by C. B. Haight
Jarrett remained silent as anger and gratitude battled within him. He was furious that Ashley was in danger now. It was an outcome he’d tried to avoid, but he was grateful they had rescued him. He didn’t expect that Cade would be the one to save him from death’s door.
He couldn’t go with them of course, but for now, he needed rest. When the chance presented itself, he would be gone. This was his problem, and he didn’t need his brother tagging along trying to fix him.
He felt a small pang of regret but pushed it aside. It hardly mattered that a small part of him wanted Cade to stick around. Attachments only make things worse, he reminded himself. He’d learned that lesson more than once in his life.
As he lay in Ashley’s bed, surrounded by her scent, he knew he was right. He’d been attached to Rowena, and it got her killed. Then, at the age of twenty-two, he fell in love with a girl named Sara. After courting her, he decided to divulge his secret so he could ask for her hand. He could still envision the look of horror on her face as she ran screaming from him that night. He couldn’t help but smirk at his own stupidity for that one.
Jarrett accepted that it was human nature to form attachments, and the human part of him was no different than anyone else. Unfortunately, experience taught him how easily those attachments turned on you or ended up becoming a weapon against you.
Meeting Ashley wasn’t the fluke she thought it to be. He’d sought her out in hopes of finding Cade. During that time, Jarrett heard that Cade was in Michigan. He assumed Cade would have been here with her. He wasn’t, but Jarrett hoped he would turn up.
He knew Cade helped people escape The Faction, and of course, he knew all about Rederrick and his Brotherhood. He found it laughable that a human lawyer would involve himself in such things, but then, humans rarely made sense to him.
Jarrett was confident he could fabricate a situation where Cade would take a Faction member off his hands, and he stayed close for over a week. Despite his original intention, he ended up charmed by the compassionate Ashley.
When the demon boxer attacked her, Jarrett couldn’t stand by and watch as she was maimed or killed. He reluctantly intervened and was extremely ticked she’d put herself in that situation in the first place. The rest, as they say, is history.
He tried to keep his distance, but her kind, outgoing nature kept him from staying away. After being alone for so long, Ashley drew him in like a moth to a flame. Stopping on the street late at night to help a feral Boxer instead of leaving it to die was no less dangerous than taking him on as a friend, or so she told him.
The whole thing was selfish on his part. He knew better, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt to have someone know his secret and not care about the demon inside of him. She never mentioned The Faction, even though she knew he worked for them. Now, because of his and Cade’s selfish bond to the young woman, she would likely end up dead like the others.
Will I ever learn? Jarrett berated himself.
Resigned, he shifted to get up. He couldn’t hold back the low groan or push aside his annoyance at his weak limbs. His abused body rebelled against his movements. Everything ached, but he realized, though still stiff and sore, the burning in his side had lessened. He could feel the tug of the stitches as he made it to a half sitting position.
“What are you doing?” Cade snapped, dropped the clothes, and rushed to Jarrett. His twin only glared as he carefully moved his legs over the edge of the bed. “We’ve got time yet. Stay down as long as you can.”
“I gotta piss, and I’m sure Ashley would appreciate it if I did it in the bathroom.”
“Fine. At least let me help you,” Cade said resignedly, bending to assist him.
“No thanks. I got it,” Jarrett replied while shaking his head. “I’m still alive, and I’m not sure our relationship covers that.”
“Barely,” Cade mumbled and still reached to pull him up.
“Barely what?” Jarrett snapped, standing - or as close to it as he could get.
“Barely alive,” Cade stated flatly.
Jarrett couldn’t disagree, so he remained silent as he shrugged off Cade’s hands and lumbered to the bathroom.
Collett sat on the couch in the theater room with her legs tucked beneath her and laughed as Delphene animatedly finished her latest story about Cade.
