Fumes were her only fuel. By the time her sister came back from her solitary confinement to report her findings, Cadence was mere moments from dropping like a fly. Now would’ve been one of those times when a taste for coffee probably would’ve been helpful since her hot chocolate just wasn’t cutting it pep wise. Cassidy came in carrying a bottle of Dr. Pepper, and Cadence envied her sister’s more caffeinated choice as Brandon pulled out his girlfriend’s chair like a true gentleman.
“How did it go?” Aaron’s voice seemed calm, but the fact that he was tapping his pen on the table let Cadence know he was just as eager to hear what Cassidy had to say as she was. The rest of the assembled team members, Hannah, Christian, Elliott, Aurora, and Jamie sat in silence, holding a collective breath.
Cassidy looked around the table for a moment before she quietly stated, “I saw him. He’s not in very good shape. They’re holding him somewhere. It’s not far from where they initially kidnapped him, but I couldn’t quite get a read on where.”
“What do you mean he’s not in very good shape?” Christian asked, and Cadence wished he wouldn’t have as she saw Cassidy grimace.
“They’ve been… experimenting on him. That’s all I know.”
“Experimenting? Toward what end?” Aurora asked, her solid as a rock disposition showing a little green as Cassidy’s words no doubt brought images of mutilation to mind for her, as they did for Cadence.
“If I had to hazard a guess,” Jamie began, fully recovered from his earlier exertion, “I’d say they’re probably trying to determine if there is anything they can do to kill him. Just like we’re trying to figure out what can kill Cass—only we are being more humane, obviously—they probably want to know if there’s anything that will allow a Vampire to kill a Guardian.”
“But that’s stupid,” Christian blurted. “They should know it can’t happen.”
“Yeah, well we didn’t think a Guardian could kill a Hunter either, now did we? Or that a Hunter could shoot another Hunter. But now we know it can happen.” Elliott looked at Christian as if he thought he were as dumb as the bricks that comprised the outer walls of the building they sat in.
Aaron cleared his voice, regaining everyone’s attention before another argument began, though it was likely just a matter of time. “Did you find out anything else useful, Cass? For instance, do you know who’s doing this?”
Her face paled slightly, and she shifted her gaze so that it was aimed directly at the table in front of her. They were in the conference area of Cadence and Aaron’s office, so this wasn’t the same table that had felt her wrath a few days ago, but seeing her stare at it so pointedly made Cadence remember how out of control her sister had been recently.
Cassidy’s voice was just a whisper. “They’ve changed their names. They look slightly different, more powerful. But… it’s them.”
“Them?” Cadence asked, reaching out and placing her hand on her sister’s arm. “Who do you mean?” She was certain by those selected words that she already knew, but she wanted to hear her sister say it, to clarify.
“Holland. And Carter.”
“You’re sure?” Hannah asked, the serene sound of her voice gently caressing their ears. “You saw them?”
“Yes. I’ve seen them before. I just… couldn’t remember.” She looked up, met Hannah’s eyes, and when Brandon squeezed her hand, she continued. “She told me… she said her name is Asteria now, and that Carter is called Perses. She asked me to join them.”
“Did you laugh in her face?” Elliott asked, though Cadence picked up on more than a tinge of concern in is voice.
“Something like that,” Cassidy quickly replied. “She seems pretty confident in her ability to win, to destroy all of the Hunters, and… I think she wants to either annihilate or cage the Guardians, but she hasn’t quite figured that out yet, either.”
“Do you know where she is?” Aaron asked.
Cassidy shook her head. “All I could see was sand. And an old building. It was large and covered in graffiti. I could hear screams coming from inside of it. But I don’t know where it was.”
“Do you think it might be in Melbourne?” Cadence asked, trying to keep her tone as even as Aaron’s and failing.
“Maybe.” That was all Cassidy had to offer. “Like I said, I don’t think whoever took Paul took him far, but I don’t know for sure that she has him.” She looked around the table for a moment. “She… is controlling everyone. She has that sort of power over all of them. These Vampires, the ones that she has moving in, most of them don’t want to be involved, but she’s able to control their thoughts and make them do things, things they don’t want to do.”
By her tone, Cadence could tell Cassidy didn’t think this was fair, that the idea of killing Vampires who didn’t want to be involved would be painful for her. Despite her recent declaration that she knew she was first and foremost a Hunter, the struggle between her two sides was evident.
“Are you saying you think the reason you’ve been so aggressive lately is because she’s controlling you?” Christian’s question seemed innocent enough, but it riled up half of the team, and Cadence felt her stomach tighten. She saw Elliott’s hands clench into fists where he sat across the table from her.
“Aggressive?” Cassidy asked, eyeing the tech guy, who happened to be sitting at the far end of the table away from her. “If you’re talking about when I hissed at you the other night, that had nothing to do with Asteria. That was because you’re an asshole.”
Cadence fought back a giggle while Elliott let his escape, and Christian’s eyes enlarged. “Hey, I’ve done a lot to help you get where you are. Seems like you’ve forgotten that, missy.”
“You’ve helped me?” Cassidy shot back. Cadence reached out and tugged on her sister’s arm and calmly said her name. “Whatever, Christian. You’re a dick.”
“And not a very big one, either,” Elliott muttered.
“Shut the hell up, Sanderson!” Christian scooted his chair back. “Who the f--”
“Enough!” Aaron’s voice was anything but calm now. “We don’t have time for this. Paul is missing, Melbourne is scrambling, Vampires are closing in on headquarters across the world, and we have no way of tracking them. Christian, if Cassidy got upset at you, and you didn’t like her reaction, you’re going to have to find a way to let that go. She’s sixteen. And the two of you,” he said looking from Elliott to Christian and then back again, “don’t talk to each other at all.”
While Cadence was expecting Elliott to say something immature like, “He started it,” she was proud of him for not opening his mouth. Christian folded his arms and sat back in his chair. The idea of bringing in Hattie seemed better by the moment.
