Despairing Tides (Fate's Intent Book 12)

by Bowles, April

  He smiled as he walked by me and patted the back of my shoulder. “Now, let’s go get breakfast. You must be hungry after skipping dinner with us last night.”

  I smiled back and we walked out, meeting the others in the galley.

  We sailed west for the next two days and the weather was gladly on our side. We came up on the Hintin docks at the start of sundown and I stood at the bowsprit, looking towards the city.

  “We’ll be anchored momentarily.” Jinx said as he stepped up beside me. “Think you can wait a little longer?”

  “I’ll have to but I need a favor from you.”

  “Sure, anything. What is it?”

  “I need you to come with us.”

  “Come with you? Why would you need me to do that?”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said. If Cadence’s psyche has been compromised, I’m going to want you there to convince her to come with us.”

  “Why would she need convincing? She loves you.”

  I sighed and put my head down. “I know. I don’t want to think about it but what if she won’t come with us? I’m going to need someone else there who she really trusts and that’s you. Please, for her.”

  There was a pause as Jinx leaned over and thought about it as he looked towards the city. “All right. For her.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. We only have one chance to get it right and we can use all the help we can get.”

  Jinx nodded just as the ship came into port.

  “Let’s get ready.” Jinx said.

  I smiled and nodded and we walked back down the stairs.

  We got everything we needed together quickly and everyone met on the upper deck as the gangplank was being dropped. Rory looked up got a sour look on his face when he noticed Jinx with us.

  “Don’t even.” I muttered.

  “Why is he coming?”

  “Because you need me.” Jinx smiled.

  “We do not.”

  “Enough.” I said, stepping in between them. “We do, he’s coming and that’s final.”

  “You mean, you’re actually leaving your ship?” Rory wondered.

  “For a good cause. Now, hurry. We can get there by nightfall.”

  Rory didn’t say another word as we all left the ship on foot and headed towards the city. We went right through the unguarded gates and Rory took us the rest of the way to the abandoned brewery where he used to live.

  “Are we close?” My father asked.

  “Yes.” Rory answered. “It’s just down in the basement.” He led us to the back stairs and we all walked down and followed him to the back corner. “There.”

  “Good work.” My father said. “We’ve got make this quick. Remember the plan and it will be. No mistakes.”

  Everyone nodded and he signaled Rory to go in first. He nodded and went in then we all followed behind him. We walk through the tunnel until Rory stopped at the ladder going up to the closet floor. He looked back at us and put his finger to his mouth. We nodded and he started going up. He stopped at the top and listened for a second before opening up the floor and looking around.

  Once he knew it was clear, he removed the floor boards completely and climbed out. We started up after him one by one into the closet while Rory approached the door. He slowly opened it and looked around. It was as silent as ever. He looked back at us and waved us to continue.

  He led my father and Troy just to the right as Bryce took the rest of us down the long hall straight in front of us to the stairs at the other end. We moved around as quietly as possible while climbing the stairs and made it to the top unseen. From there, Bryce led us passed three doors and stopped outside of the fourth one on the left. “This is it.”

  “Look inside.” I said. “See if she’s in there first.”

  Bryce nodded as he turned towards the door and used his vision to look inside the room. I put my hand on his shoulder just so I could see too. I saw Blake first, standing by the bed then looked around to find Cadence. She was sitting in a corner with her knees held tightly to her chest and her head down.

  Blake walked over and kneeled down next to her. She quickly lifted her head and flinched as he touched her. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back when I’m ready to have some more fun.”

  Cadence didn’t reply as she tried to move away more and that’s when we noticed she was chained to the wall by a shackle around her left ankle like an animal. We watched Blake stand back up and start walking towards the door.

  “Move! He’s coming out.” Bryce whispered. I opened my eyes and everyone quickly walked down the hall and hid around the corner.

  We stood there and waited while we heard his door open and close. I peeked around the corner and watched Blake walking in the other direction towards the stairs. Once he was down and out of sight, I turned to the others. “It’s clear, let’s go.”

  We walked back around the corner and back to the door.

  I opened it and went right inside. Cadence quickly lifted up her head and saw me with the others behind me. “Cadence.” I walked over to her and noticed the bruises on her face. I kneeled down and went to reach for her but she leaned away and looked scared. I knew we were too late and slowly lowered my hand. “Cadence. We’ve come to get you out of here.”

  Cadence didn’t reply. She started too frantically shake her head and moved back, hugging the wall. I knew this wasn’t going to work and I looked back at Jinx. Jinx nodded as he stepped through the others and kneeled down to her. “Cadence? Honey? It’s all right. No one is going to hurt you.” Cadence lifted her head and looked over. When she saw it was Jinx, she was relieved and quickly rushed into his arms as the tears started to fall. Everyone else looked around at each other as Jinx held her close to him. “It’s all right, babe. Let’s get you out of here.”

  I used my gift and unlocked the shackle around her ankle and Jinx helped her up. Her legs gave out immediately and she would have fell back down if Jinx didn’t have a hold of her. He held her up until she could get her footing and we took her out of the room back down to the servant’s closet.

