Transformation: The Clandestine Saga Book 1 (23 page)

              “Yes, yes it matters. It matters a lot, quite frankly. You’ve always done exactly what I’ve asked you to do until tonight, until it really counted.”

              She sighed, “I can’t even explain to you why I did it. I just . . . had to. It was instinct. I saw a Vampire getting away, and I had to get him.”

              “I want you to realize that never, in over 150 years of working in this field have I ever, not once, seen a Hunter do something so reckless and stupid. Not one time.”

              “Then, I guess, I’m just an idiot,” she said dryly.

              “No, you see, that’s the thing," he said, uncrossing his arms and leaning towards her, elbows on the table.  “You’re not an idiot.  It’s like you weren’t even listening to me. At all.”

              “I wasn’t. I wasn’t listening to you. Literally,” she admitted

              “Then what were you listening to?”

              “Nothing!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. “I was just reacting.  I wasn’t intentionally disobeying you. I think I did hear you once, while I was sprinting across the parking lot, but what you were saying wasn’t registering. “

              “You could have gotten killed.”

              “I know.”

              “You could have gotten that baby killed,” he added.

              She nodded her head. “But I didn’t.”

              “Thank God. How did you know I would be able to get there in time? What was your plan if I hadn’t”
              “I just knew you would,” she said emphatically.

              The anger and frustration were building in his voice as he exclaimed, “You just knew I would get there in time to save a freaking baby dangling out a window?”

              “No, I didn’t know if we’d be able to save the baby,” she said, the tears stinging the backs of her eyes again. “But I knew you would get there in time to save me.”

              Aaron leaned back in his chair, his hand brushing back his hair. He was quiet for a few moments, considering everything she had said, trying to come up with a fitting response.  His conversations with Elliott were fresh in his mind, and even though he wanted to believe this was all about an instinctual response, at this point, he just wasn’t sure. His heart was telling him one thing, but his logical mind, the one that put his team and his Passel above all else, was telling him something different. “Listen, Cadence I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to . . .” he began but that’s all he got out before she interrupted him.

              “No, Aaron, it’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.  I get it. I understand,” she said, just managing to hold back her tears.

              “Do you?” he asked, not sure how that was possible when he didn’t quite get it himself.

              “Yes, I do. It’s fine. It’s just fine.”

              “Okay,” he said quietly. 

They continued to sit in silence for a few more minutes before Cadence asked, “What’s my punishment?”

He had been thinking about that a lot. Even before Christian had said anything he had realized, despite the fact the whole idea from the beginning revolved around capturing Henry alive, Cadence didn’t know that. She had done her job as far as catching and killing Vampires was concerned, and she had done it better than any new Hunter he had ever seen.  Despite the fact that she had broken protocol and put the entire team at risk, he felt that telling her he was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with her was punishment enough. Though she had said she was fine, her eyes were telling him something very different.  He suddenly felt inclined to be lenient. “Why don’t you take a few days off? We’ll call it a suspension, but it’ll just be an opportunity for you to go see your family, to visit your friends, whatever you need to do.”

“Okay,” she agreed, devoid of emotion.

“Alright then,” he said, standing and pushing his chair in. “You should go home, back to your apartment. I’ve got some things to work on here.”  She stood and slid past him to the door careful not to touch him as she squeezed by.

She covered the short distance back to her apartment building as quickly as she could.  Hopeful that the tears would wait until she reached the solace of her room, she avoided contact with everyone in the lobby as she made her way to the elevator and climbed to the twenty-second floor.  She was slightly distracted by the amount of messages she was receiving on the IAC, and though many of them were positive, she decided to turn it off.  It would be better if she simply did not think about tonight’s events at all.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator door finally opened.  Stepping out of the elevator, she was surprised to see Christian leaning against her apartment door.  He was still wearing the same clothes he had on for the hunt. He looked almost as despondent as she felt, and even though she was in no mood to discuss the events that had transpired, she was happy to see him.

