Repercussion: The Clandestine Saga Book 3 (26 page)

              Cadence pulled on her shirt and jeans, and then walked outside. Within seconds, she was convulsing again, the burden of her loss far too much for one person to bear. And then her grief turned to anger. "How could You do this to me?" she screamed at the sky. "Is this some sick joke? Some twisted experiment? First Drew and then Jack.... It wasn't enough that You just took my best friend, now You take my... my... soul mate! My... everything!" She fell to her knees, pounding the ground with her fists. "Why? Why would You do this, God? Why!" There were no answers, no justification, no reason. Just an overwhelming, deafening silence.

              She had lain on the grass in front of the little cottage, buckled over, sobbing for hours when she finally fell asleep. It was a restless sleep, one that could only qualify as such because she was not fully conscious. However, the feeling of something gently pulling or stroking her hair began to bring her back to reality. She fought it. Even a restless sleep was better than the reality she would soon be forced to claim as her own. Despite her insistence in remaining incoherent, she began to lose her grip and tumble backward into the real world, the sound of her name bringing her spiraling back.

There was no dreaded moment of forgetfulness this time when she wasn't quite aware that Aaron was gone; even in her sleep she had held on to that truism. So, when her eyes fluttered open, and the familiar voice calling her began to register, she was more confused than she had been ever before. "Aaron?" she whispered.

She shot up to a sitting position, and realized he'd been cradling her head on his lap and stroking her hair. She looked at him skeptically, glancing back at the house, confused. "How are you... here?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, I woke up, got dressed, and then I walked out here. And you were asleep in the grass, so I decided to wake you up to let you know I'm feeling better," he said slowly, the accent gone.

              She noticed his eyes were blue again--not the same icy blue they usually were, but definitely not green anymore. She was still skeptical. "But, you were... dead," she reminded him.

He seemed to consider her statement. "Well, I'm not any more," he finally shrugged.

              She took his arm and turned it over. The streaks of green had subsided, retreating back towards the entry point, but they were still there. She ran her finger over the bulging green vein, and then looked into his eyes again.

"Cadence," he said pulling her towards him. "I'm alive," he assured her. "And it worked--you fixed me."

              She choked back a sob. "You're alive?" she asked. Tears began to stream down her face again. "You're alive." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

              "I'm alive."

              "Oh, my God, you're alive. I thought..."

              "I know," he said, still holding her. "But it's all over now. And I promise you, I will never leave you again."

              "Oh, you're damn right you won't," she agreed. He was kissing her then, and all of the grief she had poured out into the universe began to return as an overwhelming feeling of relief and gratitude. She held his face in her hands and smiled before leaning in to return his kiss. He scooped her into his arms, and she suddenly realized he was lifting her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

              "Taking you to bed," he replied pointedly.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked, thinking of his health.

              "Oh, yes," he assured her as he crossed the threshold. "It's the best idea I've had in a very long time."

              After he made love to her, Cadence rolled over, still unable to believe that she had gone from utter despair to complete exhilaration in such a small amount of time. The dark cloud of Elliott's loss would continue to perpetually hang over her, quite possibly for the rest of her existence, but the weight of her personal loss was put in perspective, to a degree even her dear friend would certainly understand, when she found herself without either of them. Now, the semblance of wholeness had returned at least such that she could finally find her breath again.

              "Are you still feeling all right?" she asked, wrapping the sheet around herself and turning her gaze into his bluing eyes.

              He grinned at her for a second before responding. "I'm a little tired," he admitted, "but I'm not sure if that's the serum or the workout you just gave me."

She blushed and looked away for a moment before returning her eyes to his. "It's just all so surreal. I really thought I had lost you. But now, here you are. I don't understand."

              "I don't either, honestly," he admitted, propping his head up on his hand and looking down at her. "Maybe it was some sort of hibernation. Maybe my body had to completely shut down in order to rebuild itself. I'm not sure. But I do know that I am definitely alive, and I don't really feel too differently than I did before."

              Cadence considered his explanation. It seemed to make sense, though she wasn't completely sure he hadn't actually died and gone through some sort of Resurrection process himself, much like when a human turns into a Vampire. She was, however, certain he was not a Vampire. Still, the story he had told about his wife, Aislyn, came to mind, and she couldn't help think about the similarities. "This must be a little too familiar for you," she said placing her hand on his chest.

              "Eerily so," he admitted. "Except for in reverse. And, I assure you, I am not a Vampire."

              "I know you're not," she replied. "But I'm going to have to keep a careful eye on you--to make sure you're not evil," she teased.

