I couldn’t get enough, I wanted to crawl into his skin and merge with every cell. We came together with me breathing his name as he covered my mouth with his own and I knew at that moment I’d lied. I’d lied to him and myself. I needed more than one night. I’d never be able to walk away from this man.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It was three p.m. the next afternoon, and I was in the upstairs kitchen scrambling eggs. It wasn’t my normal omelet, but I had a headache and scrambled was all I was capable of at the moment.
Caden was pacing around the front room like a caged lion with Mike and Joey in attendance. Caden was already up here when I came up and we hadn’t been alone yet. I’d awoken this afternoon alone, wrapped in his sheets, feeling like a rag doll with every muscle sore and spent.
Mike and Joey were talking about how Dave had sent Diane to her mother’s full time for an extended stay until this situation calmed down. He didn’t want her in a ten mile radius of what was going down. I’m sure just another reason he’s going to hate me. I couldn’t blame him either. From everything I had heard, and seen, it did seem to have gotten much worse since I entered their lives.
A pounding at the front door made me look up from my eggs. It was unusual for anyone to show up unexpected. Since they had closed the doors to the public, only people who were welcomed and expected came anymore. I had to do a double take when I saw who it was. Sergeant Metulla was striding into the middle of the room and shaking hands with Caden. I left my eggs to dry out in the hot pan and walked just within the room. He looked my way and seemed to hesitate.
Caden looked in my direction and our eyes met and locked for a moment. “It’s fine. She’s with us,” he said to Sergeant Metulla.
“Robbie hasn’t been seen in weeks. This is the third man that went missing in the last two months. We don’t know what to do anymore. They’re completely out of control. We need help,” said Sergeant Metulla. His voice had been cracking from desperation and he collapsed on the nearest chair. His shoulders slumped, and he looked ten years older than the last time I had seen him.
“You knew what they were,” Caden said in harsh recrimination, and the guys just nodded and agreed.
Metulla’s head dropped a couple inches lower. “This wasn’t what we agreed to. I never would have agreed to this. None of us would have. The things they are doing, the missing people, the missing cops. People are getting suspicious. They aren’t buying the excuses anymore. The mayor is asking questions.”
“I warned you. You didn’t listen. You and your guys wanted the perks and now you want me to clean up the mess?” Caden stopped and stood in front of him.
I didn’t think Metulla would look at him but then he did. There were tears in his eyes. “I don’t know what else to do. They’re threatening my daughter.” He bent his head into his hands and his shoulders started to shake.
I’d never seen a nervous breakdown, but he looked like he might be on the verge.
Caden rested his hand on Metulla’s shoulder as the man’s head remained cupped in his hands. “Things are about to be handled. It’s not going to be a problem very soon. Go back to your squad and let the guys know to just lay low for another week or two. After everything is ironed out, we’ll sit down and work out the details. Get me the names of the families of the missing men I’ll take care of it.”
He looked up at Caden, and I could see the faint wetness that he hurriedly tried to hide, still dampening his cheeks. “I know we’ve had our differences. You have to know we never wanted to take sides. Thank you. The guys will feel much better after I tell them.” He stood and before I knew what was happening, he was hugging Caden. It was an awkward scene to say the least. Mike and Joey high tailed it out of there. I think they were afraid they would be next. Caden, who always knew what to do, was standing frozen, locked in the sergeants embrace. Luckily, it ended quickly and he left thanking Caden profusely.
“That was the cop that wouldn’t help me.”
“I know. Sometimes things aren’t that simple. He wanted to, he just couldn’t. He made a bad choice that he has to live with. His daughter is probably already dead. They don’t hold onto mortals.”
I hoped he was wrong and that his daughter was okay. I thought back once again to my short time with them and shivered. I had been treating well compared to what a young girl with nothing to offer would get.
Forcing the dark thoughts from my mind, I looked up and realized the room stood empty now, except for him and I, and neither of us seemed to know how to act.
“We should talk,” he spoke first.
Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded my head.
“You’re a beautiful woman.”
Here it comes is all I could think. This wasn’t going to be what I wanted to hear, but I had expected it. I just needed to know, why did it have to hurt so much.
“I just can’t have a relationship with you.”
“You can’t have a relationship or you can’t have a relationship with me? Which one is it?”
“Both.”
Wow, that went even worse than I had expected.
“If you’ll remember, I didn’t ask you for a relationship.”
“It’s who you are.” He looked like he was sad about it. Like it would have so much easier if I was different.
“You’re right. I deserve more.”
“I know you do, but I can’t give it to you.”
I nodded, afraid to speak, clinging hard to retain my composure.
“So then we are okay?”
I nodded again and cleared my voice. “What are you going to about Metulla?”
“I’ll handle it. We probably shouldn’t talk in too much detail about that since you aren’t going to be staying with us, unless you changed your mind?”
