Chapter 313
Brandon insisted I stop by my apartment and get something to eat before we headed over to the meeting. I was famished, so it didn’t take much to convince me. He made me some mac and cheese and I took a few notes about everything that I had experienced in my trance—or whatever you want to call it. I was pretty sure I’d remember the most important parts, but I wanted to make sure I told Aaron and Cadence everything I knew so that they had as much information as they could get in order to find Paul, get him out, find Holland and Carter, and destroy them. It sounded a lot simpler on paper….
After we put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I grabbed a Dr. Pepper and we headed out the door. I was running on fumes at this point, and I thought the caffeine might help, though I had a feeling when I crashed, it might be for a day or two. I thought my sister was probably feeling the same way, and when I saw her, that was confirmed. She had dark circles under her eyes and couldn’t quite sit up all the way in her chair. It just didn’t seem fair that the Guardians never needed to sleep. Even a few of the Hunters had somehow developed the ability to stay up for ages. I longed for that ability as I slumped in a chair next to Cadence and she eyed my Dr. Pepper like it was the Holy Grail.
Everyone else was already here, and I thought about apologizing for being late, but I figured they’d had other things to chat about before we came in. Elliott was on the other side of Brandon, Hannah on the end of the table across from Aaron where she usually sat, next to Aurora, and then Christian, an empty chair, and Jamie, who looked like he had recovered pretty well.
There were a few hellos as we sat down, but the somber mood permeated the whole group, and Aaron was ready to get down to business. “How did it go?” he asked as soon as I was settled in my chair. I could tell he was anxious because he was tapping his pen on the table, something he normally didn’t do.
My voice was quieter than I intended as I began to relay the information to the rest of the team. “I saw him. He’s not in very good shape. They’re holding him somewhere.” There were collective sighs as the idea that Paul really had been kidnapped by Vampires who were intent on hurting him settled in. I could only imagine every Guardian was putting themselves in his position. What would it be like to be held and tortured in a situation where death wasn’t a possibility? “It’s not far from where they initially kidnapped him, but I couldn’t quite get a read on where.”
“What do you mean he’s not in very good shape?” Christian asked. I wasn’t sure if he was hoping I’d say something to make him feel better about the possibility of it being him next time or if he just likes gore, but I wished he hadn’t asked the question. I didn’t want to describe what I’d felt.
“They’ve been experimenting on him. That’s all I know.” I honestly didn’t have specifics on the extents of his injuries, but I remembered the horrible pain and burning sensations I’d experienced when I was in Paul’s head. I didn’t want to go back there.
“Experimenting? Toward what end?” Aurora’s question wasn’t directed at me, and I was glad, because I wasn’t quite sure. My trainer looked a little green, which was unusual for her.
“If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say they’re probably trying to determine if there’s anything they can do to kill him.” Jamie spoke with caution but certainty. “Just like we’re trying to figure out what can kill Cass—only we are being more humane, obviously—they probably want to know if there’s anything that will allow a Vampire to kill a Guardian.”
“But that’s stupid,” Christian blurted. “They should know it can’t happen.”
Elliott’s expression told me he thought Christian was an idiot. “Yeah, well we didn’t think a Guardian could kill a Hunter either, now did we? Or that a Hunter could shoot another Hunter. But we know it can happen.”
Aaron got everyone’s attention by clearing his throat, probably hoping to head off an argument between the two Guardians. I realized he was looking at me. “Did you find out anything else useful, Cass? For instance, do you know who’s doing this?”
I felt the blood rush out of my face. I knew I had to tell them what I’d seen, but I wasn’t sure they’d accept my determination. I drew in a deep breath and stared at the table. It reminded me of the one I’d broken a few days ago, though this was a different room. I needed to focus. “They’ve changed their names,” I began, hoping to ease into it. “They look slightly different, more powerful. But… it’s them.” I was hoping they’d figure out who I was talking about without me having to say their names, new or old. Saying it out loud seemed… dangerous.
“Them?” Cadence asked as she rested her hand on my arm. “Who do you mean?”
I could tell by her tone she knew, but she was going to make me say it anyway. I met her gaze. “Holland and Carter.”
The room inhaled together and held it for a few beats before Hannah asked, “You’re sure? You saw them?”
My head nodded before I could even form the response. “Yes. I’ve seen them before. I just couldn’t remember.” Hannah swallowed hard, like my words were scaring her. Brandon squeezed my fingers, giving me enough strength to continue. “She told me… she said her name is Asteria now, and that Carter is called Perses.” For some reason, I thought it relevant to add, “She asked me to join them.”
“Did you laugh in her face?” Elliott leaned around Brandon so I could see him, and while I was sure he knew what I’d say, I did detect a bit of concern in his voice. I couldn’t really blame him after what had happened with Bonnie.
“Something like that. She seems pretty confident in her ability to win, to destroy all of the Hunters, and I think she wants to either annihilate or cage the Guardians, but she hasn’t quite figured that out yet, either.”
“Do you know where she is?” Aaron asked, which was a legitimate question. I wasn’t sure I had the answer.
“All I could see was sand and an old building. It was large and covered in graffiti. I could hear screams coming from inside of it. But I don’t know where it was.” I also didn’t know if this was their actual location or something symbolic.
Cadence’s voice seemed a little jumpy as she asked, “Do you think it might be in Melbourne?”
I really didn’t know, but it was a possibility. “Maybe. Like I said, I don’t think whoever took Paul took him far, but I don’t know for sure that she has him.” I surveyed all of their faces and saw nothing but concern. “She is controlling everyone. She has that sort of power over all of them. These Vampires, the ones that she has moving in, most of them don’t want to be involved, but she’s able to control their thoughts and make them do things, things they don’t want to do.” I left out the thought that she may have been doing the same thing to me just a few day ago when I brought Bonnie back here. I didn’t think it was fair that all of these Vampires who were also acting against their own wills may end up casualties in all of this, but at the time, I didn’t know if it could be avoided.
