Volume 1.8: Not The Enemy

Type: Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: M

Characters: Cadence, Luca, April, Andrew
Word Count: 2148

Glossary: 

Warning: nudity

There’s so much I want to say

But I’m so scared to give away

Every little secret that I hide behind

Would you see me differently

And would that be such a bad thing…

What If I Told You-Jason Walker

Luca closed the front door behind him and let his body drop wearily to the floor.  He hovered there for some time, listening to Cadence’s footsteps fade away as she rapidly made her way back to her house.

He’d played out their conversation a thousand times in his mind, and each time it had always ended differently. Not the way it had now.

He laughed bitterly, thinking about their chat. He knew he’d sounded convincing when he told her he’d have her blood. But, he was entirely at her mercy. He needed her more than she’d ever need him, and being used to getting his way, it wasn’t a comfortable place to be in.

He never planned on using her, never even thought of messing with her head; he’d lied to Sonja just to taunt her. He shouldn’t have. He should have just laid all his cards on the table and maybe they would have found an amicable solution.

He’d hoped striking up a reasonable relationship with Cadence would be enough and with time (not that he had plenty of) she’d allow him the opportunity to explain where he was coming from.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he should just take what he needs and put his conscience aside.

Before the wave of irrationality could wash over him completely, April waltzed in to find him; she had heard the front door close and it had alerted her of his return.

Andrew wasn’t too far behind her.

“Way to go, Luca!”  April clapped her hands sardonically, her sharp green eyes said a lot without her saying much at all; she thought he was a fool for letting Cadence go like that.

“We’ll never get such an opportunity again,” Andrew added behind her.

With their bony frames, fiery hair and pale complexion at first glance they could have easily passed for siblings, but there was no relation between them, blood or otherwise, except for their lifelong friendship.

Luca frowned at both of them, smelling an ambush. He could tell they were getting restless, and they wanted action, they didn’t understand his whole approach with Cadence and why they had to tread carefully. It wasn’t just about him letting Julian out, if  and when her father was freed, Luca knew it would cause a hell of an upheaval in her young life; it would crack her whole world wide open and shake the basis of her entire existence. And he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t break Julian out without Cadence being on board.

“We’ve been through this before!” Luca told them firmly.

“But she was right here! She was out cold, why the hell couldn’t we just take her blood? It’s all we really need now!” April shrieked unreasonably.

Luca was still standing by the door, but where moments before his demeanor had hinted at exhaustion, his rigid posture was now screaming with indignation and fury. He wasn’t in the mood for arguments and to be second guessed. His near accident with Cadence and their talk had drained him.

“What did you want me to do? Cut her wide open while she slept and drain her blood?” He blew out an angry breath, all the while scowling at April.

“That could have worked,” Andrew added quietly. He too had a lot to gain when the seal was broken; Melanie, his sister, was locked in with Julian and the others.

“I told you, that’s not how I do things. We agreed to my way!” Luca mumbled.

“Your way doesn’t seem to work, Luca. She already knows what we are. Her mother has most likely filled her head with all sorts of craziness. Did you see the way she looked at us? She was petrified of us. What makes you think she’ll allow you get close to her?” April asked. She made valid points and Luca couldn’t argue with her.

“I’ll deal with Cadence!” And that was the end of their argument for now.

He brushed past the two and quickly made his way to the crypt. He had a lot to think about.

As Cadence slowly trudged home, she couldn't stop thinking about Luca's parting words.

What the hell did he mean when he said he 'knew things'?

Were these things about her? Her mom? Her coven? Did it have anything to do with the night his brother was banished? Did Luca hold any of it against her because it was her blood that sealed the door, forever subjecting Julian to eternal damnation?

These were just some of the questions swimming in her head and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Luca had gotten to her with his cryptic words.

“Stop it!” Cadence told herself firmly. She was driving herself crazy with her questions, and she knew Luca was the only one who could give her answers. But a part of her couldn't help thinking it was all part of his plan too, to mess with her head and make her feel uncertain about everything around her. In fact the more distance she put between them, the more convinced she was that he was playing games with her, his wicked attempts at manipulating her to give him her blood. Maybe her mother was right after all.

She was disappointed to find the house empty when she got home. At some point during her five minute walk across the marsh, she’d resolved to make things right with her mom. It looked like she’d have to wait.

As she rushed to her room, Cadence realized that the past didn't matter, only the present, and Luca, with his sinister motives and his devastatingly charming good looks had to be stopped. Her mom and the coven had obviously done what they thought was right at that time, and who was she to question their decision? In fact she thought if she was faced with the same choices as her coven back then, she’d probably do the same thing.

In her room she stripped off her clothes and sat down at her vanity station. She stared at her reflection, wondering how she could feel so hollow inside.

