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Going Home
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2021-01-15 08:57:13The plane ride from Paris to Kansas City was excruciatingly long for Cadence Findley, and even though she attempted to rest, she could not keep her mind off of Jack. Despite the fact that she had been up most of the night and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with an ancient, evil Vampire, the weariness of her body was not enough to keep thoughts of how her friend back home was doing from invading her mind.
She glanced down at her iPhone for about the thirtieth time, wishing she had taken a moment to check her messages before the private Gulfstream G5 had taken off. While it might be possible for
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Closing her eyes and leaning back against the headrest, Cadence resolved to attempt to get a few hours of sleep, if at all possible, so that she could face the next hurdle head-on. Next to her, the only other Hunter on the plane, Stormy, was snoring loudly, her head situated precariously on a small, red pillow, haphazardly shoved up against the window. Cadence sighed, knowing there was absolutely no way she could actually sleep with that raucous going on and her mind flittering from Jack, to Aaron, to the other events that had just transpired. In this situation, she honestly wished she had some sort of sleep aid that could put her out of her misery. Just as she was contemplating throwing an elbow in Stormy's direction, despite the fact that the other Hunter had a reputation for being less than h
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The very first feature Cadence had noticed when she initially encountered Aaron at the Eidolon Festival were his piercing blue eyes. He was staring at her so intently now that she could only hold his gaze for a moment before nervously glancing down at her lap. She had purposely avoided him, both in proximity and in thought, once she was certain that Jamie had been able to fully heal him from the gunshot wound Aaron had taken in her own defense, and now, sitting next to him in such a confined space, she remembered exactly how she had felt when she realized he had been shot by a Vampire, and there was a possibility she could lose him forever. Those memories were not friendly, and she had to push them out of her mind if she was going to give her full attention to Jack.
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Despite the fact that she was very aware of his hand on her arm, she regained her focus and her argument, stating, "Aaron, losing Drew was one thing. But, if I lose Jack, too, I don't know how I'm ever going to get through that. I can't imagine having only a stranger and Elliott to help me." She spat his name out as if it were a swear word, hoping he could see just how adamantly she did not want this particular Guardian to come along."I understand," Aaron replied, his hand sliding down her arm and grasping her slender fingers. "I honestly do; you know that." She met his eyes for a moment, rea
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"Please?" Eliza begged, recognizing the unsure look on her long-time boss's face. "Cadence wants me to, don't you?"Cadence nodded. She would feel better knowing she had a true friend among the team members who would be accompanying her."All right," Aaron agreed, seeing Cadence's expression shift momentarily to one of relief and Eliza's to joy. "But, I don't want all three of you going to t
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Hannah was tall with long strawberry-blonde hair, a sharp nose, and hazel eyes. Cadence noted that she was pretty, though not in a traditional way, and that she had a warm smile. "Cadence," she said, standing and approaching the girls as they boarded the plane. "I'm Hannah. It's very nice to meet you." Rather than offering her hand, she actually embraced the Hunter, using her gift to ascertain that Cadence had heard of the passing of her friend. "I'm so very sorry for your loss," she added quietly.Cadence nodded, stepping back. "Thank you," she replied quietly. She noticed two things almost i
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Cadence opened her mouth to protest but realized her argument was futile. She looked over her shoulder at Eliza who was also still standing. "All right," she finally said, sighing. She glanced back out the window as she walked back to her seat, seeing her friends fade into the distance. She knew she could easily cover the ground in just a few steps if she were out of the plane, but destroying the exit and wrecking the plane would accomplish little, and despite the fact that she wanted to make sure Aaron was okay, she knew there was not much she could do to help him. Jamie would be the best person for that, and he was right there. Still, having lost one man she used to love made her realize just how important Aaron was to her, and the urge to run to him when she saw him struggling had been instin
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The Clandestine Saga One More
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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,
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“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
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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
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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
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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
