The Price of Knowing: A Powers of Influence Novel (The Powers of Influence Book 2)

by C. B. Haight

  “I was fi—”

  “You were dying,” she stated firmly, not allowing any lies between them.

  Looking away, Jarrett finally conceded that she saved him and had done so more than once.

  Saying nothing more, she moved past him. Unwilling to go up and face Cade in her current state, she walked through living room intent on going outside.

  As she reached for the knob, Jarrett admitted, “I don’t.”

  Collett knew right away he was referring to his previous desire to kill her. “But you do still hate me, or at least what I remind you of.” She looked down at her hand on the knob. “And so do I,” she confessed quietly and went outside. The old house suddenly felt very, very small.

  Jarrett stared after her for a long time. His stomach clenched tightly as a result of their exchange. Finally, he turned back to the kitchen only to find Cade standing there with his arms folded tightly over his chest and a cold look in his eyes.

  In response, Jarrett shook his head and tightened his jaw, silently warning Cade to let it go.

  “You’re hurting her,” Cade stated flatly.

  Unable to stand the accusation in Cade’s eyes, Jarrett moved to the sink and gripped the edge of the counter, lending Cade his profile. He knew his brother’s words were true and hated it. He hadn’t sought her out purposely to punish her. Hell, he thought, I didn’t seek her out at all. She had come to him.

  “You have to let go of the past,” admonished Cade.

  “I should have never come with you,” he said more to himself.

  “I wouldn’t have given you a choice.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to stop me,” he replied with dead certainty, meeting Cade’s glare once more.

  “For her, I would have.” Cade stepped forward with fierce determination in his eyes. It was the same angry determination Jarrett saw the night Cade almost ended him. “What I haven’t told you, and what she won’t tell you, is that every time you were hurt, so was she.”

  Jarrett glared at him disbelievingly.

  “Since that day at the cabin, she linked to you somehow, and every time she slept, she saw you. Each time you were stabbed, thrown through a wall, or even suffered a bruise, she felt it. Even today when Ashley kicked you, I saw the pain in her eyes.” His frustration mounted as he told Jarrett the rest. “I watched all of it, and was helpless to stop it. I was with her each time she shook and shuddered in pain calling out your name. I was there every time she woke from her dreams and cried—begging me to save you. While you’ve been running, her sleep was no more than yours—only a couple hours at a time—and every time she woke in real, physical pain.” He stepped forward another step. “During that time, I watched her wither, turning inside herself from her worry over you! I even let her convince me that Jeffery’s blood magic could find you. Blood magic,” he spat. “And the last time,” he started, but paused as if the next words were difficult for him, “the night I came to you, I watched as my wife stopped breathing, for longer than I care to think about, as result of the horrible agony she felt. Your agony, your pain.”

  Jarrett was stunned.

  “For her, I would have jumped off a cliff into a burning pit and dragged you back kicking and howling by your snapping, snarling teeth, and that’s a promise.” Cade moved to follow Collett, and he grabbed her coat from the coat rack as he passed.

  “I didn’t know.”

  Looking over his shoulder, Cade retorted sharply, “Now you do,” and went outside to comfort his wife.

  Jarrett knew that Cade had feelings for her, maybe even loved her, but this devotion for her astounded him. It was a foreign emotion to him. He knew one person in his life willing to make that kind of sacrifice, and she was dead because of him. In his mind, her sacrifice had been a waste, and until this moment, he’d yet to see that same kind of selfless love. In his world, it didn’t exist.

  The people he hunted often tried to bargain for their own lives, offering him all manner of rewards. Once, a man even proffered his own daughter up as a slave in exchange for his life. The action against his own flesh and blood had disgusted Jarrett and sealed the man’s fate.

  He pounded his fist against the counter and walked purposefully to the stairs. Feeling guilty and irritated, Jarrett decided there was no better time to start today’s training and roused everyone in the house.

