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Girl Power
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2021-02-12 07:38:32The women all rode together in silence, Aurora, who had secured the keys from Elliott while Cassidy was still inside, drove, and Cadence sat next to her sister who cradled the baby Vampire like she was her own.
Cassidy’s tears stopped falling about the time they reached the outskirts of Kansas City, but Cadence could tell she was still profoundly upset by what had transpired. This was exactly what she’d been trying to keep her sister protected from. At sixteen, she technically wasn’t even old enough to have Transformed at all, and being just a child herself, how could anyone possibly expect her to understand what had just happened? Not only that, but Cassidy’s conversation with Willamina had left more questions than answers, and Cassidy couldn’t possibly expect them to take this child Vampire back to their apartment and let her live there, could she?
The entire team had basically kept radio silence as they traveled. In all of the hunts the
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The Clandestine Saga Tracking
The lights were bright, and since Vampires didn’t generally care for illumination anyway, Bonnie resumed her position, hiding her head in Cassidy’s shoulder. Cadence assumed she felt most comfortable that way anyway. The remaining female Guardian opened the door and Cadence walked in, followed by Cassidy. The rest of the women stayed in the vehicle.Cadence had no idea where she was going, so she was thankful when Aaron began to guide her without even having to be asked. He told her how to get to the intake center from there and to ask for Faye once she reached it. Cadence also didn’t think it was likely a coincidence that all of the other Guardians they encountered along the way were women.Eventually, they came to a set of double doors that had “Intake” written on the glass in the same sort of black bold letters one might expect to see at a doctor’s office. The butterflies in Cadence’s stomach, the kind she always felt when V
Last Updated : 2021-02-12The Clandestine Saga Keep Her Safe
Cassidy took a step forward and lowered her voice. “But I promised I would keep her safe.”“And you have,” Faye assured her. “Here, she’ll be tagged and properly trained. This is her best chance for reentering the world as a Compliant Vampire, one who will never do anything to get herself into a situation where she has to face any of us again.”Cadence could see her sister trying to convince herself that this was what was best for the child. She put her hand on her arm. “Cass, this is what she needs. You know we can’t keep her.” Tears began to roll down Cassidy’s cheeks. “You’re sixteen, sweetie. You can’t be a…”“Mother?” Cassidy whispered. “No, I know that. I know. I don’t want to be.” She turned and looked at Bonnie who had two dolls now and was humming quietly to herself. “I just want to make sure… nothing happens to her
Last Updated : 2021-02-12The Clandestine Saga Exhaustion
The ladies walked into the conference room silently and in a somber mood, all of them exhausted except for maybe Hannah, the only Guardian of the bunch. The scent of coffee infiltrated Cadence’s lungs immediately—not the burned variety she’d noted in Mina’s RV when she’d stepped in to help Cass—but the kind that promised revitalization. It was a shame she hated the stuff. Still, she noticed a lidded disposable cup sitting in front of her chair and assumed she looked as weary as she felt. She made her way over, managing a smile at the gentlemen assembled around the long connected rows of tables shaped like a large rectangle with an opening in the middle, and took her spot, waiting for the rest of her crew to find a place to collapse.Aaron reached over and squeezed her shoulder as he began to address the team, his way of greeting her without making everyone else feel uncomfortable, and she touched his hand lightly before he moved away. She w
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Cadence thought of the titanium bullets and wondered if they would be any more useful, but since Aaron had forbidden anyone from using them after their first trip to Philadelphia, she didn’t ask in front of the rest of the team.The room was quiet for a second before Shane asked, “Did you guys encounter any other kinds of monsters at Wallachia that we didn’t see tonight, besides Dracula himself?”The answer came quickly from a haunted voice. “Sirens.”Everyone shifted their attention to Christian. He was staring at the wall in front of him, like he’d just seen a ghost. Jamie put his hand on the tech guy’s arm, seeming to snap him out of it, but he still looked uncomfortable.“Sirens?” Elliott repeated, his tone a mixture of surprise and confusion. “You mean like that bitch Eliza?”Christian didn’t answer though, and it was Aaron who responded. “Sort of—but muc
Last Updated : 2021-02-12The Clandestine Saga Remember
Once again, Cassidy’s voice drew their attention, though she’d been yelling for at least ten seconds before everyone heard her. “Listen! LISTEN!” Once the rest of them were quiet and looking at her, she said, “I know who came through the portal. I know where they are. I just… just have to… remember.”Over the sound of Shane’s guffaw, Elliott asked, “Cass, what do you mean?” and rested his hand on her shoulder.“I mean—I saw them. I saw both of them. There are two. Mina said she also saw it. You all heard, didn’t you?” She glanced around briefly, her face fraught with worry. “She also said I already know everything. I just have to find it. So… let me figure it out.”“And how long will that take?” Shane asked. “How will we even know we can trust you?”“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Cadence asked, sudde
