by Cat Miller
Kayden was exhausted. He came to a stop and spun around so fast he stumbled and fell on his ass. Behind him, a misty form appeared in the darkness and slowly became solid as he watched. At first, Kayden thought it was Lindsay. The build and hair were the same, as were the delicate features, but as she finally became entirely formed, Kayden knew it wasn’t Lindsay. The female was similar to Lindsay at a distance, but the eyes were wrong. This female had blue eyes, not brown. While they looked similar at first, Kayden could see many differences on closer inspection.
“How do I get out of here?” Kayden panted. “I have to find Lindsay and get help for Abel.”
“I can help you, but first, we need to talk,” the female vampire replied, and she held out her hand to Kayden.
“Who are you?” Kayden stood unassisted. As he worked to catch his breath, the scene around Kayden changed again from one breath to the next. He was no longer in a dark corridor, but on the bank of a lake in New York. Kayden recognized the area. He’d been there many times with Chase at the Deidrick summer home.
“I want to tell you who I am, but you need to accept first that you are no longer dreaming. Do you understand? You were stuck in a dream cycle that was caused by a drug. You are now in another place.” Her eyes pleaded with Kayden to understand. She was a beautiful female. She looked like an angel in a flowing white robe with a halo of golden hair. The hair reminded Kayden of Lindsay.
“Let me help you,” she begged Kayden. She’d been there, again and again, calling his name from the darkness. He wasn’t getting anywhere on his own. It was time to admit defeat.
“I have to find Lindsay.” Kayden began to walk away. How he was going to get back to where he’d been Kayden had no idea. Where had he been again? That’s right. He needed to go back to the old nest where the rogue had been hiding.
The female caught up to him and gripped his arm tightly. “You’ll never see Lindsay again if you don’t listen to me, Kayden,” she said in a scolding tone that reminded him very much of his mother.
“You know where she is?” Kayden turned and grabbed the female. He gave her a little shake. “Tell me where she is now!” he shouted at the face that looked a bit too much like Lindsay’s. It was confusing. Everything was so befuddling. Kayden shook his pounding head.
The female brought her hands up to grip his face. “It’s okay, Kayden, this is almost over. You’ll be waking soon if you trust me to help you.”
“Who are you? Why are we on the lake? I need to go,” Kayden repeated.
“I am Leann Vaughn … Deidrick,” the female explained as if he didn’t know that Leann had been dead for over two and a half decades. She’d been murdered by Sheena, but until the last year, everyone had believed that Leann had committed suicide after her mate, David, was killed. Kayden recalled the many times he’d seen the massive painting of this very female in Griffin Vaughn’s home when he visited. Leann was Griffin’s older sister. This was her, no doubt about it. She hadn’t changed at all.
“You … you’re dead.”
“That is very true. I’ve been gone from your plane for many years. As I said, you’re no longer sleeping, Kayden. You’re in a different place with me for just a short time. I am here to help you because you are crucial to people I loved and still love very much. I left them letters, prophecies if you will, to help them reach this point. Now I need you to help them the rest of the way.” Leann turned away and walked back to the shore.
Kayden took a second to look around. They were at the lake, but it was different than he recalled. There weren’t as many houses dotting the shore. The water was completely still, and there was no wind or sounds of insects. There were no sounds at all. This was not at all normal.
“I know this lake, but where are we really?” He walked up next to Leann and looked at her profile as she stared out over the lake.
“I thought it would be easier for you if I brought you to a familiar and comforting location. I love this place, too. I was mated to David out there.” She pointed out over the water where a small rowboat appeared that hadn’t been there before. “We were so much in love. He has been sick for a very long time,” she sighed.
“I know.” Kayden wasn’t sure what else to say. David had been more than sick. His very mind had been stolen from him. He’d been a puppet.
“You’re currently in a state between waking and sleeping. To be more specific, you’re on the plane between life and death. You were injured severely.” She glanced down at his chest.