  The group trained almost non-stop for the next two days. Jarrett pushed them to the brink of their limits, and just as they were ready to quit, he pushed harder. Aside from the lycanthropes, Nate was the most skilled. Although, he refused to use a sword, preferring sticks the length of a dagger or long knife. He still bested his opponents more often than not because he was creative and fast. Nate kept so close to his partner he made wielding a sword nearly impossible.

  Cynda did all right, but it was clear, to Jarrett at least, that swordplay would not be her strongest skill. Jeffery was much the same, but Jarrett continued to train them, knowing that magic would not always work.

  Rederrick held his own, despite his age, and would surprise them all with wild, unexpected maneuvers every now and then to win the fight. Ashley struggled with all of it. She hated the violence but refused to give up. She often mimicked Rederrick’s desperate attempts to outthink and shock her opponent with sudden, exotic moves.

  To Jarrett’s surprise, Collett rapidly became second best. The only things holding her back were her hesitation and Cade’s incessant coddling. Each time she was dropped or bumped, Cade would react, and his focus was always on her instead of his current partners. Jarrett knew it would get them both killed. He couldn’t figure out why she kept faltering at random times. Each time she almost beat her sparring partners, she pulled back and wouldn’t take the killing strike.

  He considered three possibilities. One, she was afraid of taking a life. Some people couldn’t stomach it even if they were in mortal peril. Two, maybe her hesitation was due to her faulty memory. She would maneuver beautifully, get distracted or frustrated, and pull back. The third and most likely possibility could be that she was terrified of what would happen if she allowed herself to be her best.

  He understood from her confession in the kitchen that she was afraid of what she may be capable of. She also feared her past deeds. She was letting those fears rule her, and he knew it. It dictated her every action, and he thought it was, in a sense, her shield. Jarrett believed her fear kept her from trying harder to remember. Even though she proclaimed a desire to know who she was, Jarrett suspected Collett was her own barrier to her past.

  For the most part, the group followed his stern instructions, and Jarrett watched them all improve. He couldn’t help but feel slightly satisfied from it, but he kept that to himself. Unconsciously, he began to feel a sense of hope that they might actually have a chance. This shifted his demeanor too. He was still broody and snapped irregularly, but he became more approachable and even offered the occasional compliment during sessions.

  Another thing helping everyone’s mood was the lack of demon attacks. They were exhausted every day and slept well every night. The weather also cooperated with no storms and bearable temperatures. Warmth from the heavy workouts kept them all almost comfortable.

  The third day on the mountain was a different story. The training wore on them, and dark, heavy clouds rolled in. The chill wind that came with them was biting and miserable. Still Jarrett wouldn’t ease up.

  Though none complained or argued, they struggled. It was clear to Jarrett that the cold wind and depressing clouds dampened theirs moods. It didn’t help that they were battered and sore from the previous days. Each day, he had paired them up differently to provide opportunities to adapt to different styles and superior opponents. He also did it to keep Cade and Collett apart. Jarrett knew Cade wouldn’t challenge her as he should, so today, he put Collett with Nate.

  For the first part of the morning, almost everyone danced around each other, neither person wishing to receive a new bruise to add to his or her collec
tion. Pairing Collett with Nate didn’t work as well as he hoped either. Nate acted similarly to Cade. In fact, Jarrett realized Rederrick treated Collett differently yesterday than he was Cynda, his own wife, today. It was as if they all viewed her as fragile and incapable, despite her obvious skill. He understood their behavior was a detriment to them all and decided a different course of action was necessary.

  After lunch, the group reassembled to start again. “We’re going to do something new. I’ll give the rest of you a chance to take me down. If you beat me, you can have the remainder of the afternoon off,” he challenged.

  All at once, a new enthusiasm rippled through the small crowd. Delphene smiled wickedly. Bumping Cade with her elbow, she said, “Ah, is easy, non? We will be napping soon.”

  “Excluding Cade and Delphene—to make it fair,” he added.

  “How on earth will that be fair? I don’t stand a chance against you,” Ashley protested.

  Shaking his head, Jarrett looked to Ashley and explained, “I’m not all that bad in comparison to the monsters taking orders from Niall. I promise it is far better to practice with me than them.”

