While it should’ve startled Cadence that no one had explained this trend to her, it didn’t. There were just too many surprises anymore to be surprised about anything. “Well, I would really like to find a couple of good male Hunters, but Aurora says she doesn’t have any right now. And recruiting has slowed since we’ve been concentrating on the Guardians coming in from Roatan.”
“Maybe after everything settles down, we can see what we can find—if it’s even necessary. In the meantime, speaking of Roatan, I invited Alex to join us at the meeting. I’m hoping he can offer some insight into why Holland might be in Linz.”
Cadence’s forehead crinkled. She knew Alex was old and wise, but as far as she knew, his information about Eastern Europe was limited. “Why do you think he might be able to help with that?”
Aaron stood and took her plate over to the sink to rinse it off. “Because he’s old, and he’s been around a long time.”
“But so is Christian….”
“Christian knows a lot, too, but sometimes I can’t tell the difference between what Christian knows and what Christian has invented in his own head.” He shook the plate off and put it in the dishwasher, and she decided maybe she should at least throw her own napkin and empty can in the trash, so she stood to do so. Her concerns about Christian were too numerous to voice at the moment, so she kept them to herself. She wondered how her fiancé would react if he knew Christian’s theory about him being crazy but decided she didn’t want to be the one to test the water. Chances were, Christian would mention it himself eventually, given enough time and the right opportunity.
“Thanks for lunch,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against his chest. It was nice to be able to touch him again without him flinching or dodging out of the way.
“Thanks for not giving up on me,” he replied, kissing the top of her head.
“Well, I didn’t really have a choice,” she began, pulling back to look at him. “All of your stuff is already here, and I don’t have a lot of time on my hands for dating.”
“I see. So… it was more convenient to just wait me out?” His tone conveyed that he knew she was teasing, and the way he was pulling on the end of her ponytail, wrapping it around his fingers, was soothing.
“Yeah. And moving trucks are expensive.” She winked at him, and his eyes narrowed in silent scorn. She giggled. “Shall we head over to the office and go through a few things before the rest of the team shows up?”
“Sure,” he replied, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and Cadence thought perhaps there was no rush after all. But he saw things differently and let her go, taking her hand instead. “I hope Elliott and Aurora aren’t late,” he muttered as he led Cadence to the door.
Unsure why he might say such a thing, Cadence asked, “Oh, yeah? Why would, uh, they both be late?”
“Oh, you know. It’s sort of both of their personalities to be slightly late,” he said, and Cadence decided maybe he didn’t know anything after all, until he added, “And it might be hard for them to pull themselves out of bed.” He opened the door and called the elevator with his IAC.
Still not wanting to say more than she should, Cadence asked, “What do you mean?”
Aaron snickered. “Come on, Cadence. I was with Elliott for about five seconds this morning and smelled her perfume on him. Everything fell together pretty quickly after that.” They stepped into the elevator, and she nodded, not surprised that he put that together quickly. Stupid perfume. Stupid window. Though, in the back of her mind, she did wonder why she cared to keep their secret a secret if they were being so careless about it that now at least three people were aware.
“I don’t think they want Brandon and Cass to know,” she finally said as the elevator touched down on the bottom floor.
“Well, then they’re gonna have to make a few changes.” He shrugged and led her across the lobby floor. They saw Juan Diego on the other side of the room and exchanged waves with him. Cadence remembered she needed to thank him for fixing all of the walls she’d accidentally bashed in. “I’m glad they found each other, but I’m really surprised,” Aaron continued as they made their way outside.
“Yeah, I was, too, but now I kind of think it’s a good thing. Maybe it’ll last.”
“I doubt it,” he said a little too quickly for her taste. “I’m not sure Elliott has ever gotten over Amanda, and I think he’s helping her because he hopes he can get her back someday.”
She opened her mouth and stared at him, not sure how to respond to that. The idea had crossed her mind, but she didn’t know if it was an actual possibility. She immediately thought of Brandon. What would it be like if his parents were together? He’d never had his parents together for his entire life. It would be quite the adjustment. But then, Amanda was a human, and it would be a huge sacrifice for Elliott to choose her. She’d die someday, and he never would. Would he be able to make a choice knowing that ultimately, he’d have to watch her die?
Eventually, Cadence closed her mouth, not saying anything in response to Aaron’s remarks. The world was mixed up in more ways than she could even articulate, and for now, all she could do was complete the next best step that would get her closer to righting as much of it as she could. At least she wouldn’t have to do it alone now.