“There he was, in all his glory and couldn’t change else the humans would see,” she explained in her rich southern-French accent that she adopted over the extended time of living in The Big Easy. “I told him he did not have time, but did he listen? Never does, I suppose.” She laughed. “Two large wolves in the city would scare ‘em he told me, but what does he think his naked butt did?” Finished with her tale, Delphene plopped down heavily on the couch and sighed happily. “That boy is always one to find trouble.”
Throughout the evening, Collett had learned that Delphene was originally from France, and she moved to New Orleans shortly after it was settled. She also came to understand that Delphene was older than Cade by quite a few years—exactly how many, Delphene would never tell. “I am still a woman after all. My age is my secret,” she had said.
At this point, Collett figured Delphene was likely the most enthusiastic person she ever met. She was vibrant and energetic, and Collett enjoyed every minute of their time together. She wasn’t sure she had ever laughed this hard in her life.
“Thank you, Delphene,” she said. When the other woman looked over to her perplexed by Collett’s gratitude, she explained, “I needed this. I needed some laughter and excitement tonight.”
“Oh Chèrie, you’re welcome. We all need a little laughter once in a while, no? It’s even more fun because it is at Cade’s expense, oui?” she said with a wink.
Collett smiled, “Oui.”
“Well ladies, this old woman has had enough,” Jenny announced, standing. “I’m off to bed.”
“Oh well, fè bon rèv,” Delphene offered.
Collett and Cynda each said their goodnights, and Jenny replied in kind then left. Things quieted a bit after that. The three women settled in to watch a movie, talking here and there, but Collett, feeling content and relaxed for the first time in days, began to drift off.
Cade dozed in the kitchen chair, or at least he tried to. He sat in the most uncomfortable position he’d ever been in. The chair was small and had such a low back that it offered no support. He stayed in Jarrett’s room that night. He suspected that Jarrett intended to make a run for it, and Cade refused to let him. It was hard enough to track him down once, twice would likely be impossible. It was a little after midnight, and he was worn out from the last few days. He was plagued with worry for Collett, but he didn’t dare call. He suspected someone may be tracking his phone, so he’d ditched it at the motel earlier that day.
Nate and Ashley had long since returned with antibiotics and new clothes for all of them. However, instead of leaving right away, they decided, after much protest from Nate, that it would be worth the risk to stay until Jeffery could blink again. He could then take Ashley and Nate farther, faster.
Ultimately, they planned to go to Tracy’s place in New York and convince her to go with them. If The Faction connected Jarrett to Ashley, then they would have another motive to attack Rederrick, his family, or anyone close to him. Cade knew Rederrick’s home was becoming more vulnerable with each hour that passed.
Frustrated and tired, Cade leaned his head back against the wall, unsuccessfully seeking a restful position. Giving up, he stood and looked out the window as he continued to mull over the many dangers and insufficient assets.
Collett fell into a deep sleep after only a few minutes. The visions returned, but this time was much worse. Her mind flashed to a series of locations: in front of a white door, Cynda’s kitchen, then she was in a bedroom with—who was that? Jarrett?
Oh no, she thought as a horrible sense of foreboding rushed through her. She knew she only dreamed of him when he was in trouble.
Collett began call out, but befo
re her warning could escape her lips, she came back to the kitchen. She could see Jenny getting a drink from the sink. Why am I seeing this? She felt so confused.
Once again, before she could grab hold, the images changed. It was as if someone held a remote to her mind and kept flipping back and forth between channels. She was outside the door again, and there was something there. A shadow moved. She forced herself to focus, and without understanding how she drifted inside the house. Once inside, she saw Jeffery on the couch and Nate in a recliner.
Still confused, she moved further into the house toward a room with an open door. She sensed it was the room Jarrett occupied. However, she saw Cade standing by the window with his back to her. “Cade!” she called. He turned slightly but didn’t look at her. Instead, he looked at Jarrett, who bolted up with a muffled growl and looked straight at her with a hate filled glare.
Before she could say any more, Collett felt a sharp, burning pain rip through her. It originated at the back of her head and filled her entire body. Turning, she found herself in the kitchen with Jenny, who lay lifeless on the floor.