A big chunk of her brain knew nothing had changed on the inside, she was still the same Cadence who loved to dance more than anything in the world, the same girl who'd choose to stay home with her mom and watch reruns of the Young and the Restless over going out with friends and causing mayhem, the same girl who’d die for strawberry sundaes and marshmallows, the same person who wore mismatched socks because Sonja had taught her it was okay to be different and unconventional, that being normal was overrated and uncool.

But the numbed part of her also knew she was so much more. She had banished several powerful Vampires for eternity, and Luca was literally out for her blood, determined to undo (depending on one’s view on the events) the damage or good her coven had done.

She went to the bathroom and opened the taps wide. She waited for the water to get unbearably hot before she stepped inside the shower.

The jet sprays stung her skin painfully, and within moments her whole body was covered in red blotches. It was too hot, the steam inside the cubicle was making her head spin, but for the life of her she couldn't turn off the taps, she didn't even want to step out into the coolness.

In here she felt alive, the ice in her mind, and the numbness in her heart didn't stand a chance, and they swirled down the drain along with the dirt and grime she’d collected that day.  Soon though the heat became unbearable and she couldn't breathe, she gagged and sobbed, fighting for air.

Her hands managed to find the faucet handle and she turned off the water. Her legs crumbled under her weight and she sat down on the slippery tiles. She could feel puddles form under her bum, and a few drops from the shower head fell hard on her head; she wiped away her tears and the water dripping from her hair.

As hard as she tried to stop crying, she couldn’t; there was so much that was wrong with her once perfectly okay life and she knew Luca was the cause. Whether he’d meant to or not, she’d never know, but his return to Twinbrook had definitely thrown her world off balance.

"Its okay, you’ll never give in to him," she kept telling herself over and over as she rocked herself back and forth on the tiles…

It was dark when she opened her eyes, and the small drops of water were still falling from the shower head.

From the weak light sneaking through the window Cadence guessed it was early evening, she'd slept on the tiles for a large part of the afternoon. Evidently Sonja wasn't back yet, if she was she would have came to find her.

Cadence dragged herself up from the cold floor and made her way out of the shower. She turned on the light, wrapped a towel around herself and quickly ran a brush through her damp hair.

She was about to leave the bathroom when something on the shower’s glass wall caught her eye. It was her handwriting. It looked faded now but she could clearly make out the name LUCA. She didn't remember writing it, but she obviously had at some point before she passed out.

She furiously wiped away the name with the hem of her towel, determined to erase every trace of him. She wished removing him from her life could be that easy too.

She was stunned to find the door leading to the porch open. The curtains were blowing gently in the light evening wind.

A tinge of fear gripped her heart as she looked around her bedroom, she didn't remember leaving the door open before she went to take a shower, but the emotional mess that she was when she got home, anything was possible.

Upon a quick inspection Cadence sighed shakily when she noticed everything was still in place except for the small ball of paper on her desk. She hadn't left it there, that much she was sure of. Being a dance student she hardly needed to write anything, and if she did it was normally on her own pink stationery.

Cadence reluctantly approached her desk, but she let out a delighted sound when she saw it wasn't a crumpled up ball of paper.

 It was an origami  swan.

For a long time she stared it, fascinated by how delicate it looked and the amount of care whoever had left it for her had put into making it.

It was beautiful, it made her sad and happy all at once, and it brought tears to her eyes.

As if some force outside her was controlling her, she unfurled the swan and read its message: I'm not the enemy.

His penmanship was neat and pristine, but very much masculine and bold, like everything else about him.

In just four words Luca had made himself loud and clear.

She knew the note was from him, and she was fascinated with his gesture and its meaning, but she found the idea of him being in her room, looking through her things and leaving her cryptic messages, unsettling.

A spurt of anger surged through her heart. She wanted to go across the marsh and give him a piece of her mind. But then she thought against the temptation; her head reasoned it was exactly what he'd expect.

It made her sad to let go of the swan, it looked so pretty and fragile, but she couldn't hold on to it. She threw it in the bin under her desk and made her way to the porch.

She wanted some air, to cool off a little before turning in for the night.

When she saw Luca on his front steps looking up at her, she froze.

For a while she stood there, watching him back, and they stayed like that for some time till the guy Luca had introduced as Andrew came out to find him.

Cadence saw Luca resist a little before he followed his friend up the steps, but just as they were about to slip through the front door, he turned back, his eyes searching for her.

When they found and held hers, Cadence could swear she saw him smile, and his fangs glistened in the moonlight. But she knew it was insane. He was too far away, heck she couldn't even be sure he was looking at her.

She hurried back inside when she heard Sonja’s footsteps as she slipped through the front door.

______

Credits: the origami and pose were made by Luna and Nova .

Luna and Nova I can never thank you enough, I am humbled by your kindness

And in the spirit of Christmas I'd like to wish all The Forsaken readers...