              "Sounds good to me," he agreed, leaning over to gently kiss her on the nose. "I don't want to ever be without you again either, Cadence."

              "Good," she smiled. "At last we can agree on something." She reached up, placed her hand on the back of his head, and drew his lips to hers. He kissed her passionately, and just when she was about to give herself to him again, a sudden realization hit her. "Shit!" she exclaimed, pushing him off of her and shooting up in bed.

              "What?" he asked as alarmed as she was.

"I totally forgot to tell the team you're alive! As far as they know, you're still dying!" she replied, tossing herself back onto the pillow.

              He laughed. "You sure you want to be the Hunter Leader? Forget stuff like that, and they'll throw you right off the team."

"It's not funny!" she yelled shoving him playfully. "They're probably beside themselves with worry."

              "They were. Until I checked in with them a couple of hours ago. They're fine now," he assured her.

Cadence's eyes widened. "Jerk," she said, pulling the cover over herself and crossing her arms.

              He was still laughing. "I'm sorry, Cadence. I didn't mean to upset you." He coaxed her back into his arms, and she laid her head on his chest.

              The rhythmic motion of his hand rubbing softly on her arm was almost enough to lull her to sleep. Thoughts of Elliott flooded her head, and she did her best to fight off another fit of tears. "Did anyone say when the memorial is going to be?" she asked in a melancholy voice.

              "No. Hannah said they were waiting for us to get back. She recommended I stay here another day or two to make sure I'm feeling up to flying back, but I think I'll be ready to go tomorrow. Not that I wouldn't just as soon stay here with you forever." He kissed the top of her head gently. "But this entire experience has definitely taught me that I can't run away from my problems.

              She tipped her head up a bit so she could look at him. "You've never been one to run away from your problems," she reminded him. "A few moments of weakness doesn't make you a coward--it makes you almost human."

"And I was almost human, I guess," he realized. "The whole thing was stupid. I should have talked to you about it before I did it. I just... knew you'd talk me out of it."

Resting her head back on his chest, she said, "That's because I'm always right."

"I'll have to remember that," he replied, realizing she was teasing.

              "Do you mind if we stop by my parents’ house on the way back? Hannah said last she'd heard, no one had told Cass about Elliott, and I really feel like I should be the one to do it."

              "Of course, babe. Whatever you want to do," he assured her, solemnly.

Within a few minutes, Cadence was asleep, the anguish and elation of the last few days finally proving to be too much. Aaron held her throughout the night, rest no longer a necessity for him once again. While he was certain Cadence's concern that he was "evil" was not the case, he was also aware that something was still different. It was as if his senses were heightened to the point that he could hone in on individual crickets in the yard. He was able to see in the dark without utilizing his night vision, and despite the fact that his body had been through so much recently, he could feel the revitalization coursing through his veins. He was hopeful that Christian and Jamie could possibly run some tests once he returned to headquarters to let him know precisely what was happening inside his body now that this strange concoction had entered his bloodstream.

Chapter Eight

              Cadence convinced Aaron to stay in Ireland for another full day, and he spent the time telling her tales from his early days as a Guardian, showing her the majestic heights of the Twelve Bens, and even took her to see the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. Cadence breathed it all in, relishing the opportunity to spend so much uninterrupted time with him, to experience the places he considered to be so meaningful.

              The flight back was equally impressive from where she sat in the passenger seat. There was something incredibly sexy about watching him take command of the airplane. "Do you want to fly for a while?" he asked her, the sparkling waves of the Atlantic far beneath them.

              "Are you serious?" she asked, afraid she would instantly crash the second she took the controls.

"Sure, why not? It isn't hard," he replied, smiling at her.

              Cadence hesitated. "All I have to do is steer, right? Nothing else?"

"I'll handle everything else,” he assured her.

"Okay," she answered, the lack of confidence evident in her wavering voice.

              "Take the yoke," he insisted, reaching over and placing her hands in the proper position. "Just keep it steady. It's really not complicated."

Cadence did as she was instructed, and once he removed his hands from hers, she took a deep breath, and then realized she was flying the plane. "Wow, this is so cool!" she gushed. "I'm actually flying a plane!"

              "You sure are," he replied. "Turn it slightly to the left."

              "Define slightly," she requested, but then gave it a tiny, minuscule shift. "Like that?"

              "Perfect," he assured her. "You're doing great. When we get to Iowa, you want to try landing it?" he teased.