The memories flooded back into his mind like a tidal wave. Kayden staggered where he stood with the shock of it. He’d been in an explosion, and something had pierced his chest.
“The injury was bad but not so severe that you couldn’t heal from it. It was the drugs that actually took you down, but they will explain that to you later when you’re awake. For now, I need you to focus.”
“I’m listening.” Kayden believed Leann. He now knew if he wanted to get back to Lindsay he had to do as Leann said.
Leann smiled sadly at Kayden. “Thank you for helping David’s son.” Her smile fell, and she touched Kayden’s arm. “Abel’s mother is pure evil, and Abel suffered greatly, but he’s a good male. He only did what he was forced to do. Please, don’t blame him for what happened to your Lindsay.”
His Lindsay. Kayden liked the sound of that. She was his Lindsay, or she would be if he had anything to say about it.
“What do you need to tell me?” Kayden asked because he had a feeling he wouldn’t be going anywhere until the spirit of Leann Vaughn-Deidrick was done with him.
“Sheena isn’t done with David. She will use any pawn she can find to get him under her control again. She needs him to control her army. That’s why she took Lindsay.”
“Because Lindsay resembles you?” he asked.
“Her resemblance to me was the beginning of her nightmare, but also her savior. If Lindsay hadn’t reminded David of me, he would have either killed her or given her to his men. She was also his savior in a way. After he found Lindsay, David was partially coming around on his own for very short periods. He was protecting Lindsay, in a way. In a sick way.” Leann averted her eyes. “He thought he was reclaiming me. I’m as much to blame as anyone for what happened to that sweet girl.”
“Don’t kill David and don’t hate Abel. Is that it?” Kayden was impatient. He was finally accepting that he’d been dreaming and Lindsay wasn’t in danger. If he were still asleep, then he needed to wake up. He had to see his men to learn if any of them had been severely injured? Kayden needed to know what happened after he was knocked out and wanted to go to Lindsay. Dream or not, Kayden was still shaken, and he had to hold Lindsay in his arms to know she was safe and unharmed.
Leann turned to look at Kayden. She searched his face for what Kayden couldn’t say. She bent and plucked a wildflower from the grass, then stepped closer and handed him the flower. Kayden looked at the little white bloom. When Leann finally spoke a chill ran down Kayden’s spine.
“The fight for Lindsay’s life is not over. She will face her fears again. You will not be there to protect her. It is your job to make Lindsay feel strong enough to protect herself. I couldn’t defeat our enemy, but maybe, just maybe Lindsay can. She’s going to stumble. She’s going to doubt herself and you. She’s going to hurt. But you, Kayden, you can be her spine when she’s weak. You can carry her weight when she’s too tired to stand if you’re willing to sacrifice something you don’t even realize you want yet, but it will be worth it.”
“What do I need to sacrifice? I’ll do it. How can I make Lindsay stronger? She’s been through so much. She’s afraid of everything and everyone,” Kayden asked in frustration. He hated riddles.
“As I said, you must be strong enough for both of you. It will be hard for her to comprehend. You will have to work to return to her.” As Leann spoke, her body began to lose its solidity. She was slowly fading.
“What’s happening? Where are you going? You can’t leave me here.”
Kayden tried to grasp Leann, but his fingers found empty air.
“It’s time for you to go. Give Abel the forgiveness he needs, if Lindsay cannot do it herself. I wish you well, young warrior. Now it’s time to wake up.”
“Kayden, can you hear me? It’s time to wake up, son.”
Kayden groaned and tried to roll away, but he couldn’t move. He was so tired. His eyelids were too heavy to pry open, and his limbs felt as solid as lead.
“Kayden Gage Paris, you will open your eyes now! I did not suffer through thirty-eight hours of labor to birth your big baby butt just so you could die before I do!” Cool hands grasped his face. A kiss was placed on his forehead. Then he was slapped soundly.
“Koren, sweetheart, please calm down. This isn’t good for you.” That was Gage, Kayden’s father, speaking to his mother in a soothing tone.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down, Gage! I cannot be calm right now!”