  When we got in, Darius started picking up the floor boards. “We’ll start heading back now. Zayden and the others should have made it back to the ship with Meg or close to it.”

  We nodded and started heading back down the ladder. Darius was the last one down and re-closed the floor and we started going back through the tunnel. Cadence tried to keep her distance from anyone but Jinx as she kept a tight hold around him. He had his arm around her as we made it back to the abandoned brewery and started back through the city towards the docks.

  As soon as we arrived back on the ship, Meg immediately went to her daughter. “Cadence!” Cadence freed herself from Jinx and rushed into her mother’s arms. “Are you all right?” Meg pulled her back and looked at the bruises on her face. “Oh, sweetie, let’s get you cleaned up.” She started leading Cadence away to the captain’s quarters.

  “How is she?” My father asked.

  “How does she look? We were far too late.”

  I started to walk down below deck and just needed some more time to myself. She didn’t even want me to get close to her. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she never let me again. I couldn’t take it.

  Chapter 55

  Darius

  We waited in the galley for Meg to come out. I haven’t really seen her in years and I was a bit nervous about telling her what our plan of action is. I didn’t know if she knew.

  Troy confirmed that she brought Cadence into Jinx’s private bathhouse and had her get into the small pool, fully clothed. She cleaned up her wounds and had her just lay there to rest while she walked out to meet us.

  “Meg.” Zayden said. “Is she—”

  “Yeah. She just needs some time.”

  “Could you come sit with us? There’s something we need to discuss.”

  She nodded and came over the rest of the way, meeting my eyes for the first time. “Hello, Darius.”

  “Meg
. Please sit.”

  She sat down and it was quiet for what seemed like the longest time. It was still a bit awkward for me since this would be explained with my son just feet away. I didn’t know how she was going to react, if it would be openly at all.

  “There’s something we want to talk about.” Zayden said, sensing that I couldn’t be the one to start this but I knew it had to be me.

  “I can do it, Zayden.”

  “All right.”

  I took a breath and met her eyes again. “We all came on this trip to save Cadence because she has always been a part of this family but she might actually be more than just a figurative family to me. Do you see what I’m saying?”

  She stared at me blankly for a moment. “Who told you?”

  “You knew about this?”

  “Darius, I raised her. I watched her grow up. I’ve always seen you in her even when I tried not to.”

  I tried doing this calmly but my voice started to raise. “And you never said a thing to me?!”

  “You know I couldn’t. If Ruby thought that I even thought that she’d—”

  “She already knows!”

  Meg rose from her seat and backed away, her eyes vigorously shifting around. “Is she here?”

  “No but she’s the one that brought this to my attention because she saw it when they trained her and she hasn’t let it go since! Shit, Meg! How could you keep this from me?!”

  “I did what I had to. If Ruby knew back then she would have killed us and she still might. I did it to protect our daughter.”

  “You did it to protect you just like you did when you left!”

  She started to tear up and I may have gone too far.

  “All right.” Zayden said, getting up so he’d be between us. “Let’s just take a step back and think about this. How do you really know she’s his? Have you seen her strength?” Meg didn’t move. She was still staring at me. “Meg?” Zayden snapped his fingers a few times to make her blink.

  “I taught her to control it when she was too young to even remember and then I taught her how to live so it would always be concealed.”

  “Then you have seen it?” Troy asked.

  She nodded slowly and it was really starting to hit me now. Cadence was my daughter. I’m proud about how she turned out but I still couldn’t get over the fact that Meg always knew and kept it from me.

  “I’m sorry, Darius. Think what you want of me but I did it to save her and I never would have told you.”

  “Why?”

  “For the same reason I don’t ever want her going back to Seni now.”

  “Ruby is not going to hurt her.”

  “I’m sorry but I can’t take that risk.”

  “And being her father, you don’t get to make that decision. She’s my right now.”

  “You haven’t been there for her a day in her life. Wyatt would never believe you.”

  “That’s exactly why you’re here.”

  “So, I should tell him so he’ll kill me?”

  “Suddenly, that doesn’t seem like much of an issue to me.”

  Everyone gasped in some way, even her but I wasn’t out of line this time. I meant it. She kept Cadence from me her whole life on purpose. She was right in saying I was never there for her but it was her fault. I know it’s taken me a few years to come to terms with this thought but if I knew when she was still a young child, I would have changed things much sooner and even Seth’s life would have been better. He wouldn’t have had all those years of waiting to suffer through because she would have lived with us. Meg just has really no idea what she’s done by keeping all of this a secret from me.

  “Nice way to think of the mother of your child.” She said.

  I glared over at her. “Except she’s no longer a child and you are a selfish witch. I know the real reason you left and it surely wasn’t for me.”

  “You’re right. I never wanted you to go back to Ruby because she never deserved you and she still doesn’t.”

  “Is that what you really think of me, Meg?”

  My eyes glanced to the door and widened. Ruby was standing there with red eyes. I didn’t even know she was here. How could she be?

  “Ruby!” Meg gasped then looked right at me. “You said she wasn’t here!”

  “I didn’t know she was!”

  “How did you get here?” Zayden asked.