“No, I think it’s for the best if we both do our own thing.” I wanted to tell him I had. That I was going to stay, for whatever that meant, but I couldn’t. He’d think it was solely because of what happened between us and he would be right. How embarrassing would that be? Did I really want to write a banner for him that I’m completely utterly into you even though you don’t want anything to do with me?
“Do you know what’s going to happen with Rufus now that Carl is dead?”
“The board called a meeting for tomorrow night. Seems I’m getting called out on the carpet for his death.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that it might be a meeting or it might be a set up. Either way, I’m going to go.” He paused for a moment. “They want you there as well, but I told them no. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” He was watching my reaction.
The idea of sitting and waiting to see if he made it out alive wasn’t even slightly appealing. “What about the other guys?”
“No, they just want me and you. I’ve made plans for you to be somewhere else when I go to the meeting. I want you to leave tonight.”
“You mean you are going alone? You won’t even bring Mike?”
“I’ll be fine, but if it gets too ugly it might be better if you’re somewhere else for a while.”
“You told me that I couldn’t hide from this?”
“You can’t for the long term. Eventually, they will find you, but I’m hoping that you’ll be stronger by then.”
“Would I ever see you guys again?” I said guys, but what I meant was him.
“We live a long time. I’m sure we’ll cross paths at some point or another.”
That’s not what I had meant, but if he didn’t care I wasn’t going to push to see someone that didn’t want me. I guess that walking away or not, wasn’t going to be my choice after all. I was being shoved away.
“I’m not running away and hiding. I’m going to the meeting tomorrow.”
“I told you…”
“And I’m telling you. This isn’t your decision. I was invited. I’m going.” I wasn’t going to allow him to make my choices any longer. There was nothing left to say, and I left him standing there
as I walked from the room. I needed space. I needed to clear my head.
The meeting tomorrow might change everything. I’d just started to get my bearings and I was spinning like a top again, dizzy and wavering. It might be the end or maybe it would resolve everything. Maybe they would listen to reason and handle the Rufus problem. I could go back to a somewhat normal existence. No one would have to know I was different.
I’d miss the guys, especially Mike. He’d become one of my best friends, but nothing even came close to how I felt about never seeing Caden again. That didn’t matter, or at least I couldn’t let it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I walked through the next day like a zombie, trying to get what affairs I could in order. I left letters to my friends and family with Mike if I didn’t make it back. Mike tried to reassure me it would all be fine, but I didn’t feel it in my heart.
It was an effort to speak as a depression settled over me. I had thought the worst would be to never see Caden again, but I realized his death was far worse. I shouldn’t care, but I did. Mike said Caden would be fine, and I clung to that. We were a tough breed and he was even tougher than the rest of us he had told me. I’d be there. I wouldn’t let it happen, if only by my sheer will alone. As long as he lived, there was always a chance it might work out in the future but death was finite. That would be it. There would never be a happily ever after.
I knew he wanted me. I just didn’t know why he was pushing me away. If he died, I’d never know, I’d just mourn what might have been for the rest of my life.
I stumbled into a bed that I might never sleep in again the moment I could break free of everyone. I had no desire to discuss the dark feelings I had. They would tell me everything was going to be fine again. I didn’t believe it.
Sometime in the night, I thought I felt Caden sliding into my bed with me. As I lay on my side, I felt his body spoon me and his hand come to rest on my hip. I felt his facial hair graze my neck. He whispered something into my ear, and I fell back to sleep.
When I awoke the next morning, I was alone. I thought I might have dreamed him there with me last night but I could smell his scent all around me. I lay there, breathing him in, hugging the pillow he had laid on close to me.
When I finally crawled out of bed, I found Mike sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Hey.” I smiled at him, thinking I might never see him here like this again, so casual like we were lifelong friends. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk to you about tonight.” He was so serious and unlike his natural laughing self. “Caden has forbidden us from going to the meeting. He says he can handle it.”
“I know, he told me we were going alone.” I plopped down onto the couch next to him.
“We are going to be there anyway.”
“Mike, are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“We aren’t letting you guys go it alone. Just know that even though you might not see us, we’re there. We’re going to be outside the building since I can’t get in without starting a fight. I don’t know if it will make a difference but just in case. Don’t tell Caden. ”
“Okay, but you need to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“If it gets ugly and it’s not a winnable scenario, I want you leave.” I raised my hand to stop him when he was going to argue with me. “No negotiating. You don’t agree, I’ll go running out of here the second you leave and spill all.”
“Okay.” He smiled in spite of my threat.
I looked in his eyes and didn’t believe him for a second. He was the type that was loyal to the bone. He’d sacrifice his own life to try to save the people he loved, and he loved Caden, possibly me as well. At least I hoped he did, because I had come to love him like my second brother.
It reminded me of the stack of letters I had sitting on the counter. One to my brother sat right on top. I took them and handed them to Mike.
“Will someone else be able to handle these if things go bad?” I handed him the stack of letters, all explanations and goodbyes.
