We Shall Rise

by J. E. Hopkins

  This train brought back a flood of childhood memories that Kaden could not escape. He had built his first model ship when he was twelve years old. It took him two years to get it just right. Even as a child, Kaden was a perfectionist about his work. Every piece had to be precise, perfect. There could be no flaws. This was the one thing he had to do right—the one thing he needed to be right.

  He had just finished the final carvings when his father discovered it. Kaden barely had a moment to feel the satisfaction of this success before his father forced him to watch as he crushed the model under his heavy boots with that smug smirk plastered on his face enjoying his son’s misery. The temptation to cry was overwhelming, but Kaden refused to give his father the pleasure of seeing his pain reflected in a waterfall of tears. Daughton walked over to his son leaving trail of dust in his wake. He crouched down so that his cold dark forest green eyes bore directly into his son’s matching hue. He promised Kaden that day he would ensure that his worthless son live an eternal hell. Kaden might get close to happiness, but he would never fully realize it. Behind every moment of pleasure was an even greater agony waiting to unfold. Daughton kept his word throughout his life and somehow managed to keep that promise even in the wake of his death.

  Kaden returned the train to the track and walked over to the curio filled with priceless porcelain dolls. What didn’t this kid have? he wondered. How lucky she was to have parents who indulged her with gifts. Even if it was too much, it was better than the emptiness of his childhood.

  “Some of this stuff looks untouched,” Kaden observed as he looked at the wrack of video games, many of which were still in the box. “You let her play with all this stuff?”

  “Heavens no. Every month we give a bunch to a local children’s hospital. As soon as we get rid of a load, another appears. Everyone spoils Tatiana. Thankfully, she has a great attitude so we don’t have to worry about her becoming a brat. I can’t stand bad kids that act like the world owes them something. Tati is nothing like that. She’s my little angel.”

  “My mother used to call me that as well,” Kaden chided. “You see how I turned out.”

  “In her eyes, you probably were an angel. That’s part of being a mother and loving your child unconditionally.”

  Kaden wanted no part of this discussion, but Julian who had been fairly quiet took this opportunity to comment. “Mothers only see the good in their kids and turn away from the bad.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Reysa argued. “I don’t have any misguided notions that Tati will grow up free of faults, but my love for her will never wane. I will love the good in her as well as the not so good. She’s my baby and you don’t get to pick and choose what parts to love. It’s all or nothing and for most parents, it’s all. Certainly some parents opt for nothing. That’s the case for many of my friends here including myself, but I’ve seen too many good parents to lose faith in parental love. I’ve seen it with your mother. She loves you both no matter what you guys do. Let’s be honest, neither of you make it that easy for her to love you yet she would give her life for either one of you.”

  “You know nothing about my mother,” Kaden barked frustrated by the truth of Reysa’s words. He knew his mother would gladly lay down her life for him and Julian. She already sacrificed a lifetime of happiness for them without hesitance.

  “I know more than you realize, but it’s not my place to discuss this unless you want to.” Reysa had tried several times to get Kaden to talk about his mother. After her near death experience, he barely mentioned her although she could tell how much he missed her. He would send her the occasional text inquiring about her health, but it was like he could not bear to hear her voice. The one time she saw him try, he was overcome with unwanted emotion and quickly ended the call. Kaden would never admit how much it scared him to come so close to losing the one parent he adored. Olivia was his greatest defender and she almost left him behind. As brave as Kaden pretended to be, his hurt ran deep and the wounds would never heal until he dealt with all this riotous emotion waging war in his heart.

  “I don’t want to talk about her,” the steel in Kaden’s voice leaving no doubt that he wanted this subject closed.

