My heart skipped a beat with the hope that what he said was right. Remembering one of Hunter's lessons, I said, "Yeah, I've heard that somewhere before."
***
The three of us rode in Nora's car in silence, each of us in our own world of thoughts. When we arrived at my mom's room, the man that Hunter assigned to watch over her was still standing in the same place he was when we left. He nodded my way and I returned the acknowledgement. Nora and I went into the room, while Eric walked up to the man and began talking to him.
My mom was sitting up in her bed and a look of relief swept over her face when she saw us. "Oh Cassie, Nora. I was so worried about you two when I woke up and saw you were gone. I tried to get that big Neanderthal to come in and tell me what was going on, but he just stood out there the whole time."
I looked back out at the guy in amazement. He must have some kind of patience, I thought to myself. I wondered if he already knew what had happened to Hunter. I was sure Eric was filling him in if he didn't.
Mom looked much better. The color had returned to her skin and she seemed to be moving around with much more ease than before. I hugged her and her arms felt stronger around me. I was relieved, knowing we were getting her out of here. When I pulled away, she searched my face. As much as I tried, I was horrible at hiding my distress from her.
"Cassie, has something else happened? What's wrong? Did you get rid of that Hunter guy?"
Her words stung, even though she didn't know how close she'd gotten to the truth about Hunter, and how much it hurt me.
"Yeah, Mom, he's gone," I said quietly, dropping my eyes from hers. I didn't want to answer any more questions. I just wanted to move on and get all of us to the Elders safely. "We're getting you out of here. Today. Now. We have to get to the Elders. You think you're strong enough or should I send Eric in here to help you?"
"No, no. I'm much better. Let me just get some clothes on and we can go. I'll just need to stop at the house... wait. Who's Eric? She looked out at the two men outside of her room. "But they all look so similar," she said, almost as if to herself. "They all look like..."
"Hunter, I know. They all work together and they're here to help. You're just going to have to trust me on this, Mom. We need them. And I'm sorry, but we won't be able to stop by your house for anything. We have to go now. We can pick up anything you may need along the way if we have to. Now, you go ahead and get dressed and I'll have one of the guys make sure the hospital staff stays away so we can get out of here easily." I didn't wait to hear any of the protests as I walked out of the room. I was determined to be in control of this, going off of my instincts. Anael told me to trust what's in my heart and I was listening.
Realizing I had never really even met the man that had been diligently protecting my mom this whole time, I went up and introduced myself. His name was Matthew, which was the extent of any information I got from him, but it didn't matter. What did matter was getting my mom out of there. I told them about my plan, adding that there would probably be some objections to it if any of the doctors or nurses saw us leaving. They promised to take care of that part of things and I had no doubt it would be effortless for them.
I looked through the window and saw my mom was dressed and Nora was getting her personal items from the room closet. They were ready to go. I put the guys in motion and went back into the room. We got my mom out without anyone noticing. In fact, there seemed to be no one anywhere in the hospital at the time, thanks to the two demons I had working with me.
It should have felt wrong. When it came down to it, I was working with the Devil. In the end, would they have my soul for it? The calm that seemed to come over my nerves was so odd considering what I was up against but, at the same time, it felt so right. I was afraid I was hardening inside, the last bit of softness that was within me now imprisoned with the man, or demon, that I'd so easily given in to. Would I ever get it back? Did I even want it back? I wasn't sure about anything anymore.
Mom, Nora, Eric, and I piled into Nora's car and set off for the Elders. Matthew was going to try and get in touch with Anael and help her in any way he could with Hunter. I told him, as much as I wanted Hunter out of that prison, I didn't want anyone else to suffer the same fate. I didn't get an agreement or denial, but from the determination on his face, I was sure nothing I said would matter. He was loyal to Hunter, just as Eric was. I wondered what it was that held these three together so tightly.
