by Bethany Shaw
"Herbs," he said simply as he bent down to pick up a few sage leaves.
Frowning, she walked down to the edge of the sidewalk; if this was a trick of some sort she was going to make him pay.
Jamie knelt down looking at the sidewalk. A few remnants of herbs lay on the ground. She hadn't seen them last night. She closed her eyes, opening up her senses. A ripple of magic hung in the air. It was faint, but there.
She closed her eyes and chanted quietly.
"Told you," Oliver exclaimed triumphantly causing her to pry her eyes open.
Giant scorch marks covered the yard. Every blade of grass was singed black. The current of magic intensified and she swallowed. Something had gone down here, something Cadence and Zak weren’t capable of and something someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to cover up.
“I can see the wheels churning in your head, little witch. Only a powerful witch could’ve done this. A witch like Liana,” Oliver suggested.
Jamie turned around in a slow circle, taking in the whole yard. Liana is supposed to be on our side. Does she have something to do with Cadence’s disappearance?
“My brother is missing,” Oliver said as he came to stand next to her. “My guess is your friend’s disappearance is connected to his somehow.”
Jamie licked her lips. She couldn’t deny what she saw. But if Liana did a spell on Zak and Cadence, what spell had she done? Where were they? More importantly, why had Cadence been involved to begin with? She was a friendly. Witches didn’t turn on their own.
Chapter Three
Cadence followed Zak as they made their way to the cave where they met Harrison every day.
It had been so much easier to hate Zak when he had been a threat to her coven and home. Now it wasn't that easy. He was being nice to her—really nice. His behavior had improved, too. No one had gone missing from the village where they stayed, which meant he had to be feeding and healing the people he fed from. Although, they both knew they couldn't make changes to the past so it wasn't like he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart.
Seeing him here with Harrison was wearing on her, too. The boy was so nice and innocent and it brought out a side to Zak she would never have thought existed. He was kind and caring to his brother.
It made her wonder what had happened to Harrison. He wasn’t tormenting her town with his siblings. Did that mean he was dead? It would explain the difference in Zak. This could be a second chance for him and his brother. But if his brother were dead, would Zak allow him to perish again? He had to; there wasn’t a choice. Her heart ached at the revelation.
She shook her head and dragged a hand over her braided hair. Her thoughts were getting too deep and complicated. One thing at a time. She would need to speak with Zak about it—later. For now, she just wanted to relax.
"I'm going to go,” she said pointing off to the other side of the creek where she bathed daily. It would be nice to take a hot shower right about now, but that wasn’t a possibility. The water was ice cold and she could only give herself a good wash, but nothing more. Too bad the weather wasn’t going to warm up anytime soon. The accommodations at the inn they stayed at were ghastly. She wasn’t sure how no one died from the plague yet. And don’t even get her started on the outhouse. Yuck! Bathing in the stream might be cold, but it was more sanitary.
Zak inclined his head and turned back to his brother, dismissing her.
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out, already looking forward to her alone time. She and Zak were together constantly. They even shared the same room for crying out loud, though, he did sleep on the floor. She still wasn't entirely convinced he was doing her a favor in that regard.
Cadence made her way down the rocky terrain and slipped into a small alcove. She glanced around making sure she was truly alone, slipped off her shoes, and hiked her dress up and inched forward into the water, dipping her rag in and wringing it out. Inhaling deeply, she dabbed at her face and neck.
The chill of the water shocked her even though she knew it was coming. Thankfully, she’d learned how to bathe quickly and efficiently.
She held her breath, tugged her skirts higher, clasping them with one hand as she waddled ankle deep. She scrubbed one leg, then the other.
"Are you all right?"
She froze at the familiar voice. Zak. "Are you kidding me?" she snapped, twirling around in the water. "Oh," she gasped, dropping her skirt in the stream. It wasn't Zak, at least not the Zak she knew. Human-Zak stood admiring her from the edge of the water. To think, this could be how his whole obsession with her began.