  Reysa would comply for now. “Let me show you the rest of my home.” Reysa showed Kaden and Julian Tatiana’s room that had even more toys in it, but was decorated like Cinderella’s castle. Reysa explained that Tatiana was into the Disney Princess phase so they recently redecorated the room with that theme. Like everything else involving Tatiana, they went a little overboard and turned her room into a castle thanks in large part to the cat shifter Alejandro. Apparently he was more than just a bodyguard, or nuisance as Kaden referred to him. He was a remarkably gifted artist who painted the walls in Tatiana’s room so extraordinarily well that Disney would be jealous.

  Reysa’s bedroom was on the left side of Tatiana’s while Christian’s was on the right. Christian’s room looked like it had never been used, while Reysa’s was a rumpled mess. Kaden instantly spotted the pile of jeans and shirts in the corner that clearly were not women’s clothing. He tried to dismiss it as Christian dumping his dirty laundry in Reysa’s room, but he had an aggravating feeling that Christian spent too much time in Reysa’s room—more time in here than his own. Bastard! Kaden took a deep breath and calmed his frayed nerves. Arguing with Reysa would not solve anything. Annoying her could help.

  “I guess you’re not the type that has to make the bed every morning,” Kaden mused as he dropped his bag and jumped into Reysa’s bed. “Works for me. I see no point in making a bed when you’re just going to end up right back in it again.”

  Reysa tried to ignore Kaden’s flirtations, but her body was enjoying the sight of this pain in the neck, but devastatingly handsome man in her bed. “I-I admit that I’m a bit messy, but it’s not my fault. Everyone is constantly coming into my room and making themselves at home.”

  “No hired help?” Kaden inquired.

  “Nope. Everyone who lives here or stays here has to contribute to the cleaning. That’s the house rule. We all have responsibilities here. For the most part, everyone does them. Lina needs a reminder or two here and there, but everyone does their duty. Alejandro is the biggest neat freak. I bet he’s outside now scrubbing the grill.” Reysa knew she was babbling, but looking at Kaden in her bed was too much of a distraction. Why couldn’t he go somewhere else for a few days? She really needed a break from him.

  “I love Egyptian cotton.” Kaden glided those large hands along the sheets.

  Reysa wondered what it would be like to feel those hands gliding along her sensitized skin as her body overheated from the thought. She couldn’t blame Kaden for turning up the temperature this time. Her body was ablaze at the thought of his touch.

  He laid there with that smug smirk on his face watching the impact he was having on her. Well, two could play at this most dangerous game, Reysa thought. “It’s my favorite as well. I love the way that cotton feels on my bare skin especially after a long soak in my Jacuzzi. Those sheets are like a balm to my heated, sensitized skin.” Reysa watched as Kaden uncomfortably shifted his pants with no success. That wasn’t the only part of his body enlarging. His fangs were extending now as well as they were ready to taste her forbidden flesh.

  “Well this is awkward,” Julian commented “Not that either of you will notice, but I’m going to leave now. I will take the rest of this tour on my own.” Neither Reysa nor Kaden acknowledged Julian leaving the room. Both were too consumed by this dangerous tango they danced.

  Reysa slowly approached Kaden who remained stretched out on her bed. His snug black jeans growing ever tighter with each approaching step. He watched her like an animal waiting to attack its prey. She should run, but she was too much the predator to back down.

  She didn’t stop until she reached the side of the bed. She straddled him, but did not touch him. Taunting him with her closeness, but not letting him bury himself in her scent. One slight movement upwards and then he
could feel her smooth body against his, but he couldn’t give in to this temptation. This was her game. He would let her play for now.

  “I didn’t invite you to my bed,” her sensual voice warned. “Only those I invite are welcomed to be in this position.”

  Kaden did not want to imagine who she may have invited in her bed previously. The need to kill them was overwhelming. He was here now and he certainly did not feel like leaving although his mind warned him to step aside before this went too far. Of course, Kaden never listened.

  “You invited me,” Kaden acknowledged in his low deep voice. “Your body has been inviting me from the moment we met. You just haven’t said the words. Say them, and I’ll accept your invitation.”

  “Weren’t you warning me to stay away from you not too long ago?” Reysa reminded him.