As she approached, he opened his arms and she let him envelope her, burying her head in his chest, her tears held back only by sheer will power.  He smelled of leather and a slight hint of cigarette smoke, something Cadence had never noticed before. Perhaps her renegade actions had driven him to lighting up.  His arms were strong and she felt solace in his embrace. 

After a few moments, he spoke, concern and sympathy evident in his tone. “You holding up?” he asked, glancing down at her.

Cadence pulled back a step but he did not loosen his grip around her. “I’ll be alright,” she said, hoping it was true.

“Good,” he replied. “What you did out there tonight was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.  To think that it wasn’t completely appreciated makes me furious.  I just wanted to make sure you are alright, that Aaron didn’t tear you down, too much, and to let you know that I, for one, am convinced that you are a super-hero.”

She had to smile at that last bit.  She didn’t feel like a super-hero, not right now anyway.  “Thank you,” she said, using the same quiet tone he had spoken in.  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”

It was getting late and Cadence was tired. She was also very aware that Aaron could return to his apartment at any moment, and while she honestly didn’t care if he saw her talking to Christian or not, she was not prepared to have to see him again so soon. She tried pulling away again and this time Christian allowed her to, still keeping his hand on her hip.  She dug in her pocket for her key, absently thinking about how much easier it would be when they updated the lock on her door, inserted the key and pushed the door slightly ajar.

Fully aware of Christian’s hand caressing her side, she hesitated for a brief second, knowing that inviting him in would complicate matters. Yet, she was certainly attracted to him, and it was getting more difficult by the minute to send him away. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Would you like to come in for a few minutes?”

In reply, he leaned forward, bring his lips down on hers hungrily.  With one hand, he pushed open the door, gently guiding her inside of the apartment with the other.  He continued to kiss her, leading her over to the couch, not bothering to turn on the light, releasing her only long enough to allow her to drop down on the sofa and then joining her, finding her lips again.

Cadence quickly found herself breathless. Her mind was already cloudy with the events of earlier, and she found it much simpler to let her body respond, rather than lending any thought to what was happening.  As his mouth explored her neck, her earlobe, she became extremely aware of his hands.  She was hesitant, having only been intimate with Jack, she wasn’t sure that she was ready to take her relationship with Christian so far within the first few days. In fact, until this very moment, he had been nothing to her but an attractive friend.  Now, with his lips caressing the nape of her neck, she realized she had a decision to make, one she needed to make rather quickly.

“Christian,” she said quietly, unsure of her own voice, “I think we better stop.”  She intended to push him back, but her hands were not responding the way she had hoped they would. If he heard her, he did not comply. His teeth gently nipped the tip of her earlobe and she began to feel as if she were floating.  It was only the incessant idea that she was in no state of mind to make this sort of decision that kept nagging at her to stop.  Once more, she gave him a gentle nudge with her hands, this time a bit harder and said, “Christian?  Christian!  Stop.”

He seemed to get the message that time and sat up abruptly, straightening his clothing as he did so. Cadence sat up as well, pulling her shirt down completely and glancing down to see if it was still buttoned. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly.  “It’s nothing against you—at all. It’s just been a very long, emotional day.

“No, I understand,” Christian interjected.  “It really wasn’t fair of me to put you in that situation. I’m just extremely attracted to you, Cadence, that’s all.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. Of course, she was attracted to him, too, but saying so wouldn’t help her present cause.  She smiled, shyly, feeling herself begin to blush. “Thank you,” she said quietly. She wanted to say something more, but no fitting words would come to mind.

Christian looked around the room awkwardly.  Finally, he said, “Well, I should let you get some rest.”

He stood and walked slowly towards the door. Cadence followed, still searching for something, anything to say.  She opened her mouth briefly but closed it again.  Every sentence that popped into her mind sounded ridiculous.

Opening the door, Christian paused for a moment and turned back to face her.  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”  Cadence nodded and he slowly leaned down and kissed her softly one last time before exiting her apartment.

