by Bethany Shaw
As soon as she woke, he would go back to the village. It had to be done. No one dared to touch her without falling victim to his wrath. Yet, her words still rang in his head. What would happen if he did change history? Especially now before his family was turned. It would change everything. Harrison...perhaps this was a part of Liana's plan all along. He could rewrite history himself, ensuring the vampire race was never born. He wasn't going to let that happen.
Sending Cadence to the past with him was his mother's mistake. She was a weakness, yes, but she also gave him something to hold onto.
The wolves would get what was coming to them...eventually. It had been centuries ago, but he still remembered what his siblings and he had done to them. Yes, they would pay for what they had done to Cadence and to Harrison. He was just mad he wasn't going to get to do it again.
Cadence groaned and twisted restlessly on the bed he’d made for her. She slowly sat up, her matted blonde waves clung together as she moved. Her blue eyes searched until they met his and rested on his face.
"How are you feeling?" he asked anxiously walking toward her and kneeling down to her level. He'd been tempted to look at her stomach again, but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries. He had given her his blood. She would be fine. The less he saw of her the better. He had been dangerously close to kissing her last night. Her breath had been on his lips. He wouldn't take advantage of her though. He would wait for her to be ready.
"Better," she said stretching her arms up above her head.
"I didn't realize werewolves could change at will,” he said quietly.
"It was only a partial change, and maybe something changes in the next thousand years so they can't." She shrugged. Her eyes narrowed as her fingers slipped beneath the cloak. “You gave me your blood,” she mumbled.
“You were dying, Cadence,” he countered. “If I hadn’t intervened you’d be dead.” That was the truth and they both knew it.
“I’m not...” she trailed off, her fingers dashing to her neck.
Is she checking for her pulse?
“You’re still alive,” he assured as anger seeped in. Does she really think so low of me? “I gave you my blood to save your life. I wouldn’t turn you.”
She licked her lips and let her hand fall into her lap. “Thank you...for saving me.”
He sighed trying to keep calm around her. Does she have any idea how close to death she was? "From here on out, you have to listen to me, Cadence. Both of us have to start trusting each other. The only way we’re going to make it home is if we trust each other."
She sighed and nodded. “Trust me, I’m not going near the wolves again.” She opened her mouth and shut it as she dragged a hand through her hair. “Speaking of the wolves...did you...” she trailed off.
“Kill them?” he finished, quirking his brow. She nodded and looked away. “They will get what’s coming to them,” he promised.
She was quiet for a long moment. “Harrison,” she whispered. “They kill him, don’t they?”
How perceptive of her. Or maybe she’d heard his thoughts a few moments ago as she’d been coming too. He’d have to ask her about her magic soon. “What makes you think that?” he asked as he watched her.
“I know he’s not alive in our time,” she started. When he didn’t say anything she continued. “Liana is a powerful witch...and a mother. Parents will do anything to protect their children. Even if it means turning them into...”
“Monsters?” he smirked.
Cadence looked away, staring absently into the fire. The embers danced across her face, lighting her pale features. “The wolves killed Harrison and your mother created vampires, thinking that you would heal when hurt, and live eternally. She’d never have to bury another child. But...a spell like that is bound to have a backlash.”
Zak sat down on the ground next to her and tossed a twig into the fire. “She didn’t expect the bloodlust or the rage and overwhelming emotions that young vampires go through. No one could’ve. We didn’t understand what was happening at first.” Zak looked at her and sighed. “The desire to feed is overwhelming when you’re a new vampire. We didn’t understand it. The first day we consumed more food than we could eat in a week and it wouldn’t quench the hunger gnawing in our bellies. It was an accident that we found out what would stop the hunger. None of us meant to hurt anyone, but we did.” He remembered his first kill to this day. It had been an accident, one that had changed his life forever.
“That must have been awful,” Cadence whispered as she stared absently.
“It was,” he admitted. The guilt had nearly consumed him. Then he’d realized what he could do.
Cadence nodded and relaxed next to him. “Where were you yesterday?" she questioned changing the subject.
He sighed. "I was getting wolfsbane. I had a feeling the wolves might try something. I should have told you my concerns. Like I said, we have to start working together.” He shook his head. I almost lost her yesterday because of my stubbornness. “I had to go further than I thought to collect it, otherwise I would’ve been back much sooner."
“I’m glad we have it now. I think I scared them. I did something...magic, but...there’s no telling how well it worked. They were spooked last night, but they could come looking for us,” she whispered.
“We’ll be ready if they do,” he promised. Consequences be damned. If one of the wolves dared attack Cadence again, he’d kill them instantly.
Chapter Five
"Come on, sweetheart," Zak said as he approached her and Harrison.
Cadence glanced up at Zak through her lashes and then turned to the sun. It was early still and she was having fun with Harrison; she had almost learned the ancient alphabet his people wrote in. History really had it all wrong. If she ever got home, she could make a fortune rewriting history, if anyone would believe her that was.
