Chapter 25 Cade
Cade
Yellowed grass and low scrub surrounded the road I was walking down. I looked around, confused by my surroundings. It seemed like a rural farm, somewhere I had absolutely never been. Ahead, yelling voices emanated from a run-down home with a rusty pickup truck out front.
Frowning, I jogged down the drive and onto the steps. The front door swung wide open. Past a patchy orange sofa, a woman stood in the middle of a linoleum kitchen. She clutched a boy to her. He was scrawny with a shock of golden hair, maybe ten-years-old.
A man stomped closer. I cringed, waiting for them to notice me, but I was ignored. The man’s face reddened and he started yelling. The words garbled together into a mix of sounds and fury.
As he screamed at them, the room darkened. Suddenly, it was night outside, and the filtered sunlight through the broken miniblinds faded to nothing.
The blond boy turned and made direct eye contact with me. His eyes were wide and terrified, the whites standing out starkly on his gaunt face.
I flinched as the back door banged open. A pale, looming figure darted in with fangs flashing. A vampire, dressed in torn clothes and so thin his skin was translucent.
The man jerked back, waving his arms defensively. “I don’t want any trouble. You can have them!” he shouted, pointing at the woman and child.
Rage curled in my veins as my fingers curled into fists. What a piece of shit.
The vampire grinned, showing two sets of needle teeth. He leapt on the man, sinking his fangs into the man’s neck before he could react.
The woman let out a blood curdling shriek. A second vampire brushed past me, coming from the front door.
The mother shoved the boy back, screaming for him to run, before she threw herself between him and the second vampire.
My heart raced as terror stole my senses. There was nothing I could do as the vampire seized the woman and bit into her exposed neck.
The boy stumbled and fell against the kitchen counter. I jolted forward to help him, but he wrenched open the drawer and pulled out a handgun.
Shocked, I dropped to the ground, my hands over my head instinctively. This might not be real, but I wasn’t taking any chances and getting shot.
Swinging it around, the boy took aim. His first shot missed, and the second vampire dropped the woman and advanced toward him. Tears coated the boy’s face as he held the gun with both hands and took a second shot.
The vampire fell in a heap. The second vampire hissed, releasing the man and turning away. The boy took a third shot that went wide, but the vampire disappeared out the front door before he could try again.
The boy rushed to his mother’s side, shaking her gently. Her throat was sliced open and blood pooled around her limp form.
The boy looked up at me, and I met golden-honey eyes in a blood streaked face, and my heart broke. His eyes hardened.
Slowly, he rose, the gun gripped in one hand. With heavy steps, he approached the man who sputtered on the floor, blood seeping out of his ravaged neck.
The boy loomed over him, the gun shaking. My stomach twisted. He wouldn’t shoot this man, possibly his father, would he?
He leveled the gun at the man, but didn’t fire. As we watched, the life drained out of him and he went still. The boy stared, tears running down his cheeks, for a long moment after the man’s death.
“It’s okay,” I said softly, even though I wasn’t sure he could hear me. A flickering fire lit those eyes as he turned to me.
The dream faded away, and I came back to myself. Cade was warm against my chest and stomach. He had turned in his sleep until we were nose to nose and both of his arms were around me. The ice pack lay discarded between us and had lost all of its chill.
Scared to jostle his sprained wrist, I reached down and grabbed the ice pack.
Warm golden-brown eyes opened and focused on me. For a tense moment, we stared at each other.
“Are you okay?” I asked hoarsely.
A flush painted his cheeks dusty rose, and my stomach fluttered at the sight. Scowling, he extracted his arms and rolled away.
I watched the muscles of his back flex under his t-shirt as he unwrapped his wrist and tested it. It must have felt better, because he piled the bandage on the side table and stood up without glancing back at me.
After a quick visit to the bathroom, Cade left the room, leaving me disheveled and confused. This absolute indifference was almost more confusing than his anger.
The room was silent as I deliberated what to do. My stomach let out a growl. I hadn’t eaten much before morning training, and from the warm light filtering through the branches out the window, it was almost dinner time.
Stiffly, I straightened my clothes and dragged my fingers through my short hair to settle it. With one last glance in the mirror, I headed downstairs.
Luca met me at the bottom. “Everything good?” he asked, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. I leaned into his touch, and he reciprocated by sliding his hands around my waist and drawing me against him. The warm comfort was what my heart needed, and I felt myself thawing.
“I didn’t get to see if Cade was better,” I muttered.
“He’s fine. The wrist healed in record time. You’re invaluable.” His smooth tone wrapped around me, easing the tension in my muscles. But his words left me feeling sour.
“Because I’m his fated mate? What if I wasn’t?”
Brows furrowing, Luca shook his head. “No, because you’re important to him. And to me. Even before the bond, I wanted you. Never forget that.”
Surrendering, I nuzzled into his chest. After a moment, he led me to the sofa and we curled up together. His affection was a balm after Cade’s stiff indifference.
My fated mate spent the rest of the day holed up in his office. Everyone ate whatever they wanted for dinner, and Luca heated up leftover steak, feeding me strips of thin beef dipped in spiced butter. It was delicious licked off his fingers.
His cousins ignored us. Lux sat and worked on a laptop with Finn, while Lana typed on a cell phone with her headphones on.
After my second yawn, Luca pulled me upstairs and we settled down to sleep. The bed felt empty without Cade, and I hated the fact it bothered me. It wasn’t fair when I had Luca curled around me, lavishing me with affection.
It sucked, but the bond wasn’t something I had any control over, and fighting it just made us sick, as Cade had learned the hard way.