34 | Business

*** Eamon's POV

Apprehension hits me like a punch to the gut as I turn onto Liliana’s street. By now, at this distance, I should be able to sense my mate. I should feel the pull, the warmth of her presence, but there’s nothing. It’s a hollow void where there should be a connection, a gnawing emptiness that gnashes at the back of my mind.

As I park in front of her building, I catch sight of the lights on in her apartment window. It’s a small relief, but it does little to ease the dread creeping up my spine. All my senses tell me she’s not there. Not in the way she should be.

Could I be overreacting? Could she have simply gone out? Sure, it’s possible. But something doesn’t sit right. Reaching out, I try to feel her, sense her emotions through the ether. Still nothing. It’s like she’s vanished, her essence wiped clean from the air. The absence gnaws at me, pushing me out of the car and up toward her building faster than I intended.

I take the stairs two at a time, my instincts screaming