She finished drawing her name in the dirt. Harrison was a good teacher and she enjoyed his company. Zak, though, she wasn’t entirely sure about. She was seeing a side of him she didn’t know existed and it was a bit...unnerving. It was easier not to like him when he was a sociopath.
"Harrison, can you bring those things I asked for while we’re gone and then go home for the day. We'll see you tomorrow," he said in way of dismissing his brother.
Cadence frowned up at him as Harrison shot up from his spot. Harrison grinned as he glanced back down at Cadence. What are these two up to?
"Okay. I'll see you in the morning," Harrison said as he hugged Cadence. He stepped back and then gave Zak a hug too before leaving. The affection still seemed foreign to Zak. He embraced his brother like he was a porcupine. She fought back the urge to laugh at the imagery.
Harrison beamed again as he clapped Zak on the back and jogged away.
“It’s early. What’s going on?” Cadence asked as she narrowed her eyes. Slowly, she stood up and brushed the dirt off her skirt. Harrison had brought her an old dress of Grace’s since her last one had been shredded.
"I have a surprise for you," Zak answered with a smirk.
A surprise? For her? She bit her lip and sighed. “Um, okay.” What kind of surprise is this?
His smirk transformed into a gleeful grin. Her breath caught at the genuine smile and she swallowed hard. What exactly did he have planned?
“So...where are we going?” she asked expectantly.
“Come on, I’ll show you.” He motioned for her to walk with him.
She drew in a deep breath and fell in step beside him. They walked quietly through the barren forest. Animals scurried through the dead leaves and branches; the twigs snapped beneath their feet as they made their way.
Zak stopped as they reached a clearing. He blocked her path with one arm and pointed with the other.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the fascinating scene. Wild horses galloped freely, at least several dozen frolicking in the field.
She had never seen anything like it before. It was amazing and beautiful. Nat
ure at its finest, and something she could never indulge in in their time. This wasn't the type of thing she would expect from Zak, or maybe it was exactly what she should expect from him. Zak was the one who had been courting her for months with romantic gestures and flowers. She’d thought he was playing with her as a way to get into her coven—maybe she was wrong.
No one had ever done anything like this for her before. Not even Trent. I haven’t really thought about him since we arrived here. Guilt tugged at her conscience. Trent was her longtime boyfriend, and she was comparing him to Zakariah, the big, bad, terrible Original vampire. The same evil vampire that turned her boyfriend...ex-boyfriend...into a vampire. Trent could get a pass.
Trent was never this romantic even before he turned, a voice nagged at her. It was sad, but true. Damn Zak and his stupid charms! She had to admit, he was starting to wear on her.
It was wrong and she would never, never act on it, but there was something...an attraction. Perhaps it was dark magic that provided the allure or just some morbid curiosity. She and Zak were polar opposites, and she loved Trent, even if they had broken up and he’d almost killed her.
“What do you think?” Zak asked gazing at her expectantly.
"This is amazing,” she whispered. She would give him credit for this surprise though; it was wonderful.
"I thought you might like it," he said with his eyes on her. She both hated and loved the way he looked at her. There was always such intensity in his eyes, like he was completely captivated by her.
She fought the urge to look at him, she was much too afraid of what she would see in the depths of his blue eyes. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"This used to be one of my favorite places to come when I was a human. It's quiet and genuinely beautiful. I use to come here when I needed time to myself. Just sit down and relax and let the world fade away."
"I can see why you like it," she said realizing he was actually telling her something about his past. Was the big, bad vampire actually trying?
"In a few days all this will be gone," she said sadly. Admittedly, she was all turned around about where her hometown actually was on this strange canvas.
"Time changes everything," Zak said quietly.
"Is it hard to watch things change over time?" she asked curiously. In all his years, he must have witnessed some amazing transformations.
"It depends. If you stay in one place long enough you don't notice the change. You change with it to an extent. After my siblings and I turned, we left this land and returned to the Old World. We didn't return home again until the 1900's. The change here was very drastic. If I didn’t know the falls so well, I would’ve never realized this was home," he said watching her.
Zak was staring again. His gazing reminded her that no one ever looked at her that way, not even Trent who she loved with all her heart. She swallowed and watched as the horses grazed on the grass. What did Zak feel for her? Was this real? Or was this all one big game for him?
***
Zak sat with Cadence in a comfortable silence as they watched the horses canter in the field. He spent equal amounts of time watching her and the horses. The way the wind blew her hair, or the way her eyes lit up when the horses came closer bewitched him. Did she have any idea how truly remarkable she was?
He looked at the moon peeking through the pink and orange sky and was reminded he only had three more days here with her. They would be home with her judging coven and his family in no time. He wished he had more time for her to get to know him properly, but he was prepared to take advantage of the next three days with her.
"Shall we return to the cave?" he asked not making any move to stand up.
"Unless you know of better accommodations?" she challenged, turning to him. They’d stayed in the cave since the incident with the wolves. It was safer—for everyone though not nearly as comfortable. He had been doing her a favor by sleeping on the floor.