Cadence rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands.  Her life was becoming increasingly more complicated by the second, and in that moment, all she really wanted to do was get some sleep. She resisted the urge to bang her head against the door and instead made her way towards her bedroom, hoping for sleep and the mental clarity morning may bring.

As Christian made his way back to his own apartment on the sixth floor, he couldn’t help but feel a bit defeated.  Though he certainly didn’t wish to take advantage of Cadence’s emotional vulnerability, he had been hopeful that she would confirm his suspicion that she was as physically attracted to him as he was to her. Now, he wasn’t quite so convinced he had been reading her signals correctly.  He certainly hadn’t allowed anyone else to view their interaction on the IAC, but he had been recording it.  He had a bit of a fetish for such things. Now, however, he was thinking he should review the footage to see exactly where he went wrong.  He was hopeful that he would have another opportunity with Cadence and the next time, he wanted to make sure her answer wasn’t no.

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Cadence slept in.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had actually dozed on past 9:00 or 10:00 o’clock. But this day, she actually slept until almost noon. And, when she finally rolled out of bed, though she was slightly trapped in that feeling of impending doom she desperately hated, remembering only her interaction with Aaron at first. Then, the other memories slowly came back and she couldn’t help but wonder if Christian would be upset with her for rejecting him the night before. Still, she knew she had made the right decision.  Though she was attracted to him, she was not interested in a relationship with him, nor was she the kind of girl who fooled around just for fun. 

Thinking about Aaron, however, that was a different story.  She would have been willing to give him her heart and everything that went along with it.  Now, the possibility of that happening was over. She knew she needed to find a way to get over it and move on.  After all, she hadn’t come to LIGHTS intending to meet a guy; she had come there to find a way to track down the Vampire she felt was partially responsible for Drew’s death. And if that meant a life lived alone, so be it.  Still, the thought of those piercing blue eyes, the way he blushed when she teased him, his perfect smile, all of those memories made the tears well up in her eyes again, and she knew she needed to find a way to keep herself distracted while her heart began to mend.  Despite the temptation, however, she was certain that Christian was not the distraction she needed.

She decided to throw herself into her work.  Perhaps there was something on the IAC to occupy her mind. By the time she turned it back on, she had almost two-hundred messages.  The vast majority of them were supportive. Most of them managed to compliment her on the kill without sounding negative towards Aaron or the Passel. None of them condoned her insubordination, and a couple accused her of thinking she was already the Hunter Leader. She understood that some people were automatically going to judge her more harshly because of who she was and where she had come from.  She tended not to take those sorts of messages personally.

She had several messages from Jamie, wanting to know if she was okay, if she needed anything, if he needed to kick anyone’s ass, etc.  Most of them were rather humorous and they actually made her chuckle.  She had responded that she was fine and that she appreciated his support. And word that Aaron had “broken up” with her must have also spread quickly because Eliza sent her a message stating that she had been there, and she was willing to be her shoulder to cry on any time.  Cadence actually suspected that this message was one of elation on Eliza’s part since Aaron was now single again, although Cadence would be the first to state that they had never been dating, so it wasn’t as if they had actually broken up. He had simple made it clear that he was no longer interested in pursuing a relationship with her. She was slightly disappointed that she had not received any messages from Christian, but she knew it was for the best.

Cadence actually did have a message from Aaron telling her to let him know if she was planning to go visit her family and she wanted a car so he could arrange it for her. She hadn’t decided whether or not she was going to go home or just stay in her apartment. As much as she wanted to go back to the way things were a few weeks ago, when all of her friends were alive and the only problems they had was determining which college class to take or which shoes to wear, she knew that returning home was never going to accomplish that.

She was slightly relieved to see that Aaron was still willing to be kind to her and treat her with the same respect he did the other members of his team. She had been worried as she fell asleep the night before that things might be so awkward between them that they would no longer be able to work together. One thing she had noticed about Aaron, despite his reputation for being a perfectionist with impossibly high standards, he never seemed to hold grudges against people when they made mistakes or said things he disagreed with. She fully expected Christian to be held after the meeting last night, but Aaron just accepted the fact that they had a difference of opinion and let it go. It took an extremely competent leader to be able to take that sort of criticism and not be compelled to display his power.