  “I’ve always been with you, actually. You might say Naomi helped out with that.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I knew what you were doing. I knew that you’d get Meg and wow, she really is a horrible person. Perhaps the world would be much better without her.”

  “Ruby, wait!” Meg said, terrified while she held out her hands. “Think of Cadence. You wouldn’t take her mother from her, would you?”

  “She’s a capable adult and besides, I’m her mother now.”

  Ruby looked to the side and Seth was with her, black eyes. She put her hands on him like she had already coached him on what to do. His face was clearly angry and clearly directed at Meg. “You did this to her.”

  “Seth.” Zayden said, trying to get him to focus.

  He didn’t listen. “You put her through this by keeping this a secret and now, you shall pay the ultimate price.”

  “Seth!” Zayden’s voice didn’t matter. Seth wasn’t going to give up on this because the reality of it all was true. Cadence never would have been here if we knew about this from the beginning.

  I started to feel tired and my eyes traced down. Ruby was barefoot, casting her death towards us enough so we were weakened and couldn’t stop it. I didn’t know if I wanted to. What Meg did was completely unforgivable. A part of me was just glad I was here to watch.

  Meg was the only one of us that remained un-phased but she knew it was coming. She tried to turn away but Seth sped right to her and she stopped with a gasp.

  “Seth, don’t do this.” Zayden said, taking heavy breaths.

  “Don’t worry, father. It won’t be me.”

  Meg’s eyes never ceased from being wide and she turned her head to Ruby stepping confidently closer. “Ruby, please.”

  “Please have it be quick? I’ve waited a long time for this moment but since I don’t want to make a mess.”

  She slapped her vigorously across the face like she did many years ago to Adele and Meg fell instantly to the floor; dead.

  Ruby took a breath and her eyes faded back. “Bryce?”

  He walked around to all of us, touching our heads for only an instant while his eyes flashed bright green. Our moment of weakness was over but Zayden was not happy about this. “What is wrong with you?! Why’d you do that?!”

  “It was a long time coming.” Seth said. “She deserved it for what she’s done.”

  He took a breath. “And what are we supposed to do now?”

  “Don’t worry.” Ruby assured him. “Cadence will remain mentally un-phased by this loss. She doesn’t even have to know that it was me.”

  “How when she’s here?” Troy asked.

  “I have it all worked out. Bryce? Come with me so you may heal her.” He nodded and approached.

  “Wait. I’m coming too.” I said. “It’s time she knew the truth.”

  Ruby smiled. “I know. Everyone else stay here. She’s still a bit traumatized.”

  They nodded and we walked out of the galley with Bryce and into Jinx’s quarters to his private bathhouse.

  “Wait!” Bryce said, stopping Ruby from opening the door. “Is she alone in there?”

  “Yes. Why? What is it?”

  “I feel something. Another heartbeat but it’s very faint.”

  A faint heartbeat? “Like being pregnant?”

  He was nervous. “I don’t know. I never felt anyone pregnant before.”

  “You can check when you get closer.” Ruby said. “But don’t say it. We should break the news to her.”

  Bryce nodded and Ruby reached for the door knob. “Cadence?”

  We wal
ked in slowly but Cadence quickly turned her head around and moved over to the other side of the pool, watching every move we made.

  “It’s just us.” I said as I held up both hands. “You need to be healed.” We walked closer and Cadence tried moving back but she couldn’t. “It’s all right, we’re not going to hurt you. You have to trust us.”

  Cadence didn’t say anything. She just looked at me like she was terrified and Ruby brought her hand towards her face. “Cadence, it’s all right. You’re safe with us. We’re not going to let them get to you again. I promise.”

  Cadence was getting tears in her eyes as she was looking into Ruby’s and quickly went over to her, falling in her arms. “Oh, Ruby!”

  Ruby looked sad for her but she nodded to Bryce and Bryce secretly got closer so he could check. He nodded to say that it were true but I didn’t know if I should be happy yet. I kind of asked with my eyes if it was Blake’s by mouthing his name but Bryce shrugged. I think he had to get closer, enough to touch her.

  I nodded to Ruby and she pulled from Cadence’s arms. “You need to be healed, okay? Will you let Bryce heal you?”

  Cadence lightly nodded as she moved away and looked over at Bryce. He held out his hand to her and she took it to move over to him. I was glad to see her cooperating as Bryce brought his hand up to her face and his eyes started to glow. She watched him the whole time he healed her and even when he was done. He looked over at me with a head shake that it wasn’t Blake’s and I silently told him to go get Seth.

  Bryce nodded.

  “Thank you.” Cadence said.

  He leaned into her and kissed her forehead and she watched him as he got up and walked out to retrieve Seth.

  “Thank you for coming for me.” Cadence said quietly.

  “Of course. We would never leave you to that fate and Seth wouldn’t allow us to.” Ruby said.

  “So, what’s going to happen? They won’t just let me go.”

  “They won’t have a choice. We’ve found out something that I hope you believe because all of us do.”

  “What?”

  Ruby looked over at me and I got closer to sit on the side of the pool and tell my daughter the truths. “Wyatt won’t be able to keep you because he doesn’t have true rights to you. He’s not your father—I am.”