A tall, dark man stood over her with something in his hand. Collett realized it was a Taser as she felt the shock run through her when the man happily used it on Jenny a second time. He viciously kicked Jenny and laughed gleefully. Both women cried out in pain.
Collett pulled herself together, and forgetting this was a sort of dream, she rushed forward in anger intent on attacking the man. She wanted to turn the horrid weapon back on him, and she sensed angry energy build within her. She didn’t make contact with the man. Instead, she ran right through him. The growing energy spiked, demanding release. She instinctively reached out, and it poured out of her. A misty light flowed from her hands, and the man cringed. His body stiffened and vibrated as if he had been shocked, and then he crumpled to the ground.
Sickness ran through Collett as she realized she had done exactly as she wanted. She had managed to project Jenny’s pain to him, and he felt an electric shock similar to the Taser.
Collett’s focus shifted immediately to Jenny. She called out to her and began reaching for her, but before could reach her, she heard Cynda’s voice pulling her out of the vision.
In the extra room, Rederrick was also having a difficult night. He was on surveillance duty, but he was struggling to keep his eyes open. It had been a long couple of nights, and the worry and stress were wearing on him. He wasn’t the young man he used to be, and his years were catching up to him whether he liked it or not.
He turned to check the monitors once more, and seeing nothing, looked back to his paperwork. He hated reviewing depositions. It was a tedious part of his day job, but he knew it was necessary.
Wondering why they had not heard from Cade since last night, he checked his watch for the tenth time. He was concerned and considered the possibility that something had gone terribly wrong. Cade was no slouch in a fight, but even a lycan could find himself in an impossible situation.
Rederrick leaned back, vigorously scrubbed his face, and let out a heavy breath. Trying to relax, he allowed himself to close his eyes. It lasted no more than a minute. His cell phone rang. Startled, he scrambled to grab it and saw it was his daughter, Ashley, calling. Wasting no time, he answered, “Ashley, is something wrong? Why are you calling so late?” Distracted by the call, he neglected to look back at the security cameras where he would have seen Jenny and her attacker lying on the kitchen floor.
Chapter 15
Cade thought he heard something, but his attention shifted as Jarrett bolted upright with a low, painful growl caused from moving too fast.
“What’s wrong, what do you need?” he asked as he went to him.
“Clothes. We’re out of time,” was Jarrett’s clipped reply.
“Out of time for what?”
Jarrett grunted as he moved to stand. “Your lady just stopped by to make an appearance. Time to go.”
“What?”
“Just throw me those clothes, and get Ashley out of here!”
Complying, Cade threw the clothes and ran down the hall to wake Ashley. He couldn’t help wondering why he hadn’t seen Collett. She should have come to him, he was her husband.
Before he had any more time to consider it, Cade heard a thump come from the office where Ashley slept on the smaller extra bed she kept for guests. He rushed through the door to find a man in her bed with his hand over her mouth and Ashley’s eyes wide with fear. The man turned and smiled, revealing the sharp fangs of a leech demon. Blood was the only thing that could sustain them, and they would usually drain their victims dry rather quickly. Their venom was poisonous and made humans rather sick if they somehow managed to survive the attack. The sickly state the victim is what started the myths about vampires turning people.
Seeing Ashley in trouble, Cade saw red as rage ripped through him. He rushed forward, wrapped his arms around the attacker, and plowed it into the wall on the other side of her bed. “Get out of here Ash!” he barked inhumanly as his body shifted.
Ashley wasted no time complying, and she practically leaped the distance to the door. She dashed from the room, knowing the small space would soon be a violent mess. She was right too. Cade and the vampire leech crashed about the room in furious combat, tearing at each other with enthusiastic vigor.
Her escape didn’t do her much good though. Ashley ran directly from one combat to another as Jarrett and Nate battled with something else entirely in the living room. Jarrett locked his arms around a creature she’d never seen the like of before.
“Your stitches!” she admonished.
“Jeffery, get her out of here!” Jarrett snapped.
