by C. B. Haight
****
Collett stood her ground as worry for Cade over took her. Where was he? Was he hurt? Had Rederrick and Cynda found him yet? As these thoughts raced frantically through her mind, his doppelganger turned around slowly.
His expression was cruel and calculating. The anger she felt earlier was now unbearable. It invaded her on a personal level. How is it possible to survive with such a powerful force of rage coursing through you? She thought. Now that she knew he wasn’t Cade, she took a closer look at the man before her.
His body was slightly leaner than Cade’s, and he didn’t have the small scar on his jaw as Cade did. That’s why he seemed different. He looked so much like Cade, and yet he didn’t. How could she have possibly missed these differences? Even now, as she reflected on it, she realized this man’s voice was deeper, darker.
He pulled his hand away from his bleeding lip and examined the blood. When he spoke, she startled slightly from the sound of his gruff, angry voice. “Nice trick. Did Cade teach you that?”
She just glared at him unwilling to give this man anything, “Who are you?”
“Me? Well, I’m not really sure that matters considering you’ll be dead soon enough, and you won’t ever really know the difference.”
She looked at him carefully, feeling his emotions as she did. She couldn’t feel evil, or malice. She couldn’t feel a trace of the cruelty he displayed in his eyes. His anger dominated him though. She concentrated, and reached out looking deeper as she had been practicing. Then she felt it… deep within him. Buried underneath his anger and hate was apprehension.
Collett tried again, “I need to know who you are?”
He chose not to answer her question and instead asked one of his own, “I wonder, since you’re banging Cade, let’s you and me go a round. It’s not as if you’d have to imagine him. I know I could do much better.”
His crude remark put her on edge even more, until she noticed the mean, angry smile and the conflicting sad, lost look in his eyes. He was trying to get a rise out of her, trying to provoke her. Collett could sense it now. He wanted her to attack him, or accept his offer, either would help. He wanted, no, he needed her to make this easier on him. He needed a reason.
She knew right then she might be able to find a way out of this. Deep down, even though he was deadly to be sure, he did not want to kill her. That was the apprehension she could feel. She had little doubt now. It was the only reason she wasn’t already dead.
Praying she was right, Collett bravely decided to call his bluff, “I won’t give you what you want.”
He grinned mockingly. Collett knew even now, this man had not given anyone a sincere smile in years, his anger went far too deep. “And just what exactly is it I want, Sweetheart?” He asked amused.
Defiantly, Collett straightened her body trying to gain height, and courage. Reminding herself of Cynda’s words, she whispered, “There is no courage without fear.” She needed to hold on to the little bit of courage she had.
“Ha!” He laughed cruelly, his keen ears hearing her every word. Narrowing his eyes he said with venom lacing his every word. “Did my brother teach you that too? Honey, there is no such thing as courage. There’s only power and desperation.”
Collett was shocked still. One word echoed throughout her mind. Brother! He wasn’t just posing with magic. He was actually Cade’s brother. She had suspected maybe, but hearing the word was so shocking.
This man was Cade’s brother. So many things tumbled into place at once, clicking and connecting the bigger picture. The man standing before her, this man who was so full of dark anger, was Cade’s Demon, Cade’s fear. Cade’s twin.
On top of that, Collett quickly realized, this man had his own demons. She was not referring to the wolf that must reside in him either. The anger in him was a clawing, vicious monster all by itself.
Tentatively Collett pleaded, “Why are you doing this?”
He gazed at her and tilted his head. It was odd, she had seen Cade do the very same thing so many times before, “This honey, is what I do.”
He moved toward her slowly. Collett refused to back away. All too soon, he stood before her, no more than an inch between them. She gazed up looking into his cold eyes, knowing it was now or never. Hoping she was reading him correctly, she ordered obstinately, “Then do it.”
He stopped. “What?”
“You heard me. If you intend to kill me, do it, get it over with. It is after all what you do,” she said with conviction she didn’t feel.
