Chapter 258
Aaron was quiet for so long part of me just wanted to get up and shout, “Hey! Can I go now?” But I waited patiently like a student in class who has heard the bell ring but knows it’s not the bell that dismisses this class; it’s the teacher.
“Okay,” he finally said. And then he was on his feet. “I’m going back to the office.”
“For what?” Cadence asked, and I knew I was dismissed. I looked at Brandon, and we both sort of looked at my room, like maybe we could melt and flow across the floor out of this conversation undetected.
“I need to look at the maps again,” Aaron said to my sister who had crossed the room and was standing next to him at the door.
“You’ve been looking at them all day.”
I think sometimes Cadence doesn’t understand how her fiancé’s brain works. Not that I do, but the fact that he is constantly working, and she isn’t, either makes her feel incompetent or lazy. She is neither. She just does things differently. And while she is in charge of coordinating all of the Hunters, we all know that Aaron is still the boss. Cadence is a beast when it comes to battling Vampires. That is by far her strong suit. I wish she realized she doesn’t have to be perfect at everything, and that she doesn’t have to be as good at figuring things out as Aaron is when he’s been doing this for longer than eight of Cadence’s lifetimes.
Aaron looked at us now like he also wished our puddle method of removing ourselves from the location would’ve worked, and he said quietly, “I’ll be back.”
Cadence didn’t believe him, and neither did we, but it wasn’t any of our business. She followed him into the hallway, and I looked at Brandon. “Well, that went well.”
He snickered at me. “I’m glad I’m not in charge of this outfit.”
“No kidding!” I replied before I realized just how close to that I had been. If my sister hadn’t been older than me, perhaps I’d be the Hunter Leader. A shiver went down my spine. That was the last thing I’d want for myself.
“Can you imagine if the Hunter Leader were actually half-Vampire,” Brandon teased as he got up and came to join me on the couch.
I narrowed one eye at him, which happened to be my Vampire eye. “Can you imagine how grateful Christian would be if I finally solved the mystery of can a Hybrid kill a Guardian?”
He sank down beside me, and took my hand. “I think you might be bluffing.”
“Try me.”
He pulled me over so that my head was on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around me. This was better than trying to kill him. I snuggled into his side. “You did amazing tonight, Cass,” he said quietly.
I knew he was obligated to say that, but I did feel like I’d accomplished something. It was a feat no one else could manage, and even if it did leave Aaron with more questions than answers, I was glad I’d been able to get something. “Thanks.”
We sat like that for a few minutes before my sister came back in. She looked worried, more so than I’d seen her in a while, which was saying something. “I think we’re going to hit that RV park tomorrow night,” she said, and I could tell she was just telling us now to mask what she was really concerned about.
“Okay,” I said quietly, wondering what it might be like to see that old woman I’d just spoken to. And then I realized that she probably wouldn’t leave that RV park alive—not that she was alive now. I wondered if she’d be given asylum for helping us, but I thought now wasn’t the time to ask, and maybe Cadence wasn’t the person to discuss it with.
“Your dad will be back tomorrow, right?” she asked Brandon.
“Yeah, I think that’s the plan.”
I wondered if he’d even spoken to Elliott that day. I hadn’t. I thought maybe he’d be home that night. I wondered if the fact that he hadn’t come back meant things went well with Amanda. Maybe he’d taken her on a date.
“Good,” my sister said, bringing me back to the room. She had been standing across the room with her arms folded, but she started moving toward the hall that led to her bedroom now. “We’re going to need him.”
I watched her leave, wondering if she was going to bed and had forgotten to remind me it was a school night when she yelled down the hallway, “You have training in the morning--and school!”
“Yes, Mother,” I called, but when she ignored me, I knew she was not in the state for joking.
“Man, what is with you Findley girls today?” Brandon asked, extracting his arm from around me, which was a signal he’d be minding my sister and leaving in a second.
“I don’t know.” I knew what he meant, though. I had been in a foul mood most of the day, and now that I was starting to feel better, my sister was grumpy. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be more like myself tomorrow.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, giving me a weak smile. “It’s just… I don’t like it when you guys are like this. I guess I feel like I’m supposed to make you feel better.”
“You do make me feel better,” I assured him. “Listen, maybe I don’t say it enough, but this whole thing would be so much harder without you. Thank you for everything, not just today, but since I got here. You’ve been amazing. You are amazing.”
It was hard to tell in the dim light of just the one lamp on in the living room, but I thought Brandon was turning a little pink. “I’d do anything for you, Cass. I hope you know that.”
I did. And I’d do anything for him, too. Without another word, he kissed me goodnight and then let himself out. I would’ve walked him to the door, but I had so many thoughts tripping over each other in my mind, I was glued to my spot on the couch. I remembered the conversation the girls had had earlier, how they couldn’t believe Brandon was dating me, how no one seemed to think I belonged on this team. I had felt so lonely then, wishing I had a girlfriend to confide in and at the same time pushing Tara away. And even though that thought was still there, I was confident in my relationship with Brandon, and I knew who I was to this team. Whatever tomorrow night’s hunt brought, I realized it wouldn’t be easy, but I would find a way to contribute. One way or another.