"You should come out before you fall ill," he warned, walking closer to the water.
"I'll be fine. Please leave," she hissed, wading to the shore. Great. Now her dress was sopping and she didn’t have anything else to wear.
Zak looked at her warily. His features hadn’t changed much over the years. The only noticeable difference was his hair. It was longer and curlier in this time.
"You'll freeze. Are you mad?" Zak questioned as he approached her.
Cadence scoffed and rolled her eyes. She supposed to him she probably did look like a crazy person. It was cold out—forties at best and she’d been walking in the water like it was ninety. She met his eyes and shook her head. How was she going to get rid of him?
A spell slipped into her mind. It was a simple one. One of the first she’d learned—the compulsion spell. All magical creatures had the ability to take memories. The spell was designed to keep the magical community safe.
The words slipped out of her mouth, sending Zak into a trance. "Leave...and forget you saw me," she said sweetly, the compulsion rolling off her tongue.
She held her breath as Zak blinked and looked around before scratching the back of his neck and finally trotting off.
A feeling of dread washed over her as she realized what she had done. She had compelled Zak. Oh my God. He was going to remember. He was going to know. Supernatural creatures could sense magical imprints if they were human and then turned. What was Zak going to do to her?
***
Zak grimaced as pain sliced through his skull. The blinding agony surpassed as quickly as it had come, but he found a new memory. Cadence. How was that possible? Magic. Cadence had used magic on his human self.
He rose from his seat. "I'll be back, Harrison," he murmured as he set off after her. He couldn't believe she had done that. As soon as he was outside of the cave, he flashed to where she was. He didn't care if she was decent or not.
"I thought I told you to leave," she snapped as she finished adjusting her dress. A small part of him was disappointed that she was decent. She turned, her eyes widening as her mouth formed an O shape. "Oh, it's you," she said recovering.
"You used magic on me," he accused as he stomped toward her. He still couldn't believe she had the audacity to compel him.
"You weren’t leaving. I had to get rid of you somehow," she countered crossing her arms.
"How dare you use your magic on me! You could’ve asked me to leave." He took another menacing step forward. She had used magic on him. He should kill her, and yet, all he could do was stare at the beautiful intriguing woman before him. What the hell was wrong with him?
"Oh, so it's okay for you to do it to others, but when someone does it to you—"
"Enough," he growled, cutting her off as his eyes blazed gold and his fangs elongated. He didn't want to hurt her; he closed his eyes and tried to calm the monster inside him.
She huffed. "I told you to leave. In the grand scheme of things when you look at all the things I could have asked you to do, was that really so bad? I could have had you do anything and yet I didn't."
She had a point he conceded slowly letting his anger subside. He still didn't like that he had fallen victim to a witch’s magic. "You could have had me do anything, and yet you simply had me leave. Why?" he asked allowing curiosity to overtake him.
She shook her head. "It sucks having your free will taken away, Zak. Tr
ust me, I know. That's why I would never do it to someone else. Even you," she said as she stomped off.
He turned watching her pass and head back towards Harrison. There was something about what she’d said, and he couldn’t help but wonder who had hurt her before she’d come into her powers?
***
"You want me to do what?" Cadence asked as they made their way back to the caves. Zak had gone insane.
"I remembered what happened instantly," Zak explained.
She heard what he was saying, but still...it was crazy.
"I'm not going to use magic on one of your siblings,” she insisted. She didn’t have a death wish.
"Cadence," he said matching her quick strides effortlessly. "Hear me out. I got the memory of you immediately after it happened. I want you to do the same thing to Eli. Your friends will believe him before Oliver or Grace. The coven and my siblings could be at war with each other...each believing the other is responsible for our disappearances. What’s the point of finding our way back home if no one is there when we get there?”
She slowed, finally catching on to where he was going. "So, we'd be sending a message?" she asked slowly.