  “Yes and if you ask me again, I’ll tell you the same. I’m no good for you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take what’s offered. I am a selfish bastard.”

  “You’re everything I should avoid.” Yet she couldn’t resist giving in to the temptation like a moth to a flame.

  “But you’re still here, still wanting me, still not able to resist this hunger. Stop fighting it, babe. Give us what we both need.”

  As if compelled, Reysa lowered her body on to his nearly causing them both to explode as the heat of her sex touched his. The fire had returned in Kaden’s eyes as his body temperature increased. She could see his strain as he fought to control his body’s violently passionate reaction to her touch. Her body suffering the same tumultuous ache. She bent down to kiss those lips she missed.

  Kaden was more than ready to sate this desire and just when he thought it would finally happen, Reysa stopped a fraction away from his lips. A look of horror replaced the desire on her face. Before he could respond, she jumped off of him and pushed him off the bed where he landed hard on his backside.

  “What the fu…” he complained but Reysa cut him off.

  “Shut up and fix that thing,” she yelled pointing to his very disappointed erection. She adjusted her clothes and stared at the door.

  “Get back on the bed and then I can fix it for both of us,” Kaden suggested, but then he heard tiny little footsteps approaching. Just like that, the problem fixed itself.

  Tatiana ran into her mother’s room and into her welcoming arms. The little girl held on tight. Reysa kissed her tenderly several times spinning her in the air while the child squealed with delight. Throughout the last few weeks of the search for Yasmine, Reysa saw her daughter daily, but not nearly as much as before. The separation was hard for both of them.

  I knew you were home, Tatiana signed. I saw your door open and I knew you were here.

  Reysa placed Tatiana on the ground and knelt in front of her so she could speak to her daughter in the only language she could understand, American Sign Language. Reysa spoke the words as she gestured, “I’ve missed you butterfly. How’s my precious girl?”

  Happy now, Mama, Tatiana signed in response as she wrapped her arms around Reysa again. That’s when Tatiana noticed the large man standing in the room staring at them. She backed away from her mother pointing at Kaden.

  Reysa looked over to Kaden, who watched mother and child curiously as if he was trying to dissect this unfamiliar bond. Reysa turned her attention to Tatiana and reminded her daughter that this was the man she had helped. When Kaden was suspected of murdering those women, Lucian had arrested him and chained Kaden in Lucian’s temporary prison. The confinement nearly drove Kaden insane. Reysa had brought Tatiana there to help break the magical chains that bound him to the cell. Kaden was suffocating in that place and needed to be set free before he harmed himself or someone else.

  Tatiana was a charmer, at least in part, as she possessed the ability to undo other’s spells. Her power was limited considering she wasn’t quite five-years-old, but with each year, she grew stronger. Reysa knew there was more to Tatiana’s power than they had seen, but it would take time to understand all her skills. They didn’t know much about her birth parents. Her mother was a half-breed charmer, the other half was still unknown just as her father’s abilities were unknown. He may have been human for all they knew, but Tatiana certainly possessed non-human attributes. She was definitely at least an eternal – she could not die from human disease or illness, but could die from severe injury as she did not yet possess the ability to heal as quickly as true immortals. Who knew what she would grow up to be?

  For now, they wanted her to enjoy being a child. She had enough disadvantages with the loss of her hearing. She deserved to be happy now and her family was determined to make sure she never wanted for anything.

  Tatiana focused her attention on Kaden and then smiled as she recognized him. I set him free and he knew how to speak to me with his hands. Although everyone in the house knew ASL as well as most of their friends, it was still hard for Tatiana. Other children couldn’t communicate with her. Because of that, she had to go to a special school for the deaf which she hated. She wanted to go to school where some of her Misfit friends attended. Tatiana did not want to be different and no matter how often her family praised her specialness, Tatiana like any child just wanted to fit in with everyone else her age.

