Chapter 146
“Well, Cadon, as you may know, Mallory is a human. She is almost twenty-one. We had resolved ourselves to the fact that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to Transform since there was no opportunity for that in prison. But now that we’re here… well, I was wondering if it was possible for someone to explain to her what the pros and cons of Transforming would be. She is fairly certain that she doesn’t want to do it, and if she decides not to, that’s fine. But… I would at least like for someone who isn’t related to her to explain the process and why she might want to think about it. I was hoping, since you’re in charge now, perhaps you could do that.”
“Wait--you’re in charge now?” Mallory asked, her eyebrows raised. “I had no idea. Were you leading that mission?”
Cadon nodded. “My dad left me in charge while my sister’s away--looking for our mom.”
“Oh.” Mallory seemed shocked--just further proof to Cadon that he’d been a pretty sucky leader so far.
“Well, I can try to explain it. You might be more interested in hearing what Jamie has to say since he’s the Healer who would be performing the procedure. It really just sort of depends upon whether or not you think you want to fight Vampires or not. I mean, if you just want to be a human and have a regular, mortal life, then you shouldn’t do it. But if you think you might want to live a lot longer and have a smaller chance of being killed by a Vampire, then you should consider Transforming.”
Mallory seemed to be listening to him, but she also looked a bit confused. She scrunched her lips up to the side of her mouth and looked off into the distance for a few moments before she asked, “Are you glad that you did it?”
Cadon didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Yeah. Of course. It was a great decision for me.”
She turned back to look at him. “But don’t you ever wish you could be a normal person? Like… not have to worry about fighting all those monsters all of the time?”
He hadn’t really ever thought about it. After all, he’d known his entire life that he would Transform. Not that his parents would’ve made him if he would’ve decided he didn’t want to do it, but considering who his parents were, it was just always understood that he would be a Hunter someday. “No, I never really thought about it.”
“Really? Not even once?” She seemed surprised.
“Not even once. But I grew up here, you know? My parents were the Leaders. It seemed pretty obvious to me that I would be a Leader someday, or at least an Area Leader. So… it always just seemed like my calling in life to become a Vampire Hunter. It’s not for everyone. I get that. You should probably talk to Jamie. He would be able to explain the Transformation process a lot easier than I can. He has also been a part of LIGHTS a lot longer than I have been.”
“He is a Guardian, though,” Annastasia pointed out. “Maybe you should talk to one of the more experienced Hunters, too?” her mother suggested.
“His wife, Ashley, is a Hunter,” Cadon said. “She’s really nice. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind talking to you.”
Mallory sucked in a deep breath, and Cadon could tell that her hands were shaking a little bit. In a quiet voice, she said, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt any to speak to them.” She turned and looked at Cadon. “They won’t make me do it, though, right? If I choose not to?”
“No.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but she didn’t look convinced. “No one will make you do it if you’re not ready to. You don’t have to Transform, Mallory. But it would make you less vulnerable.”
“Which is one of the reasons why I would like for you to consider it,” her mother said. “Because I have been so worried about you for so long. But also, I do think that you’d like it. Once you see what it’s like to be able to defend yourself and others.”
“I’m just not a fighter,” Mallory said with a shrug. “I never have been.”
“You might change your mind once you see what you can do,” Annastasia suggested.
“Why don’t I arrange for Jamie and Ashley to come and speak with you?” Cadon asked. “Then… all of your questions can be answered, and you can make an informed decision. You still have some time before your birthday.”
“Not a lot of time,” she muttered. But then she nodded. “All right. Thanks.”
“Sure. No problem. Is there anything else?” He looked from Mallory to Annastasia and then back again.
“No, I don’t think so,” the mother said.
“No. I’m good for now,” Mallory said, not meeting his gaze at first. But then she looked at him and smiled. “Thank you, Cadon.”
“Sure thing.”
“When they come to talk to me… will you come, too?”
“Do you want me to come?” he asked, unable to read her expression.
Mallory nodded. “Yeah. I’d feel better if you were here, too.”
“All right,” Cadon said. “If you want me to be here… then I’ll be here.” He smiled and got up off of the couch.
Annastasia walked him to the door. “Thank you,” she said quietly as he walked out. Her smile was sincere.
“Of course,” Cadon said, waving at both of them before he stepped out into the hall, and she closed the door.
He had no idea what to make of that. Why did Mallory want him there when so far he’d done nothing to make her feel better or make her decision easier?
He didn’t know. But he was glad to have been invited. There was something about this petite, vulnerable woman that made him want to protect her. But it would be a hell of a lot easier for him to do that if she was a Hunter.
He hoped she’d get the serum.
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