Immortal Promise by Magen McMinimy, Cynthia Shepp Editing

leeches took him?” His eyes darted between Rowan and Cree. “What aren’t you telling us?” Bain was seething.
    Rowan sighed. “Bain, cool your heels. The vampire that flashed out of there with Lothar is a young vampire who has yet to control the power; somehow, she ran into Lothar and they flashed away. Evan can’t locate them, but is certain that they are alive.”
    “How the fuck does he know that? And, more importantly, why the hell do you believe anything that comes out of his blood -sucking mouth?”
    “Stop,” Rowan hissed. “I have heard enough of your hatred.” Rowan sighed as Bain arched a brow at her. “You will continue your search for the vampires that took Mother. Uriah will help you.” She looked to Uriah, daring him to argue.
    Uriah dipped his chin, erring on the side of caution and keeping his mouth shut.
    “Kale, you and Katarina, if she is up for it, will be working with Lucas, getting the drifter’s refugees registered with us, while Cree handles Evan.”
    The room cleared of everyone but Bain and Rowan. Bain kept a steady eye on his sister as she made her way to the door and shut it behind his retreating brothers.
    “You do realize that you just shut Cree out of his own office, right?” Bain quipped.
    Rowan sighed. “Yes.”
    “What is wrong with you?”
    “So many things…” She rubbed her temples before continuing. “Look, Bain. I love you, and in spite of your bad attitude, I always support you, but we will be working with the vampires, and I can’t deal with these outbursts. We need to work together and regardless of what you think you know about the situation with Holly, there is always more than meets the eye in situations like this.”
    Bain narrowed his violet gaze on her. “What I know about the situation with Holly is what that bastard vampire told me, and since she is no longer around to explain anything to me, I will never know the rest of the story. What I do know is that while you took lead of the Light and Mother basked in the attention it provided her, I was in the Human World, searching for our baby sister.”
    “Don’t be an ass, Bain . I mourned Holly, and I did everything I could to aid in the search for her.”
    Bain blew out a deep breath. “Sorry, I know you tried.”
    Rowan smiled. He was such a man-child, and he knew how to look at her and make her feel bad for chiding him, or in this case, calling him out for being a jackass.
     
     

Chapter Fifteen
     
    “Focus, Holly.” Lothar crossed his arms over his chest, keeping a steady gaze on her.
    “I am trying,” she grumbled.
    Lothar arched a brow at her. “Are you really, though?”
    Holly smirked at him. She had been trying, she really had. However, Lothar looked adorable scowling at her. He was trying for tough, but he was just a gorgeous distraction. They had been at this for hours now; the sun was starting its descent in the sky. Yet, it was still hot and muggy.
    Trying to focus and find the magic that would carry them back to Vegas was eluding her. It hadn’t helped when Lothar had stripped off his shirt; all she could focus on then was the ripped muscles of his toned chest and stomach and the way his arms flexed as he crossed them over that muscled chest… Well, it made her care less about getting off the island and more about wanting to lick him.
    “Well, I was,” she said haughtily.
    Lothar chuckled and reached out, pulling her to him.
    “You’re a distraction,” she murmured against his bare chest.
    Lothar tipped her chin up, brushing his lips against hers softly, before dipping his tongue in her mouth to kiss her deeply. “You can do this—I know you can.”
    “I don’t know how I did it last time.”
    “You have to find that same emotion, that trigger, that pulled your power to the surface.”
    Fear and despair had pulled at her and try as she might to find something to elicit those feelings, she just couldn’t find them and focus on the vampire compound, where she intended