Everyone flew out of their chairs at once, hugging the happy couple and welcoming them back. “You look so tan!” Aurora said, squeezing Cadence tightly.
“Spend two weeks on a beach and that’ll happen,” Cadence replied with a laugh.
“What are you doing back early?” Jamie wanted to know, stepping aside so Elliott could hug Aaron. “We weren’t expecting you just yet.”
“Do you want us to leave?” Cadence giggled.
“No, just a surprise,” the doctor reassured her.
“We just... needed to get back.” Aaron’s tone told Hannah something was on his mind, and she wondered if maybe Mila had managed to get ahold of one of them.
“Well, it’s great to see you. We were just discussing a few situations that have been going on in other areas....” Hannah stopped talking as she noticed Cadence’s expression for the first time. The Hunter Leader was staring at the video screen behind Hannah’s head, her face pale, her eyes wide, and her mouth a thin line. “Cadence? What’s the matter?”
“What... is... that?” She pointed at the screen, at a frozen image of Eliza fleeing the black monsters.
Aaron’s hands were on his wife’s shoulders. “That’s alarming.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what we were just discussing. This is the night before last in Hungary. Their time.”
Cadence was shaking her head violently. “That’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?” Aurora asked as Jamie questioned if she was okay.
“Why don’t you sit down, Cadence?” Aaron pulled the closest chair out for her, which happened to be the one Jamie had been sitting in, and lowered her to the seat.
“Kid, what’s goin’ on. You don’t look so good.” Elliott leaned down and put his arm around her.
“I, uh, want to see the video. And then I’ll explain.”
All eyes shifted to Hannah, and she nodded, moving out of the way so the others could see the screen. She started the video over from the beginning, and they all watched in silence, though Hannah had a feeling the teammates behind her were probably watching Cadence’s reaction just as much as they were watching the footage again.
When it was over, Hannah turned back to study Cadence. Someone produced a water bottle and handed it to her. She opened it with shaky hands and took a sip. Once she’d set it down, Hannah’s clinician voice took over. “Have you seen them before, Cadence?”
“Yeah.... in a dream.”
Hannah’s eyes shot to Aaron, who was standing behind Cadence, one hand on her shoulder, the other on his hip like he was almost as shocked as his new bride. “That’s the reason we came back early. We felt like maybe the dream was an indicator that something was amiss. But we had no idea it was real.”
“Is this exactly what you saw?” Hannah asked, pointing at the screen.
“Yeah, pretty much. I didn’t recognize Mila, but that’s her shooting the video, right?” Hannah nodded. “It’s like I was Eliza, though. Everything was from her vantage point.”
“How bizarre,” Aurora said, folding her arms.
“Does anyone else know about this, Hannah?” Jamie asked from just behind Aaron.
“Not that I’m aware of, except the Hungary team. I told them to keep a lid on it for now.”
“Why did you ask that?” Cadence turned to face the doctor. Hannah wanted to know as well.
“I’m just wondering if maybe it wasn’t a dream. Maybe it was a message.”
“But from who?” Hannah asked.
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked. I don’t think it would be from Daunator, though.”
“All right—dream aside, we need to know what those things are. We literally just walked in the door about ten minutes ago. Dropped off our carry-ons and went to tell Cadence’s parents we were back. Liz mentioned this meeting, so we came over. So... let her go say hi to her sister, and then we’ll get together in the office upstairs and see what we can figure out.”
Everyone nodded at Aaron as soon as he was done speaking, and Hannah felt a wave of relief wash over her that she was no longer in charge.
“Where’s Christian?” Cadence asked, glancing around. “Did you guys kick him off the committee?”
“No,” Hannah said, smirking. “He’s on vacation.”
“Vacation?” Aaron said, pausing on his way to the door. “Christian Henry is on vacation?”
“That’s what I said,” Elliott muttered.
“Yes. He said that you guys being at the beach made him think it was time he took some of the vacation days he had saved up. I’ll agree that I thought it was odd, but I didn’t argue,” Hannah explained.
Aaron had an odd look on his face, as if he was doing a difficult math problem and some of the numbers didn’t add up, but he didn’t say more about it. “We’ll see you guys in a half hour or so, okay?”
The team agreed, and Aaron and Cadence left the office hand in hand. As soon as they were gone, Hannah noticed Elliott smiling at her. “What?”
“Happy, ain’tcha? You ain’t in charge no more, and you’re glad for it.”
“You sound like Heather,” Aurora muttered, picking up the pad and pen she’d brought and walking out the door.
“Yeah, I’m happy,” Hannah admitted. “I never want to be Guardian Leader for as long as I live.”
“What? You mean if Aaron decides he’s retiring as soon as Daunator is out of the picture, you’re not taking over?” Jamie asked, a sarcastic grin on his face.
“Nope, Doc. That means you’d be up,” Hannah said resolutely.
“I’m not sure I’d want it either...” the Healer admitted.
“Well, then you guys better go ahead and decide who number four is before I have to have a show down with Christian. Seriously, can you imagine him trying to run this show? We’d all be dead by mornin’, and I can’t even die.”
“You think you’d want to do it, Elliott?” Hannah asked, shocked
“Hell, yeah. But I wouldn’t do things the way Aaron does. I’d be the biggest delegatin’ son of a bitch you ever did see. I’d sit in that big office up there, eat some snacks, and send y’all out into the world to conquer.”
“Oh, well then, by all means, I’ll vote for you.” Jamie rolled his eyes, headed for the door.
Elliott picked up the water bottle Cadence had left behind and took a long drink, following behind the doctor. “Damn right you will. You want Christian telling you what to do?”
“I don’t want you telling me what to do either....”
“Unless Aaron would agree to bring someone better in from the outside, I’m the best option we got, man.”
“I vote for outside....”
Their voices faded away down the hall, and Hannah sat down on the edge of her desk, glad to be number two again.
