by Bethany Shaw
Lightening flickered in the sky as the rain increased again. Cadence wrapped her arms around herself. The water was soaking through her cloak. Cold didn’t affect Zak, but she was another story.
“Malcolm won’t be out for long. We should get going.” Zak turned his attention to Cadence, scrutinizing her more closely. “You’re hurt.” He walked toward her, reaching out to touch her, but let his hand fall to his side instead.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered. She adjusted her cloak with a shiver.
“Let’s get you out of the rain,” he told her as his eyes roamed around the ancient ruins. How close were they to a village?
Harrison spoke up. "We have a boat commissioned. It’s not too long of a run from here. If we leave now, we may be able to set sail before Father awakes."
***
Jamie walked down the darkened alley, pulling her jacket tighter against her while her eyes flicked over the dumpsters. She’d done a locator spell twice to make sure she had the right location. Trent was here somewhere, lurking in the shadows behind the abandoned business district. It made sense for him to hide someplace unpopulated. He couldn’t hurt anyone here, but he could be hungry if he wasn’t feeding.
She shivered as her fingers went to her neck. Getting bitten by a vampire was not something she wanted to experience. The sooner she found Trent, the better.
“I know you’re here, Trent,” she called as her eyes flitted across the alley.
Silence.
She sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair as she spun around. There wasn’t time to play hide and seek. Maddie still had no idea she was going to be a sacrifice, because how the hell did you tell your best friend something like that? Hunting for vampires with little to no control by herself probably wasn’t her brightest idea. And Cadence was still trapped hundreds of years in the past with Zak.
Cadence. Yes. That could work.
“I need to talk to you about Cadence,” she said.
One of the dumpsters rolled across the concrete, and a form stepped out from behind it.
“What about her?” Trent hissed as he stalked forward.
Jamie’s hand rose in case he attempted to attack her. “I know where she is.”
Trent stopped several feet away. She could barely see him through the darkness, but she could make out the slight glow to his eyes.
“Tell me,” he snarled.
“I will, but first you need to calm down,” she said. It might anger him further if she used her magic, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust him.
Trent growled. The glowing in his eyes intensified, and she took a step back. He inhaled and let it out while he closed his eyes. “Okay.”
Jamie squinted it was still hard to see in the darkness, but the glow from his eyes was gone. “Can we go someplace else?” she asked. Trent had the advantage, and given how he’d attacked Cadence only a few weeks ago, she didn’t want to take any chances.
“No. I’m waiting for the clinic that’s around the block to close.”
Jamie frowned. What did that have to do with anything?
“I get blood from there,” he explained. “I take a blood bag or two after they close. I don’t think you want to get too close until I’ve had my evening fix.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“I’m trying to get control. I don’t want to kill anyone,” he went on.
“I know you don’t,” she told him. “The vampires, the clan, they won’t help you?” It was their fault Trent was turned, but would they help him? They would if they wanted any more of her help. It might not be ideal, but it had to be better than what Trent was living in now.
Trent scoffed as he chuckled. “I’m part witch. No. They want nothing to do with me.”
“I’m sorry,” Jamie said as she dropped her hand to her side. With everything that had happened, she hadn’t given much thought to Trent. He probably needed a friend as much as Cadence did.
“Don’t,” he said. “The coven has made their stance perfectly clear on where I stand... and so has the clan. Now, tell me about Cadence. Where is she?”
“It’s Liana,” she began with a sigh. “She sent Cadence and Zak through time. I don’t know where they are right now, but they were — ”
“Don’t lie to me,” Trent cut her off.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her face. Jamie gasped. His face was caked with dirt like he hadn’t showered in days. The smell reeking off his clothes was enough to make her gag.
She took a step back. “It’s not a lie. Liana has betrayed us. Katherine is working with her. I’ve spoken to Cadence.”
“How? How can you talk to someone who is in the past?” Trent asked.
“I’ve been working with the clan. Oliver approached me,” she said, trying to gauge his reaction.
“The clan? You’ve been working with them?” Trent snapped as he stepped closer.
“Yes. But I’ve found something out, and I want to talk to Cadence myself without the clan. I need your help to do it.”
“I would be able to talk to her?” Trent asked.
“Yes. Both of us would. I’ve been using Grace’s connection to Zak to contact him, but I’m hoping you have a strong enough love for Cadence that we can reach her without them,” Jamie explained. Trent and Cadence were close friends and, more recently, lovers. They had a connection to each other. She just hoped it was strong enough.
“What do you need me to do?” Trent asked.
“Come with me,” she said, offering her hand to him.
Trent regarded her for a long second before nodding and taking her hand. They were going to do this. They were going to contact Cadence — she hoped.
***
Cadence looked out into the darkness of the deep blue ocean. The water was beautiful at night with the stars shining brightly in the sky. The air was calm and relaxing, which she needed after today. She inhaled, letting the cool air hit her as she leaned over the edge to look at the waves breaking against the bottom of the boat.
A hand wrapped around her, and she breathed in its owner’s leathery scent. Zak. She let out a breath and leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt safe with him, even if he had omitted something from her.