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Team members got up, some of them like Aurora, Meagan, Ashley, and Mickey, who hadn’t said a word, rushing for the door. Shane lagged behind his girlfriend, like he still had words he wanted to say to Elliott, but eventually he followed them out the door. Cadence turned her attention to her sister, who was sitting across from her, glaring.“Hey, why don’t you take your jacket off and let me look at that.”Cadence jumped and looked up, the sound of Jamie’s voice catching her off guard. She didn’t even know he’d crossed the room. Too tired to argue, she pulled her jacket off, noticing for the first time that the teeth marks were much bigger than she’d expected. Beneath the leather, the sleeves of her purple shirt was shredded. “Damn,” she muttered. She’d really liked that one.She turned her chair so that Jamie could more easily reach her as Aaron offered him the wheely chair he’d only sat in
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The moon was waning, and while Asteria preferred it full as it had been on the night she’d come back, as long as it’s twisted light rained down, tugging and pulling and wreaking havoc on those who came out long after the sun was set, she was pleased to be alive—or as close to it as she had been in a thousand years.The fortress was nearly complete. It was amazing what could be accomplished in a few weeks’ time if one put the right minions in place. They’d come from near and far, across the oceans, from the deserts like the one where she’d first appeared from the highest snow covered peaks, and they would keep coming, those she beckoned anyway. The others had their calling cards as well, and once everything was in place, she would unleash her banshees in waves across the earth, sure to cause utter chaos wherever they tread.“What are you thinking about, love?” Perses asked, reaching across the bed and gently stroking her p
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Titus had been a construction worker, possibly an architect in his former life, which had run out about a hundred years ago from what Asteria knew. She saw him speaking to another wiry Vampire with short, curly black hair. As soon as Titus saw her coming, he turned, removed his hard hat, and held it in his work gloves in front of her. She’d thought it funny that he insisted on such protection when nothing could hurt him anymore but knew firsthand that old habits often die hard, miserable deaths.“Your Majesties,” Titus said, dropping his head and bowing as they approached. “I hope our work is to your liking.”Asteria looked around and then smiled at the stubby bald man who possibly came up to her chin in his usual form when he wasn’t stretching to become taller. “It’s lovely,” she assured him, though she had no idea what she was looking at. The rooms down here had been used to restrain new patients back in the day w
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The Clandestine Saga Cadon and Jo
Hannah took Jo to give her a bath, and Ona helped Cadence get Cadon latched while Jamie left to go check on his own one-month-old baby. Cadence’s son was a pro almost immediately, latching on the first try to resting peacefully while he nursed. Cadence couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have even one sweet baby, let alone the blessings of two. He wore a tiny little cap to keep him warm, and she couldn’t help but stroke his head while he made soft baby noises in her arms.Hannah brought Jo back before Cadon was finished. It took her daughter much longer to latch. She kept turning her feisty little face away, growling her discontentment as Cadence tried to get her on and not disturb Cadon at the same time. With Aaron’s help, their daughter finally latched, but he had to have his hand on her back or else she’d pull off again. “She is definitely a Daddy’s girl,” Cadence declared, shaking her head at her strong-spirited daughter.
The Clandestine Saga One More
“For the record, there really is no comparison between us naming our son after a famous jazz pianist and you naming your daughter after a murderous dictator,” the Healer pointed out before getting back to the task at hand. “I think in two or three more pushes, we’ll have a baby.” He was looking at Cadence now, smiling at her above the draped sheet that made her feel a little more secure even if it didn’t really hide anything at all from the doctor.“Okay,” she said again, ready to get it over with. Jamie told her to push, and she did, as hard as she could, hoping for two and not three as the lucky number.“Keep pushing,” Jamie said, even though Aaron had reached ten. “She’s almost there.”Cadence strained even harder, giving it every bit of energy she had left, and a few seconds later, she felt her daughter slip into the world. Listening to her cries made Cadence’s heart melt all
The Clandestine Saga Family
“One more push, Cadence,” Jamie insisted, his normally friendly-tone replaced by his not-quite-as-friendly medical professional tone. “One more time, and we’ll have a baby.”Cadence could feel the sweat dripping off of her forehead and wondered how normal human women did this, especially the ones who refused any sort of pain medication. Even with her superhuman strength and resilience, she was tired. Jamie had gloves on so he wasn’t using any of his healing powers to help her, but she had opted for the epidural, which minimized her pain but did nothing for the exhaustion.“You ready?” Aaron asked, standing next to her, holding one leg while Ona, a Healer who was acting as Jamie’s nurse, held the other.“I’m ready,” she nodded. Her husband’s smile hadn’t dimmed since her water broke three hours earlier. It might not have diminished since they’d left Prague eight months ago,