Nora was driving and my mom started directing her where to go from the passenger seat. Everyone seemed on edge and you could feel the tension in the car from the anxiety. When my mom continued to tell Nora the route we would be taking, Nora cried out suddenly, "I know, I know! I know where I'm going!"
Awesome, I thought, more surprises.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"Nora?" I prodded, expectantly. When she didn't start explaining, I lost it. "Look, I've had it with people lying to me, keeping things from me, fighting me, and trying to kill me today, so spill. How is it you know where the Elders are and why haven't you shared this fact until now?"
"I'm sorry, Cassie," she said, sounding defeated. I was leaning over the front seat, so I could only make out her profile, but I could tell she was struggling to hold it together as she drove. "I was sent here to watch over you by the Elders. It wasn't by chance that we met. I found you and basically threw myself into your life." I fell back into the seat, floored by her confession. "I'm so sorry," she added. "Please believe me when I tell you, that you have become like a sister to me and I care so much about you now. And you, Sara, you're like my family too." She looked back at me in the rearview mirror with anxious eyes.
"Watch me do what?" I asked, my tone not so forgiving. I couldn't deny that I was hurt by this. Did everyone I know have some ulterior motive with me? It seemed I was turning out to be just a pawn in everyone else's games. Well, I was done playing innocent, naïve little Cassie. From here on out, I trusted no one.
"They knew you were Anael's last descendent and that it would be dangerous for you if anyone found out. So they sent me to keep an eye on you, make sure nothing bad happened. I was to report to them the minute anything out of the ordinary occurred, and I did, but your mom went to see them before I even really knew what was happening to you. I guess I got so caught up in just being your friend that I forgot what I was really here for. I failed them, and you. I'm so sorry."
I could see through the mirror that she had started to cry, and I wanted to comfort her, but it was my life that was being played with and the deception hurt too much.
"Why is it that it's supposed to be this big secret that I'm Anael's descendent, but everyone seems to know but me? Can someone tell me that? Hey, Mom, did you know too?" I asked, lashing out. I heard my mom's surprised gasp and then a reprimand that I dismissed.
I turned to Eric next, who seemed content as a spectator to my tirade, which I completely expected as he'd said few words up until now. When I turned away though, I heard him say under his breath, "And you thought we were the bad guys."
I looked back at him, shocked that he said anything, much less that. "Really, Eric? You've been mute up until now and you come up with that?" I continued to stare at him, forcing him to look away from me, out the opposite window, but not before I saw the little smile on his face. Nice.
I sat back in my seat, allowing the steam to roll off of me. When I was finally calm enough, I said to everyone in the car, "Let's just get to the Elder's, okay? Unless there is anything else I need to know?" The silence was my only answer. Even Mom held back, which was saying a lot.
Laying my head back against the seat, I tried to put everything out of my mind, but the non-stop circus of events kept running through my head. Finally, I closed my eyes and let them all scatter until my brain grew tired. Before I knew it, I was running through that forest I'd grown so familiar with; running for my life from a presence I both loved and feared.
Hunter caught up with me, as usual, kissing me again with a gentleness t
hat didn't seem to fit his strong physique. The familiar dread came over me as I asked him again, "Will you kill me now?"
"No, Cassandra, I do not need to kill you," he told me softly, touching my cheek with his fingertips.
A relief passed over me and a new hope ignited as I thought that fate may finally have smiled upon me. Would I be free from those invisible bonds I felt once and for all? With my eyes closed, I smiled and leaned my face into his palm, feeling the contrast in textures of our skin.
Slowly, he raised my face upward and I opened my eyes. I was instantly hypnotized by his luminous blue gaze. His next words both stunned and terrified me, "Cassandra, I do not have to kill you because you are already dead."
I pulled away as the hand that moments before caressed my cheeks with love, held up a chalice, which I somehow knew contained my final destiny.
"Drink, my love," he urged.
I shook my head, refusing the offer.
"Drink, Cassandra," he said again.
