Louis always wanted Vivienne to be the next queen of our coven, but because she chose the route of finding her destined mate, he was hurt. But I knew he was happy for her when we told him that she had found her mate. He even congratulated her with gifts and money when she came to visit. He closed his eyes and simultaneously sighed deeply.

“Very well, Adrian. I will take you to the prison. But I must warn you, the prison for exiled coven members is not a place for the faint of heart.”

“Louis, I can handle it,” I replied. He nodded his head.

“Follow me,” he said and shimmered away. I quickly shimmered after him. We landed outside of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. It was snowing, and it was dark.

“Louis, where are we?”

“Antarctique.” (Antarctica) I was stunned that the prison for exiled vampires was somewhere so cold, but then again, it made sense. “Tread carefully, it gets a little slippery,” he said to me. I followed closely behind him, and he led us to an opening in the mountainside. He went in, and I followed. After walking for about ten minutes, he stopped and turned to his left.

I watched him as he looked around a bit and then removed a key around his neck that I had never noticed before. He placed into a small crack in the mountain’s foundation and caused the wall to cave in, revealing a staircase.

“C’est magnifique,” I said and stared in awe.

“This prison was commissioned over 2,000 years ago and is used by all vampires and dark witches. A coven of dark witches helped the Grand Elders build this prison and fortified it with dark magic so that no one could get in or out through shimmering or spells. The only way in or out is through that wall that we just passed through and with this key. Only vampire coven kings, Wiccan coven mothers, and the Grand Elders of both species have a key. Each key is specifically made so that no forgeries can ever be produced.”

“Incroyable,” I gaped at the structure of the prison. It was even colder the further down we went. “Louis, how deep is this prison?” I asked. It felt as if we had been walking down for a good ten minutes.

“1,000 feet below the surface.”

“What!?” I exclaimed.

“SHH! Watch your tone, Adrian, you will cause an avalanche!” he whisper-shouted at me. We continued walking down the steps and I kept wondering why we couldn’t shimmer down. Then again, I remembered that we cannot shimmer beneath the surface since we can’t see where we are going.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally made it to the bottom of the stairs. Louis turned to his right and grabbed the only torch that was there, and we ended up having to walk down a long tunnel. I honestly wondered how such an establishment was ever created so long ago that was able to withstand the test of time, evolution, and erosion.

“King Louis, to what do we owe the pleasure?” I heard a voice.

“Who is that?” I asked.

“One of the guards of the prison. A witch that was hand-picked by both the vampires’ and witches’ Grand Elders to guard the prison. There are three witches and three vampires that alternate,” he answered.

“And who is this yummy b***d sucker?” she asked seductively.

“We are here to see prisoner 10-171-CL.BUN,” Louis informed her.

“King Louis, do the Elders know about this?” she asked.

“Not yet, but I will make it known. It is important that we verify the prisoner is still in his cell.”

“Why?” she asked cautiously.

“My daughter has been kidnapped, and my vampire senses tell me that the prisoner in question did it,” I told her.

“That’s not possible. This prison is escape-proof,” she defended.

“Please show us the prisoner,” Louis kindly requested.

“Fine, but if I lose my job over this, you owe me, your Majesty.” She got up and waved her arm at the wall behind her. It disappeared and what I saw amazed me to no end. It was another long corridor lined with cells. Some had decaying bodies, some had vampires that were barely alive, and some had witches who were rocking with insanity like an asylum.

We followed the witch down the corridor and stopped in front of a cell. It was a solid door with no bars or windows. She waved her hand again, and the wall became transparent. But what I saw had my b***d boiling, and Louis’ eyes turned bright red.

“What the f**k!?” the witch exclaimed. I turned to Louis who was shaking in rage. “CODE BLACK! CODE BLACK! WE HAVE AN ESCAPED PRISONER! INITIATE PROTOCOL 7B! WE NEED ALL WITCHES ON SIGHT NOW!” she yelled into a band on her wrist.

“Louis!” I hissed at him. He didn’t even say anything to me as he stormed out of the prison. I followed after him, and we made it back to the surface in seconds. We shimmered back to the coven house and he started to hiss orders to everyone he saw.

“CLAUDE BUNTAINE HAS ESCAPED! HE HAS THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER! SHE IS THE MATE OF AN ALPHA WOLF AND IS STILL A MEMBER OF THIS COVEN! DO AS YOUR GENERAL SAYS!” He gave me free rein.

“Un million d’euros pour celui qui m’apporte son cœur!” (A million euros for the one who brings me his heart!)