by Bethany Shaw
The blinding natural light assaulted her sensitive pupils, causing her to blink rapidly. Zak didn’t stop moving, whipping them through the crowded streets. The warm rays of the morning sun beat down on her and she inhaled a relieved breath as she nuzzled into Zak’s shoulder. Safe.
Moments later, Zak came to a halt and Cadence peered around at the wavering boats by the dock.
“I hope you don’t mind a boat ride?” Zak asked, quirking his brow.
She shook her head as a smile slipped off her lips. “No. Thank you.” Her shoulders sagged and she let out a long breath, burrowing further into the safety of his embrace. It was over. The nightmare was finally over. “I’ll go anywhere with you, just get me out of here.”
“I’ll always find you, Cadence.” Zak reached up to stroke her cheek. “Let’s board.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond before taking her by the elbow and guiding her up the plank to the boat. He said something to a crewman who immediately began to prep the boat for departure.
“Where’s Oliver? Is he coming with us?” she asked.
Zak closed his eyes. “He’s not coming. He drew them away and is going on his own path.”
“Is he safe?”
Zak licked his lips and looked in the general direction of the Montessori. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
She nodded as he continued to guide her over the deck. A door led below. Her free hand went to the handrail as she made her way down the narrow steps to the cabins.
“Go in the next room on your right,” he told her.
Cadence slipped inside and peered around the tiny room. A bed sat in the far corner along with a few small pieces of furniture anchored down with nails. The door clicked shut behind her, and she whirled around to face Zak.
Emotions swirled through her, and she swallowed. I’m safe. For the first time in weeks, fear wasn’t pitting in her stomach. Zak seemed just as affected as her. His lips parted, and his mouth opened and closed, but no words escaped.
"I was so afraid," she said, her voice thick with unshed tears.
"Shh. It's ok. You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anything happen to you again." He cupped her face with his hands.
"I love you." The words slipped out without her thinking. The words took her back, but she glanced up to meet his eyes, wanting him to know that she meant them.
He froze, but his gaze held hers. She took a step forward, her admission making her bold as she reached out for his tunic and released the threads holding it together. Zak blinked, shrugging the garment off. Her hands roamed his body, trying to rid him of his clothes as their mouths met. Her tongue swirled in his mouth, moving against his skillfully.
Cadence needed to feel in control. It had been too long since the last time she had complete control, and it had worn on her. She made quick work of his shirt as his hands found the laces at her back and he helped her out of her dress. She found his lips again, enjoying the feel of them. He had to be feeling this desperate need, too.
With a growl, he spun them so that she was pressed against the wall, his body rubbing against hers in the most sinful way. The fabric of his pants and her undergarments did little to hide his desire for her, and that only made her hotter as his need pressed against her stomach.
Running her hands through his hair, she relished the feel of him. A few moments ago, she’d feared never seeing him again. Now she never wanted to let him go. His lips moved down her neck to her collarbone, and even lower. He pushed her undergarments off until they pooled on the floor at her feet. Returning the favor, she relieved him of his pants so they stood bare before each other. Cadence arched into him as he took one of her breasts into his mouth with a skillful flick of his tongue. A moan escaped her lips. God, I missed this – missed him.
Cadence gasped as his hand traveled down the valley of her breasts and across her stomach. She knew where it was going but reached down to stop him. Holding his wrist, she pushed him backwards, walking with him until the backs of his knees met the bed.
With a playful but firm push, he was on his back watching her with one of his eyebrows raised as she moved to straddle him. She needed to feel him inside her like she needed her next breath. Positioning herself, she closed her eyes and bit her lip. She took him in inch by inch until he filled her completely. Slowly, she began to rock against him as he thrust up into her, hitting her so deep. Bracing herself against his smooth hard chest, she raised herself up and fell back onto him. A growl slipped past his lips and she repeated the action. His hands found her hips, lifting her up faster and bringing her down harder, causing her to cry out as well.
