A Times Journey Box Set (A Times Journey Novel Book 4)

by Bethany Shaw

  “Cadence...” He looked down as he played with the cuff of his sleeve. “The bond — ”

  “I know,” she told him. “I’m more worried about your father right now than I am about that.”

  Zak sighed, unsure if that should make him angry or if he should take her words in stride.

  “We haven’t shared blood in some time, and the connection I have with you still feels like it's getting stronger,” she told him. Her hand grasped his. “I’m not scared of it anymore. I think we should explore it.”

  He swallowed at her admission. She wanted to explore the bond? Surely he hadn’t heard her right. “Are you sure, sweetheart?”

  She bit her lip, then nodded. “Yes.”

  Zak rolled his sleeve up while his teeth extended. He sank his fangs into his wrist and then held his bloodied arm over her mouth, letting a few rivulets drop into Cadence’s mouth.

  She licked up the crimson and then settled herself on the bed, sighing loudly. His eyes went to her leg. He let out a breath as the wound knitted together until all that was left was a long, pink scar.

  “Better?” he asked as he touched her leg.

  “Tons. My head doesn’t feel like it's going to implode,” she told him with a smile.

  “Good.” He smoothed hair from her face as her eyes fluttered closed.

  “I don’t want to work on magic for a while,” she told him.

  Harrison would know how to handle this. He would know if it was safe for her to continue to work on her magic or not. Zak’s brother was in the New World by now, unreachable. Perhaps suspending their work on her magic wasn’t a bad idea. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her.

  “I never asked, where are we?” Cadence wondered.

  “September, 1781.”

  She opened her eyes and sat back up. “I don’t want to fight.”

  He lifted his brow in question. Those sounded exactly like fighting words to him.

  “But you sent Harrison and Melanie away to keep them safe. Then you turn around and drag Oliver into our mess. Why?”

  Zak dragged a hand over his face. “Harrison doesn’t know what our father is capable of. He and Melanie aren’t fighters like the rest of my siblings. They wouldn’t stand a chance against Malcolm. Oliver knows what we’re up against, for better or worse. He knows how relentless Malcolm is and how he operates.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” she mumbled as she leaned back into the pillows.

  “Why don’t you get some sleep,” he suggested. His blood could work its magic, and she’d feel better in the morning.

  She smiled up at him. “I think that’s a good idea.” Her eyes closed, and he only had to wait a moment before her breathing evened out.

  There was another reason he’d sent Harrison away. Melanie. She was his weakness. His brother would do anything to save her life. Malcolm would exploit it, just like he was exploiting Zak’s love for Cadence.

  ***

  Cadence’s eyes darted over the field as Zak and Oliver sparred. She ran her hands through the crunchy brown grass. It hadn’t rained here in months, and she could tell. Zak and Oliver’s forms sped through the long grass, breaking the brittle blades with a blur of movement. Her eyes must be adjusting to their speed because she could make out their forms, which was more than she’d been able to do a few weeks ago when they had started training.

  She flinched as Zak delivered a deafening blow to Oliver. Oliver toppled to the ground as his feet flew up in the air. Her eyes darted to Zak. Sweat brimmed on his brow, and his bare back glistened in the sunlight. She licked her lips, remembering the way their sweat-slicked bodies had moved together only hours earlier.

  "Cadence, are you paying attention?" Zak asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

  She blinked, realizing that he was right in front of her.

  "Sorry, Zak, she's too busy staring at me." Oliver smirked as he sat up in the grass and motioned to his torso.

  Cadence rolled her eyes. Zak had not been joking when he warned her about Oliver, who was becoming more obnoxious each passing moment. "I'm watching your brother kick your butt," she told him sweetly.

  "Such language for a beautiful woman," Oliver said, wide-eyed. "I like her, Zak. Where did you find her again?"

  "Are you ready for your turn, Cadence?" Zak asked, turning toward her while ignoring his brother’s question. "You were paying attention, right?"