"Exactly. I don’t want to get back and find out that my siblings or your coven are dead because of something Liana did," he said quietly. “Our families are at war. Liana is only making things worse. There are going to be causalities,” he pointed out.
"I don't understand why you don't do it?" She questioned. “Eli is going to trust you more than me,” she told him.
"I know my brother. He will believe you, especially seeing you here, in this time, he knows who you are, Cadence,” he explained causing her to raise her brow in question.
Eli knew her specifically. How? Zak. He’d talked to Eli about her.
Zak’s voice broke through her thoughts as he continued, “Eli is the noblest out of all of us. He has negotiated the terms in the past with your coven. If they are to believe anyone it will be him, and it will mean more if he can tell them he spoke to you directly,” he answered honestly.
"Fine," she sighed defeated. It was worth a try, right? Besides, Eli was harmless in this time and out of all the vampires he was the least likely to attack her when they returned home. And Zak was right, Jamie would never help Oliver or Grace, but she might not help Eli either. Too bad there wasn’t a way to contact her friend. "You're going to make sure Eli doesn't kill me in the future," she added for good measure.
He looked thoughtful for a minute and then smirked. "No harm will come to you, Cadence. Eli is coming now. He is over that way." He pointed behind her.
"I don't hear him," she said turning to look in the direction he was pointing. No one was there, she spun back to him and quirked her brow.
"Vampire hearing," he said tapping his ear. “Keep heading in that direction and you’ll run right into him.”
She rolled her eyes and set off in the direction he pointed to. At first she thought he was sending her on a wild goose chase so he could do God knows what, but then she heard Eli stomping over dead leaves. At least she hoped it was Eli.
She trudged ahead. “Excuse me,” she called out. The rustling stopped and she shoved through the rest of the dead brush. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips as she came face-to-face with Eli. He, too, looked the same as his older, vampire self. It was a bit unnerving to see him in this time, human and innocent. Innocent, she snorted to herself.
Focus Cadence. You have a job to do.
The spell flowed effortlessly this time and she addressed the vampire...human, "Eli, my name is Cadence Hopewell, you don’t know me...yet, but I need you to remember something,” she paused ensuring she had his full attention. Judging by the frown marring his chiseled features, he was listening. “Zak and I need help. Your mother sent us through time. We’re in 1014 AD and may need help coming home on the next full moon. My friend Jaime will help. Contact her.” She nodded to herself. Was there anything else she should include? “Now forget you saw me and then go about your business," she ordered. There, that was done. Now all she could do was hope the message was delivered.
***
"Did you find him?" Zak asked as Cadence approached. He jogged down the rocks toward her.
She nodded and let out a sigh. "I did. I just hope he understands the message and he doesn’t kill me." She shuddered.
"I remembered immediately. He got the message and he’ll know what it means,” he said quietly.
“Hopefully, my coven will believe him. What happens if they don’t?” she asked quietly. “You know they probably think you took me,” she added slowly.
“They will get the message. I’m sure your obnoxious boyfriend will jump at the mention of your name,” Zak spat out. He was surprised Cadence hadn’t mentioned him yet. She was probably thinking about him constantly. A wave of jealousy charged through him. Trent Baxter didn’t know how lucky he was to have a woman like Cadence.
“Trent will follow any lead. I’m sure of it,” she said adamantly. “But after what you did to him, he doesn’t exactly have a place in the coven anymore,” she growled as her eyes narrowed accusingly.
“Casualty of war,” Zak shrugged nonchalantly. “If it makes you feel better, I have a feeling he’d jump off a bridge for you. I bet he’d be willing to do anything to get his beloved back,” he muttered.
She glared at him and punched his arm hard. Did she just hit me? No, it hadn't been an attack, not really, but still.
"Trent’s a good guy. Leave him alone," she argued angrily. “You’ve already done enough to him to by turning him into a vampire.”
"The bastard was the one responsible for resurrecting my mother. I won’t,” he snapped. Anyone that harmed his family was an enemy.