  Nate bounced on his feet and twisted his neck, readying himself for the challenge, and Jarrett didn’t miss his eager expression.

  “Do we have to use the sticks?” Jeffery asked.

  “No,” Jarrett answered.

  Jeffery gave a tight nod, and Jarrett didn’t miss the relief in his eyes.

  “Cade, you two take a walk,” Jarrett ordered.

  Cade glared at him.

  “No interference,” he answered back firmly.

  “We wo—”

  “Get some firewood while you’re gone. A storm is coming.”

  “Come on, Chère. Let him play his game,” Delphene said before Cade could protest further.

  Scowling, Cade jumped from the porch and said to Collett, “I won’t be far.”

  Delphene was the only person who saw the tick in Jarrett’s jaw. He was clearly bothered by Cade for some reason and wanted him gone, so she pulled him along. “C’mon, Mon Ami. We will go do a little practice of our own.”

  Collett’s head came up, and she looked to the two retreating companions.

  Before any of them had time to think, Jarrett dropped low, and with a glint in his eye, he taunted, “When you’re ready.”

  Delphene tried to keep Cade distracted. Deep in the forested area of the large property, the two of them were now a good distance away from the rest of the group. Cade didn’t pay attention to her. He kept looking back toward where they came from, and she knew he was listening carefully for any clue as to how it was going. She was beginning to comprehend Jarrett’s motives in sending him away. She understood that Cade’s thoughts these days revolved around a single blue eyed blond. “Cade,” she said for the second time.

  “Huh?”

  She held out her hands wide.

  “What?”

  “Ready?” she questioned.

  “Sure…” He cocked his head as if he heard something.

  Rolling her eyes, she leaped at him.

  Because each of them enjoying the challenge the other presented, the engagement between them lasted for a long time. At one point, Cade thought he heard someone cry out. Delphene heard it too, and she would not allow him to disengage. She knew Jarrett had silently charged her with keeping Cade out of the fight for a while.

  After Cade finally won their mock conflict, he called it and refused to go a second round. Not tracking the time, but thinking that she had kept him occupied long enough, Delphene agreed, and they started back. As they neared the edge of the clearing, they both heard the clear sounds of the battle to take Jarrett down. Then they heard an angry howl of pure frustration echo through the woods, and both of their sensitive ears knew it had come from Jarrett.

  Rushing the remaining distance, Cade and Delphene entered to see a peculiar site. Rederrick was bent over on his knees and holding his side. He grimaced in between gasping breaths. Nate was pulling himself up from the ground a good 30 feet from where Jarrett stood, rubbing the back of his head as he rose. With protective arms around his waist, Jeffery coughed and sputtered as if the wind had been cleanly knocked out of him, and Cynda, moving stiffly, tried to help him by patting at his back. Jarrett held a wide-eyed Ashley captive with one arm around her neck and glared daggers at Collett.

  None of that surprised them. The peculiar part was how Collett stood unharmed a mere three feet in front of him with her feet firmly planted. Her features did not waver under his glare. The anger and resentment emanating from the pair filled the entire clearing, and not one of them needed Collett’s empathetic skills to feel it.

  “So, Chère, do we get the afternoon off?” Delphene asked in an attempt to break the tension.

  Nate scoffed and rubbed his head some more.

  “No,” Rederrick replied when Jarrett didn’t answer right away.

  “We’re done here,” Jarrett growled, firmly setting Ashley aside.

  One single stride put him right in front of Collett. Seeing how Jarrett clenched and unclenched his fists in anger, Cade rushed to her side. “What’s going on?” he tried to ask.

  “You had me, and you wouldn’t do it,” Jarrett snapped at her, ignoring Cade. “You bested me, but you were too weak to move on it.”

  “I—” she began.

  “Don’t bother making excuses. I don’t really care, except it might get me—get all of us—killed! Because you hesitated, Ashley’s dead and half your team are injured.”

  “That’s enough!” Cade ordered firmly.

