He’d found his mate, and been thoroughly claimed by him. Ethan’s life would
never be the same again. It would always be entwined with Jace’s. Trying to
suppress the giggle forming in his throat, Ethan rolled over to face his mate.
“Jace?” he called out
when he found the bed empty. Where was his mate? Ethan rolled from the bed and
ran to the bathroom, then the rest of the apartment. It was empty. There was
no sign of Jace, not even any sign that he had been here.
Nothing said that Jace
had ever been here except the ache in his ass and the slight sting in his
neck. For a moment, Ethan wondered if he had dreamed it all. Did he want a
mate so badly that he had imagined him?
The bite mark in his
neck said no, but the empty apartment said maybe. Tears starting to form in
his eyes, Ethan quickly pulled on his clothes. He ran to the living room to
leave a note for Jace, just in case he came back, then left the apartment and
headed back towards the bar where he had found him.
As he walked, a hundred
different scenarios went through his head. Had Jace left the apartment and
been hurt? What if he was lying in some ditch somewhere with no one to help
him? What if he had gotten lost?
Maybe he left for
another reason. Ethan knew how much he had enjoyed Jace’s love making but
maybe Jace hadn’t felt the same. Ethan was horribly embarrassed that he had
passed out before Jace had come. He wondered if Jace had even climaxed? Maybe
that was the problem?
Maybe Jace had left him
because he was horrible in bed. Ethan wasn’t sure he would ever have an
answer, especially if he couldn’t find him. As he neared the bar, his eyes
darted left and right, down every alleyway and into every passing car. He had
to find his mate.
“Hey, Ethan, didn’t
expect to see you back here tonight,” Tommy Nash, the bartender said as he saw
Ethan walk in. “I thought you’d be occupied all night long with that handsome
hunk you left with.”
“Hey, Tommy, that man I
left with, Jace? Have you seen him back in here?”
“Lose him already did
you?” Tommy laughed.
“Please, Tommy, have you
seen him?” Ethan asked as he gripped the wooden edge of the bar counter.
“No, man, sorry. I
haven’t seen him since you two left together,” Tommy replied seriously,
shaking his head.
Ethan nodded. “If he
comes back in here, call me, okay?”
“Yeah, sure, Ethan.”
Ethan waved then walked
out. Where else could he check? Okay, maybe he should start with the
hospitals. Jace could have been hurt or something, although, Ethan truly hoped
that was not the case. He would just die if anything happened to his new mate.
It took Ethan less than
ten minutes to get to the local hospital. Wolf Creek was not a large town. If
you lived in-town, you could pretty much walked everywhere in a matter of
minutes, which helped Ethan a lot, as he didn’t own a car.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I
need to know if a man has been brought into the emergency room,” Ethan said to
the older gray haired nurse behind the counter of the emergency room. “He’s
about six foot three, chestnut brown hair, green eyes. His name is Jace?”
The nurse shook her head
as she looked at Ethan. “I’m sorry, young man, no ones been brought into the
emergency room at all tonight.”
Ethan let out a slow
breath. Well, that was one worry off his mind. Unless Chase was hurt somewhere
and hadn’t been found. “Can I leave my number with you in case he comes in?
He’s new in town and I’m afraid he’s been hurt or something.”
The nurse gazed at Ethan
for a moment. “Is he your mate?”
Ethan nodded, thankful
that the woman knew about shifters. He knew she was human because of the way
she smelled but she must have some close to her that was a werewolf. Their
secret wasn’t shared with everyone.
“Yes, we just found each
other tonight. I fell asleep and when I woke up, he was gone. I’m worried that
he got hurt or something, or maybe he got lost trying to find his way back to
my apartment.”
The nurse nodded,
smiling over at Ethan as she handed him a piece of paper and a pen.
“Congratulations. I remember what it was like when my sister found her mate. I
don’t think she let him get out of her sight for nearly a week.”
Ethan quickly wrote his
phone number down, then Jace’s description before handing the paper back to
the nurse. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“You just bring your
young man back here to meet me when you find him. That will be thanks enough.”
“Promise,” Ethan replied
with a smile.
As he turned away, the
nurse stopped him. “Oh, hey, have you tried contacting Sheriff Joe? He might
be able to keep an eye out for your young man, especially if he’s lost. He’s
one of you, too. He’d understand.”
Ethan turned back,
shaking his head. “No, I didn’t think of that, but thanks. I’ll stop by and
talk to Joe as soon as I check my apartment again.”
“Good luck, Ethan,” the
nurse said as he turned and hurried out of the emergency room. Ethan gave her
a little wave and headed back to his apartment. Okay, so Jace wasn’t at the
hospital or the bar. Where else could he be?
Ethan tried to look
everywhere as he hurried back to his apartment. He didn’t want to miss seeing
Jace. He could be anywhere. Reaching his apartment, Ethan hurried up the
stairs and ran into his apartment.
It was still empty.
There was no sign that anyone had been here since he left. Ethan’s shoulders
slumped and tears filled his eyes. Where was he? Where was Jace? Why wasn’t he
here where he was supposed to be?
Ethan grabbed a small
backpack and filled it with a couple of granola bars and some bottle water, a
small blanket and an emergency kit. He grabbed his jacket and the backpack and
made his way back out the door. He’d spend all night looking for Jace if he
had to.
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