by Bethany Shaw
Neither of them said anything. Instead, they stared at the vast emptiness that should house thousands of residents.
"What do you think happened?" she finally asked, ending the deafening silence. She didn't actually expect him to be able to give her an answer, but she asked nonetheless.
Zak sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I don't know."
"Do you think we changed something? Do you think we’re still in the past? Where is everyone?" she asked, her voice rising to a shriek with each question. Her stomach twisted and she panted as panic settled in.
“Calm down, Cadence,” Zak said turning to her and placing both hands on her shoulders.
"We could be anywhere. What if we went back in time instead of forward?" she continued as she looked around wildly.
Zak gnashed his teeth and blew out a breath as he looked away. He’d probably been thinking the same thing. Fantastic. He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze and he continued to stare into her eyes. The paranoia seeped out as she got lost in his gaze.
"My family left, fled back to the Old World right after we were turned. We uh...might have lost control with the villages nearby. The hunger was unexpected and overwhelming. Perhaps we just haven't moved far enough into the future. Maybe nothing has changed. I wouldn't know. I didn't come back to the United States until the 1900's."
She shook her head in frustration and to get his eyes off of hers. Once again, he was invading her personal space, and the more he did so, the less wrong it felt.
"Why don't we just walk around and see if we see something," Zak suggested.
She nodded her head in agreement. Standing where the town was supposed to be wasn't going to get them anywhere. If they continued to walk around, they’d find someone—she hoped.
***
They had been walking for hours. The sun was up and the day was surprisingly pleasant. Birds chirped, filling the air with gentle whistles, as they walked through the forest in search of some form of civilization. Zak understood Cadence's panic; he was beginning to feel it too. There was nothing. No signs of human life at all. Thousands of possibilities tumbled through his head. None of which he wanted to voice. Cadence was already terrified enough. Instead, he focused on the positives.
There were plenty of rabbits, squirrels, and deer. At least they had food to eat. Animal blood wouldn’t sustain him long, but it would do in a pinch. He hoped he wouldn’t have to live off of it. The overabundance of wildlife made him wonder how long it had been since the animals had been hunted.
Speaking of food, he cast a glance at Cadence. Her eyes were droopy and her face pale. She hadn’t eaten since dinner last night. It was nearing lunchtime now.
"You need to rest and get something to eat," he stated.
Cadence sighed and stopped to sit down on a log. She leaned forward and covered her face with her hands and let out a groan. He sighed as he took her in. Dirt caked the bottom of her gray dress; her long blonde locks fell from her up-do and lay tangled over her shoulders. The light in her eyes was gone, replaced with weariness, and her usually soft pink lips were chapped and dry.
For the first time in a long time, he actually cared about the wellbeing of someone other than his family. It was a foreign concept to him, and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. He did know the more time spent with her the stronger his feelings for her were.
When he had been hoping for more time with her, this was not exactly what he had in mind, but he would take what he could get. He would take this time to show her there was more to him than just the monster. Between Cadence and Harrison, his humanity had been reawakened and he wasn't sure he was ready to shut it off again.
“Relax a moment. I’ll start a fire and catch an animal to cook,” he offered. “Do you prefer rabbit, deer...”
She shook her head and offered him a small smile. “Thanks, really, but I'll be all right. We’ve got to be getting close to somewhere," she said standing up and starting to walk again.
That was his girl: strong, determined, stubborn that was why he liked her.
***
Oliver swung the front door open and grinned. Jaime stood on his doorstep. Her long black hair blew in the wind and her brilliant chocolate eyes twinkled as she glared at him.
"To what do I owe this visit?" he asked huskily as his eyes traveled the length of her body. Her jacket was much too bulky and did not show off what he was sure was an irresistible body underneath it. She might be a witch, but she was a hot one.
Jaime narrowed her eyes at him and curled her lip up in disgust. Her displeasure only turned him on more.
"I have an idea on how to contact Cadence and Zak," she spoke, wiggling her fingers as if she were preparing to attack him should he make a wrong move.
"Do you now?" he smiled. “Eli has already spoken with Cadence. I told you that,” he reminded.
"And I’ve already told you that I don’t believe you," she snapped as she brushed past him and let herself inside. “The coven doesn’t know I’m here. I’d like to keep it that way,” she added.
“Sneaking here to see me, darling? You shouldn’t have,” he flirted as he motioned her toward the living room.
“The only reason I’m here is because there might be some merit behind your story. I need to find out for myself,” she growled as she plopped down onto the brown leather couch. “If Liana double crossed us and hurt Cadence, I need to know.”
"What did you have in mind?" he questioned as he sat close enough to her for their knees to barely be touching.
She scooted away, her brown eyes narrowing at him and he felt the slight twinge of a headache coming on. She must be working some witchy voodoo on me. Nice!
Jaime ran a hand through her hair. "It's a little complicated, but I think it will work. I will need one of you to help contact them. Whoever is closest to Zak would be best."
