Cadence didn’t have to look far to find Carter. He was standing off in the distance between two buildings, down an alley. She turned to face him head on, her shoulders back in defiance. Even from here, she could see his eyes were almost the color of night, his hair just a shade lighter. He was probably even more handsome now than he had been that night so long ago when he’d taken Drew from her. She’d killed him in a fit of rage the first time, and facing him now, she still felt the same fury welling up inside of her. How dare he claim the life of her innocent friend? Knowing what Aaron had told her earlier, that this had been about Cadence all along, not just a chance encounter at a party Drew heard about by accident, made her blood boil, and as she stared at him, she was determined to end him once more and send him back to where he’d come from.
When she’d first seen Carter standing there, he had a look of defeat about him, as if he realized his plan wouldn’t work and his team had been decimated. Whether it was seeing her or something else, Cadence had no way of telling, but his countenance changed, and he looked almost gleeful now once he spotted her staring at him from across the road. He took a step forward, his light blue shirt seeming out of place with his dark jeans and darker hair, but then, he was more of an enigma than just about any Vampire she’d encountered, save Holland.
Thinking of her made Cadence’s breath catch. The queen wouldn’t just stand by and let them destroy her forces. And that must be why he was smiling. Turning her IAC back on, she said, “Aaron, get her out of here. There have to be more coming.”
“There are,” he replied. “There’s a second wave on the way. A hell of a lot of them, too. Cadence, we have Paul, which was our objective. I’m moving your sister to safety even as we speak. Get out now.” Another Vampire scream filled the air, and she knew, for now, Carter was the only one left. “We’ve got an injured Guardian on the field, two injured Hunters, and no back up. Leave him, and come on.”
“Elliott, get them out of here.” Cadence didn’t pull her eyes away as Carter slowly began to walk toward her.
“You think I’m leaving you alone with that asshole? Hell, no.”
She sighed. “I knew you’d say that.”
Derrick and Grant were both bleeding enough to soak their clothing, and Steph had likely passed out long ago. Margie was fine, as were the other two Guardians, Patsy and Tanner, who had also been engaged for the majority of the fight. Cadence couldn’t ask them to stand here and take another beating when she could feel Carter’s reinforcements on the way. “Patsy, Tanner, can you get the wounded to your vehicle and back to headquarters?” she asked not taking her eyes off of Carter.
“No, we’ll need a third person,” Tanner answered bluntly. By now, Grant was on the ground, grasping his leg, his neck still bloodied as well, and Margie was doing her best to tend to both wounds
“Margie?”
“I’ll take him and come back.”
Cadence nodded and then started her slow march toward the Vampire in the shadows, Elliott following along.
A flickering streetlight cast a shadow over half of the bloodsucker’s face as he crossed his arms and waited, his smirk visible even from halfway across the street. “You need your bodyguard, this time, Findley? Can’t take me by yourself? Hardly seems fair, two on one.”
“I believe you just had us outnumbered a few minutes ago, Carter. What happened to your enforcement squad?”
“It’s Perses, now!” Her comment had clearly hit a nerve, and Cadence tried not to let the glee at offending him dance in her eyes, too much. “And I hardly call that my enforcement squad.”
“No, but they’re on their way, aren’t they? You know we can see every move you make now, don’t you? Make sure your girlfriend knows that. Also, go ahead and tell her you love her because you’re not going to see her again. This time, I’ll make sure you don’t get a chance to come back.”
The fog began to roll in once more, and Cadence assumed that was because her sister was on her way out of the area, an idea that both relaxed her and made her realize she and Elliott were likely on their own now, at least until Margie could return. She was truly stunned Aaron hadn’t ended up following them, but then, perhaps he knew it was more important to Cadence to make sure her sister was safe.
And then something at the end of the alley caught her eye. Cadence couldn’t help but smile as she thought how shocked Carter was about to be. He wouldn’t even know what hit him.
With her newfound knowledge as an asset, Cadence rushed toward Carter. Instinctively, he stepped deeper into the alley a bit, taking a defensive stance. Cadence stopped on the edge of the sidewalk.
“You thought you could come here and kidnap my sister, hold her captive while I killed Aaron?”
Carter, who was less than ten feet away from her now, stared in disbelief. “How did you know…”
“I told you. We can see it. Everything you think. We know.”
A grimace formed on his face. Under his breath, he muttered, “Stupid bitch…”
Cadence took another step toward him as a faint warning in her head let her know that they only had a few minutes before they would be completely surrounded. Her sister’s voice was growing more distant, but that’s all she needed to know.
Pulling her Glock, Cadence said, “Decapitating you was a lot of fun, but I think shooting you is more in order this time.” Behind him, there was a slight movement in the shadows.
Carter snickered. “Your bullets will do nothing against me now, Findley. I am a hundred times more powerful than I was before, far more formidable than you.”
“You might be. You might be more powerful than every single one of us. But it won’t matter if you can’t move.”
