by C. B. Haight
“All the same, I am sorry this happened.”
“Cade, you and my dad have been battling this evil all my life. I know the drill. I’m not sorry for it either. I know how important this is. I know what it means to people like me.” She did too. She learned recently, on a personal level, how truly evil The Faction was. Ashley felt a pang of guilt for keeping that secret from him, but knew he wasn’t ready to hear about it right now. “So go, do your thing. Help Collett and don’t worry so much about my feelings. I can come home anytime. She needs your help now.”
Cade leaned against the door jam. “Aren’t you going to give me a hug good-bye?” he asked.
Ashley’s hands fumbled her folding, and a familiar awkwardness came to her. Then she quickly recomposed herself. Ashley reminded herself of the strength of Collett’s feelings for Cade. Her feelings had never been that strong, and now Ashley knew without a doubt, what she felt for Cade was a small crush in comparison. She would never again have to wonder, what if? Or feel awkward around him. There was freedom in that, and it felt good.
She grinned, and her eyes twinkled. “You know what, I think I will.” She approached him and wrapped her arms enthusiastically around him, much like a sister would for a brother, and it felt right.
He returned the embrace with a tight squeeze, and murmured, “Be careful out there in Michigan, Ashley.”
Ashley pulled back, “I’m happy for you Cade. Collett loves you very much. I like her too, which is a bonus.”
Cade looked at her quizzically, “How did you know?”
“Collett showed me. She let me feel it. That’s what she projected to me last night. She loves you more than her very life. Her love for you is almost like a fairytale, it’s timeless.” She shrugged, “I thought you should know.”
Cade muttered, “Thanks.” Then he asked slightly disconcerted, “You felt it?”
“Yes, Cade I did.”
“Oh. Well I’ll, just ah…I’ll let you get finished up here.” He backed up to the door.
Ashley giggled playfully. She could sense Cade’s slight embarrassment. It was a little funny to her.
Because she was close to Cade, and because he had always been a part of her life, or perhaps because of his animal side, Ashley could usually sense his emotions. Maybe that’s why she invariably wondered about them, she thought. Maybe it was simply a result of her close emotional connection to him.
She teased him, “Don’t worry so much. It’s not as if I would tell James. I wouldn’t want to give him anymore ammo to tell bad jokes.”
Cade’s lips tilted up in a smile, “Thanks for that.”
She covered her mouth muffling her small giggle, and ordered, “Now go on. Get out of here. I have clothes to pack.”
He moved to leave the room, then stopped suddenly in the hall. He back-tracked a step, and poked his head in the room saying with a grin, “See ya later, alligator.”
Ashley was touched that Cade used their little routine from when she was a little girl when he had to go away. She always protested vehemently when he would leave them, knowing that sometimes it would be months before his return. Even back then, she could sense his worry. No matter how they sugar-coated it, even as a little girl, Ashley understood what Cade did was dangerous.
After they discovered her empathy and understood her protests, Cade promised her he would never say goodbye again, because he would always come back. That’s when Ashley had told him those very same words, thus starting their tradition.
She felt emotion choke her as she whispered back, “After a while crocodile.” With concerned tears glistening in her eyes; she conveyed her worry for him without saying a word.
“We’ll be careful, Ashley.”
“I know. Take care of her, Cade,” she replied.
Then with one last shared glance between them, Cade left Ashley to finish her packing. Making his way down the hall to the last room near the stairs, Cade carefully opened the door. He didn’t want to wake Collett, so he eased into the room and sat on the end of the bed. Then he contented himself with watching her sleep.
She hadn’t slept at all last night because of her concerns for everybody else. She had jumped right in by helping Jenny and Tracy pack, and making sure Nate made proper travel arrangements. She even attempted to talk Cynda into leaving as Rederrick suggested, but quickly learned about the wrath of Cynda Williams and dropped the subject.
