Pleased, a wicked grin tiled his lips and his eyes lit with excitement. Turning, Bellig saw his reflection in the ornate mirror hanging on the wall, and the warm flame of his pleasure was smothered. It wasn’t the pale Scandinavian skin or his thick corded muscles that bothered him. His hair, cut short, was silver by choice, for he could choose any color he wanted, but found humans in the business world trusted a middle-aged man more.
Only two flaws marred his perfect physique. It was his eyes he considered first. It had been a long time since Bellig gazed into those strange gray orbs that many mistook for a blind man's eyes. In fact, they had been for a short time. A witch had taken his sight, thrown him into battle against his enemy without it, and laughed with his brother when he died.
His sight had been restored later by Haki, but he kept the reminder of how they looked so he would never succumb to such a fate again. He would never again be weak.
It was the second flaw that caused his frown. It was much newer. Bellig brushed his hand over the newly healed wound in the middle of his belly. It intersected his navel, disfiguring it weirdly. The reddened skin was still tight, and puckered. Without realizing it, Bellig flinched as he remembered Collett staring at him with those perfect blue eyes while twisting the blade and tearing his insides.
He’d done everything he could to remove this scar to no avail. Plus, Bellig had not recovered as easily from this wound as he had from others. Not only had she rejected him, Collett had thwarted him at every turn. Bellig was left with a constant reminder of her interference. His temper spiked at the memory, and he threw out his power, shattering the mirror as he snarled loudly.
Ignoring the glass shards, he sat on the floor among the burning candles and concentrated on his objective. Hours later, with sweat dotting his brow and his power straining, Bellig felt the air in the room change.
A whispered, breathy voice came from right behind him, tickling his ear. “Whyyyy do you ttthink you can ssssummon one ssssuch as I?” The creature came as a black shadow, flickering around the room in time with the dancing candlelight. “I ssssee no object of powerrrr in your possession. I feeeeel no pull to comply.”
Bellig felt the cold chill that accompanied the presence of a phase demon prickle over his skin. “I need no object or cursed item to demand your compliance. You know whom I serve.”
“Yesss,” it hissed with a ghostly whisper.
“Then you know the consequence of ignoring me,” Bellig demanded without fear.
The demon made no reply, but its visage shifted and wavered, hovering before him now. Bellig saw the frightening white images reflecting in the broken glass on the floor. The phase demon's evil touch cocooned him, rushed through him as it invaded his body.
The demon lord felt his body contract and freeze up, but he forced himself to relax and allow the intrusion. Unable to move, but knowing the shadow demon could read thoughts, Bellig imparted his next question with his mind. “Can you find more of your kind?”
“Yessss,” it breathed out loud like a whispering wind.
“I have a job for you,” he replied and mentally imparted images and thoughts to the demon.
“Yesss,” it hissed excitedly. The shadow’s pleasure radiated through Bellig. It departed his body, freeing Bellig from the biting invasion and disappearing with a rush of cold wind.
The candles were blown out with the ethereal magic. Surrounded by the wisps of smoke and the scent of warm wax, Bellig shuddered out a relieved breath. Grateful the encounter was over, he released the summoning magic. The room temperature increased twenty full degrees in a matter of seconds.
Rest, he thought, I’ll rest and then I have dreams to visit. With that thought, his wicked smile returned.
The three lycans agreed more investigation could only help. The return of Henifedran and the symbol on the sword were coincidences they could not ignore. A few quick pictures and some texts to Tracy and Cynda explaining things were all they could do at the moment. By then it was late. With a new lead ahead and hotel rooms already reserved, they finished the three-hour ride and checked into their hotel just after three in the morning
The sword and the reminder of Collett left Cade emotionally raw. When he finally fell asleep that night, it was fitful. His mind shifted from sleep to dream as it had every night these last few months. It was a strange experience, and he couldn’t stop it or control what was happening. Cade tried to force himself to wake. He didn’t want to dream anymore. He was so tired of watching her die over and over again, and he couldn’t stand the thought of those images coming back. But something was different this time.
The silver and gold glinted in his mind, but it wasn’t a sword that entered his vision this time. It was the sun that came into focus instead.
“Cade.”
Hearing the soft melodic voice, his struggling stilled. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he stood in the wooded mountains of Colorado. “I know this place,” he whispered. Walking forward through the misty fog, Cade could hear…no, not just hear, he felt the crunch of the twigs and underbrush, and he could smell the pine and crisp, clean air. The clearing where he had once taken Collett lay before him.
“Cade,” she called softly once more as he entered the little glen.
He hesitated. She was waiting for him, and the weight of seeing her lifted and pressed on him all at the same time. Shaky legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.
“I’m dreaming,” he proclaimed with wonder as he drank in the sight of her. Collett’s beauty was indescribable. Wearing brilliant white, her flowing blonde hair gleamed in the spring sunlight. Looking upon her, Cade’s mind knew she couldn’t be real, but his heart didn’t care.
“Yes, you’re dreaming,” she confirmed lovingly.
She stood within the glen where the wolves, Alo, Jyia, and their cubs denned. Except—things had changed in the time he'd been away. Where little fluffy pups once played, several full-sized wolves wandered instead. The words Cade wished to say clogged in his throat.