Just as she was about to climb into the shower, her cell phone rang. She glanced down but didn’t recognize the number. The screen read, “Lincoln, Nebraska,” and she only knew one person who lived there.

“Hello?” There was no sound on the other end at first. “Hello?” she said again. “Jack? Jack? Is that you?

“Cadence?” She finally heard a very weak voice on the other end of the line. She couldn’t even recognize his voice.

“Jack, what’s the matter? Are you sick?”

“I think I’m dying,” he said.

His tone was so serious she had to suppress the urge to panic. “Jack, if you think you’re dying, you need to go to a hospital. Jack?” There was silence for quite some time before she finally heard him speak again.

“Cadence, I need you. Please. Come, help me.”

“Okay! Calm down, Jack, you’ll be alright. I really think you should go to a doctor or something.  The hospital, maybe. Jack? Jack?” She looked down at her phone and saw that she had lost the connection.  She tried calling him back but it just rang and rang. She tried his parents and had to leave a voicemail. His roommate did not pick up either. She suddenly felt like she needed to get to him as quickly as possible.  In response to Aaron’s message she answered simply,
“How about a plane?”

             
                   ***

              It really wasn’t unusual for Aaron to be up all night. In fact, it was to the point now where he rarely slept at all. The only reason he ever did so was because he truly enjoyed dreaming, especially when those dreams included visions of loved ones long gone.  But last night, he had been up for several different reasons, none of them good ones.

              First of all, he had to attempt to locate Sam, Finn, and Camille and let them know that, if they continued to disobey his directives, they would no longer be eligible for Guardian support of any time. They had all left without permission last night, not to mention Sam’s refusal to follow his orders to stop screaming obscenities at Cadence after the debacle of a hunt had concluded.  He understood that Sam had his reasons to be mad, and while Aaron had agreed that they would capture Henry unharmed for several reasons, not just the ones Sam was aware of, Cadence had followed protocol in destroying a Rogue Vampire. She just hadn’t followed his commands.

              Though Sam and his gang had some personal reasons for wanting to capture Henry rather than destroy him, Aaron wanted him taken alive because he had heard rumors that Henry was aware of exactly where Holland was. And it made perfect sense that he would know, too, because Henry was created by Holland and Vampires tended to keep track of their own family members.  His plan had been to capture Henry, extract any information he could get from him, and then hand him over to Sam.  Now, with that plan busted, he determined he needed to return to the only leads that had thus far been successful. Rumor had it that Holland had returned to her roots, that she was somewhere in Europe, possibly Spain or France, and he needed to find her quickly, especially now that Cadence had taken out another one of her loved ones. As for the band of renegade Hunters, he had heard that they were on their way to Texas, another Rogue Vampire on their list had made an appearance and they were determined to make this one pay.

              Aaron had spent most of the night second-guessing his decision to tell Cadence that they needed to go their separate ways. As much as Elliott was convinced the events of last night transpired because Cadence was taking advantage of their relationship, Aaron was fairly certain that was not the case. When she said that she really could not control her instinct to chase a fleeing Vampire, he tended to believe her. He had never worked with a Hunter this powerful before. In fact, he wasn’t sure one had ever existed, so, while it was still a problem if she could not control her instincts, at least he knew she had not purposely disobeyed him. He was beginning to think that he had acted too rashly and he should have given it some time.

              Just as he was beginning to think he should ask Cadence to stop by so he could apologize, he got her message requesting an airplane instead of a car.  Finding the inquiry rather odd, he messaged her back wanting to know if everything was okay.

“Jack is very sick, and I can’t get ahold of his family.”

