Gibbon liked the dark. It was comforting. Like a warm, black blanket, he could crawl inside and shut the outside world out, as if none of it even existed. A few weeks ago, after slogging through sewers and drain pipes for months, he’d come across this new dark place. Though there were lots of people walking around above him during the day, hardly anyone ever came down here, and at night, he was free to go out, do his bidding, and then come back here to be alone, taking solace in the blackness that echoed how he felt inside—dark, empty, and all alone.
The outside world was frighteni
Cadence used the ride home to attempt to clear her head. She’d checked in with Aaron several times throughout the day, like she always did, but she’d had to be brief; she didn’t want him to know there was anything bothering her until she was home and had a chance to talk to him in person.They had recently had the upper-level of the building remodeled so that instead of being neighbors, their two penthouse suites were now one rather large apartment. It had been a huge step for Cadence, but she knew that she loved Aaron and that he loved her. She was certain that this was the
“Ooh, that doesn’t sound good,” Aaron said, his eyes narrowing. “What did I do this time? I know I didn’t leave the seat up.”She couldn’t help but giggle, but she only let him distract her for a second this time before she returned to her stoic, serious countenance. “No, uhm, my grandmother mentioned something to me today that I think you probably know about, and I was just wondering why I’d never heard of it before.”
Cadence couldn’t help but smile at hearing that the famous Vampire Hunter was a woman. Realizing she was still angry, she quickly brushed the smile off of her face. “You never mentioned any of that before.”“There’s a lot I haven’t mentioned before. But Cadence, you’ve got to realize, as much as I would love to have Elliott back, it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. And he wouldn’t be either. I had no idea he knew about the portal. I’m wondering if that’s even what that letter meant.”
Christian’s lab was actually in the same building as Jamie’s—right across the hallway—so Cadence had to be particularly careful that Aaron didn’t see her coming or going. He’d definitely think it was odd that she was carrying a backpack.She sent Christian a message on the IAC to let him know she was coming as she walked out of her apartment, so he was expecting her when she arrived just a few minutes later. Jamie’s office was the first one on the left, and before she even opened the glass door to enter, she could see that his office door was open. Luc
Interlacing his fingers and placing them behind his head, Christian leaned way back in his chair, and for a second Cadence thought he might actually tip over. “Well, it was 1804. We were on a hunt in New Jersey. The war with the British was over, and we had won, but we still had fighting to do. The French had come to help, but they’d also brought in a slew of young Vampires.”“What is it with the French and Vampires?” Cadence muttered.
Cadence nodded, having wondered what it would be like to cross over. After a moment of reflection, she asked, “So what do you know about the opposite end of the portal?”“You mean the one Aaron says Dracula came through?”“Yes,” Cadence acknowledged. “And why did you phrase it like that?”
Christian’s apartment was on the fourth floor of the same building Cadence’s home was in, and even though she’d been on the team for quite some time now, she’d never been inside.He used his IAC to open the door, and she followed him in, thankful that they hadn’t run into anyone. Aaron definitely didn’t need to know she had been here.“I have a safe
The next morning, she awoke to find a handwritten note, a rose, and a blueberry muffin, her favorite, on the nightstand next to her. It wasn’t at all unusual for Aaron to leave hours before she even woke up, and while an IAC message would have gotten the job done just as effectively, she always preferred a note.Picking a chunk of muffin off the top and plunking it into her mouth, she swung her feet out of bed and stretched before picking up the note and reading it. It only said that he would be in his office working for a few hours and that he’d like to meet her for lunch if she w
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.
“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
“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,
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 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
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
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
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
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