Chapter 282
We were almost to the gym, and I was hopeful Dax and I wouldn’t be late after all, even though I’d left my apartment later than usual. I still needed to change into my workout clothes, though. I didn’t think that should take too long.
“How long have you been here?” Dax asked, a step behind me now.
“Well, it’s a little different for me.” I checked both ways before darting across the street that runs in front of the gym. “Cadence is my sister. So I started coming before I Transformed. But I started my training program in November.” A glance at his face told me he was lost. I don’t think he even knew who Cadence was. But I didn’t have time to explain at the moment.
“Cool. Do you like it?”
We were right in front of the gym now, but I couldn’t easily answer that question. So I stopped and turned to look at him. “Honestly,” I began, letting my feelings from the past few days pour out of my mouth, “if you would’ve asked me that even a couple of days ago, I would’ve said absolutely yes, I love it. But today… I’m not so sure.” I had no idea why I was able to speak so candidly to this stranger, but he seemed like the kind of person one should be honest with. There was something about the clarity of his blue eyes that induced honesty. I took a deep breath, looking at his confusion, and said, “I’m sorry—that wasn’t fair of me. I’m sure you’ll love it.” I was spewing my angst all over him before he even had a chance to make up his own mind. “If you like to hunt things, this will be perfect for you.” I tried to smile at the former park ranger, but I probably just looked creepy.
“But I’m not a Hunter,” he reminded me. “I’m a Guardian.”
“That’s okay. Same difference. Except for what can kill you.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at my stupid summation. It was then that I realized I hadn’t even told him my name. “I apologize for not introducing myself. I’ve been really distracted today. I’m Cassidy Findley.” I offered my hand.
Shaking it, he said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Dax Forest. But you already knew that.” He smiled at me, and I pulled my hand free, thinking about the time again.
And then he asked me the one question I couldn’t really answer. “And what are you?”
Considering my last answer was harsh and unreasonable, I tried to be more careful with my words this time. “It depends on the day. Most of the time, I like to think of myself as a Hunter.” I took a deep breath and said the most honest sentence I’d said since the hunt the night before. “Today, I think I’m probably more of a Vampire.”
He sort of chuckled at me, like he thought I was just being feisty or something, but when my expression didn’t change from complete seriousness, he asked, “Why is that?”
“I’m a Hybrid,” I replied, my voice as calm as I could make it. I had grown accustomed to explaining my situation, though a lot of people usually heard about me from someone else. Still, usually when I explained what I was, I leaned toward my Hunter side. His eyebrows were knit together, so I elaborated. “As far as we know, I’m the only one like me I the world. Half-Hunter, half-Vampire. There was an accident.” His puzzled expression didn’t change. “It’s… complicated.”
This is the part where people usually get sympathetic. But Dax wasn’t like other people. “Oh, that sounds cool,” he said, and I tipped my head to the side, not sure what to make of that comment. “I mean, it must be pretty neat to be so unique.”
That was one way to put it. I thought about the tests Christian and Jamie were running on my samples. I had no way of knowing what could kill me, what I was capable of, or even if I really was the only one like me. “Yeah, and terrifying,” I admitted.
“I can see that, too.” He gave me a sympathetic look then, the one I’d been expecting before. “But, hey, at least you know they can’t replace you.” I know he was joking, but I wasn’t sure that was the case. Not that they would try—I don’t think.
“I suppose that’s true,” I managed. “Come on. We don’t want to be late. We don’t call Aurora ‘Roar’ when she gets mad for no reason.”
Dax nodded. “Right,” and fell into step with me again, holding the door open for me to go through like a gentleman, but I had a feeling he had no idea who Aurora was. He would find out soon enough.
I hurried to the girls’ locker room, and once I realized there was no one else in there, I had a pretty good idea I would be doing laps around the gym in a few seconds for being late. I managed to change in half a minute and shoved everything into my locker. I sprinted to the gym and skidded to a stop next to Tara, who looked relieved to see me.
“Findley,” Aurora called, a crooked grin spreading across her face. “Glad you could make it.”
She rarely calls me Findley even while we’re training, and then only when I’ve done something she doesn’t particularly care for. “Sorry.” I didn’t make any excuses. I suppose I could’ve used my procedure as a reason for cutting it so close, but according to my IAC, I still had about four seconds.
“Now, as I was saying…” Aurora continued, “I’ll be with you for about an hour, and then I’ll be handing you over to Shane for weaponry.” There were some groans, but I couldn’t tell where they were coming from exactly. Maybe my own voice was one of them.