Aaron did not hesitate to arrange for her to take one of the smaller planes even though the idea of her racing off to see an ex-boyfriend was extremely unsettling. He was now completely convinced he had acted like an idiotic jerk for making such an important decision under such stressful circumstances.  Now, when he had begun to realize his mistake, it seemed like it might be too late. For once he found it rather fortunate that he had so much work to do to help keep his mind off of Cadence.

                            ***

Cadence was extremely thankful that Aaron was not only willing to let her borrow one of the planes, he actually made all of the arrangements for her, including a ride to the airport.  He had even arranged for a car service to pick her up at the airport in Lincoln and take her to Jack’s dorm room. Unfortunately, his kindness made him even more endearing to her, which didn’t help her cause of trying to let him go.

As Cadence’s plane touched down in Lincoln, she received an IAC from Christian, asking if she wanted to grab lunch.  “Shit,” she thought, realizing she hadn’t even told him she was leaving town. She messaged him back, letting him know the situation with Jack. He sent his condolences, offered his assistance in anyway, and requested a rain check for lunch, which she agreed to.  She had been so focused on Jack, Christian had completely slipped her mind.

Stepping out of the car into the December chill, Cadence surveyed the area, not exactly sure where she was or how to find Jack. She had only been to Jack’s dorm once earlier in the fall semester. She had agreed to go with him to a fraternity party for the group he was pledging to. Being with such a large group of strangers had made her very nervous and she had drunk a lot of alcohol, something she didn’t normally do.  Now, looking around the cluster of dorm buildings, she wasn’t quite sure she could remember which one was his. He had not answered his cell phone, nor the phone he had called her on earlier in the day, and she still couldn’t get ahold of any of his family. 

Standing on the sidewalk, staring at her options of buildings, they all seemed to look the same.  She thought about randomly walking inside one of them and asking if they could look up his room number in some sort of database.  As if he was reading her mind, she got a message from Aaron saying, “
Did you get there okay? Need anything?”

She was so startled that his timing was so perfect, she actually checked her IAC to make sure he wasn’t connected visually. 
“Dorm building and number?!?”
she replied.

“That might be helpful. Last name?”

“Jack Cook.”

Within seconds he replied:

“Rm 402, Sandoz Hall”

              “Thank you!”

              “You bet. Let me know if you need anything else.”

             
She was glad to find that the main door was unlocked, though she didn’t know what she would do if his room were locked and he wouldn’t open the door.  Fortunately, when she reached the fourth floor and found his room, it wasn’t a problem. Not only was his door not locked, it wasn’t even closed all the way. 

              She entered slowly, afraid his roommate might be there, afraid she might encounter Holland or one of her cronies, and slightly afraid that she might be too late and find only his corpse.

              He was laying on his bed in his boxers and a T-shirt, his blankets disheveled and hanging over the edge on to the floor. She could see that he was breathing, but even in the dimly lit room, she realized that he was extremely pale.  She glanced around the room and didn’t see his roommate anywhere so she assumed he must be in class.  The room was a filthy mess, especially Jack’s side, with pizza boxes, soda cans, and various other trash items strewn about and mixed in with piles of dirty clothes.  This was not the Jack she had known and loved, Mr. Organized, and the state of his room made her wonder just how long he had been feeling so ill.

              There was enough room on the edge of the bed for her to sit down so she did so, clearing a space on the floor with her foot so that she could place her bag on something other than garbage.  “Jack,” she said quietly, rubbing his back. He twitched at her touch but didn’t open his eyes. “Jack? It’s me, Cadence. I came, just like you asked.”

              After a moment or so of patting his back, he finally began to rouse a bit. He rubbed at his eyes and rolled on to his side.  “Cadence?” he said, as if he wasn’t sure exactly where she was.

              “I’m right here, beside you,” she said. She gently guided him over so he was lying on his back and she scooted up where he could see her better.  “Jack, are you with me?” she asked.

              He rubbed his eyes some more, blinking and trying to focus.  Finally, he seemed to wake up enough to fully realize she was actually in his room and he wasn’t dreaming.  “Cadence? What are you doing here?” he asked, confused.