When it was all done, everyone went off to bed and the house was quiet. Cade found Collett in the kitchen alone, staring out the window at something only she could see.
He had begged her to get some sleep, but she insisted she couldn’t close her eyes. With no more than a thought, Cade stayed up with her and kept her company all night. Collett hadn’t really been much company. She remained withdrawn and pulled into herself. She was reserved and cautious once again. Much like she had been when they first met. Cody came into the kitchen twice while they were in there, and Collett barely noticed.
Throughout most of the day, she stayed that same way, and Cade’s worry over her spurred his temper even more. Finally that afternoon, Cynda had seen enough. She insisted Collett get some rest. Cynda took her from Cade’s care, and ushered her up here, tucking her into bed like a child. Cade was sure she likely used a bit of magic to get the job done.
Now, as Cade watched, Collett lay there underneath the plush comforter, curled into a tight protective ball. The room darkened as the sun slowly dipped below the mountains, leaving a cloud-covered, night sky in its wake.
Almost as if it was an omen, the weather began to change this afternoon. Dark gloomy clouds moved in with a cold, biting wind pushing it along. A nasty winter storm was on its way with an oppressive darkness coming right behind it.
Cade noticed, even in sleep Collett was tense. Her lips were pressed into a tight, hard line and her brow was furrowed in concentration. Her soft, blonde hair fanned across the pillow, standing out in contrast to the white pillowcase.
Her breathing was the steady even breath of sleep, but her body was tense and rigid. Even her jaw was clenched tightly. Cade swore he could hear the grind of her teeth against each other. What is it you dream about? He wondered.
He moved closer to her and brushed his fingers lightly across her brow, pushing back her hair away from her face. Her brow relaxed slightly at his warm touch. Tired and wanting to offer her comfort, as well as just be close to her, Cade moved around the bed and cautiously eased in next to her. He laid his arm over her and closed his eyes. Just for a minute, he told himself.
The next thing he knew, Collett jerked and whimpered. He opened his heavy eyelids and realized he had fallen asleep. Suddenly, he was jolted fully awake when he heard a painful scream coming from next to him. Instinctively, he tightened his grip around Collett, trying to pull her to him.
Still sleeping, Collett clawed at his arm leaving angry red scratches across his skin and kicked out with her blanket-tangled legs. She whined, “No, please no!”
Holding tight, Cade tried to wake her, “Collett, it’s just a dream, wake up.”
She started sobbing, “No.” She cried again.
“Come on honey, come back to me. Wake up, it’s okay…I’m here,” he coaxed.
Eventually, her eyes fluttered open. She peered through the darkness looking at Cade’s shadowed features as he leaned over her. She bolted up like a coiled spring; so quickly in fact, she almost smacked his head with hers.
Reaching over, she clicked on the lamp sitting on the bedside table. Her sad, confused eyes stared at him for a moment. Then, just as abruptly as she had sat upright, she threw herself into his arms.
Collett clung to Cade, holding him as tightly as she could. Her dream seemed so real, for a brief horrifying moment, she believed it real, believed Cade had died. It was a dream, she thought. She closed her eyes trying to shut out the image, but it was there clear and real. She saw him crying out in horrible agony. She felt the burning pain rushing through him as he was held aloft in the sky by some strange f
orce. Then he fell to the ground, and she couldn’t get to him.
She held him fiercely, letting the silent tears leak from her gritty eyes. He held her just as fiercely, whispering reassurance. Finally, she sniffled and pulled away.
Cade wiped a tear from her cheek, “Better?”
She shook her head negatively.
“What happened?” he questioned gently.
She looked back to the bedroom door, “I have to leave.”
“You want to go downstairs.”
She shook her head again, “No, I have to leave this house. I can’t stay here.”
Cade’s face changed. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his jaw gritting out, “I thought we were past this.”
She jumped from the bed and bending down grabbed the suitcase from underneath. She plopped it right on top of the now tangled sheets and moved to the closet.