  "Yes," she said, nodding her head. “I’m not using magic,” she told Oliver.

  “Ah.” Oliver pointed and laughed. “Now I know your weakness.”

  “You knew she wasn’t going to use magic. Behave,” Zak warned with a growl.

  "Relax, I’m not going to hurt her,” Oliver said, holding his hands up in surrender.

  Zak leaned in to Cadence. "Remember to watch him, watch his eyes. The eyes never lie."

  Cadence nodded her head and turned toward Oliver. Zak had told her that if she didn’t want to practice magic for the moment he wouldn’t push, but they were going to work on training her. He’d also explained that sparring against another partner would strengthen her rhythm. She wasn’t so sure about that, but there was one thing she did know. With both vampires training her in combat, she was going to be lethal.

  Oliver swung and she ducked out of the way, dropping to the ground in a split. She swung her back leg around and knocked Oliver on his bottom.

  He hit the ground with a thump, then laughed as he blinked up at her. "Where the bloody hell did you learn to do that with your legs?" Oliver asked, using his arms to imitate her split.

  "Sports," she informed with a laugh.

  "That is amazing," Oliver said, staring at her legs. "What do you mean by sports?"

  "Dance. I took dance in high school and in college. It actually got me a partial scholarship,” she explained, though Zak was the only one who seemed to know what she was talking about.

  “I’ve seen a lot of dancing, but never with that move,” Oliver replied, wagging his brows. “Is this how they dance in the future?”

  "Don't encourage him, sweetheart," Zak said as he offered Cadence his hand and pulled her to her feet.

  "I'm the one knocked on my arse, and you help her up. I see where your allegiances lie, Brother," Oliver said. He pushed himself to his feet while brushing himself off.

  "You got your arse knocked down by a human, and you have vampire reflexes. Don't expect me to feel bad for you," Zak said.

  "It was the move that got me,” Oliver explained as he stared at her waist and ran his eyes down her legs. “Impressive.”

  “You’re getting better,” Zak told Cadence while ignoring his brother. “Your movements are more fluid.”

  "Am I getting better?" she asked, excited. Three long weeks of sparring against him was enough to make any human question their fighting technique. Besting Zak was not an easy feat. "Or are you just trying to make me feel good?"

  Oliver tapped his bare chest. "Darling, if you need me to make you feel good — "

  "Oliver," Zak interrupted with a growl. Cadence had grown accustomed to Oliver's shameless flirting. Honestly, the only reason she thought he did it anymore was because it got under Zak's skin.

  Both men paused, each cocking their heads to the side. Zak put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be silent. She held her breath. Whatever they heard was something her human ears couldn’t.

  “A single man on horseback,” Zak said as he relaxed with a sigh.

  “Malcolm doesn’t ride horses?” she asked.

  “Too slow for his taste,” Oliver said. “Why ride when you can run somewhere faster?”

  “Good point,” she agreed.

  “Speaking of Father, I think we should continue on our way. The full moon is fast approaching. Father could be anywhere and we need to find a witch,” Zak explained.

  “When are you going to start practicing magic again, Cadence?” Oliver asked. “I’ve heard about your power, but haven’t gotten the opportunity to see it myself.�
��

  “Oliver,” Zak warned.

  “She’s a witch who isn’t using her magic,” Oliver pointed out.

  Cadence sighed. “He’s right.” She hated to admit it but he had a point. “Liana and Katherine aren’t going to fight me with their fists. They’ll use magic, and that’s what I’ll need to bring to the battle.”

  “Turning against your own coven for my brother?” Oliver asked, skeptical. “I thought witches stuck together.”

  “So did I. That is, until the coven murdered my mother and tried to have me killed,” she said through gritted teeth. Anger flared inside her at the memory.

  “Oh,” Oliver said.

  “We only have a handful of months until we go home. I need to be at my strongest by then,” she told Zak.

  “When you feel up to it, we will begin again.”