  Kaden walked over to her and knelt down next to Reysa trying to fight the intensity of being so close to this woman who was driving him to madness. “Thank you again for setting me free, Tatiana,” Kaden signed to a delighted Tatiana.

  You can call me Tati, sir, she offered as she curtsied.

  Reysa giggled at the look on Kaden’s face. “I will if you promise never to call me ‘sir’. Just call me Kaden.” Tatiana grinned that infectious smile that would make anyone adore this innocent child.

  Reysa stood up and motioned for Kaden to follow. “We have company.”

  “I noticed the stench,” Kaden grimaced. The doggy had come back home as well. Christian appeared in the doorway and an overjoyed Tatiana ran to her father. His initial scowl at the sight of Kaden was now a look of pure joy as he held his daughter. As much as Tatiana clearly loved both her parents, Kaden could see she was definitely daddy’s little girl. There was no doubt that Christian was the one spoiling her and contributing to the extensive toy collection.

  Christian tossed her in the air a few times as she laughed and yelled out. “She’s not mute,” Kaden noticed.

  “No. She can’t talk, but her vocal chords work. She can make sounds and often does when she is excited or upset. I don’t think she realizes that she does it because she can’t hear the sounds. It’s just a natural reaction to certain emotions. There’s no speech because she can’t hear herself talk to know how to speak appropriately. She’s been deaf from the beginning. We recognized something was wrong when she was about six months and not responding to noises around her.”

  “She wears hearing aids. Why? What’s the point?”

  “The hearing aids help her read lips. She’s been an avid reader since she was two-years-old. We started experimenting with the hearing aids to see if she could read spoken words based on the slight vibration of sound she can at times pick up. Remarkably, she can do it. Of course she can’t grasp everything, but it’s good that she can get a little here or there. I worry for her. She’s protected here and surrounded by people who know ASL. Out there in the real world, she will be alone. I know there are other deaf kids in the world, but most people don’t know ASL. What will happen to her when she’s on her own?”

  “She’ll be fine,” Kaden responded with a confidence that comforted Reysa. “She’s a tough kid and with you as a mother, no one would ever mess with her. I pity the man who crosses her and ends up experiencing the right hook she will learn from you.”

  “You survived my punches,” Reysa taunted him.

  “With a few less teeth, but thankfully they grew back.” Kaden recalled the fight they had at Julian’s house. It was a one-sided encounter where his face frequently met with her right fist. That pain quickly dulled by the stormy kiss that
erupted between them in the midst of their heated encounter. Reysa smiled at him as if she were also remembering that moment that unleashed their mutual desire.

  Christian walked into the room interrupting the tender moment between them. He walked over to Reysa and with his free arm pulled her close. “It’s so good to see my girls,” he drawled.

  Reysa held him too tightly in Kaden’s opinion. She seemed so comfortable around him. Relaxed. Happy. Kaden resented the ease in which Reysa and Christian related. There was a bond of some type between them. They may not be mates, but they were something more than friends.

  Kaden felt like an interloper as he observed this family connect. The love was so apparent, so deep. This was the family he had hoped to have, but he grew up with fear, anger and hate. He wouldn’t know how to provide the love that Christian so readily gave to Reysa and Tatiana. He could never be the husband and father they needed. This was Christian’s family. Reysa could never be a part of his. No matter how explosive the sexual tension might be between them, he could never give her the love that she needed. The love she received daily from her family of Misfits. Kaden wasn’t capable of that kind of love. He could only offer her pleasure and for all he knew, Christian was probably taking care of that need as well.

  “Kaden, you’re bleeding.” Lost in his thoughts, Kaden had barely heard Reysa’s words. She pointed to the side of his mouth which was dripping blood.

  He had bitten his tongue to avoid sinking his fangs into Christian’s throat. The thought of that dog touching and tasting his Reysa.

  Mine.

  Except she wasn’t really his and would likely never be. His brain knew this, but his heart would never accept this fate. These conflicting emotions were driving him to madness.