He stared at her for a moment then asked, “That’s it then. You’re ready to die just like that?”
“Just like that,” Collett said indignantly. “Whoever sent you here, paid you I assume, since there has been talk of a bounty and all. You best get on with it. Time is money or so I hear.” She trembled inside, but still holding her courage she asked simply, “I am curious though, how much does a soul go for these days?”
His eyes flared again that same ominous, eerie red she had seen on Cade before. He grabbed ahold of her tightly with both hands, lifting her from her feet and bringing her to his eye level. Losing her newfound courage, Collett paled, wondering if she had pushed too hard too soon. She wondered if she had given him motive to kill her after all.
He growled deep and low then said in a raspy, inhuman, demon-like voice, “You know nothing about me, or my soul! You could never understand what drives me. You are right though, I am here to do a job. I’m just not doing it for the reasons that you think.”
As he spoke, Collett felt it. A tiny feeling in him, buried so deep he did not even know it was there. His anger was too strong and too consuming. She realized the rage within him stemmed from emotional pain. He was hurting and wasn’t even aware of it anymore. He let his anger cover it up like a shield protecting him from the pain. His physical contact with her amplified his emotions and made it easier to find.
Collett closed her eyes, and quickly, desperately reached for the part of him still holding on to the pain, pulling it forward. She searched for the cause. If I can just…
Suddenly, images she was unprepared for quickly raced through her mind. It was like a speeding slideshow clicking before her eyes. They swept in, assaulting her, letting her see and feel so much, letting her understand.
There were so many though, and she lost control of it. It was hard to grab onto any of it. The overwhelming bombardment continued for several minutes, but the final images replayed in slow motion, and were so unexpected and astonishing. Collett lost the last of her strength and concentration. She was harshly jolted back to reality.
Cade’s twin dropped her so suddenly she fell hard to her knees, painfully bruising them. Her legs would not have supported her anyway. She was unprepared to deal with the side effects of pulling the memories and the emotions attached to them free. Her body’s strength ebbed. Collett’s mind was weakened. Her eyes felt so heavy.
She tried sorting through the painful things she saw, looking for the last one again, to make sense of it. When she recalled it to the forefront of her memory, a shocking realization struck her.
With wide astonished eyes, she looked up meeting his gaze. She knew his name she thought. Jarrett. She watched as he stepped back away from her, putting a good three feet of distance between them. His horrified expression was full of pain from the memories she had invoked. His anger was now mixed with sorrow, and all of it pulled tightly against her chest.
“What did you do? You have no right!” Jarrett spat venomously at her, putting a hand to his head. She had brought forth memories he fought furiously to forget, and forced him to see the painful history that was his life. She made him remember the events that made him a monster.
Collett didn’t answer him. She couldn’t. She was so drained and weak from the effort and the concentration it had taken to reach into him. She didn’t even mean to do that, and was sure if he hadn’t pulled away, she wouldn’t have been able to stop the torrent of memories. It was too much, and she had
no control over what happened. She was as shocked and surprised as he was.
“You stupid witch!” he seethed. “You think bringing up the past will help you? You just succeeded in making my job much easier!” He bent down and pulled her up roughly by her arm, jerking her to her feet.
“It wasn’t your fault, Jarrett,” she croaked weakly.
He glared at her and asked, “What do you know?”
With a weak quiet voice, Collett answered his loaded question, “I know she made a very difficult choice, a choice that affected you for the rest of your life, and it haunts her. I know you’re still angry with her. After such a long time… you’re still so angry with her. You still want to see her dead, want her to suffer, even though so much time has passed, you still hate her,” she finished carefully.
Jarrett shook her, “She could have saved her! Should have saved her and left me. Rowena burned instead of me! She saved me when it was my fault. Why didn’t she save her? If you think you know so much, then answer that! Tell me why! Why HER?” His pain turned to rage as he yelled. His face was right there a breath away from hers.