"I suppose we could return to the werewolf village, although, I don't think that would be a good idea," he said with a grin. If he returned there he would likely kill every last one of the wolves he had smelt on her.
"The cave it is then," she said pushing to her feet.
"It won't be so bad. Harrison will have brought some more things for us. I can build a fire." It had been quite cold the past few nights and Cadence had barely slept due to the chill. Hopefully, the extra blankets would help.
"Too bad we can't make s’mores. It would be just like camping out," she said with a shrug.
"Maybe we could go camping again when we can actually make s’mores," he suggested.
She snorted. "I'm only camping because I don't have a choice, Zak. Do I look like the type of girl who spends time in a tent?" she giggled and shook her head.
He smiled; sometimes he forgot how modern she could be. "Fine. I'll just have a bonfire at my house. You can invite your coven."
They both knew that would never happen. His vampire clan had been killing witches in their coven for decades. The only reason his family had come to town was to finish off a particular bloodline.
The grin slipped from her features and she snorted. "We have to get home first, and hope your mother doesn't try to kill us once we get there."
"Hopefully, my siblings will have taken care of her by the time we get back. It's been a month.” That should be plenty of time for them to have put their mother back in the ground where she belonged.
"Why is she so ready to kill her children?" Cadence asked quietly.
"She hates what we are,” he stated simply. “She meant to immortalize us. Not turn us into monsters. The second she realized her mistake, she tried to undo it.”
“That’s why she turned your father, too. To stop you and your siblings,” Cadence guessed.
He growled in frustration. "Yes." She knew a lot about his family’s history and he knew next to nothing about her. His family didn’t keep track on all the witches, but he’d never heard of the Hopewell bloodline before Cadence.
"I’m sorry," she whispered stopping to look at him.
"I didn't realize you cared, sweetheart," he goaded.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't," she said quickly looking away.
If only there were a way to know what she was thinking. He hoped he wasn't reading between the lines wrong, but maybe there was something there. Maybe she cared a little.
"I just...if she is willing to kill her own family...what is she going to do about the entire vampire species?" Cadence asked quietly.
Ah! There was the root of the problem. The death of all vampires would throw off the balance magic had with nature. It could effect the witches’ powers drastically. It wasn’t that she cared for him. It was her powers she craved. He stomped back towards the caves. When was he going to learn?
***
Rum was his new best friend. It was making Cadence so agreeable. She hadn't made one snide remark to him since she had become drunk.
Thank you, Harrison, for bringing me booze.
It hadn’t been his intention to get her drunk, but he wasn’t going to complain. Cadence was laughing with him and sitting so close their shoulders brushed against each other. She probably wasn't aware of the fact that she was leaning on him, but she was. He enjoyed the feel of her warm curves pressed against him, even if it wasn't in the way he would like. Any touch from her was enough to set him on edge. Nothing could come of tonight, he knew that; she would never forgive him if he took advantage of her. And when something did happen, he wanted her completely there, no regrets.
"Favorite century and why?" she asked taking a long sip from her bottle.
"The 21st century," he replied chuckling when her smiled dipped down into a scowl. Not the answer she had been expecting obviously. "You’re in it,” he flirted with a shrug. "I don’t think you were really old enough to appreciate the 20th century...so which witch irks your nerves in your coven?” he asked curiously. The coven couldn’t be as close knit as they seemed. It was one of the la
rgest he’d encountered. The larger a group, the more likely there was to be unrest.
"Katherine," she spat out like the name itself was distasteful on her tongue.
"Really?" he asked. Interesting reaction. Katherine Bartholomew is an elder witch and one of the strongest witches in the coven.
"So why Katherine?"
"She bound my magic and keeps me from using it," she said with a shrug as she tipped the bottle back and gulped it down.
"What?" he asked taking the bottle from her. A witch from her coven had bound her magic. She’d mentioned that before, but it was still bound? How was she able to practice at all? Why would someone do that to Cadence? "Katherine bound your magic? Why?"
"My dad asked her to,” she grumbled, snatching the bottle back and slurping down another swig.
"I think you've had too much. You're not making sense,” he said taking the bottle again. Why would her father hurt her like that? Wait, hadn’t she said something before about her dad, too?
Cadence stuck her lip out to pout and it took a lot of control to keep from leaning in and taking her lush, pink lip into his mouth.
She shook her head and reached for the bottle, but pitched forward onto him instead. He froze. Her face was less than an inch from his and her breath ghosted tantalizingly over his mouth. It would be nothing to close the distance between them. Her eyes locked with his and he did not imagine her eyes flicking to his lips. And then she blinked and pulled away abruptly, and he instantly missed the feel of her against him.
"I might be drunk, but I'm still too smart to fall for your charms," she stuttered as she leaned back against the wall.
He tried to collect himself and get her wonderful scent out of his head, but failed miserably. "Hey, you fell on me," he reminded her. She scooted away from him a little. He didn't want this little game of theirs to end. "You’re kind of a lightweight," he teased.
"I don't drink very often,” she admitted. “This stuff is pretty good though. I might have to try it again,” she hiccupped.