The Clandestine Saga So Much Love
Jamie gently wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” He kissed her cheek. “Love you, Cadence.”“I love you, too,” she said, returning the kiss. He took a step back and smiled at her before heading off toward the mountain.Cassidy hugged her sister a little more tightly than the doctor had. “Don’t you ever die on me again.”“I won’t. You neither. I love you, little sister.”“I know.” Cassidy giggled at her own smart remark. “I love you, too.” Cadence kissed the top of her sister’s head, and Cassidy let her go, stepping back to wait for Brandon.“Good job getting the monster.” Brandon’s hug was more like a pat on the back, and Cadence almost laughed, wondering if he just didn’t want to break her or was embarrassed.“Thanks, Brandon. Take care of my sis.”“I will try,
The Clandestine Saga Mama
“The baby, Cadence,” Aaron said in her head. “You’re carrying our baby.”Cadence sucked in air all over again, like she had when she’d first fought to open her eyes. The baby! Jamie had told her she was pregnant before the hunt. How it had slipped her mind was beyond her, but yes, she was going to have a baby.Or was she? Her eyes flew to Jamie’s face, all of her questions bottled up in her eyes as she raised both brows, hoping he could alleviate her worry.Jamie smiled and gave a small nod only she could see. All of the air rushed out of Cadence’s lungs again as her hand flew to her abdomen, sighing in relief.“What is it?” Cassidy asked. “What was the other thing you couldn’t remember before?”Part of her wanted to keep their little secret just that, and she was disappointed that she hadn’t been the one to tell Aaron. She looked to him to see if
The Clandestine Saga Remembering
Cassidy smiled, but didn’t say anything, and Cadence could tell by her expression, she didn’t know what to make of Cadence’s revelation. It was no matter—she moved on.“Jack was pitching, Elliott. And the batter was a guy who looked so much like you. I couldn’t remember you at the time—sorry—but I asked, and my grandparents said the batter’s name was Jimmy.”“Jimmy?” Elliott echoed. “I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that name to you.”“I don’t think you have either, but that’s your brother’s name, isn’t it.”Elliott’s head rocked back and forth slowly. “Wow. If that don’t beat all.... It’s like the freakin’ Wizard of Oz. ‘And you were there, and you were there....’ Hmmm.”“Well, it gets Wizardier because your mom was there, too. Arlene. And she wa
The Clandestine Saga More To Do
A growl from Elliott let her know he disagreed, but he didn’t say anything more, and Christian only nodded before he faded out of view. It was just as well. Cadence was exhausted. She didn’t really want to talk to anyone else, just let her husband pick her up in his strong arms and carry her back to the SUV so she could take a shower and fall asleep for a few years.“I hate to interrupt,” Scarlet said, taking a step closer to where they were sitting. “Cadence, it is wonderful you’re okay. But Jamie, what about that serum you made? Do you think we should try it? If we can get the Hybrids back up there, we might be able to save some of those people who are still trapped in the holes.”“Oh, right.” Jamie scratched his head, like he’d forgotten about the serum. “Yeah, why don’t you and Cale start working on that. The serum is in my backpack, which is in the trees near where we first encountered the bla
The Clandestine Saga Breathe
Lungs burning, body aching with the pain of soldering itself back together, eyes blinded by brilliant white, Cadence opened her mouth and sucked in air for the first time in as long as she could remember. Her legs still felt like they were on fire, like she’d been running for hours, but as she tipped her head back and began to cough the memories of what had happened to her, how she’d killed Daunator and then found herself in the air with no ground beneath her boots, flooded her mind, and every trace of memory about why she felt like she’d been running fled her mind.“Cadence? Cadence!”Aaron was there. She could feel his hands on her, even though she couldn’t open her eyes to look at him yet. Her throat burned as she continued to sputter, coughing and choking on the air she so desperately wanted in her lungs. How long had she gone without taking a breath? Why did her heart feel like a jackhammer, her chest muscles sore from the exert
The Clandestine Saga Glimpse Into the Beyond
Jamie was at twenty-two, and Aaron was trying to focus, but the voices to his left were prominent in his mind. He could still hear Elliott’s murmurs, Cass’s sobs, sighs and gasps from others. Christian was pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, behind almost everyone. Aurora, free of her handcuffs now that she was no longer a threat, was doubled over on the ground, her hands linked around her knees, her wails having lost their voice minutes ago so that she was no longer making a noise as her body shook and spasmed. Eliza had her arm around the much taller Hunter, trying to be comforting, but Aaron was aware that, of everyone here, Eliza Wrath was the only one who really didn’t care if Cadence ever opened her eyes again. He could feel it rolling off of her in waves of ugliness like the sea during the type of storm that leaves debris littered all over the beach, breaks boats in its wake, and sends sailors to the bottom of the ocean.There were
