The answer Cassidy received wasn’t in the form of words, but she knew he hadn’t been taken far from where he’d been captured. It was evident whatever was happening to him, he was in an unbearable amount of pain, and she got the impression that it was the sort of pain that wouldn’t end him, which meant their only hope for putting him out of this agony was to rescue him. Unable to stand the excruciating sensation any longer, she had to pull away, knowing he was not going to be able to communicate with her directly anyway while he was suffering so.
She stayed in the same vein, however, reaching out in the darkness that ebbed and flowed around her cousin. Cadence had told her about the IAC message, and Cassidy had immediately concurred it was a fake. But who was capable of this? How had it been done? She concentrated on that aspect of the enigma. What was it allowing their signals to be crossed and distorted? In the tracking center, they’d used the alarm system. What was expansive enough to disrupt IACs from shore to shore and across continents? “How are you scrambling the messages?” she called, hoping the question was benign enough to receive an answer.
No response came to her inquires to the universe; if any of the Vampires within range could answer, they chose not to, and Cassidy suspected only the one who was doing it would know.
Which meant, in order to discover the answer, she’d have to enter the mind of the monster.
Cassidy took herself back to the dream she’d had only a few weeks ago, the one she hadn’t remembered at all until Mina mentioned it. It was hazy again at first. She only remembered feeling as if she were spying on someone, perhaps a couple, and that while she was all alone, she was amongst thousands doing the exact same thing.
The harder she concentrated, the more the picture came into view. She was standing in at least a foot of sand. The air was dry, though there was a breeze. Her perspective shifted such that she was now standing in her own dream. Rather than crawling into the mind of the creature she was hunting, she’d entered her own subconscious. Reminding herself that nothing here could harm her, Cassidy took a few deep breaths and began to survey her surroundings.
There was a dilapidated building to her right. She could only see part of it, and though the whitewashed walls were dirty, covered with grime and graffiti, she heard the pounding of hammers from within and realized this place was under construction. Other noises emanated from behind the walls as well. Screams, laughter, the sound of someone sobbing. Whatever this place was, it held the memories of thousands of souls. As the stench of rot and decay filled her lungs, she decided it might actually still contain the souls themselves.
To her left, there was a tall tree. From the light of the full moon above her, one cast with a blue tinge, she could see the bark was brittle and diseased, yet the branches seemed to grow and expand even as she watched. The ground beneath her feet buckled as well, indicating that the roots were also enlarging. Did this represent the spread of evil conceived here reaching out into the world?
Before her there was a large wrought iron gate. Between the spindles at the top, the remnants of a word hung on, though it was undecipherable at this point. Cassidy believed the first letter might be an L or possibly an E without its center or top line. The rest of the letters were just as useless.
Cassidy braced herself now, remembering what would happen next before it unfolded. Even though she didn’t turn away, she could have and still had her answers. She knew who was about to step through the gate, and to her left, she knew who would approach from the other side. As it unfolded before her, she did her best not to retreat, not to tremble as the familiar faces of those she’d never seen before walked toward each other, paying her no mind at all.
She shook her head in disgust. They should’ve known all along who was behind all of this. And perhaps, part of her did know. Certainly, since she’d had this dream, those two faces were seared into her brain. Her sister and Aaron might’ve known, as well. The names had been mentioned. Part of Cassidy was glad to see it was them; it would give her the opportunity to get vengeance for Drew and Jack, something she’d never had the opportunity to do before.
Having never seen them before they were destroyed the first time, she couldn’t be certain, but she believed they had undergone some changes themselves. Holland had always been beautiful and powerful. Now, an energy swept through the air when she walked by, sending out electricity that caused Cassidy’s extremities to tingle. Carter’s energy was less effective, but he still made his presence known in a manner that led her to believe he was stronger than he had been before, capable of more.
As the lovers kissed, a chorus of disembodied voices sprang up, proclaiming, “The time is now,” and Cassidy fought the urge to speak the same. But she didn’t make a sound. Not this time. She managed to keep her mouth shut.
The feeling of security she’d had all along, that this was her own mind, her own dream, shattered when eyes almost as black as the night between the stars turned and bore into her. Cassidy froze, paralyzed by the evil she saw before her as Holland floated in her direction, her pale face aglow, her red lips the same shade as the icy blood running through Cassidy’s veins.
She stopped a foot or less before her and breathed in once, twice, before, in an ethereal voice that did not match the monster, she said, “You may fool yourself, child, but we both know what you really are. Come to me, and I will show you power beyond your wildest imagination.”
Stunned, Cassidy fought to find her voice. “I… I’m not one of you. I’m a Hunter.”
A melodic laugh like the tinkle of a bell filled her ears. “We both know that’s not true.”
Anger began to consume her as Cassidy remembered what this venomous creature had done to Jack. “I will find you! And when I do, I will destroy you!”
Holland only smiled. “I’m certain that you will find me, eventually, child. And when you do… you will join Perses and myself, Asteria, as we reign for a thousand years. You know it’s true, little one. The. Time. Is. Now.”
“Cassidy! Cassidy!”
Gasping for air, Cassidy came flying back to reality, her eyes rapidly opening to meet the terrified expression on her boyfriend’s face. “Brandon!”
“Oh, thank God,” he said, kneeling beside her chair and pulling her to his chest. “I’ve been shaking you for five minutes. I was afraid I couldn’t get you back.” He kissed the top of her head, holding her so tightly, Cassidy was afraid she might suffocate, the scent of leather and his cologne clogging her lungs as she struggled for air.
“I’m okay,” she said into his shoulder. “You’re… hurting me.”
“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” Brandon pushed her back so he could look into her face. “I waited thirty minutes like you said, and when I came out here… it was like you were in a trance.”
“Was I saying anything?”
“No, but you looked pissed.”
Cassidy was glad she hadn’t spoken aloud. The entire conversation she’d had with Holland—Asteria—was fresh in her mind, and she needed to talk to Cadence and Aaron first, to let them know what she’d discovered. And then she remembered Paul and her heart felt heavy.
“What’s the matter? Brandon asked, clearly seeing the pain in her eyes. “Did you find Paul?”
“Yes.” Her voice was only a whisper.
“Is he alive?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yes… but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I was in his position, I’d be praying to die. Unfortunately, he’s being held by creatures that can’t kill him—not for lack of trying. My God, are they ever trying.”