Quick as a snake, Jeffery grabbed her from behind, scaring the life from her. Before she could even react, the sorcerer blinked her from the room. Darkness enveloped her, but not for long. There was light, and she felt a crawling burn rush over her entire body followed by a sharp sting running throughout her nerves. She bent over to cope with it.
“Stay here, where it’s safe!” Jeffery ordered her.
Ashley stood, fully intending to confront him for his commanding tone, but he was already gone. She looked around to figure out where she was, only to discover she was right in front of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Then she glanced down at her hands to the cell phone she’d grabbed from her bedside table before fleeing her bedroom. Stunned, cold, barefoot, and still in her pajamas, Ashley lifted her phone and did the only thing she could think of. She called home.
“Ashley, is something wrong? Why are you calling so late?”
“Um well, it’s kind of a long story. I’ll try to shorten it as best I can.”
“Okay,” he answered suspiciously.
“Uncle Cade brought Jarrett to my house because he was in bad shape. I fixed him up, took care of a few things, and was going to head to Tracy’s with Nate in the morning because Uncle Cade thinks we all might be in danger. We went to bed, and we were attacked. Then Jeffery grabbed me, and now I’m standing in front of a Wal-Mart heaven only knows where!” she finished in one strained breath.
The words tumbled out so rapidly, Rederrick had a hard time keeping up. What he heard sent chills racing through him. “Where’s Cade?” he snapped.
“Back at my house!” she replied desperately.
The bad feeling he had was getting worse, and he turned to scan the monitors. “Ashl…” the chill in his blood turned to ice when he saw Jenny and a stranger laying on the floor in the kitchen and Cynda and Delphene shaking Collett in the other room.
“Dad?”
“Ashley, I want you to go inside and stay there until someone comes for you! Do you understand?”
“Um, yeah, okay.”
“Call your sister, and tell her to get out of her apartment! Tell her to find a public place with lots of light and stay there!” Rederrick ordered while he armed himself. “I’m not sure when I can call you again, but if no one comes by morning, find a way to meet up with your sister and stay out of sight.�
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“What about James?”
“James will be fine. He’s on a military base! Just do what I’m telling you, and you’ll be fine.” He made his way to the heavy, leaded door leading into the house. “I love you, baby. Be careful, okay?”
“I love you too, Dad.”
“Now go inside!” he ordered again. He hung up the phone and carefully opened the door, intending to make his way to the kitchen.
“Collett!” Cynda called for the third time.
Collett’s eyes fluttered open, and the fear and frustration followed her into consciousness.
“Jarrett and Cade, are they alright?” Cynda questioned, understanding Collett had experienced another vision.
Still a little out of it, Collett stared at Cynda, then her fear turned to horror. “Jenny!” she gasped and tried to rise.
“Take it easy, ma petite,” Delphene said kindly.
“No! It’s Jenny, we have to get to Jenny! She’s hurt.”
All of the color in Cynda’s pretty face drained as if someone had sucked it right out of her. “Jenny?” she questioned desperately.
Standing, Collett moved past Delphene who grabbed her arm. “Non, je ne pense pas, petite fille. I am here to keep you safe. I made a promise. There’ll be no running toward the trouble for you.”
“Jenny’s hurt! We have to go to her!” Collett insisted.
“Don’t fret, I will get her.”
“No, I’ll go,” Cynda injected tersely.
“Non! Stay here with her. I’ll get Jenny,” Delphene commanded in a tone that left no room argument. “Do you know where she is?”
“The kitchen, hurry! There was a man with her. He had a stun gun!”
With a clipped nod, Delphene left the room to move silently down the hallway.
“It’s okay. Jenny will be okay,” Cynda murmured as much to herself as to Collett.
Collett refrained from revealing that Cade may also be in trouble. She knew that their immediate safety was the priority here, and such news would only worry Cynda more. It surely worried Collett. Besides that, she was still confused by everything she saw as she jumped from place to place. She needed time to sort it out.