She was mad he hadn’t told her, but in a way she could see why he wouldn’t confide in her about the bond. Whatever was between them was powerful and a little terrifying. It probably scared him as much as it did her.
"I should have told you about the bond. I’m sorry," Zak whispered in her ear.
Cadence reveled in the feel of his warm breath on her skin, and the rush of heat that consumed her by his closeness. "You should have,” she agreed, wondering how many times he’d taken the time to apologize to someone in his long life.
“You’re still angry?” he asked.
Cadence let out a long breath. “Not as much as I was. The timing was bad. I was pissed about Malcolm, my mom, me. When Malcolm’s man pulled me away from you and I was fighting all those vampires with Melanie and Harrison, I kept wondering if you were okay. This thing between us is unlike anything else. I can see why you wouldn’t tell me about the bond. I’m still not sure I understand how it works.”
“Honestly, I don’t either.”
Cadence turned to look at him as she lifted a brow.
“I’ve only met one bonded couple and I didn’t ask questions. Caring for someone else, bonding to someone, is a weakness. I wasn’t interested in learning how it worked when I was in their company. All I know is that blood sharing strengthens the bond.” He touched his finger just above the cut on her forehead. “Otherwise I would have offered you my blood by now. I’m sure Harrison or Melanie would help.”
Cadence mulled over his words for a moment. He viewed her as a weakness. It stung. She forced a smile. “No, I think I’ll keep them. They remind me I’m still human.”
Zak trailed his thumb over the scab again. She hadn’t looked in a mirror; there weren’t really any aboard as this w
as more of a cargo ship than a passenger vessel.
“Does it hurt?” Zak asked, lowering his hand.
She shrugged. Her whole body ached, but it wasn’t unbearable. “I’ll be okay.”
He shook his head as if he disapproved, but said nothing else.
“So, the bond only will strengthen if we share blood again?” she asked, changing the subject.
“To my knowledge, that’s how it works,” he replied while gazing over her shoulder at the sea.
She licked her lips. “Then our relationship can continue as it was?”
“Would you like that?” Zak asked, tilting his head to the side as his eyes met hers.
Her heart skipped a beat as she got lost in his silvery-blue gaze. She should end this craziness now, but she couldn’t. Nor did she want to. “I would.”
Zak brushed the hair out of her face and leaned down, capturing her mouth with his. He parted her lips with his tongue, and she groaned at the feel of it gliding over her teeth.
I could get lost in him so easily.
Chapter Twelve
Cadence groaned at the slight pull on her mind. Her body was clothed in jeans and a tee, which was a good improvement from the naked state she’d been in back in bed with Zak. She squinted in an attempt to see in the mist that surrounded her. Jamie. She couldn’t see her friend, but had communicated with Jamie enough times to know the feeling. This time felt different somehow.
“Cadence!” Warm arms enveloped her from behind and she froze, recognizing the voice.
She spun around as she wiggled from the embrace. “Trent?”
“I wanted to try to contact just you,” Jamie said at her right.
Cadence turned so she could see her friend. “It’s good to see you,” she told Jamie. Then she thought about the man behind her. “Both of you.”
“Are you okay? Has he hurt you? We’re going to get you home, I promise,” Trent blurted in one breath.
“It’s okay, Trent. I’m okay,” she told him. She put her hand over his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Her stomach lurched as she thought about how he would take the news of her and Zak’s relationship. Now wasn’t the time to tell him.
“Are you?” Jamie asked, pointing to her forehead.
Cadence placed her fingers over the cut and sighed. “It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Trent growled. “Did he do it to you?” His eyes flickered to a golden hue. Cadence took a step back, remembering how he’d torn into her neck the last time he’d looked like that. Her hand went to the spot where the small raised scar was, and she rubbed the flesh.
“Zak didn’t do this,” she told him. “Malcolm did.”
“Malcolm?” Trent murmured. “He was working with us.”
Cadence licked her lips. “That was in the future. Malcolm’s hell bent on hurting Zak, and since I’m with him — ”
“Then leave,” Trent interrupted. “Go someplace he isn’t.”
“What?” Cadence gasped. “I can’t. Zak and I have worked out a truce. He’s the only person I can rely on right now. I need his help.” There was so much more to it than that, but she couldn’t tell Trent about it right now. She was sure he would react horribly, and this wasn’t the time.
“We have other things to discuss at the moment,” Jamie interrupted, turning to Cadence. “I’ve learned something disturbing.”
“You aren’t the only one,” she whispered with a sigh. What had Jamie learned?
“Liana intends to sacrifice Maddie,” Jamie said.
Cadence looked at her feet through the rolling fog. “I know. Zak explained everything to me. I don’t know how we can help Maddie,” she told her friend honestly.
“Then the clan is telling the truth?” Jamie mumbled.
“I can’t think of a reason why they would lie about this.”
“Lie about what?” Trent asked.
“I’ll explain everything when we get home. We don’t have much time,” Jamie said, her brow furrowed. The world around them faded before returning to the dense fog.
“I’ll talk to Zak about Maddie, but he’s pretty set on what his family needs to do,” Cadence told Jamie. She met each of their eyes. “I won’t let him hurt our friend, but I do plan to stand with Zak when we return.”