Cade leaped from the bed, quickly intercepting her to stand in her path. “What’s going on Collett?”
She tried to sidestep him, but he just altered his stance. “Cade, I have to leave. Please don’t make this any harder,” she insisted, but it was a weak reply.
“If you think I’m going to just stand by while you waltz out of the safety of this house, you’re going to find yourself surprised and severely disappointed.”
She turned her back on him and took a deep breath. If what she had seen last night, and if the images in her dream were possibilities, if she really could tell the future, she knew she had to go. It was either him or her. Her life or his, one of them would not live through this. Her decision was simple.
She tried a different tactic. “Cade, I can’t do this. It was a nice dream, but you and I will never work. Your immortality does bother me, more than I care to admit. So let’s just call it what it is. No harm, no foul.” With her back to him, she closed her eyes and finished the lie. “I’m not sure I did love you, I think I just got caught up in the moment. It’s been a long time since I had a connection with someone. I took it too far, is all.” Her heart broke as she uttered each word.
Cade said nothing. He just stood there quietly.
Collett turned, and to her surprise, she saw he was completely unbothered by her statement.
“You’ll have to do better than that load of crap,” he said simply.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He moved up right in front of her and said, “I know you love me. You can’t lie worth a damn. Keep that in mind for the future, in case you ever try to play poker.”
She tilted her head up and met his gaze, “I have to leave! I can’t stay here,” she pleaded quietly.
“Why?”
“I just have to.”
“Fine, we’ll go together. Tell me where and we’ll go. We’ll leave tonight,” he said.
“Please Cade. Let me go.”
“No, Collett. Tell me what’s wrong. Can’t you trust me to help you?”
“You can’t help. You’re the problem!” The tears slipped free of her hold over them.
Cade tipped his head puzzled by her curious statement. “Say again?”
“If I stay… you’ll die! I won’t let you die. Please Cade, let me go!”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The house was practically empty. He watched them leave one by one. He almost reconsidered his whole plan. The Hunter still wondered if it would be so simple. Truthfully, he wanted to try the direct approach and see what would happen.
Almost right away, The Hunter noticed the bustle of activity that went on, the change in the atmosphere. He saw the men patrolling the grounds in regular patterns. They were tense and alert. Keeping his distance, he watched throughout that night, the next day, and continued his vigilant scrutiny.
Something had changed. He didn’t really care what it was, but The Hunter knew he could take advantage of it.
When night fell once again and the old man and his wife left with their younger daughter, he knew there would be no better opportunity. He swiftly went to his hidden supplies and got to work. He took caution when he spotted the young, lanky boy leaning against the tree not far away. He heard the kid on his phone and pricked his ears, picking up the muffled conversation. The Hunter couldn’t help but be surprised at what he heard. Idiots were born every day, he thought. Not that it would matter in a few minutes anyway.
The Hunter had laid the trap, learned all he needed to learn. It was time to act.
He moved quickly, and after taking care of the minor hiccup, The Hunter hastily doused the dried winter brush with the gasoline then struck a match. He watched how the tiny, blue-yellow flame sparked to life. The small flame danced back and forth in the winter breeze. It was amazing to him, that something so small could spread so fast. That it could cause so much havoc and pain.
His mind flashed back to another time when fire irrevocably changed his life. The recurring nightmarish image invaded his mind against his will. He could still smell the acrid scent of burning flesh to this day.
Roughly shaking off the horrifying childhood memory, and berating himself for even allowing it into his thoughts, he dropped the match, putting his long-awaited plan into motion. He sped away from the location of the now burning fire to take up his planned position. Now all he needed to do was wait and let the rabbits come out of their hole.
****
Stunned shock covered Cade’s features, “What are you talking about?”
“I saw it in my dream. You died.” Collett said insistently with emotion still fresh in her voice.
“It was only a dream. It’s just your nerves.”