"And what about me?” she challenged, her brow quirking up. “Are you going to punish me? I’m a part of the coven. I knew what they were planning. You can’t blame us for trying to protect ourselves. You come and cull the witches every few decades. I’m not sorry for defending ourselves.”
Punish her? He could think of several ways to punish her, but she’d have to be willing to submit to him.
“Trent’s been punished enough thanks to you. We might be working together now...but once we are home if you continue to come after my coven—the people I love I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” he interrupted menacingly. He took a step forward, towering over her as he glared down into her gaze.
“I love Trent. I love my sister and brother witches,” she started.
"Love is a weakness, Cadence. The sooner you accept that, the safer you will be," he snarled, oddly offended by her comment.
She cocked her head to her side. “There’s no one on this Earth you love?” she questioned in a whisper. “There’s not a single person that you would go out of your way to protect?”
He swallowed unable to respond. Did he love anyone? He couldn’t kill Cadence—for whatever reason. The connection he felt to his siblings was more of a bond than love, right?
"That's so sad," she said sincerely, breaking his train of thought. "I would rather love and die for those I care about than spend my entire existence alone." She stared another long moment before shaking her head and walking away.
Chapter Four
Cadence looked down at her name in the ancient writing. Harrison had taught her how to write it. Zak had gone off on some errand—to do God knew what—leaving the two of them alone. He’d offered to work on her magic with her, but she’d declined. Instead, they’d spent the past few hours outside drawing and writing in the dirt with sticks. She was slowly learning how to read the native language, or at the very least learn the alphabet. It was so different and unique from anything she’d ever studied in high school or college.
Harrison glanced up at her. "So, what is the future like?"
She swallowed. "It's nice, there are cars and electricity and...” she trailed off noticing the glazed over look the boy was giving her. “I’m sorry. That means nothing to you I’m sure.”
If only she knew a spell so she could show him. That would be a lot easier to do.
"It’s okay. I probably shouldn’t know too much anyway. How did you and Zak meet?" Harrison asked curiously.
She laughed; it actually wasn't funny how she had first met Zak, but she couldn't tell him the truth either. It was obvious that he looked up to his older brother. Though he was seventeen, his innocence made him seem younger than he was. She decided on a half-truth. "I was hurt and he came to help me."
"He rescued you." Harrison smiled.
Actually, he had been the reason she'd needed rescuing, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Yes." He’d done something to Trent, made her boyfriend feed off of her. Trent had nearly killed her. If Zak hadn’t intervened, he would have.
"Sounds like, Zak. I don't think the others know, but he protects us too, especially Gracie," Harrison told her.
"From Malcolm?" she questioned recalling the incident in the woods. She was sure Zak would kill her for asking, she wasn't even really sure why she cared, but she did.
"Yeah. I don't know how many times he's taken the blame for something that wasn’t even his fault. Father doesn't use words for discipline. He’d rather use his fists or his whip," Harrison said looking to the floor. "I'm glad Zak finds happiness with you in the future."
"Oh, we’re not..." she stammered awkwardly. Does he think we’re together?
"I know. But he fancies you, Cadence. I’ve never seen him gaze at a girl in the village the way he does you. Even when he sees Lise, it’s nothing compared to you. I probably shouldn't be telling you this," he said looking away.
She swallowed hard and looked to the ground. Maybe Zak really did fancy her, or he had coerced Harrison to say this. No, he wouldn't compel Harrison. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
Wait! Who is Lise?
"I'm sorry. I just want my brother to be happy. Don’t tell him I said anything," he said alarmed.
She looked up at Harrison surprised how much he knew despite his innocent look. She knew Zak was still really protective of Grace in the future. Maybe even his whole family; he was just really twisted about protecting them at times. She was beginning to see there might be something more to him than the monster persona he showed the world. Maybe buried beneath the thick walls there was something hidden. Perhaps it was possible he did care for her some way or another.