Closing my eyes, I prayed to myself for him to leave me, but then I heard the words again, "Drink, Cassandra," only the voice that said them this time was not Hunter's. I opened my eyes in shock to see Caleb's face in place of Hunter's, urging me in the same way, as if he'd been the one standing there holding me all along. As I continued to refuse, the face flashed back and forth between the two demons, their eyes being the only thing that remained constant.
I was about to scream at them to stop torturing me, but the words were stopped when I stared into my very own face. The breath caught in my throat as I watched my hazel eyes fade to match those of my sadists. "Drink, Cassandra," the clone told me. And then I did scream.
My scream was powerful enough to wake me. I heard my mom and Nora asking me in a panic what was wrong as I slowly came out of the haze, but continued to shake with fear from what I'd seen and heard in the dream. I looked around and realized that we were pulled over to the side of the road. My car door opened and Nora kneeled next to me, grabbing my shoulders to shake off the remaining images of the dream.
"Cassie, talk to us. C'mon, honey, you're scaring the hell out of me," she cried.
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at her. Wiping them away, I said quietly, "No. No, I'm all right. It was just... it was a dream. I'm okay now." I was still in shock, trying to process what the dream meant, but I sat up straighter in order to put the others at ease.
"You sure?" Nora asked. "It must have been pretty bad; you scared the crap out of all of us, screaming like that."
I looked around and saw that my mom was leaning over the car seat, practically in the back with Eric and me. Her face was pale, a look of horror on it that I'm sure reflected my own. I put my hand over hers in comfort. "I'm fine, Mom, really. It was just a bad dream. Nothing more," I said, half-heartedly, praying that my words were true. My mom seemed to relax from my reassurance.
I looked over at Eric as I realized I hadn't heard anything from him. He was looking back at me, and the blue of his eyes sent my mind plummeting back to the terrifying faces I'd seen interchanging. My breathing became hard and fast and I couldn't seem to get it under control.
"That's it," I heard Nora say as my car door slammed shut. She got back in the driver's seat and the car lurched forward, only to stop a minute later. She was back at my side, urging me out of the car, whispering comforting words that I only caught pieces of. I saw my mom standing behind her, the concern on her face enough to force me to pull myself under control. They flanked me on either side as I got out of the car and took several deep breaths.
"We're going to stay here for the night, okay?" Nora said. "You need to just relax, and we'll help you. We'll get a room and we can all rest and get back on the road tomorrow morning. You stay here with your mom and I'll go get us the room. Okay, honey?" She set me against the side of the car and stood before me, while my mom continued to hug my shoulders from the side. Her touch was more comforting than I thought I needed at the moment. I looked over at the motel where we were parked and nodded, simply relieved to be out of the car.
"Wait!" Eric yelled. "Nora, stay right there." I turned to see him getting out of the other side of the car. "Someone else is here."
We all froze.
"What?" I asked, as fear iced my veins. "Where?" I frantically searched the surroundings.
"In one of those rooms."
As Eric started to walk towards the line of rooms, one of the doors opened suddenly. I gasped when I saw Hunter walk out, his stride determined on its path towards me. I was a rag doll in his hands once he reached me and grasped my arm, pulling me towards him. So sure that I would never see him again, I struggled to get my emotions under control. It was as if he'd come back from the dead, and somehow his presence did not feel quite real yet.
"Let go of her!" my mom yelled.
"I'm not going to hurt her, Sara!"
"What are you doing here, Hunter?" I said, looking into his eyes. "How... how did you get out?"
"I'll tell you everything, but I want to talk to you alone. Now." There was a determination in his voice that told me there was going to be no other way about it.
"No way!" my mom started in again. She pulled me out of his arms with a strength I didn't even realize she had. I tried to stop her, but she stood between Hunter and me and said, "Look, there is no way I'm letting you take her anywhere with you. You think I don't know what you are? Where you come from? Just stay away from her! Hasn't she been through enough?"
"Why don't you let Cassandra decide what she wants to do? I think, after all she's been through, as you pointed out, she has the right to make her own choices," he countered, looking my way as he finished.
