Besides being an area leader, Cale was also still a practicing surgeon, and he actually saw patients in this same building, which housed the headquarters for the region. Most of his patients knew about the Ternion for some reason or another, whether it was a relative or having actually been a practicing Hunter or Guardian at one time.
His living room was fresh and white. Even the furniture was so clean, she didn’t want to sit down for fear of getting it dirty. He offered her a seat on the sofa, however, so she slipped her backpack off and took it.
“Can I get you anything?”
“I’m okay for now, thanks,” she replied, realizing that he wanted to hear what was going on more than she wanted a drink of water—although she could have really used some water right about now.
“So you just left Kansas City without telling anyone you were going?” he asked, sitting in an equally white chair to her right.
“Not exactly,” Cadence replied, scooting back. The couch was so soft and comfy, she thought she might fall asleep. “Jamie, Aurora, Meagan, and Brandon all know I left. And I told them they could let Hannah know, since technically she is in charge when Aaron and I are not there, but I didn’t tell her myself.”
“Okay, but you said no one knew where you were going.”
“No one did know where I was going. They just know I left. Christian knows where I went, I think, because he said something about Reno the last time I talked to him, but he’s not at headquarters. And Cassidy knows that when she gets there for her training session tomorrow morning, I won’t be there. The only people who know why I left are Jamie and Christian. The rest just know I had something important to do.”
He ran a hand through his blond hair and pressed the heel of his hand against his eye as if he was having trouble keeping up with all of the information. “And what does Aaron think?”
“Well, he’s in Connecticut. So as far as I know, he thinks I’m still there.”
“Why didn’t you tell him you were leaving?”
Cadence licked her lips. She should’ve asked for a drink. “Well, he doesn’t want me to do what I’m about to do.”
“Which is…?” he asked, hesitantly.
“I’m sorry, Cale. It’s kind of complicated. Could I get some water?”
“Sure,” he said with a sigh and a small, forced smile.
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a chilled bottle of water. “Would you like a glass?”
“No, thank you,” she replied, taking it from him. She downed almost half of it before she returned the lid and sat it on a coaster—also white—on the glass coffee table.
“So… what is this complicated thing you are doing?” he asked, having returned to his chair.
“Right. I don’t suppose you’ve ever heard of the blue moon portal?”
He scratched his head as if he were thinking about it and then said, “I can’t say that I have.”
He hadn’t been a Guardian all that long, so Cadence honestly wasn’t surprised he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Well, long story short, in 1804, a Hunter accidentally killed a Guardian. He felt so bad, he spent years trying to find a way to bring him back. He finally found an ancient Guardian who told him about the blue moon portal. That man told him, if he took the remains of his friend out on a clear night, under the blue moon, a portal would open and the Guardian could return from the other side.”
Cale’s eyes were wide with disbelief. “I’m sorry—what?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but Christian was there when the Hunter actually used it to bring his friend back. And my grandmother has used it, too, to speak to my grandfather.”
“That’s unbelievable,” the doctor muttered under his breath. “And Aaron knows about this?”
“Yes,” Cadence assured him. “However, he doesn’t want anyone to use it.”
Cale’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why not?”
Cadence took a deep breath. “Well, like most things in life, you take the good with the bad. Aaron believes that the last time the portal opened, not only did the Guardian come back, but so did an evil, demonic Vampire—a Vampire who had already been sent to hell. So, he thinks that, if someone were to come through the portal again, we would have another Vampire to face the likes of Dracula.”
“Wait—are you saying Aaron thinks that Dracula came through a portal from hell at the same time this Guardian came back from beyond?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Cadence nodded. “And whether that’s true or not doesn’t really matter because there’s no convincing him he’s wrong or that it won’t happen again. Hell, I can’t even convince him that whatever it is I’ll send it right back to where it came from.”
“Was he part of the team that took Dracula down?” Cale asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Yes,” she replied, “a small part anyway. He says it was awful. None of their usual weapons worked, and they had to use all sorts of specialized tools.”
“I’ve heard some of that,” he nodded, “having grown up in that neck of the woods where Dracula visited and the book was written.”