Cadence let all the sorrow, fear, and worries leave her mind as they moved together. His touch soothed and comforted her in a way she hadn't been since the last time she had seen him. This was right – this moment was right. She was so close to her orgasm, but she wanted to kiss him to make this more intimate than it already was. Pulling him up, she pressed her mouth to his and tasted his delicious full lips as they moved together. His fangs extended.
She moved back, tossing her hair to one side, exposing her neck. "Go ahead.”
Zak growled, leaning forward. The second his teeth sunk into her flesh, she was done. Her sex clenched Zak as she rode out her orgasm, spurring on his release.
With a flick of his tongue, he licked up the blood from her neck. Cradling her to him, he lay back on the bed. He ran his hands up and down her spine, causing her to shiver against him. Careful to keep her covered, he pulled the blankets up and over her shoulders.
Chapter Two
"You're finally awake," Zak said as he pulled Cadence closer.
"Barely." Just because she was technically awake didn't mean she didn't feel groggy. She grunted as she opened her eyes and took in the tiny cabin. It was smaller than she remembered, but the bed was comfortable. Well, more than sleeping on the ground.
He kissed her forehead. "I was beginning to think you worked yourself into a sex-induced coma."
Cadence smiled. They'd made love three more times last night, even sharing blood. Their bond was getting stronger; she could feel it even if she couldn’t describe it. The need to be one with him physically and mentally had been unbearable. She had dropped the L-bomb on him last night, too. She hadn't expected him to say it back, but it would have been nice. She got that he was a guarded person, and what he hadn't said he had shown her. She could see in his eyes that he truly cared for her.
"How long was I asleep?" she asked as she drew circles on his chest.
"Almost a whole day."
"Oh! Did you stay with me the whole time?"
"No." He propped himself up on his elbow. "I went up to make sure everything was going according to plan and that we weren't being followed. I don't think anything could have woken you. You slept through quite the storm this morning, and didn’t even stir.”
She sighed and stared up at the wooden ceiling. "I’m glad I missed that. I haven't slept in weeks. Not since the last night we were together."
"Me either," he said, swallowing. She heard the emotion in his voice.
"Where are we going?" she asked, not wanting to dwell on their separation any longer.
"We will be docking in Italy. Then we can go anywhere you want, providing we can find a witch."
"Do we have a plan?"
Zak sighed, letting out a long breath. “Your friend did come up with something, assuming she’s still working with my family.”
“Why? What is it?” she asked, moving so she could sit up.
“Jamie made contact during your absence. Oliver told her what had happened. She was not very happy, but she begrudgingly gave me a few ideas on how we might reach you.”
Cadence reached out, taking his hand into hers. “It wasn’t your fault. Malcolm knew exactly what he was doing. I’m just glad we were both able to get away safely.”
“How did you get away from the fire?”
Cadence blinked and looked away as red heat crept over her cheeks. “I don’t how
long I’d been running at that point. It didn’t occur to me until I was completely surrounded by flames, but I can control fire. It was as simple as moving the flames out of my way and hurrying across the scorched ground before my boots melted. When I realized what I could do, I felt like such an idiot. I could have made my way back to you and avoided this whole mess.”
“You couldn’t have known,” he told her, reaching out to run a hand down her cheek.
She shrugged, still feeling sheepish for not realizing it sooner. Perhaps she could have found her way back to him that day if she had.
"Jamie is supposed to contact me again with the details,” Zak said, changing the subject. “She and Eli think they’ve found something. Between the two of them they will figure it out. If their plan works, we’ll be safe until we return home."
Cadence smiled and closed her eyes. “That would be nice.”
***
“He’s found her!” Oliver burst into Eli’s study, meeting his brother’s eyes.
Jamie turned around and lifted her brow questioningly. He looked better. The sweat that had glistened on his brow hours ago gone, and color had returned to his skin. “You’re sure?”