“No! It was more than that. I saw him kill you!” she pleaded with a desperate tone.
Cade’s eyes sharpened, “Who?” he demanded.
Her brow pinched as she tried to explain, “That’s just it. I know, but I don’t know. I can’t see him. His voice is so real, so familiar. I know his voice. ”
Locking gazes with her Cade lowered his voice, “Have you dreamed of his voice before?”
“Yes, a few times. Different dreams, but I’ve heard his voice before. ‘You can’t save them.’ That’s what he says.” She waved it away with her hand. “It doesn’t change the fact that I still have to get as far away from you as possible,” she said stubbornly
Shaking his head, Cade responded with confidence, “Not going to happen.”
“And I’m not going to let you get yourself killed protecting me.”
“I can handle myself just fine. So I guess that settles it, you’ll continue to stay here, and I’ll agree not to do anything stupid.”
“I don’t think that settles anything,” Collett protested.
“That’s fine you’ll…” Cade abruptly stopped mid-sentence, and sniffed the air. His eyes darkened, turning hard. He reached up to his ear and pressing the com, “Cody?”
After a moment, his brows drew together, “Cody!” he repeated with more force.
His warm, honey-golden eyes turned cold and flinty. Grabbing Collett’s hand, he pulled her to the door.
“Cade, what is it?” she asked concerned.
Instead of answering her, she heard him angrily mutter under his breath, “If you’re not hurt or bleeding, you’re going to be.”
Chills crawled down Collett’s spine. It was happening. Something was terribly wrong. She knew their time had run out.
Cade pulled Collett along with him downstairs, practically dragging her along behind him. His worry for Cody mounted. Several possible scenarios raced through his mind. Cody should have answered his call. He should have been patrolling the grounds. Where could he be? What happened to him?
Cade depressed the button on his com link again and shouted this time, “Cody!” he was hoping Cody fell asleep.
Nothing.
“Cody… you better answer me, boy!”
Still nothing.
When they finally entered the security room, Cade frantically searched each screen looking for any sign of Cody. After running through several different angles an
d views, Cade saw what he was looking for. The leaping flames jumped and danced across the screen. He knew he smelled smoke and now understood why. Out near the small creek, a fire raged and sparks flew. Even though the screens didn’t give him sound, Cade could imagine the crackle and snapping sounds that would be coming from the wood and brush that currently lit up the night.
Behind him, seeing the image before them, Collett gasped. She brought up her hand, covering her lips in shock. The bright, orange-yellow flames stood out in direct contrast with the black of the night surrounding them.
Cade noticed the fire was right on the border of where the perimeter alarms had been set. Whoever lit the fire must have known that, which meant that person likely knew even more.
Dammit Cody, you better be okay. Cade thought to himself. Still even more troubling to Cade was the fact that the fire would eventually burn itself out. It wasn’t a direct threat to them here. Cade understood this was a calling.
His worry for Cody shifted into fear. Something was wrong. He couldn’t leave Cody out there to die if someone captured him, but he didn’t want to leave Collett here alone. There was no one else to stay with her and keep her safe.
Knowing he had no alternative Cade made the only choice left to him. He would have to help Cody. He could not leave him to The Faction’s killers. Turning quickly Cade snapped out, “Stay here, in this room, where it’s safe, and call Rederrick! Tell him to get a move on!” Then he ran from the room.
Collett rushed to the phone as Cade hurried from the room leaving the vaulted door open in his hurry. She picked up the cordless phone and dialed the emergency number for Rederrick that had been drilled repeatedly into her mind.
After two rings, she heard his voice on the other end of the line, “What is it?” his tone fully alert.
“There’s a fire near the stream. Cade already left. You need to get here now. I think it’s a trap,” Collet answered.
“We’re on our way. Find a safe place to hide. Go to the security room and lock the door. There is a gun in my desk drawer in the den. It’s loaded already, so be careful. We will be there in… thirty seven minutes.”