“Yes, I’ve got things arranged.” He took the stack from my hand. “We aren’t going to need to send them though.”
Emotions overwhelmed me and I gave him a hug. I stood and told him I had to go finish things up. Another few minutes and I would be a sobbing mess, begging him to stop Caden from going. I didn’t want to do that. If I knew Caden at all by now, I knew he was his own man. He would do what he felt was the right thing. Just as I would go, even though I didn’t want to.
I picked out my outfit with a lot of care. It might be my last one, so I wanted to go down looking my best. I decided on a deep red fitted dress that fell right above my knees, and I slipped on tall leather black boots with spiked heels. I’d never where a wedge heel again. I let my hair flow down around my shoulders and back. I applied my makeup slowly and meticulously.
I was just applying a last layer of lip gloss to make my full lips glisten, when there was a knock at my door. I grabbed my purse and opened the door where Caden stood waiting for me. I knew I had outdone myself because the heat in his eyes made me think I might have found a way to make him blow off this meeting. He held out his hand to me, but instead of pulling me into his room as I had hoped, we made our way to the car du jour, a sleek black Porsche Carrere.
Butterflies that had been there for days were now fluttering in earnest. He’d reassured me countless times in the last day it would be okay, but it was hard to believe. We drove in silence. I didn’t know the place where we were going, but it wasn’t the mansion so I felt better about that. The council had their own space.
Caden said it would take us about fifteen minutes to get there. I was surprised when we drove up to a large office building just over the river. It was in Newark, NJ’s business district. At eleven at night there wasn’t much going on. We pulled into an underground garage, and Caden typed a code into a panel, and I watched as the gates opened.
We parked and I followed him over to the garage elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor. When we climbed the twenty stories, the doors opened onto a breathtaking view. A wall of windows framed a glorious city ablaze in lights, reflecting light glittering from the Hudson river below. The moon hung full in the corner to complete a perfect composition.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” He stood next to me enjoying the same view.
“Yes, it is.”
“No matter how many years I’ve lived, there are still some things that don’t lose their luster.”
“And how many years has that been? You know, you never did tell me.”
“Too many to count,” he said. “Are you still sure you want to come in with me? You don’t have to.”
“I’m sure.”
“See that building over there?” He pointed to a three story building across the street. “The guys are all sitting over there. You can just walk across the street.”
I looked up at his face trying to decide if he was bluffing or if he really knew. He knew.
“I’ve been with them a long time. I know how they think, I taught them all their moves.”
“Are you mad?”
“Of course I’m not mad. I would rather they hadn’t, but I would’ve done the same.” He looked down to the right. “If we’re going, let’s go see what they want. They are waiting in the room down the hall there.”
I looked over to my right and saw the long hallway that led to a set of wooden double doors with two men standing guard. They looked like they were secret service. Caden put his hand at the small of my back, and I took it as a silent gesture of support. I wasn’t sure I needed it anymore though. My butterflies had suddenly disappeared and I felt a calmness come over me. Whatever was to come, I realized I could handle it. I’d make it. I’d fight tooth and nail and when we were finished, Caden would walk out by my side.
We took the final last steps toward the doors and the guards opened them for us. It was a massive room with a sem
icircle boardroom table dominating the space. There were ten people seated at it and about thirty others lingering elsewhere in the room. Rufus stood to the far right. His minions were among the lingerers. All eyes turned towards us.
“Caden, Alexandria, we appreciate you both coming. It shows much of your good will.” The man in the center of the table spoke as if he belonged to the English nobility. He looked like he was ninety so who knew how old that made you in Drauth years. He had to be way up there.
“It’s nice to see you again Murdoc,” Caden replied.
“It’s been brought to us that we have some issues that need to be resolved. Carl, one of Rufus’s men, was killed. Also, one of his human servants. He believes you are to blame. How do you respond to this?”
“I killed him.” A whisper shot across the room.
Oh god, and just like that, the butterflies were back. I hadn’t been expecting denials, but he was egging on a fight. I stared at him, asking silently why did you just say that?
He looked back at me with a look that said fuck them. I’m not scared of these assholes.
Murdoc cleared his throat. “Why did you do this? You know that no killing is one of our few laws that must be maintained at all costs. Our numbers are few. If we start killing each other off, what would happen when other threats outside our species come at us? There will be no one left to defend us.”
“Carl has repeatedly tried to abduct Alexandria, who is under my protection. He has jeopardized her life in the process. He’s also tried to impregnate her.”
Murdoc turned to Rufus. “Is this true Rufus?”
“Carl had a thing for this female.” He waved his hand toward me. “He might have been vigorous in his attempts at pursuing her, but he in no way jeopardized her well being. Besides, this isn’t against our laws. He was perfectly within his rights to do so. Caden owes me one of his and I want her in replacement.” He pointed at me, as if there was a doubt of whom he was speaking. I was the only female in the room.
Obsidian Souls (Soul Series) Page 19