“Geez, Ma! I’m getting up,” Kayden slurred. Was he late for duty again? Was the house on fire? He tried to think of anything he might have done to make the ever patient Koren Paris shout. Kayden didn’t want to get up, but his mom was pissed off. He knew it because she used his whole name, and he couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt the need to smack him. She’d never slapped his face before. Not ever. He must have really screwed something up. Kayden wanted to open his eyes, but it was a struggle.
“Kayden, baby, talk to me. How are you feeling?” His mother cooed and stroked his face.
Kayden pried his eyes open and looked up into Koren’s anxious face. Her eyebrows were pulled together into a crease between her tear-filled eyes.
“I’m all right, Ma. Did I oversleep?” Kayden’s head felt like it was full of cotton.
“You could say that, baby. You’ve been asleep for a week.” Koren smiled down at him, and the tears she’d been holding back slipped down her cheeks and plopped onto the sheet covering Kayden.
“I was out for a week?” Kayden tried to sit up, but he was too weak to move. “What’s wrong with me? I can’t move?” He was beginning to panic. He shouldn’t be home in New York. He was in South Carolina … “There was an explosion.” Kayden lifted his hand to his chest where he knew there should be a hole. He wasn’t in his bed at his parent’s home. Kayden was in the infirmary on the Enclave. Kayden looked over his mother and his father. “How did I get here?”
“Koren, honey, why don’t you go get Doc.” Gage suggested.
Koren gave Gage an unhappy look. Gage smiled apologetically at his mate, who was in full-on momma-vamp mode. A mother vampire was way more dangerous than a momma bear.
She didn’t want to leave Kayden, but she knew Gage needed to debrief Kayden. It was important to get any details Kayden could remember as soon as possible before they were forgotten.
“Fine.” Koren didn’t argue, but Kayden knew his father was going to get a piece of her mind later. She kissed Kayden and left the room still wiping tears from her eyes.
Kayden was beginning to get a little movement back, but he was still too weak to lift his head from the pillow or throw off the blankets covering him to his shoulders. He looked at his father and knew shit was about to get real. Now that his mother had left the room, Gage would shut off his fatherly reactions and go into chief mode.
“If you’re having trouble moving, I wouldn’t worry. Now that you’re awake, I’m sure the drugs are finally wearing off. You’ll be up and running again soon. Just relax and give it a little more time.”
That was a relief. He’d only just woken, but Kayden had been afraid to ask the question running through his still foggy brain. Why couldn’t he move? Was he paralyzed? Was that even possible? Wouldn’t he heal from an injury that didn’t involve decapitation, heart trauma, or massive blood loss?
Gage grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it down next to Kayden’s bed. “I told you to wait for back up.”
Kayden was startled by the sound. Yeah, he was still a little out of it. “I know you did, but when lives are on the line, I can’t wait for your permission to take action. I’m not one of your men any longer, Dad. I have to make my own calls with my team.”
“Yeah? Tell me, son? How’d that work out for you?” Sarcasm laced Gage’s voice.
He deserved that. Kayden knew he’d made a mistake, but now wasn’t the time to bicker. He needed to find out what happened after he was knocked out.
“What happened to my men? Any casualties? Did they find anything of use in that warehouse?” Kayden got right to the point. He might not be able to move, but he wasn’t going to be intimidated.
Gage made an angry noise but seemed to accept it was time to move on with the conversation. The chief wasn’t used to being disobeyed or brushed off. The dynamic of Kayden’s relationship with his father was a strange new territory they were both still adjusting to.
“There were a few minor injuries but nothing that won’t heal. One man broke a leg. Unfortunately, he isn’t healing as quickly as a full-blooded vampire, but he’s on the mend. You took the brunt of the blast. The bigger issue is what happened after the explosion. That wasn’t just an effort to kill; it was an attempt to capture that backfired.”