He punched out with his closed fist right by her head, hitting the solid wood door behind her with a loud thump. Collett flinched at the quick violent movement. His knuckles split open and bled. His powerful strength caused the door to slam open, hit the outside wall, and then come back again. Only the door didn’t close. The screws in the top hinge ripped free of the doorframe, causing the door to lean open at an odd angle. The cold wind blew in, chilling her, and she shivered.
Collett looked at him with her weak, glazed over, tear-filled eyes, and confessed weakly, “I am so sorry… I couldn’t. I wanted to…” as Collett made the startling confession the tears slipped down her colorless cheeks.
She was weak, but somehow she projected the strength and weight of the overwhelming remorse she felt for the little boy, and the mother he lost.
She couldn’t remember why she had been there, why she couldn’t save Rowena, but she could feel the pressing guilt and sadness from that day. It was horrifying to realize. She now understood, she was the source of his hate. With the last of her wavering strength, she projected her regret and sorrow into him. The effort caused a buzzing in her head, as dots formed in her vision.
For the third time that night, Jarrett released his grip on Collett. This time he did so carefully and slowly. She was lucky enough to find her feet. She leaned her body against the doorframe for support. Her body felt heavy, drugged. Her legs felt like jelly. Through sheer strength of will Collett kept her eyes locked with his.
Stunned shock covered Jarrett’s handsome features. Pain lanced sharply through his heart, and recognition was in his tawny eyes.
Years ago he swore he would know this woman if he ever saw her. Jarrett swore he would never forget the mystery woman who saved him when he was a boy. Then, when he never found her, he figured her long dead. He had been unable to enact his revenge. Now somehow, here she was, standing there before him. She was the same woman who had saved his life as a boy, the same woman who had allowed Rowena to die. The same woman looked at him now with sad, blue eyes, filled with tears. They were tears for him and the boy he had been.
He stammered out the words while pacing, “It was… you! How can that be? …No. It isn’t possible. I would have known, would have remembered.” He turned to her and his eyes pinched as he looked at her more carefully. He whispered his realization, “It was you.”
Collett tried hard to remain focused on Jarrett. She wanted to help him through the shocking revelation they were both suffering from. She wanted so badly to remember more, remember why, explain herself, but her vision was darkening. Instead, all she could do was mumble, “Forgive me,” as the blackness closed in around her. She could no longer keep herself upright. Her eyes rolled back, fluttering closed, and her legs gave out as she ultimately lost the battle for consciousness.
Pure instinct had Jarrett rushing to catch Collett before she crumpled to the ground. As she lay there cold, weak and helpless before him, Jarrett thought of all the times he had cursed the woman who had saved his life when he had been a twelve-year-old boy.
He thought of all the times he swore he would kill her if he ever laid eyes on her again. Here she is, he thought. Trying to shake away the horrible feelings of guilt and sadness she somehow put in him, he gazed at her soft, pale beauty and tried to hate her as he had long ago.
He couldn’t erase it though, and couldn’t forget the sad, painful regret that entered her pretty, crystal eyes as she apologized, confessing who she was in the process. Now here he sat knowing this was his chance to fulfill every promise he ever made and save his brother in the process. The only problem was… now he found he wanted answers more.
****
Cade woke with a start. He sat up quickly, causing the room to spin a little. Trying to orient himself, he put the heel of his hand to his aching forehead.
“Careful there, that’s some hit you took. I wouldn’t be surprised if it cracked through your thick skull,” Nate cautioned.
Cade lifted his head and glared at him, “Stuff it, Nate. Where’s Rederrick?”
“Upstairs with Cynda. She’s scrying for Collett. Jarrett took the Hummer and made sure we couldn’t track it.”
Cade opened his eyes again and looked at Nate, “Cody?”
Nate shook his head solemnly, “No sign of him.”
“What are you doing here then? Go find him.” Cade growled.
