Chapter 310
“Tara’s vitals are returning to normal,” Cale explained. “I guess… whatever you guys did worked.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I patted Jamie on the shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. “Thank you, Jamie. I guess I need to thank Christian, too.” It pained me to say that, but he had been the one to administer the shots.
“He’s working on the trackers and the IACs,” Cadence explained. “We should let Tara continue to rest. Once she’s awake, we can see what she’s capable of.” That made me think that Aaron knew what we had done. “Did anyone contact her parents?”
“Her mother passed away a couple of years ago.” Jamie’s voice still sounded weak. “She lived with her grandma, and her health isn’t good, so I wanted to wait.”
I felt a little stupid for not having thought of any of that before now, but I had been so worried about Tara, it hadn’t crossed my mind to wonder about her family. “What about her dad?” I asked, trying to atone for my earlier negligence.
“She never knew him.”
“Her mother passed away?” Something about the way Cadence asked the question made me think there was more to the inquiry than meets the eye.
“Yes,” Jamie said, as puzzled as me.
Cadence only nodded, and I decided I’d have to ask her later. She took a deep breath and then changed gears, looking directly at me. “Cassidy, I know you want to be here with her when she wakes up, but we need you working on this situation in Melbourne.”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I’d been sitting here for most of the last sixteen hours or so, and now she wanted me to go do something else, right before Tara opened her eyes? But I could tell that I was talking to Cadence my boss and not Cadence my sister, so I said, “Uh, okay. When would you like me to do that?”
“The sooner the better.” It was the first thing Aaron had said since he walked in. I don’t ever trust him when he’s being quiet. That’s how he acts before he throws me up to the tops of high walls. “We believe the Area Leader of Melbourne has been kidnapped, and whoever has him is probably just as powerful as the entity we encountered last night.”
I was barely listening after he said Area Lead of Melbourne. My blood ran cold. I’d never spoken to the man, but I knew who he was. Paul Larkin—a distant cousin of ours. I wondered if Cadence knew that we were related. The fact that he had been kidnapped, that he could be undergoing who knows what kind of torture right now, made me sick to my stomach.
“We need to know if this threat is a minion, like Bonnie, or if this is the real deal so that, when we head that direction, we can decide who to take with us and who to leave behind,” Cadence further explained in her business-like tone.
I nodded, but my mind was elsewhere. So many things had gone wrong in such a short amount of time. And they were leaving it to me to figure all of this out?
“It would also be nice to know what the locals are planning, if you can find that out.” I assumed Aaron meant Spittle and his group.
I felt completely overwhelmed, thinking about everything they had just asked me to do. Find the missing Guardian, determine who had him and if they came through the portal, and make contact with the locals. “Would you like for me to discover the cure to cancer and create a renewable source of fuel while I’m at it, as well?” I asked sarcastically, looking at both of the Leaders questioningly.
Cadence flashed me a small smile. “Just do the best you can, Cass. We aren’t going all in on what you discover, but it will be one piece of the puzzle. Okay?”
That didn’t make me feel any better. “Fine,” I said, but before I could even think about anything else, I realized that Tara was moving again, and when I looked down, her wide eyes were staring back at me. I could hardly believe it. Dax flew to his feet and was standing next to me. “Tara? How do you feel?” I asked cautiously, my hand on hers.
She stretched her neck, her hand flying up to check it, and I assumed she remembered all of the damage from the night before. When her hand moved, the speed seemed to shock her, and I noticed she was a lot faster than before. So whatever had happened to Aaron must’ve happened to Tara, too.
Dax grabbed a cup of water with a straw off of the table next to her and offered her a sip. “I bet your throat hurts, huh?” he asked. He was so gentle with her, helping her raise her head and get the straw in her mouth. It was clear to me that Dax really cared a lot about Tara.
“A little bit,” Tara squeaked out, her voice raspy. “What happened?”
Dax set the cup back down. “If I told you, well, you’d never believe it anyway. But you’re safe now. Good as new.”
“Good,” Tara said, letting it go for now. “I’m tired. But I also feel like… like I could leap up and run around the complex a few times.”
As I scrambled for words, Aaron stepped over so that he was standing on the other side of the bed from Dax and me. “Tara, in order to save you, we had to take some drastic measures. You’re fine—you’re going to be just fine. But you should know, things might be different for you now. You’ll probably be faster and stronger than you were before. And you might be able to see through objects as well.”
Tara’s eyes went wide. “You mean like you?” she asked.
Aaron actually chuckled, which hardly ever happens. “Yes. Welcome to the club. So far, we’re the only members.”
I wondered why he said “so far,” but Tara asked the question for me. “Do you think there will be more?”
I didn’t miss the look he gave my sister. Something was up. But they weren’t going to tell us. Not right now anyway. “Something tells me there will be. Whether I like it or not.”
My sister definitely had something up her sleeve. “Tara, why don’t you get some rest, and we’ll come back and check on you in a little bit,” Cadence said.
I could tell that Tara was tired, even if she did feel energized in some ways. “Okay. Thanks,” she muttered, and Cadence patted her arm before she and Aaron left.
“I have to go, too,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“She’s been here all night, though,” Dax offered.
“You have?” Tara seemed surprised.
“We both have,” I nodded. “But I have official business to take care of now.” As much as I wanted to stay, I also needed to see if I could help Paul.
“I’ll stay, though,” Dax assured her. I knew he had to be exhausted. It was so nice of him not to leave.
“Jamie’s awake now, so at least I won’t have to worry about you,” I said, smiling over my shoulder at the Healer who looked a little bit disheveled still but awake.
“Since you don’t need me anymore, I’ll head back to the other Guardians.” Cale looked relieved that Tara was alive and that Jamie could take over. Not to mention the fact that Aaron hadn’t sent him to Siberia.
“Who was that?” Tara asked after he left, her voice conveying she also thought the doc from Reno was hot.
“Cale,” I said. “Reno Area Leader.”
“Huh.” Her eyes were still fixed on the door where he’d disappeared.
Dax cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “You should go back to sleep.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Tara said, though the color was back in her cheeks, and her voice was much stronger now. “I just want to say thank you—to all of you. Cassidy, I should’ve listened to you and turned back.”
“It’s okay,” I said, but I was glad she recognized her mistake.
“Did they get her? That little Vampire devil?” Tara looked hopeful.
“They did. It was a lot of work, but they brought her down,” I assured her. I squeezed her arm one more time. “Try to get some rest, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“That’s what friends are for.” I smiled at her one more time, gave Dax a quick hug, waved at Jamie, and headed out the door, Brandon catching up with me and interlacing his fingers with mine as we went. I knew what I was about to do would be my toughest assignment to date, but with Brandon’s hand in mine, I felt confident I’d figure out a way to reach Paul and find the monsters who’d taken him hostage.