“But not where he was eventually killed?” Cadence asked. She assumed he did not mean Transylvania.
“Right. My understanding is that it was quite difficult. I can see why Aaron is concerned.”
Cadence suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “I understand, too,” she admitted, “but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t open the portal. Just because I open it doesn’t mean anyone has to come through.”
“And are you intending to talk to Elliott, then?” Cale asked, looking at the backpack suspiciously and then back at Cadence.
“Yes.”
Cale nodded. “But what if he wants to come back?”
“Well, he’s a grown adult. He can make his own decisions,” Cadence replied, “but the catch is he can never go back to the other side again.”
“Never?” She shook her head. “And how do you know that?”
“The Guardian who came through the first time tried to get sent back, but he couldn’t be killed. Not even by a Hunter.” She considered telling him the identity of the Guardian and the Hunter that killed him, but it seemed superfluous at this moment, and even though Cale was extremely intelligent, he might not even know American history well enough to be familiar with the story. Though, on second thought, everyone had to be familiar with Hamilton now, didn’t they?
“Cadence?”
She looked up. He must have asked her something. “I’m sorry?”
“I said, ‘What is Aaron going to say if he finds out you’ve gone through with it?’”
“Oh,” she replied, “nothing. I mean… he will find out. He’ll find out I’m gone as soon as he gets back to headquarters tomorrow or Sunday. He’ll know why I left, but he won’t know that I have Elliott with me, so I’m hoping that will keep him at bay.”
The doctor’s eyes fluttered to the backpack again, but without asking the question that must have been on the tip of his tongue, he diverted to, “Why won’t he know?”
Cadence sighed again. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say he thinks he hid the ashes, but I already had them before he took the cremated remains of some logs from our fireplace.”
A smile cracked Cale’s previously slightly agitated face. “You mean you actually outsmarted him?”
“Hey, I’m not an idiot,” she said, finally getting in that eye roll. “Sometimes I’m smarter.”
“Not usually. No offense. No one is.”
“Well, anyway, I have Elliott. And my plan is to go out into the desert where there’s less likely to be any clouds, which could potentially keep the portal from opening, and then see what he has to say. I’m not going to tell him about Brandon or what happened to Cass. I just want to see him. That’s all.”
“And you’re going alone?” She nodded. “And you don’t think you’ll be tempted to beg him to come back?”
“No,” Cadence said, but her voice was just above a whisper and shook so that she didn’t even think she believed it herself.
There was a long moment of silence as Cale likely determined whether or not he should ask more questions or consider this enough information. Eventually, he said, “Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I’ll show you the guest room. There’s an adjoining bathroom if you’d like to use the shower.”
Cadence wondered if she was leaving Vampire all over his couch. “Thanks.”
“I have some work to do downstairs, but I’ll be back later.” He stood and began to walk out of the room, and Cadence followed, slinging Elliott back over her shoulder.
The guest room was nice, and Cadence was certain that the plush, light blue bedspread had to be comfier than the sandpaper she’d slept on the night before.
“Let me know if you need anything. And if Aaron should contact me, what should I say?”
She sat the backpack down on the end of the bed before turning to look him in the eye. “Lie.”
“Right.” He turned as if he would leave, but then, stopping he said, “He is still my boss, you know.”
“I know. I’ll take care of it,” she assured him. “Cale, the thing is, if he gets back there before I leave your office, he’ll know where I am. I have to make sure that he doesn’t get here before I leave. And I’m planning on riding out tomorrow and just exploring a bit before I head off to the desert. I’m hoping you can help me find a location where I can be alone.”
“Sure.”
“But this will be the first place he’ll guess.”
“Then why are you here?” he asked, one hand on the doorjamb.
“You’re the only one I trusted,” she shrugged.
He gave her a small smile. “It probably didn’t hurt that I also happen to have a desert in my back yard.”
“Well, there’s that,” she laughed, nodding. “Still, I know I can trust you.”
“You can,” he assured her. With another smile, he took a step into the hall. “See you in a little while.”
She returned his smile and then waited for him to shut the door before she collapsed on the bed.