“Positive!” Oliver bobbed his head up and down. “The headache stopped a minute ago after I evaded Malcolm and made my way into Brussels. I feel so much better, thanks for asking.”
“I didn’t.” Jamie rolled her eyes. “We should do this now. I want to see that she is safe and with Zak.” She shuddered at her words. “Safe” and “with Zak” didn’t go together.
"I don't understand why you want me to do this," Eli said. For the first time since they’d begun to work together, she saw fear in the vampire’s eyes.
"I'm not saying you have to," she said as she shifted through his paperwork. "Just that since you're the one who has done all this research about the dates and times, it might be best if you talked with them. That way we don't have to do this again if they have a question I can't answer." She thought she understood all of his logic, but she wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. They needed to focus their efforts on extracting Maddie from the coven.
"It's not so bad." Oliver clapped him on the back. "Jamie knows what she’s doing." He wagged his eyebrows at her.
"I could go again. I’ve been helping with this too, I know what’s going on." Trent slipped inside the partially open office door.
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Oliver said, sneering at him.
"I need to know that Cadence is okay." Trent crossed his arms over his chest. "According to you, she's been missing for weeks."
And she’s bonded to Zak, Jamie thought to herself. She wasn’t going to be the one to share that with Trent.
"She is reunited with my brother. I assure you she is perfectly fine.” Oliver narrowed his eyes.
"Forgive me for not taking your word,” Trent said.
Jamie cleared her throat. "Their separation had nothing to do with Zak, Trent. Judging by the way Oliver looks, I’m inclined to believe that the timeline is back on track. I still think Eli should be the one to go. He is the master behind the plan. Between the pair of us, we can answer any question they might have."
"Enough talking. Let's just do this." Eli sighed, seeming annoyed. "What do I have to do?"
After explaining the process and finishing her preparations, Jamie was finally ready to do the spell. Lying down on the couch, she began to chant, allowing herself to slip into the dream world. Once there, she pulled Eli into the plane with her.
"Now you need to reach out to Zak with your mind," Jamie said as she looked around the rolling mist of the dream realm. She watched as Eli concentrated. It took several minutes but finally she felt a third presence.
"Zak?" Eli asked, staring at his brother.
"Eli? To what do I owe the honor?" Zak smiled as he flicked his gaze between Jamie and his brother.
"Have you found Cadence?" Jamie asked hopeful. His mood seemed pleasanter than the last time she had seen him, and Oliver did seem better.
"Yes." He closed his eyes, and within a moment Cadence’s form materialized in the mist.
"Cadence?" Jamie’s heart lurched as she rushed to her friend and wrapped her arms around her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Cadence said, giving her a bright smile as she pulled back.
"I'm glad you're safe," Jamie said, letting her relief show. Taking just a moment to compose herself she turned to Zak. "Do you know where you’ll be performing the spell? We need to line up the time of your full moon's apex to our time so we can pull you through."
"Paris. I thought the Eiffel Tower would be a good landmark so there’s no confusion," Zak said. “Do you think you’ll be able to do the spell, considering the crowd?”
“I can manage,” Jamie said. “I’ve memorized it so I won’t need anything. If anyone sees, it will just look like I’m having a heated conversation with whoever I’m with.”
Eli shook his head. "I’m not sure Paris is a great idea. I’ve done the math, and the time we’re aiming for is 1944.”
Zak’s face fell. “Oh.”
"1944 as in World War II? That’s just great." Cadence groaned as she met Jamie’s eyes. "It would be nice to catch a break just once."
"We could send you to 1863. That’s the next closest date with a full moon." Eli looked between the two of them.
"No, 1944 will do," Cadence said. “It will be faster for us to get across the ocean, and it can’t be too bad, right?” She turned to Zak with a lifted brow.
Jamie licked her lips and glanced at the two vampires. Having lived through the time, they would know better than her or Cadence what it was like.