“What? How can you do that?” Trent bellowed.
“Something happened to me,” Cadence ground out. “I died — sort of. When that happened, I got a new memory of the night my mom died. She didn’t die of cancer. Malcolm and Katherine and two other witches who I don’t know their names murdered her. They tried to kill me. Malcolm’s communicating with Liana. He’s as intent on killing me as on killing Zak.” She fought the lump forming in her throat. Tears pricked her eyes and she drew in a deep breath, willing herself to keep the emotions in check.
“Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?” Jamie asked, her eyes wide.
“I’m positive. It was real.”
Jamie drew in a deep breath. “Cadence, I’m so sorry.”
“How can you work with them? They’ve destroyed my life. God knows what they want with Maddie. What about what they’ve done to the coven? You can’t work with Zak,” Trent howled as he ripped his hand out of hers.
“Your emotions are getting the best of you,” she told him. She reached out for his hand again in an effort to comfort him.
“Zak killed me and turned me into this... this monster,” Trent snarled as he motioned to himself. “He’s the reason our relationship ended.”
"I can't hold this spell much longer. Oliver doesn’t think there is a way to predict where you will end up, but I’m still looking into it.” Jamie gasped as blood trickled from her nose. “What should I tell Maddie? The clan has offered her a chance to... to become one of them,” she uttered with a shiver.
Cadence’s heart sank. What advice could she give? Maddie was in a lose-lose situation. There was no way out of it. Even if she ran, it would be short-lived. “Be honest with her and let her choose. I’ll talk to Zak again about it. Eli might be willing to wait until we get back to change her. I don’t know, but I think you should tell her sooner than later. As odd as this sounds, I think she’s safer with the clan.”
Jamie nodded and gasped. “I can't keep holding this spell. Tell me where you are?"
"August sixth, 1700. We’re on a boat heading to Athens," she said, remembering what the crewmen had told Zak when they’d first boarded.
"Athens?" Trent yelled, horrified, as he stormed toward her.
She tried to calm him. “Trent, it’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“It’s not?”
“Trent,” she whispered.
Jamie flinched as she gritted her teeth. "I'll get back to you as soon as possible." She and Trent began to fade.
“I’ll see you soon,” she called to their dissipating forms.
Cadence jolted awake. Sitting up, she met Zak’s blazing eyes. He paced back and forth in front of the bed like he was trying to wear a hole in the ship.
“Pleasant dreams, sweetheart?” he asked with a growl.
Cadence smoothed her hand through her hair and sighed. “Not really. I — ”
“You were calling out Trent’s name,” he snapped.
“I was?”
“You were.”
“I mean, he was there, but I wasn’t calling his name.”
Zak grunted and blew out a breath.
“It’s not what you think,” she explained. Clearly he was thinking her dream had been of the X-rated kind. “Jamie contacted me. She used Trent as an anchor to reach me.”
Zak stopped pacing and shook his head before walking to the port window. He stared out without saying anything.
"What happens when we get home?" he asked, keeping his back to her.
"We try to stop the coven and Malcolm." She wrapped the sheet around her. Getting up from the bed, she padded toward him.
“I meant with us,” he said as he turned and looked into her eyes.
She gaspe
d, biting her lip at the intensity in his eyes. They glowed, highlighting the silvery-blue color. “I wouldn’t have started this... this relationship with you if I didn’t intend to see it through,” she told him. “I won’t let you hurt Maddie. I’m asking you to let us find another way.”
"So when we go back you'll choose me over Trent?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes, but I can't let you hurt the people I love. That would be the only thing that stood between us." She met his eyes, holding his gaze, begging him to see how sincere she was. Their relationship had morphed into something that she didn’t want to give up.
Could he give up Maddie if it meant losing her? It would leave him and his family vulnerable. She bit her lip before adding, "I don't expect us to come to an agreement about Maddie right now. Just promise me you’ll think about it, please."
"And all I ask," he growled, causing her to flinch at the anger in his voice, "is that you don’t lie to me about your intentions.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he didn’t give her the chance. His lips crashed against hers. She gasped into his mouth, allowing his tongue to dominate hers. He nipped and sucked her bottom lip as his hands tugged the sheet off her body.
Heat shot to her core, and her nipples pebbled as his bare chest pressed against hers. Her fingers went to his pants, unfastening them. Zak stepped out of his garments and spun so her back was against the wall.
He ran a hand down her leg, stopping at the knee and lifting it so it hooked around his waist. His hand went to his cock, guiding it to her apex and rubbing the tip against her folds, teasing her.
She wiggled her hips, needing to feel him inside of her. He pushed the tip of his member into her silky core and dropped his hand to cup her other knee, lifting her up before burying himself inside.
Cadence gasped as he filled and stretched her. He pulled out and thrust inside her again, causing her to moan.
She clung to Zak as he moved inside her. He had her pinned against the wall so she could only move up and down as he let her. His mouth found hers. She kissed him back, her tongue swirling around his as he hit a spot that made her want to scream “yes right there” into his mouth. She grasped his back as the familiar tingles building in her grew with each deliberate thrust.