              "Uhm, no!" she answered, the hesitation completely out of her voice. "So, how do you keep it at the right height and stuff?" she asked, showing she knew nothing about airplanes.

Aaron pointed out the various instruments on the panel to her, showing her how to read the altitude, pitch, and direction. He explained the control towers and various navigational tools. Cadence attempted to understand, but she really had no idea what he was talking about, so she just nodded and smiled. "You really don't care do you?" he asked after a few minutes.

              "Oh, no, I care," she assured him. "I just don't know anything about flying, that's all. When did you learn?"

              "Actually," he admitted, "your grandfather taught me."

              "Really?" she asked, her shock allowing her to lose focus just enough to pull the plane slightly to the right.

              Aaron calmly reached over and corrected her hands, putting the plane back on track. "Yeah. He was quite a pilot. You should ask your grandma about it."

"I will," she said, her expression still showing her surprise.

"Hey guys, do you have just a minute?"
Hannah asked over the IAC.

              "I don't think I can fly this plane and talk to her at the same time," Cadence admitted.

"I don't think I can either," he replied sarcastically.

              "Shut up," she said nudging him. "You can talk on the IAC and do anything."

              "Well, not anything...." He smiled at her in a mischievous way, making his meaning quite obvious.

"You could," she reassured him. "You better not..."

             
"Hello?"

"Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Hannah,"
Cadence finally replied.

             
"I just wanted to let you know that we set up the memorial for the day after tomorrow at 2:00 PM. We'll have it at the chapel in the back of the complex,"
she explained.

"Do you think that space will be big enough?"
Aaron asked, realizing it only sat about a hundred people and thinking there might be more Hunters and Guardians attend.

"I think so,"
she assured him.
"We decided to go ahead and broadcast the service so that all of the affiliates in the field could stay on location. Thousands of Hunters and Guardians have expressed their desire to come in, but that would be leaving an awful lot of humans vulnerable to Vampire attack. So, I just went ahead and told them to stay put and we'd do our best to accommodate that. I hope that's okay."

              It took Aaron a moment to answer, and the fact that they were discussing his best friend's funeral was not lost on Cadence. She reached over and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
"That sounds like an excellent option,"
he finally replied. "
Hannah, thank you for taking care of all of this for us,"
he added.

              "
Thank you for trusting me with such a great responsibility,"
she answered solemnly.
“I also thought you should know that I was able to contact Elliott’s ex-wife, Marnie, and his kids. They were all very polite, but none of them expressed any interest in attending.”

              Aaron was quiet for a moment, and Cadence was shocked. It didn’t make any sense to her that his family wouldn’t want to be there. Eventually, Aaron said,
“Thanks for reaching out to them.”

              “Absolutely,”
Hannah said serenely.

              "
We should be arriving in Shenandoah in about four hours. We'll check in with you then, all right?"
he asked.

              Just as Hannah was about to reply, an idea popped into Cadence's head.
"Hannah, I need you to do one more thing,"
she said.

             
"Sure, Cadence. What is it?"

             
"I need you to find a woman named Amanda Keen,"
she replied. Aaron looked at her questioningly, and she hesitated, not sure exactly how much she should say.
"All I know about her is that she lived in the Tulsa area about twenty years ago. But she was important to Elliott. So, we need to find her and let her know about the memorial."

             
"Okay, Cadence,"
Hannah replied, her voice wavering a bit.
"I'll see what I can do. That might be nearly impossible,"
she admitted.

             
"I have faith in you,"
Cadence assured her.

             
"I'll let you know what I find out,"
Hannah replied.

"Thank you,"
she said before disconnecting.

              "Who's Amanda Keen?" Aaron questioned, the puzzled expression still on his handsome face.

              "You've never heard of her?" Cadence was surprised. She thought Elliott would have mentioned the woman he loved to his best friend at least once in all of these years.

              "No," he acknowledged. "She was a friend of Elliott's?"

              "Something like that....Why do you think his family didn’t want to come?" she asked, changing the subject.

“It’s complicated,” Aaron replied. “His wife divorced him before he even Transformed. By the time he joined LIGHTS, she’d already taken his kids across state lines and turned them against him. She didn’t want him to see them, and so he decided he didn’t want to either. It was all pretty sad, really. He had been such a great dad before the split.”

She nodded, certain that would be the case. “Why did they break up?” she asked quietly.

“He didn’t like to talk about it, but I think there was some infidelity on one side or the other. Or both. It’s hard to say, honestly. He was always very private about women in general. I guess that’s why I never heard of this Amanda person.”