"Europe in that time was a dangerous place, Cadence." Zak put a hand on her shoulder. “Europe was at war. There were bombings and battles, and people in general were at their very worst.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as he gazed at her.
Jamie cocked her head to the side, watching the gentleness of his touch. Was there some truth to what Oliver had said about Cadence and Zak? Were they involved romantically? Did the evil vampire actually care for Cadence?
"Well, we're not exactly normal people." Cadence shrugged as she moved closer to Zak. “Besides, we don’t have to stay in Paris. We need to use a landmark that will be easy for them to get to in 2016.”
“The Tower hasn’t been constructed yet,” Eli said. “You know its exact location? You have to be remotely in the same spot as Jamie. There is no margin for error.” He turned to his brother.
Zak nodded. “I’ve been there enough times. I know exactly where I’m going.”
"Are you sure?" Jamie asked. "Once we agree, I don't know if I'll be able to contact you again. You won't have another choice."
"Yes," Cadence said adamantly.
"It's not a pretty place in 1944, Cadence," Zak said again. "Are you sure you don’t want to go to 1863?"
Cadence clasped Zak’s hand. "I know the closer to home we get, the better. Let’s do 1944 at the Eiffel Tower. We won’t have to stay long after the spell. I know you can get us out of there fast if need be."
"In that case, I have a place in Audincourt. It’s on the French and Switzerland border. You may stay there if you wish. Just promise you’ll go easy on my past self, Zak." Eli hesitated. "You should be safe there for the few months until you must travel home. You will have to cut across France though at some point."
Cadence smiled. "That sounds nice. Thank you."
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Jamie turned to Eli. “You saw how much pain Oliver was in when his timeline was disrupted.”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to manage, especially if I know what to expect,” Eli said. “They’ll need a safe place to go during that time. I kept to myself, so it shouldn’t alter the timeline much.”
"I don't know how much longer we have. What day is it where you are?" Jamie asked.
"December twentieth," Zak replied.
Jamie nodded. "And the full moon is January se
cond? And you'll be in Paris?" she asked, wanting to make sure they had all their information correct.
Zak shared a look with Cadence. "Yes.”
"It's almost Christmas for you, Cadence," Jamie said, her eyebrows raised. It was crazy to think that so much time had passed for them when it hadn't even been a month for her.
Cadence smiled and looked at Zak before back to Jamie. “You’re right. I hadn’t given the date much thought until now.”
Jamie leaned forward and hugged her friend, slipping a piece of paper with the spell into Cadence’s hand. "Keep safe, Cadence. Try and enjoy your holiday. We'll see you soon. I’ve spelled this paper, it should be in your hand when you wake."
***
Zak was the first to rise. Judging by the rocking of the boat, the sea was a little choppy today. From past experience, he knew Cadence became nervous during rough seas. Zak just hoped they would still dock on time. Getting to Paris was going to be hard enough without delays. Cadence was still sound asleep in his arms, her legs intertwined with his. He could get used to this, and really hoped that it would last when they got home.
People said things they didn't mean all the time, made promises they couldn't keep. In all his years, he had seen people make promises with no intent of following through. Yet when Cadence said she loved him, he believed her.
Expressing emotions was a foreign concept to him. Cadence was the only person he had ever cared for outside of his family. Even as a human, he hadn’t loved Lise. Sure, she had been nice enough and would have made a good wife and mother... but he hadn’t cared for her in the capacity that a man should for his wife. Cadence, on the other hand, was the most important person in his life. There were things he wanted to tell her and share with her, but he didn't know how.
Soft kisses on his chest brought his attention back to the beautiful blonde in his arms. "Morning," she said.
"Morning." He picked up one of her blonde locks and twirled it around his finger. "We should be getting up. I believe we will be docking soon."
"Okay."
Zak sat up, his eyes slipping to the piece of paper on the end table with the spell on it. "Do you want to go stay with Eli after we get to 1944?" he asked as he slipped out of bed.