  Jarrett looked up from Collett as if seeing Cade for the first time. Nobody moved. All they could do was watch as the brothers with identical golden eyes stared one another down. Finally, Jarrett glared at Collett once more, and unable to stand the accusation in his eyes, she turned her head away. Jarrett stalked past them, bumping Cade’s shoulder on the way, and entered the woods.

  Cade tried to turn her around to look at her, but Collett pulled away from him and went inside. He began to follow her, but Cynda stopped him.

  “Ashley, go see that Collett’s alright. Cade, you and Rederrick have to take care of other matters. He knows all about it,” she said before he could protest, “and take Nate with you. Delphene—”

  “Pas de problèmes, leave it to me,” she replied and went after Jarrett.

  “Good. Jeffery, come with me.”

  Chapter 21

  Delphene knew she would have to carefully maneuver Jarrett into coming back to the house. She was beginning to make sense of his moods though, and in the end, she simply waited him out. She knew he would settle on his own, but by stubbornly shadowing him she knew he would do so far quicker in his effort to be rid of her.

  He was a paradox to her, a puzzle she wanted to pick at until she figured out how the pieces made the whole picture. Delphene, for the most part, was an easy going creature. She was relaxed, outgoing, and open to life’s experiences. Jarrett was dark, dangerous, and angry. He was everything that she was not, and she found herself curious about him.

  In the woods, she sat on a rock nearby and watched while he completed a vigorous series of training exercises. He ignored her throughout his routine. He moved as smoothly as a dancer with fluid motion. Each movement held purpose and easily flowed into the next. It wasn’t slow though, in fact, far from it. He jumped and twisted, ducked and turned as if he battled an imaginary opponent. His sword glided with the motion as an extension of his body.

  Despite the cold, sweat dotted his brow, and he didn’t even pause as he shirked his long, leather coat with impressive agility. At one point, his shirt lifted, and she got a peek at the angry, red scar marring the right side of his torso.

  She knew it was there of course. Cade’s account of the events before they met up at her home included Jarrett’s condition when they found him. Furthermore, Ashley insisted on checking it regularly despite his cursing at her. Delphene observed that it was not fully healed, even
after so much time, and would still be sensitive. Yet, he moved as if it wasn’t even there.

  As a woman, she admired his physique. As a warrior, she admired the smooth rhythm of his dance and the efficient ease of his form. She recognized his masterful skill and knew the discipline to achieve it would have taken years. She couldn’t help but wonder how many fell before his blade, meeting their end while looking into his golden eyes.

  When Jarrett ended his routine, he sat on the ground and closed his eyes in meditation. She deliberated what to do, wondering if she dared talk to him now. Delphene knew they needed to get to the heart of the matter, and she recognized the change in him as he concentrated on relaxing. He was calmer, more collected, so she took a chance. “Cade will get himself killed, non?”

  Jarrett didn’t respond.

  She was fairly certain of his motives now. Jarrett believed Cade was weaker with Collett. “Oui, she is untrained,” she continued as if he agreed with her. “Her actions, not so bad, but he knows better.” She stood and brushed at her pants.

  Jarrett opened his eyes and pinned her with his gaze. She clearly saw annoyance shining within them. Delphene wondered if he realized how often he conveyed a thought with the emotions on his face. She understood why he’d been upset earlier. He thought his way was the only way to survive, but Delphene knew that surviving was not the same as living.

  “Amour can be dangerous.” she said, knowing he believed it. “He can’t help it, you know. Protecting people, it is his nature.”

  Without a word, Jarrett stood and went for his coat.

  Jarrett was not completely wrong. Cade could not continue on like this. Except, it wasn’t love that was dangerous, it was a lack of trust. Cade couldn’t trust Collett to defend and protect herself. So she said as much, “He doesn’t believe her capable, so how can she believe differently?” She paused. Knowing he was listening, she led him along, “If she can’t fight, she is a danger to us all.”

  Turning, Jarrett met her eyes with curiosity then. With Collett’s empathy she would sense and feel everyone’s doubt. It was something he hadn’t factored in. If everyone thought her incapable, how could she believe in herself? In a sense, she was trapped by her own power.