Volume 1.24: I Can't Give You Forever

Type: Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: M

Characters: Cadence, Luca, Mitchell, Rachel, Rudolf
Word Count: 2100

Glossary: 

Warning: nudity, adult situations, language, reader discretion advised

Just one chance

Just one breath

Just in case there's just one left

Cause you know,

You know, you know

That I love you

I have loved you all along...

Far Away-Nickelback

The day of the meteor shower dawned sunny and bright. Cadence wanted to stay indoors though and laze around in her pajamas, but Rachel would have none of it. And since she was living under Rachel's roof she had to follow her friend's rules.

"Come on, Cade, it will be fun, I bet Luca will be there," Rachel bounced up and down the bed and pulled at the covers.

Cadence shut her eyes tightly, wishing she could block out her friend's whining with as much ease. Luca was exactly why she didn't want to go to the beach. She and Rachel had spent the whole night talking about his pissing contest with Mitchell. Rachel was torn, she liked Mitchell, but she loved Luca for her. She thought they'd make a cute couple and she was convinced Luca was her soul mate. Of course Cadence had laughed at her when she said this. She didn't believe in soul mates. That shit only happened in movies, or romance novels. Never in real life. And certainly not in Twinbrook.

"If you don't get up in the next five minutes I'm going to Luca's house and I'll tell him you're pining for him," Rachel tried a different approach and it worked.

"You will do no such thing,"   Cadence jumped out of bed and ran after her, pulling and tugging at her arm.

“Now that I got you out of bed of course I won't. Come on, let's go eat," Rachel murmured.

Cadence jumped on her back and they delightedly ran downstairs.

Both girls were glad to have the kitchen to themselves. Rachel wanted to gossip more about Luca and they couldn't do that in her mom's presence. Cadence on the other hand knew Stella wanted her to work things out with her mom, but she wasn't ready to talk to Sonja just yet.

"So what do you feel like having? Pancakes or an omelet?" Rachel asked as she looked inside the fridge.

But before Cadence could reply, the front door opened and Rudi walked in with Mitchell.

"Forget breakfast, Mitchell's mom packed a picnic basket. I think we should set off early, you know, so we can get the best spot?" Rudi suggested.

Cadence, who hated cooking with a passion and avoided it at all costs, needed no further convincing.

She and Rachel ran upstairs to freshen up and almost an hour later they were ready to leave.

At the beach, they were all shocked to find the place packed already considering it was just after 1pm.

Setting up their picnic spot didn't take long and after much persuasion from her friends Cadence agreed to a game of beach volleyball.

After a while though she grew bored and left the match. She fished out a crime thriller from her bag; she'd been meaning to finish it for ages. A few pages into the book she was snoring peacefully on the blanket despite all the racket and noise, she was a heavy sleeper, and it was something Rachel had always envied about her.

The sun was just setting when she woke up. She didn't know what to think when she opened her eyes and found Mitchell staring at her with a very strange look in his eyes.

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake," he murmured as he dipped his head to kiss her. She quickly averted her head before he could though. She really had to break up with him. For his sake, and her sanity.

"Did I miss it?" she cried as she sat up, she was referring to the meteor shower.

"No, it's about to start though. Come on, I've set up the telescope," Mitchell told her as he pulled her up from the blanket. His hands lingered on her waist as he caressed her cheek.

"Tell the human boy to stop holding you." 

 A shocked gasp rushed from her lips. She looked around her, feeling bewildered suddenly. She could swear she'd heard Luca's voice.

"What's wrong?" Mitchell asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"It's nothing," she shook her head firmly, and tried to move away. But Mitchell's grip tightened around her. This time she wasn't quick enough to avoid his kiss. It was hot and a little sloppy and unexpected. Somehow though she found herself giving in, she closed her eyes and forced herself to forget about Luca, surely she was going crazy, hearing him even when he wasn't around.

"Oh but you are not going crazy, Cadence. And if you care about that boy's wellbeing you'll break things off with him right now. I will not share you with anyone." Luca's voice in her head again.

Her eyes flew open, miraculously she managed to pry herself from Mitchell's hold and she frantically scanned the place, but the throngs of bodies were making it hard for her to locate him. She knew he was there though; he had to be, and close enough for him to see her in Mitchell's arms.

She turned around, searching, looking, shoving people aside. But Luca remained invisible, elusive.

"Get out of my head!” She screamed inwardly. She knew she was reaching, just because she could hear him it didn't mean he could hear her too.

"I can hear you alright. Lose the boy and meet me at Smuggler's Cove in five minutes. Don't make me come and find you." Luca replied.

She knew he meant business. She had to go to him. And if she didn’t and he came to find her it would end badly for Mitchell.

"I have to go Mitchell. Please tell Rachel I've gone home. I'm not feeling well," she lied.

"I'll drive you home," Mitchell, the perfect gentleman, her knight in shining armor, would never let her walk home alone.

"No please, I'll be fine. I'll call you when I get home," she assured him. Without waiting for his response she sprinted off.