“Why?” he finally managed to croak out. His one-word question was multi-faceted.
“I made a mistake,” she told him, and turning, Collett brushed her fingers across the pup he named Dave.
“What?” he asked still trying to understand.
“Do you remember when you brought me here?”
“I would never forget,” he said with fervent promise. He stood, moving toward her, but she stepped back; he stopped, confused.
Her eyes filled with sadness. “So will I” she whispered reverently, and wiping her cheek she repeated, “I made a mistake, and I have to fix it.”
“What mistake?”
“Dave is ready to leave the pack.”
Cade looked at her even more confused. The dream made no sense, she made no sense. He just wanted to hold her.
Walking around the wolf while locking gazes with Cade, she explained, “He feels it, you see. The urge to move on pulls at him. When a person’s ready to go, it is not for us to stop them. There is always free will. Alo understands this, so does Jyia. Dave is ready to go, and so soon enough, he will.”
“I don’t understand,” Cade finally said.
“I need you to do something.”
“I want to stay here,” he replied. Half listening now, Cade moved toward her again. “I want to hold you.”
“I know,” she said sadly. “You can’t though. Your family still needs you, and I need you to tell Cynda I’m sorry.”
He stopped. “What?”
“She felt the urge to go home, you know.”
“Collett, please. I don’t understand,” he said again.
“It was time for her to take the next step, and I wouldn’t let her because I feared an end,” she answered cryptically.
“Please come here,” he begged, no longer paying attention to her strange words. “Let me hold you. I need to hold you.”
“Will you tell her for me? Tell her I’m sorry, but I have to fix my mistake. And tell her…tell her th
at she’s happy. He was waiting for her with his arms open, as you hold yours open for me now,” she explained on a shuddering breath with glistening eyes.
“Tell who?” Cade asked.
“Cynda,” she answered. “Promise you will tell Cynda.”
“I promise,” he agreed, reaching for her even as the dream faded.
“Hold strong together, and keep fighting, Cade. I still love you.”
“Collett!” he called after her. “Please don’t go.”
.
Chapter 16
A strange sound pulled Cade from the dream. He stirred in the bed, not wanting it to end. He tried to will the images back into his mind, to force her to come to him again. The noise sounded again, and the hard edge of reality slam home. She was gone. His heart tightened against the grief once more, and the familiar weight settled in his chest.
Coldplay echoed in his head, and finally recognizing Cynda’s ringtone, Cade reached over to snatch up the phone. He noted the time was just after 7 a.m., but answered anyway. Generally, at seven normal people were up, but for demon hunters, it was barely a couple hours of sleep.
“Cade?” She was obviously crying.
“What’s wrong?” he croaked trying to answer past the heartache of his dream.
“Cade, it’s… It’s Jenny.” As Cynda started sobbing, clarity slammed home, and his heart picked up speed. He knew the truth the minute Cynda uttered Jenny’s name. Closing his eyes, he thought back to his dream and what Collett had been trying to tell him.
It couldn’t be real, could it? he asked himself while trying hard to remember everything she told him.
Cynda mumbled, “She’s gone. Jenny passed away half an hour ago.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he finally managed to say past the lump in his throat.
“It’s okay. I just wanted you to know. You don’t—”
“Cynda.”
“What?” she replied meekly.
“We’ll be there,” he said with his voice softening. “I’ll come home.”
She sniffled. “Okay.”
Cade listened until he heard the soft click as Cynda disconnected the call. He sat silent for a minute while he tried to center his thoughts regarding the dream and the phone.
Hearing everything with his heightened senses, Jarrett was already up, dressed, and knocking on the adjoining door to wake Delphene.
She opened the door between the two rooms and met Jarrett’s serious gaze. Glancing across the room she saw Cade sitting on the edge of the bed with his head down and his hands in his hair. Turning back to the elder twin, she asked, “What is it? What’s happened?”
“We’re going back,” Jarrett explained.
Delphene looked up at him with wide eyes. “Truly,” she mouthed, not wanting Cade to hear her eager reply.
He nodded once. “Jenny passed this morning. Cade’s needed at home.”
“La paix soit avec son âme,” she murmured, saddened by the news. But when she considered Cade’s need for family again she whispered to Jarrett knowingly. “Things always have a way of working out.”
Cade didn’t tell anyone about the dream right away. It’s not that he didn’t trust them, it was just something he needed to think on. A part of him knew he needed to wait until they met up with Cynda so he could tell her first.
They rented a storage unit and left the bikes so they could catch the first flight back to Colorado. Cade spent the trip in silent contemplation while Delphene and Jarrett spent most of the flight talking about past scars. He heard pieces of what they were talking about but mostly tuned them out as he rubbed the thin white line on his chin. It was a scar left by Jarrett when he had cut Cade with a silver dagger seven decades before.
So much had changed. Instead of being his enemy, Jarrett was…a friend? An ally? Cade wondered, what are we now?
Contemplating how far their relationship had come, Selena’s advice from a few months before entered his thoughts.