“It’s too bad. I see how he was with Cassidy. He would have been an amazing father.” Cadence turned to gaze out the window, choosing to focus on the distant clouds rather than the tears beginning to well up in her eyes again. Aaron's hand on hers was reassurance that they would get past this together... somehow.

***

              "Cadence! We're so happy to see you!" Liz Findley exclaimed, welcoming her daughter into her home and embrace. "How are you sweetheart?" She planted a kiss on her cheek before taking a step back to survey her oldest daughter, and then pulling her back into her arms.

              "I'm okay, Mom," Cadence assured her. She waited for her dad to complete his handshake greeting to Aaron before enveloping him in a tight hug. "I missed you, Dad," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

              "Welcome, Aaron," Liz said hugging him as well. Cadence knew the smile on her mother's face was forced, but she appreciated the effort. While she was certain he was also aware of her mother's true sentiments, he didn't let it be known and thanked her politely.

              "Where's Cass?" Cadence asked, longing to see her little sister, despite the fact that she was whole-heartedly dreading telling her what they had come to reveal.

              "She's on her way home from cheerleading camp," her mother explained, guiding them into the living room. "She should be home in about an hour. Can you believe her friend Lucy has her driver's license?"

Cadence sat down on the couch, her mother on one side, Aaron on the other. Eli, her father, took his usual place in his favorite chair. "No, that's crazy," Cadence agreed. "Cassidy is one of the younger kids in her class, though," she reminded her mom. "I was always the oldest."

              "Well, if you'd of come out when you were supposed to," Liz stated, shaking her head.

              "Okay, Mom, I know. I was two weeks late. I've heard this story a bazillion times," Cadence replied, shaking her head.

              "It's that September birthday. Makes you seem a whole year older than everybody else, sweetie," her dad chimed in.

              Cadence just nodded, her mind wondering to the true reason for her visit. Her expression must have given her sentiment away, as Aaron reached for her hand, and her mother said, "We were... devastated when your grandmother called with the news. I can only imagine how you must feel, honey."

A solitary tear rolled down Cadence's cheek, and she allowed it. "It's been hard on all of us," she finally replied after a few moments, squeezing Aaron's hand.

              "And then Hannah said you had to go out of the country, but she said nothing more. Is everything else okay?" her father asked, a tone of concern in his voice.

              "It is now," she replied, glancing at Aaron for a moment. He gave her a weak smile, and then looked away, as if to say he was sorry he had her and her family so worried.

              The conversation wavered back and forth between sports, the antics of her parents' friends, and the weather before the sound of squealing tires outside let them know Cassidy, and her newly christened driver friend, Lucy, had arrived.

              Cassidy burst in the door, suitcase in hand, Lucy behind, trying to keep up. "OMG!" she yelled as the door hit the wall with a smack. "Cadence!"

Cadence was at the door to greet her within a fraction of a second. "Hey!" she said, wrapping her arms around her little sister. "How'd you know it was me?"

              "Because Aaron's the only one who drives the Lamborghini, and he wouldn't be here without you--at least, I didn't think he would be. I can't believe you're home! I missed you so much!" she explained still squeezing her sister's neck tightly.

"I missed you, too, sis," Cadence said, kissing her on the head. Then, she turned to the blond behind her sister, whose hair cascaded down her back almost to her knees. "Lucy, it's nice to see you, too," she said smiling.

              Lucy was staring past Cadence, and at first her words must not have registered. After a very long pause, she managed an "Uh, huh," and Cadence realized Aaron had followed her to the door.

"Luce, you okay?" Cassidy asked, waving her hand in front of her friend's eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," the young girl finally replied.

              "This is my boyfriend, Aaron," Cadence explained.

             
"Boyfriend?"
he asked, a lull of amusement, or possibly surprise, in his voice.

             
"Damn straight."

"It's nice to meet you," Lucy managed to get out, eventually taking the hand he was offering her.

"You, too," he said, stifling a laugh. Cadence didn't know if it was at Lucy's reaction or her comment. "It's always nice to see you, too, Cassidy," he added awkwardly, not sure whether he should offer his hand or hug her.

              Cassidy stepped forward and gave him a quick hug, which Cadence found to be quite polite, considering she was fairly certain her sister didn't know what to think of Aaron.

              It only took a second for her to ask the question Cadence had been dreading. "Why isn't Elliott here?" she asked, looking around.

              "Cassidy, sweetheart, how was camp?" Eli asked ushering his daughter into the living room and successfully changing the subject for the time being.