Blood Ties

31

Drastic measures
~
Accalia
~

Could a grave be dug any deeper?

For Cadence, Accalia believed it to be.

An endless and unbounded hole where someday Accalia would see her cousin throw herself into. In death, in life or survival.

Accalia looked over at Cadence again, she lost count on how many times she did this and every time, her cousin's face remained the same. A clenched jaw, a composed stature and a face of indifference.

Cadence didn't care for the life she took, no frail movements displayed such remorse and Accalia expected it.

At eighteen years old, Cadence had now killed three people. All men. All that rightfully deserved it.

"You killed his wolves?" Lycus's voice drilled through the room in a rumble.

Cadence ran a hand through her straggly hair and shrugged loosely. "I killed one, Alexene killed two."

A smile curved on Lycus's lips and it reeked of mockery. He leant his hands across the couch that Rexton sat silently on and demanded. "And why, Cadence, would you fucking do that?"

"To protect me."

Lycus looked down at his little brother and his face filled with amusement.

Cadence fumbled with her hands. "I wouldn't define it like that—"

"She protected him," Accalia confirmed and went on to explain how all of it came to be.

Lycus ignored his mate's gaze but paid solid attention to all she had to say. After leaving the Canus pack, returning home unscathed and ridden of their fake scents, Alexene had fled, but not before saying she will unearth who could be the potential vampire that had been in Cole's home.

Accalia didn't where that would lead Alexene. They didn't have much to go on, but a faint scent that had clung to Cole's cabin. Only he would have the answer, and the vampire that had to be accounted for.

It did leave one consideration.

"What if Cole had been compelled?" Rexton declared, scanning everyone with a look of nervousness of even raising the question. "That may be why Vaela can't access certain memories of his. What if the presence in the memories was a vampire?"

But why would Cole have anything to do with a vampire and why would it want to compel him?

"Compulsion can take years to master and continuously doing it to the same person, can warp their mind. On occasion, unhinge it. But it isn't completely out of the question. Unless, of course, Cole turns human when he sees the presence I cannot see. I only had access to the memories of what the claws had, I don't have anything with his human side." Vaela's serene voice drifted through the room.

The front door opened and slammed shut. Erisa and Frankie Jaeger scampered into the room, red in the face and skittish.

"Cole left the bar after he got a call," Erisa explained and immediately looked at Cadence. "What the hell happened?"

"And that's why we have Erisa," Cadence grinned and whirled around on her. "Got anything for us?"

"Just the song Dancing Queen playing in my head."

Everyone looked at her puzzled.

"May I?" Vaela requested gently.

Erisa shrugged loosely and sat down, eyes peeled wide. 

Vaela rose from her chair and drifted over to Erisa, cupping her temples with the pads of her fingers and wasting no time invading her mind.

Minutes passed and Vaela shrank back, her hands finding her own temples as she sighed tiredly. "Cole has developed a profound interest in Erisa Jaeger."