“Sooner than you’ll be ready for, you will come to an old broken bridge. You can burn it and try to keep everyone away from the possible danger of crossing it, thus forgetting what great things you might see on the other side. Or you can shore it up, taking your time to work your way carefully across it, fixing and strengthening the weak points. Then you will witness for yourself what treasures lay there waiting for you and all the people who will be able to cross after. This is a life-changing decision that will affect more than just you; more than just her.”
Cade looked at Jarrett, watching as he held a quiet conversation with Delphene, comparing their ongoing demon tally. When Selena gave him this advice, despite believing in her gift of sight, Cade never thought he would see or deal with his twin again. Yet, now he sat next to the man who had been his enemy for centuries, grateful for his presence.
Cade thought about how quickly things transform sometimes. In a few months’ time, he’d gone from wanting to kill his brother to trusting him completely. No, it wasn’t only trust, it was more than that. These last weeks had cemented their brotherhood firmly in place. And that’s the truth of it, Cade thought. He’s my brother in every way.
The bridge building and the trust that followed started with a pretty blue-eyed blond, and her unwavering belief in their future together. There was a small sense of comfort in his heart as he contemplated on what he’d gained. Cade wasn’t sure if their new relationship was enough to make up for her loss, but it helped.
Cade wondered if he could go back and have Collett instead of Jarrett, would he have burned the bridge? Paying attention to his brother’s banter and Delphene’s rich laughter, Cade knew in his heart it wouldn’t have made any difference. Even if it would’ve made a difference, Cade couldn’t have chosen between them. I want them both, he thought selfishly. I need them both.
Shutting his eyes and seeing Collett clearly in his mind once more, he sought the peaceful Colorado glen of his dream. He wondered again if the dream was real. Was she reaching out to him from beyond to sooth Cynda? He brushed aside the frustration that had surfaced when he couldn’t reach out and touch his wife and tried instead to focus on what she had been telling him. Drifting on the edge of sleep, the past came back to him in blurry images.
More of Selena’s advice echoed through his memory. “Cade, when the time comes, trust in her to know what is right. No matter what, no matter the cost, believe in her…”
Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the day Collett had admitted the truth of her feelings to him. It was a strange experience. Cade watched the exchange play out, but he wasn’t seeing it from his point of view. Instead, he was seeing it from a third party perspective.
“This won’t work. I love you, Cade. I love you enough to recognize this can’t be…” She sighed. “Cade, when I die…if we stay together. Tell me, where does that leave you?” He opened his mouth but didn’t get a chance to answer before she continued. “Alone! That’s where it leaves you. It leaves you hollow and alone.”
His own voice filled with hope when he approached her. “I would rather have those few short years with you than none at all. Sure it will be hard, but it is better than nothing… I have loved many people in my lifespan. Not one passed on without me feeling loss. It’s just a part of who I am, what I am.
“But I would not trade the joy of those few, short years, to avoid grief. Each person gave me precious memories. Without them, my life would be a hollow shell. Because of them, I am the man who stands before you. If you love me, trust me. I will take whatever time you are willing to give me, and I will cherish every minute of that time.”
Cade startled awake. The new dream left him confused and disoriented. He rubbed his face, wiping away the grogginess.
I trust you. Collett’s voice whispered as if she were sitting there next to him, instead of Jarrett.
Cade jerked upright, whipping his head around toward the sound of her voice. Jarrett met his eyes with a concerned expression at the abrupt reaction. The plane touched down
, and Cade’s heart thudded in his chest.
After reorienting himself, Cade assured his brother he was fine, but they both knew he wasn’t. Jaw set, Cade determined he needed to make some changes. He could only hope he had the strength in him to do so.
By the time they rented a car and made the drive from the airport to Rederrick’s estate, Cade had composed himself well enough to face the family.
Everyone was there, gathering together to comfort and console each other as they all coped with yet another loss in the family. Most of the family sat in the kitchen sorting through old pictures when the trio arrived. Cade noticed Ashley and Nate were missing.
Seeing him, Tracy jumped up from her chair at the table and ran to him. “Uncle Cade!” Grabbing him up tightly, she hugged him as hard as she could.
As she held onto him, Cade looked across the room and met Cynda’s eyes, and there it was. The sorrow, the emptiness, and the crushing weight which plagued him these last months were reflected back in her tired eyes. Cade reached out his hand, inviting her to him. She came carefully, with watery tears shimmering in those sea-colored orbs.
When she reached him, Cade wrapped her up tight with her daughter in the other arm. He held them both and simply let them cry. While the two women held onto him and sobbed, Jarrett made his way around them to Rederrick. They shook hands firmly, and he did the same with James. “Ashley?” Jarrett questioned.
“Upstairs with Nate,” James shrugged. “It’s too hard for her to be in a room with so much emotion. She tried, but for her, it’s like being a sponge in a flooded room.”
“Can I go up?” Jarrett asked respectfully.
Jarrett and Ashley had a special relationship. They were friends long before Jarrett even met the rest of them. Jarrett saved her life once, and she helped him in secret when he hid people from The Faction.
“Yes, she’ll want to see you both,” Rederrick answered.
The Truth of Victory: A Powers of Influence Novel Page 15