“Capture?” Kayden asked. He began to take inventory of his body as his father spoke. He could wiggle his toes, but his legs and arms were still useless.
“Capture.” Gage nodded. “You see, that bomb went off a little prematurely. We believe it was meant to incapacitate the entire team.”
“But not kill us all?” Kayden asked.
“No, they wanted you alive. Maybe she wanted to use you for ransom. Possibly they intended to add to Sheena’s stock of test subjects. We can’t be sure. What we do know is that the reinforcements I sent to aid you interrupted a group of Shade army soldiers who were in the act of dragging several downed males, including you, away from the scene while Hawk and his men fought to reclaim you.”
“Did they get any of us?”
“No, there was a team close to you when I called it in. They were headed back to the Enclave when we diverted them to your location. They heard the explosion and moved in double time. That team, combined with Hawk’s, was able to hold off the Shade until more help arrived. He got a few of them, but they’ve been useless. I flew down to interrogate them myself. Either they were under mind control and really don’t know what happened, or they’re excellent actors.”
“I’m still trying to figure out how I survived. It felt like something had pierced my chest right through my heart.”
“Like I said, the explosive wasn’t meant to kill. The bomb was a contraption loaded with darts. That thing went off, and drug-filled missiles flew in all directions. It was Hypnovamp that took you out. I believe it was meant to detonate when you were all inside of that smaller room. If that had happened, all of you would have been down for the count. Something went wrong, though. It wasn’t shrapnel that hit you in the chest, but a bundle of darts that stuck together and pumped you full of that poison. If that had struck any of the half-bloods, they would not have survived. It was a near thing even for you. You going in ahead of your men probably saved their lives.” Gage cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “Your mother was worried. I, of course, knew you would be fine.”
Kayden tried not to smile, but it was a struggle. His father was a bad liar.
Gage’s phone buzzed, and he answered with a gruff, “Gage Paris,” as if the caller wouldn’t know it was him. He listened to the caller and responded, “On my way,” then disconnected the call. “I have to go, but I’ll return shortly. Take it easy on your mother, all right? She’s going to hover. Let her,” Gage ordered before striding out of the room.
Kayden breathed a sigh of relief when he was alone with his own thoughts. He was beyond relieved to know that his injury had been the worst and his men were all alive and well. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for his body to begin obeying his commands once again. He was disturbed by the idea that he could have become one of Sheena’s test s
ubjects. That thought only brought his mind back to one person: Lindsay. He’d left her with a promise to return within a day or two. That had been at least a week ago. Did anyone tell her he’d been injured? Lindsay’s recovery was so fresh. She was still unwilling to trust anyone but him. How was she dealing with being left on her own with the medical staff? Kayden knew his priority should be getting back to his men and the hunt for Sheena, but all he could think about was returning to Lindsay so he could make her his mate. He had to get back up on his feet.
The feeling slowly returned to his limbs and Kayden was finally able to raise his arms above the blanket. His heart began to race, and a whole new set of memories came flooding back to him when he opened his hand and found a small white flower crushed in his palm. Placing the bruised bloom on the blanket, Kayden stared at the impossible.
“Thank you, Leann, for helping me find my way home. If you can hear me, know that I won’t forget what you did for me.” Kayden couldn’t see her, but he felt sure Leann was there with him for a fleeting moment. The scent of wildflowers and a summer day on the lake filled his nostrils and faded just as quickly. “Thank you.”
Thirteen
Kayden was completely recovered and ready to get back into action just two days later. His mother wanted him to stay longer, but his father understood the duties waiting for Kayden back in South Carolina. Kayden had also confessed his love for Lindsay to his father and mother. Now he just had to tell Lindsay that he loved her. Saying the words ‘I love her’ aloud for the first time made Kayden’s own knowledge of that love somehow more real. It was true. He was in love with Lindsay. She had a long way to go in her mental recovery but Kayden was prepared for those challenges. He would support her through whatever treatment was needed to make her feel whole again.