“I wish I could say it was me, but Gracie is the lucky winner of Zak’s affections. How exactly are you going to use my baby sister to contact him? You’re not going to harm her are you?” he inquired. Grace could take care of herself, but as her older brother, he always protected her anyway.
"That's where it is a little complicated," she began biting her lip. "We’re going to have to contact Zak while he is sleeping and then he is going to have to enter Cadence’s dreams, so I can speak to her."
Oliver smirked. "You're going to give Zak permission to get inside Cadence's head. What makes you think he possess that power anyway?" He shook his head. Oh, if only the witch knew what she is starting. No good will come of this, at least not for her blonde friend.
Jamie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I know older, stronger vampires have the ability to access and control people’s dreams. Just as I know they have the ability to coerce humans to believe things so that they can hide their evil deeds from the world."
He chuckled at her word choice. "And you think this will work?" he questioned. If it did, they could prove Liana was the culprit behind the young witch’s disappearance. It would take some of the heat off him and his siblings. Though, he wasn’t sure how much. The coven would still want them gone. The witches could still side with Liana anyway. What was one witch when the entire vampire species could be obliterated? Regardless, they needed help.
"Yes," she said adamantly. "I was hoping to try this tonight."
***
To say she was exhausted would be an understatement. Her legs weighed a thousand pounds and her eyes kept fluttering closed, despite the fact she was upright and walking. They had been moving for well over twenty-four hours. It was evening again and they were looking...well, Zak was staring at the starry night sky in an attempt to get their bearings.
We are lost.
Cadence smoothed her clammy hands over her dress and glanced up at the pitch-black sky. The constellations looked familiar, but everything else was utterly different and barren. Tears pricked her eyes and she squeezed them shut, refusing to cry. It wouldn’t get them anywhere. She needed to stay st
rong.
“North is this way,” Zak said pulling her from her stupor. “If we head that way we should stumble upon fresh water.”
She drew in a weary breath and fell in step beside him as they ambled on through the abyss.
Neither of them had said much since they arrived to wherever it was they were. Cadence couldn't blame Zak for wanting to save his brother. She just hoped they hadn't altered things too much.
"Let's take a break," Zak suggested as they reached a stream. He knelt down beside it and splashed water onto his face.
She watched him as he washed his face and drank the water. Damn him for looking so perfect. We haven’t slept in over a day. Not to mention, they were completely and utterly lost and starving, and she could just go on and on. Frustrated with her train of thought, she went up to the stream of water taking care to leave a few feet between the two of them. She crouched down and splashed the cool refreshing water onto her face. Her eyes widened and she shivered as the icy water stung her face. It helped liven her up a bit though. She blinked and gulped down a few drinks of the chilly water, letting it soothe her parched, dry throat.
After washing as much of her as she could without removing any clothing, she sat down on the ground pulling her knees into her chest and rested her head on them. She wished for sleep, but the hunger gnawing at the pit of her stomach would prevent her from resting.
As if to taunt her, a deer wandered up on the other side of the pond, lapping at the water greedily.
"What am I supposed to do with you, Cadence?" Zak asked drawing her from her thoughts. She looked up to see him staring at her intently. "I know you're hungry, yet you don't want to eat deer meat. That presents a bit of a problem."
Yes, it did. She was all too aware of this. "I can’t eat a whole deer myself. That would be wasteful," she said angrily. Zak could eat real food, but it did nothing to sate his true hunger. He needed blood. Neither of them was eating. Not really. She’d had a squirrel earlier this morning, but the small animals weren’t very filling.
"True. But how much longer can you go without proper nourishment?" he questioned, quirking his brow up at her.
She frowned at him for a long moment before looking away. She was being stupid now. It wasn't that she was a vegetarian or anything like that, she wasn't. She just didn't have to see the living animal when she ate a hamburger.
"We could share the deer. I could have a drink and then you could eat the meat. Less wasteful," he offered.
She laughed and shook her head as she stared at him. "You would drink deer blood?"
"Self-preservation, sweetheart. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to, to survive. Blood is blood, even if it is less than desirable. Unless, of course, you’re willing to tap a vein for me," he beamed, his eyes darkening as he stared at her.
She backed away from him as the spidery veins crept out from his eyes. “No,” she stammered.
"Bambi it is then," he whispered as he looked at the deer. A wry grin spread over his face as he zipped toward the animal. Cadence gasped and turned her back as Zak grasped the deer around the neck and buried his fangs into the animal’s body.
Looks like I’m not going to get a choice in the matter.
***
"Do you really think the witch can pull this off?" Grace asked, staring at Oliver.
Oliver knew the idea sounded crazy. He wasn’t sold on it either. But what other choice did they have? This was the only way they could ensure Zak was alive and well.
"I think we should try it," Eli spoke up. His face rested on his fist as he sat at the table with a glass of scotch in front of him.
"How do we know this isn't a trick? They resurrected our mother for Christ’s sake. Can we trust this witch?" Grace continued.
"She wants Cadence back as much as we do Zak," Oliver said. "Eli and I will be there when she does the spell. We won't let anything happen to you, Sister," Oliver promised placing a hand on her shoulder. If the witch did betray them, he wouldn’t hesitate to snap her pretty little neck.
