Chapter 131
As Aaron stood to walk toward where my sister was sitting, I blurted out, “Thanks for telling me,” like I was afraid he might slip away before I got a chance to say anything. “I really appreciate it.”
“Sure,” he replied, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Once we figure out what’s going on around here, we’ll coordinate a time for someone to meet you at your grandma’s. I think it’ll go over better if a member of our team can be there with you in case you have questions your grandma can’t answer. She’s not that knowledgeable about the way we do things now.”
“Uh, excuse me,” Cadence said, nudging him with her elbow. “What about me? I can tell her the technology stuff.”
Aaron looked at her for a moment and kind of made a half-guffaw sound in the back of his throat before he turned back to me and said, “I have your number. I’ll be in touch.”
Cadence literally smacked him on the bicep and they switched their conversation to IAC I assumed as she walked beside him to the door. His expression was of slight amusement and unwavering confidence in his decision. She stepped out into the hallway, and I attempted to plug my ears against any other bodily harm or potential goodnight kissing, should she find it in her heart to forgive her fiancé for implying she wasn’t the best person to go with me. In fairness. I had to agree with Aaron that Cadence wouldn’t be good at that job. She had other strengths, but if she had been the one to tell me what happened to Elliott, I think I would still feel like I had no idea what had transpired. She just doesn’t tend to see the details in those types of situations. However, if Aaron arranged for Christian to go with me, I might develop an illness that prevented me from stepping out of the house.
Once my sister came back in, she appeared to be in a better mood. “What happens in the hallway stays in the hallway,” I said, squinting my eyes at her. She turned a slight shade of pink, and I let her keep wondering what I may have overheard, which turned out to be nothing.
“I think we should probably head to bed,” she said, stifling a yawn. “Guardians don’t have to sleep much at all, and the longer I am a Hunter, they say the less sleep I’ll need, too, but so far, I need just as much as I did when I was a human.”
I stood, but stared at her for a moment. “What is it like to no longer refer to yourself as a human?” I asked, contemplating what that would be like.
“It’s a little surreal at first,” she admitted, heading toward the hallway where the bedrooms were, “but you get used to it.”
Finding out was a priority for me at this point. “Thanks for asking Aaron to tell me all of that,” I said, stopping outside of the guest bedroom.
“Sure,” she nodded. “I knew he’d know exactly what to tell you so you’d understand.”
“Which may be why he thinks someone else can better help Grandma,” I pointed out.
She rolled her eyes. “But you’re my baby sister.”
“I’m not a baby.” I folded my arms and gave her a pointed look.
“You’ll always be a baby to me.” She tussled my hair and I went to smack her hand away, but she was so much quicker than me now, I almost fell over in my attempt, which made her laugh at me.
“You’re such a dork,” I muttered.
Before I’d even finished the insult, Cadence wrapped her arms around me, pinning my crossed arms against my chest. “I love you, Cassidy,” she said, her grip a lot tighter than I remembered it ever being before.
“I love you, too,” I admitted, even if I had been super annoyed at her a few seconds ago. She kissed the top of my head and told me goodnight before she headed off to her bedroom.
I went in the nicely decorated guest room and got ready for bed myself, ducking out into the hall bathroom to brush my teeth and other necessities. Being in her apartment seemed strangely familiar already, like I was meant to be there. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my family’s history with the place or if it was something else, but if they would’ve let me move in the next morning, I would’ve been happy to.
When the room was dark, the unfamiliarity was a little more unsettling, even though the bed was comfy and there weren’t any annoying noises coming from any of the other apartments or outside. My mind flipped back through a photo album of the day’s events and landed squarely on the picture of Elliott, Cadey, and I at Christmas, and I felt tears in my eyes. I tried to concentrate on that image, though, instead of the one my unconscious kept trying to conjure of Elliott out in the woods at night, standing between a deranged cowboy and poor Meagan. I think I understand now what my sister meant when she said up until that point, seeing Aaron’s blood all over the floor in Paris was the messiest experience she’d had of the kind. I didn’t want to see Elliott that way, but my sister had been there. I’m sure she could never get that image out of her mind.
Eventually, I started to drift off to sleep, my weary body finally giving in and shutting my brain down for me. In my mind, Elliott was somewhere else, somewhere better, driving a Lamborghini large enough to fit him, with that big goofy smile on his face, and I grinned at the thought, despite the fact that in the back of my mind, I registered the sound of my sister in the adjoining bedroom sobbing uncontrollably.