  She swallowed, nodding. He was leaving the ball in her court. Hopefully her magic would work. If she overexerted too much, it would kill her.

  ***

  “You’re back late,” Maddie commented as Jamie snuck into their room.

  Jamie set her bag down on the carpet and leaned against the door. “I’ve been working with Eli and Oliver to come up with a plan of action for the full moon.”

  “Any luck?” Maddie wondered.

  “No. And we hit a big snag.” She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.

  “What happened?”

  “Unless we are able to make contact with Cadence and Zak at the right time, we won’t know where it is that they intend to do the spell,” Jamie explained.

  “I don’t understand,” Maddie said.

  “When they time hop, they don’t travel outside of their physical location. Like if they traveled from this room, they would land in this same spot when they finished their hop. It’s hard to contact them without putting myself in jeopardy because it takes so much energy to do it,” Jamie finished with a sigh.

  “Then maybe you should get some help,” Maddie suggested.

  “From who?” Jamie asked. “I don’t trust anyone here anymore. Everyone is eating out of Liana and Katherine’s palm. One wrong word and it's game over.”

  “I was talking about me,” Maddie whispered.

  “But you’re locked in here. I don’t know how you’d help.”

  “I wouldn’t be here,” Maddie told her.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’ve thought a lot about my options, Jamie. I don’t want to die. I’m twenty-eight years old and still have my whole life ahead of me. Only it’s not years for me. I have two weeks. I’d rather live my life as a vampire then die right now,” she said as she got up and began to pace.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Jamie asked.

  “I think so.” Maddie stopped and met her friend’s eyes. “I want you and the vampires to focus on finding a way to get me out of here. However, I don’t want them to turn me until they absolutely have to. Those are my conditions.”

  “I’ve already been negotiating when the transformation would take place. I’ll run this by them first thing in the morning,” Jamie whispered. “You really know what you’re doing?” She wanted to ensure her friend knew exactly what she was getting into.

  “It’s my best option for the moment.”

  “I’m still determined to find you a different option,” Jamie promised, though she hadn’t even begun to look into it yet.

  ***

  Cadence reached out for Zak, but found the bed empty. She opened her eyes and stretched her sore, sated body. Movement by the fire caught her eye, and she smiled as Zak turned to look at her. A piece of wood was in one of his hands, a small carving knife in the other.

  "You're not going to burn that, are you?" Cadence asked, remembering what had happened the last time she caught him whittling.

  "No. This one is turning out much better.”

  "Why did you burn the last one?" Cadence asked. She rose from the bed and wrapped the sheet around her before waddling to sit next to him on the floor. The fire was warm and she scooted closer, enjoying the heat.

  "It wasn't going the way I liked," he said, giving the same response he had before. It was a lie.

  "Zak."

  "It was you. The carving... it was you," he said. "I wasn't sure how you would react."

  "Oh."

  He had been making a carving of her. "Is that me now?" she asked, sitting up taller so she could see over his hands. He opened his palm to reveal a piece of wood that resembled her face. The likeness was hard to miss. "It's beautiful."

  "When the subject is as breathtaking as you, it’s easy for me to capture that beauty," Zak said, staring at her.

  Cadence smiled as heat rushed over her cheeks. Zak complimented her all the time, but it never got old. "Thanks."

  "Do you like it?" he asked.

  "You're very talented. Did you take a class or...” She trailed off, remembering he’d been doing it for a while.

  "I taught myself when I was a human. I’ve gotten much better over the years with lots of practice. It was a way to cope, to... let go. It's the one thing in my life where I can relax and not have to worry about anything else," Zak answered honestly.

  "I wish I could teach myself how to do something that nice. I almost failed art in school because I could only draw stick figures." Cadence laughed.

  "You were trying too hard," he responded, moving behind her and wrapping an arm around her. "Sometimes you just have to let go and let the pencil or brush do the work."

  "Perhaps if I'd had a hot art teacher like you I would have paid more attention," she teased.