"What about Lise’s descendent? Any word on her?” Eli asked sipping from his scotch.
“No. From what I can tell, Mother is keeping her under lock and key. I’m sure she plans to use her in whatever her grand plan is though,” Grace said with a sigh.
“How do you think that is going to work out for the young witch?” Oliver asked thoughtfully. It didn’t work out well for Lise at all.
Grace grinned. “Perhaps we could use that to our advantage. First, we must locate our brother, and then we can worry about turning the coven members against each other.”
Oliver clinked his glass of bourbon with Eli’s tumbler and took a gulp. That sounds like a plan.
***
"I know you enjoy torturing people, is there anything else you do?" Cadence asked breaking the long silence between them.
He was wondering when she would finally start speaking. She was a bit of a talker when she wanted to be.
"I quite fancy riding horses, swimming, and fencing. I was always quite good at whittling too," he answered honestly. He grinned as her eyes widened. Good. Let her see I’m not the monster she thinks I am. At least not entirely—not when I’m with her. "What about you? What do you enjoy, Cadence?"
He saw the distant look in her eyes and knew she was thinking. "Spending time with my friends. Sappy romantic movies and popcorn, and shopping."
He shook his head. "You and Grace would get along well. Too bad we’re all enemies," he told her. Cadence and Grace were quite similar. Cadence had qualities that reminded him a lot of Grace when they were humans. Perhaps if they had met in a different way or time, it could have been different for all of them.
"Maybe," she conceded. "Perhaps if the vampires weren’t constantly culling witches from my clan things could’ve been different. In the meantime, I guess we’re still...whatever you call us right now."
"Friends?" he asked curiously.
She looked at him as if she was really going to consider what he had suggested. Things had definitely changed between them in the past month that was for sure, but would she ever consider him a friend even if it were only for the moment? "I suppose you could call us that," she said slowly as if testing the word in her mind. "When we get back..."
"Cadence it's just you and I, let's not worry about when we get back, or what's happened in the past. Can we just focus on right now?" he asked.
He wanted a fresh start with her, a chance to truly prove himself. Not to mention, who knew if they were ever going to get to go home at this rate. They’d been walking aimlessly for days and hadn’t found any traces of human life.
"That works for now, Zak, but it changes nothing in the future."
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
“What do you suppose is happening there?” she asked quietly as she peered over at him.
“We’ve been gone a month. A lot could’ve happened. I suppose it would depend on what the coven and my family believe happened to us. If my mother blamed me for your disappearance...” he trailed off. Liana could have done that. Given the state of things before they left, it wasn’t a stretch either. The witches would believe it without question.
“Things could be worse,” Cadence sighed with a groan. “Why did you come to town anyway?” she questioned. “The witches and vampires have been fighting in Bedford Falls for decades. I’m sure the clan would have finished the witch slaughtering with or without you. Why come now?”
If he and his siblings hadn’t come, then they wouldn’t be in this predicament. “Maddie,” he answered simply. “She is Lise’s descendant and her blood has the ability to destroy my family.”
“So you came to kill her?” Cadence asked in a hushed whisper.
“Yes. Maddie is the last witch in her bloodline. Once she is gone, my family is truly immortal,” he explained.
Cadence wrapped her hands around herself and sniffled. “You want her dead and so does Liana. Maddie doesn’t stand a chance does she?”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he apologized. It didn’t bother him to take Maddie’s life, but the pain it would cause Cadence tugged at his conscience.
“There has to be another way,” she muttered.
“There isn’t. I can assure you this, though; I’ll make her death quick and painless. If Liana sacrifices her, I’m sure it will be anything but,” he promised. Liana would make it as agonizing as humanly possible. That’s just how she was.
“Is that really supposed to make it any better?” she questioned as she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Death is a part of life, Cadence,” he reminded.
“Taking an innocent life is wrong.” Cadence stopped abruptly and whirled around. She shook her head as tears misted her eyes. “Maddie and Jaime were there for me when I moved back. They were the only two witches to take me in and show me the ropes. No one else wanted to be bothered with a twenty-five-year old witch who had no control and had her powers bound. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. If you care about me at all, you’ll leave my friend alone,” she whispered through trembling lips.
Zak opened his mouth and shut it. He wouldn’t lie to her—couldn’t. Maddie had to die, plain and simple. “Cadence, like I said before. We need to worry about the present, not the future.”
Cadence narrowed her eyes as she balled her fists at her side. “Fine,” she snapped. “We better get moving so we can find civilization.” She twisted on her heel and stomped off through the woods.
Zak sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. In some ways it’d be easier to stay in the past. They could start fresh and he would never have to murder her best friend. Too bad they had to get home.
***
Cadence sat in front of the fire watching the twigs burn. This was their fourth night there and still no signs of life. The familiar burn of raw hunger was back, burning its way from her stomach all the way up her throat. She tried to focus on her surroundings, anything to take her mind off the hunger.