The whole time she was running to Smugglers Cove she kept hoping Luca was there, and that she wasn't going crazy. She almost broke down and cried from sheer relief when she saw him, waiting, his dark clothes making him one with the night.

"You came," the malice she'd heard in his voice earlier was gone, he sounded gentle, relieved almost.

"You didn't give me much of a choice," Cadence retorted.

Luca didn't say anything after this. And an unsettling silence wove its way between them as they both stood appraising each other.

His eyes glowed blue in the dark, but they gave away nothing, making it hard for her to figure out what he was thinking.

"I'm thinking about how beautiful you are," Luca answered her thoughts as he slowly approached her.

When he stopped in front of her, Cadence suddenly felt overwhelmed by his sheer presence, but she couldn't move away.

"Why don't you ever listen?"  He growled harshly as he cupped her face and kissed her eyelids. His touch, so cold, set her ablaze. He dipped his dark head, their foreheads touched, their breaths mingled, desire and anticipation made themselves known in their shallow breathing.

"Tell me you don't love him." So gently his mouth grazed hers in the briefest of caresses.

"Kiss me and maybe I'll tell you.” Her hands trembled on his chest as she breathlessly waited for his kiss.

"Tell me," Luca demanded again as he gently tugged on her lower lip. The sensation undid her and she whimpered his name.

"Say it," he ordered her, his mouth hovering so unbearably close to hers. She tried to reach up and put an end to her torment, but he pulled away before she could, throwing his head back, laughing, his fangs glistening in the moonlight.

"I don't love him," she cried at last, giving in to his demands.

As soon as he heard her admission, Luca let out a feral like cry and he reached for her. This time all the playfulness was gone when he finally joined their lips in a molten kiss. Cadence found herself yielding to and welcoming the pressure from his lips as he slowly and seductively pried hers open.

He pulled her closer to him, molding her body firmly to his until she couldn't figure out where she ended, and he began.

Her bikini top came off. His hoodie joined it on the ground and they hungrily explored each other’s bodies.

Gently, Luca laid her down on the sand. When he moved over her and covered her body with his, her lust and yearning took over.  She’d never wanted anyone as badly as she wanted him then, and judging from his arousal pressing against his jeans, taunting her with his hardness and length, Cadence could tell he wanted her just as badly and she would have given herself to him wholeheartedly if he'd asked.

She had no idea how long she lay there under the blanket of stars while Luca awakened every part of her body with his kisses. Being in his arms, with no clothes between them, literally stripped off all their barriers, was the most beautiful feeling in the world.

 And Luca felt the same way too. It had been years since he'd wanted anyone as much as he wanted Cadence.  He was ready to give in, ready to join their bodies and claim her completely when Julian's face flashed in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Cadence asked when she felt him tense up.

Her eyes, heavy with lust, and her musky scent, giving away her excitement, almost unraveled him again. But Luca forced himself to move away from her, it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

"Don't you want me?" She asked again as she sat up.

"You know that's not it!" Luca told her as he quickly threw on his clothes. Shock, confusion, sadness, emphasized every movement as Cadence did the same.

In a matter of minutes they were fully clothed again. Cadence retreated back to the rock and stared at him. He in turn suddenly found the black waves fascinating.

"I'm confused, you order me out here, you start making loving to me and then you close up? What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" She asked after some time.

"No, you did nothing wrong," Luca shrugged. He still couldn't meet her eyes, and that just pissed her off.

"You know what, fuck you, Luca. I'm going home. And don't come after me until you know what you want," Cadence jumped from the rock and started down the narrow path leading to the main beach.

Luca got out of his state of inertia then and ran after her. "I know what I want."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Cadence demanded.

"It's you. I want you," he kissed her hard; almost as if to prove to her he was telling the truth.

"For how long?" she asked him when they pulled apart.

Her question caught him off guard, but he couldn't lie to her. “A month."

Cadence fell silent, processing his answer, wishing he could take it back somehow.

"Well a month is not enough for me," she told him sadly.

"What do you want from me Cadence? I can't stay in Twinbrook once Julian's out," he cried harshly.

"You say it like you know I'll give in. I haven't decided if I'll help you or not," Cade hissed at him.

"You will. When the time comes," he said it with such certainty, Cadence almost believed him. But then she remembered why they were fighting, and her anger made itself known again.

"I won't give in, Luca. But I want to be with you. I know it's silly and maybe you think I'm crazy but I want more than a month with you. I want forever. So what's it going to be?"  She looked at him, her eyes shining with expectation and hope.

"I can't." In two words he broke her heart, doing the one thing no other guy had ever managed to do in the past.

"I can't give you forever, Cadence, it's complicated. The clan…Your coven." He tried to explain but she brushed him off.

"I heard you the first time. Loud and clear. I won’t accept a month and you can't give me what I want. I guess this is it then. I don't ever want to see you again." With that Cadence ran down the path, and didn't stop even when he called her back, even when her legs began to complain and she wanted to just fall to the ground and cry, even when her heart shattered and broke in a million pieces around her...