  Zak chuckled at her comment. "I could teach you... if you want."

  "That would be nice." She smiled. “Do you draw and paint, too?”

  “Not so much, but it’s more or less the same basic concept.”

  “I guess I can see that,” she said, leaning back. “This is nice.”

  “What?” he asked as he went back to work on her carving.

  “This. Us,” she whispered. “Do you... do you think we could have this when we get back?” Her voice dropped to just above a whisper.

  “I don’t see why not. It may take a few weeks for things to settle down between my family and the coven, though.”

  “Would you want this? Something so domestic?” she asked before biting her lip. Things would change so much when they got home. It wouldn’t be the pair of them. It would be everyone. Judgment would rain down on them.

  “I think everyone wants a little peace and quiet. Their own slice of domestic bliss in one form or another,” he told her as he shaved away at the wood. “Anything is possible in our reality. If you can dream it, then it can be.”

  Zak was wrong about one thing. She could be happy with him, but there was the inevitable immortality and mortality. Then she'd always pictured having children. Zak could never give her those. They could make a relationship work long-term, but not for as long as she’d like. She’d grow old and he’d stay forever young. Would he still love her when she was on her deathbed?

  She closed her eyes and forced those thoughts out of her mind. Instead, she focused on the soft rocking from the way Zak moved as he worked. She let the motion lull her back into a blissful dream where everything was perfect.

  Her eyes opened again, and she stretched with a frown. She was in bed. How did I get here? She rolled over and found Zak staring out the window. He turned toward her.

  "Everything okay?" Zak asked

  "Yeah. I just didn't realize I fell asleep," she said, playing with the blanket that covered her.

  "It appears my carving bored you," he said.

  Cadence laughed out loud and burrowed further into the blankets. "I was tired. Somebody’s been keeping me busy." She had never been so busy in her life. Between training, sightseeing, and their bedroom activities, she was one occupied person. Sleep was something she wasn't getting a lot of - not that she would complain about that.

  "Speaking of being busy, it's our last day in B
ulgaria. We'll be leaving the country tonight once we get to the new time. What do you want to do today? Anything you’ve been dying to see that we haven’t yet?"

  What did she want to do? There was still so much to see and do. Cadence appreciated that he always asked her opinion, but he was the one who knew what was worth seeing and what wasn't. He had been everywhere — literally. "You choose," she suggested.

  "Very well," he replied. He lifted his brow and strutted to the bed. The mattress dipped down under his weight as he sat next to her. He leaned in, kissing her cheek before whispering in her ear. "But you tell me where we are going next. What country would you like to see?"

  "Hmmm." She stared up at the ceiling. Where did she want to go? "I would really like to see Paris, Berlin, or maybe London."

  Zak looked at her for a long moment as if thinking. "Perhaps Paris, depending on what time we wind up in. We should try to avoid running into myself or my siblings again."

  "What about Oliver?" Cadence asked. “Will he come with us? Or meet us?”

  Zak rolled his eyes. "Doubtful. Oliver is a roamer. He’ll be long gone from this village by the time we finish the spell.” He paused and looked to the closed door of their bedroom. “I have the feeling that all this was maybe supposed to happen. That it has all happened before. I don't think we have to worry about him keeping it a secret from us before we travel back in time." He looked away as if there was something on his mind, something more that he didn't want to say.

  "It's weird to think that all this has happened before. To think that Oliver knew what was to happen to us before we did," Cadence said, wondering how hard it must have been to keep a secret this big.

  “I don’t know if I should thank him or kill him for keeping it secret,” Zak responded with a sigh.

  “What? Why?” Cadence frowned.

  “On the one hand, it’s brought us together. On the other, my family is at great risk. They could be dead when we get back,” Zak explained as he met her eyes.

  “I don’t believe that,” Cadence whispered. “Liana went to a lot of trouble to send us here to try to stop us. To make sure I was with you. We’re important in the future. We’re the ones who can stop her. Your family will be alive when we return. I can sense it.”