“I was put in charge of babysitting you. You know, to keep you from doing anything stupid.” Nate retorted.
Cade stood, “Let me know how that goes for you. I’m going to get Collett back before Jarrett kills her.”
“We both know how he operates. If he was going to kill her, he would have already. Something doesn’t fit here Cade. If you could just look past your anger for one second you’d see that,” Nate accused.
“Why you…” Despite his throbbing head, Cade rushed Nate grabbing his shirt and slamming him against the wall. “I won’t take that chance with her life,” He growled. “I will not give him that chance. Do you hear me! I will not lose her!”
Unbothered by Cade’s emotional response Nate arched a single brow, “Let’s say you find her without help. Then what? Are you going to kill him, your own brother?”
“He stopped being my brother a long time ago,” He said with a cold bite in his voice.
“That’s funny coming from you. Aren’t you the same man who stopped me from taking him out three years ago? As I recall I had a clean shot with a silver bullet. You won’t do it Cade, and we both know it,” Nate replied calmly.
Cade’s eyes glowed red as the beast rose within him, clawing for release. Every nerve in him tensed for battle, for blood. “If he’s hurt Collett in any way, I will have no problem tearing him to pieces,” he snarled.
“And if he hasn’t… What then?” Nate questioned.
Tempering the monster inside, Cade let go of Nate, and stepped back. He didn’t have the answer to that question. The truth was he didn’t know. He roughly pulled his fingers through his black hair.
Cynda burst into the den, both men swung their gazes her direction.
“I found her! She’s not too far from here. About three hours away. It looks like he is at your cabin.” Cynda pointed at her map.
Seeing the look in Cade‘s eyes, Nate knew they were about to find out the answer to his question. Could Cade kill his brother?
A curse made its way past Cade’s clenched teeth. The dark werewolf of children’s nightmares burst forth with a sudden ferocity, right there in front of everyone. Clothes tore free. Bones cracked and hair covered his body. Because of his fear for Collett he let his rage consume him for the first time in over a century. He burst from the room and ran out of the house, tearing the front door from its hinges as he did. Anyone who was within miles heard the loud, mournful howl that echoed eerily through the darkness.
Rederrick grabbed Cynda’s ar
m pulling her down the hall and said, “Let’s go. We better pray we get there first, or there will be a lot of blood spilled tonight.”
Chapter Thirty
He ran the entire distance at full speed, pushing his supernatural speed and stamina to the absolute limit. He cut through the mountains on a straight path, arriving long before Rederrick, Cynda, and Nate. He prayed the whole time that he would get there before it was too late. As Cade ran through the darkness the storm he knew was coming, let loose. The snow didn’t drift down slowly, it angrily cut through the sky on a biting windy slant. The fierce storm matched Cade’s raging mood.
When he finally arrived at his secluded cabin home, still in his strong and powerful hybrid form, he burst through the leaning doorway. He stood in the entrance looking like a monster with his ribs moving in and out as his hot breaths puffed a small cloud from his mouth. The storm behind him continued to rage outside, and the storm within him grew. Raking his keen eyes across the dim room, and seeing no sign of Collett, he crashed down the unlit hallway, her perfect scent leading the way to the back bedroom.
He had no care to be stealthy or quiet. The red haze of his fury would not allow it of him. With every passing second his anger became more intense, his fear more pressing.
When he blasted his way through the flimsy bedroom door, he saw Collett’s still form lying on the bed. Her face was as pale as porcelain. Cade’s heart stopped in his chest. Horrible pain lanced through him. Suddenly, he could barely draw breath. He was too late! He let out another long, chilling howl, this one full of pain and anguish.
In cruel response, a dark unfeeling voice came from the corner near the tall window.
“You’re a little slow these days.”
Cade whipped his fierce, wolf-like head around. Seeing the very cause of all his rage, all his pain, standing right there, his animal lips vibrated with a low warning growl.