While he looked angry and determined, his eyes were sending me a silent plea. This wasn't just a stand against my mom. It was a choice between trusting him and turning my back on my own family, after everything I'd learned. And I knew in that moment, even as my emotions warred with each other over what I'd found out he was, I had to hear what he wanted to tell me. What we shared in the park was much more than a conquest to him as a Seeker. Somehow I knew it in my heart. But I wanted to hear him say it. I needed to know that he felt the same pull, the same connection with me as I did him.
"Mom, I'm going with him," I said. "I'll be fine; trust me."
She turned to look at me, surprise, disappointment, and worry masking her attractive features.
"He's not going to hurt me. I'm going," I told her with finality in my voice. It pained me to see the hurt on her face before she put her head down and stepped aside. I walked back up to Hunter, looked him straight in the eyes and said with my own determination, "Besides, if he even tries, I'll make him wish he were back in Hell."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I walked into the room Hunter had come from without looking back to see if he were behind me. I knew if I hesitated for even an instant, I might lose my nerve. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, but not being in control of my body, as it seemed the case every time I was alone with him.
The door shut behind me, and the click of the lock made me feel like the world beyond was being shut out completely. Moving further into the room, I looked around, more to avoid looking at Hunter, than any interest in the decorative nature of the room. Although I wouldn't turn around to look, I knew he hadn't moved from the door.
The large bed loomed front and center, its scarred headboard set against the pale floral wallpaper that lined the walls. Stark white sheets peeked out of a blue bedspread. The linen, giving off a freshly cleaned detergent smell, was almost inviting enough to want to dive into the stack of fluffy pillows at the top of the bed, if only to avoid looking at the rest of the room.
Two wooden nightstands complemented both sides of the bed, each with a small lamp, which seemed to be the only lighting for the room. There was an old desk towards the corner of the room, with an uncomfortable-looking chair behind it. I assumed the papers atop the desk were a directory of services that the motel was advertising it was equipped to han
dle. An old TV seemed to be the only source of entertainment, sitting on a small wooden platform just high enough to be able to see if you were watching it from the bed.
With nothing left to look at, aside from a small, dark bathroom, I began to walk over to the desk. My goal was to sit in the chair behind it, putting distance between Hunter and me, at least until he answered all of the questions I had. Before I got a few feet, he grabbed my arm to stop me.
"Cassandra," he whispered in such a sultry voice that my body instantly responded to its seduction. I felt heat traveling through my veins from the mere breath of my name on his lips. It was a battle trying not to throw myself at him and let my emotions go, forgetting about the world around us and the problems that came with it.
I refused to turn around, wanting to be in control of my mind and body before confronting him. When I made no movement, he tightened his grip and forced me to face him, his other hand immediately under my chin, as if it were ready for me to avoid his gaze. But it turned out it wasn't my gaze he was after. His lips came down so fast that I only had seconds to catch my breath before they were pressed into mine, demanding that they open and allow his tongue inside. His hand moved from my chin to the back of my head, gently angling it to fit his needs.
"Cassandra," he said again, this time against my lips. His soft plea rendered me helpless to keep the moan from escaping my lips, allowing his tongue entrance. When it did, my moan grew stronger and more encouraging, melding with his. There was electricity that sparked as our tongues collided, crashing and sliding against one another as if in urgent battle.
I was about to wrap my arms around his neck in an effort to bring us even closer, to match our bodies with what our tongues were enjoying, when my conscience forced its way into my head. It was warning me that if I went any further, I would be completely lost to him and unable to come back. I would be unable to get any of the answers that I desperately needed. A stray thought crossed my mind that maybe it would be better not to know anything, to be left with the desires of my body rather than my mind. But then I remembered how I felt throughout the last week; scared of what lay ahead and wondering what was happening to me. I hated feeling helpless, which is exactly how I felt when I was with him; helpless to his magnetism. As good as it felt to be with him, I didn't want to be out of control.
Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Page 17
