Blooming Life (Fate's Intent Book 10) (19 page)

She was completely out of it and I didn’t expect her to be in any kind of mental condition to tell us what happened.

“Bryce, put her to sleep. Trever will get more out of her by telling us her thoughts.”

He nodded and Cadence drifted into a peaceful sleep that she desperately needed.

I looked at Trever and he stepped next to me, looking down at her.

“Anything?” I was sorry that I was impatient but this was important.

“Her thoughts are jumping. She keeps mentioning someone named Curtis and—wait.”

“What?”

“Seth. She’s afraid for him then of him. He triggered the gift.”

“Which one?”

“Both.”

“How? I thought they couldn’t be used together?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where is he?!”

“He chased them into a trap like a cage; the holding cell in the abandoned building in the southeastern corner of the city. It’s the only place that ever held Ryon as a young wolf. He should still be there.”

“Let’s go!”

Chapter 31

Seth

This can’t be happening; she can’t. Why would she?

I had to see her. I had to go to Dorlin. I needed to know why she couldn’t see me anymore. After all her happy letters and excitement for her next visit, her most recent one made the least sense. Why would she suddenly tell me we weren’t allowed to see each other? I never remember my father mentioning that before and surely my mother would have said something if she knew.

“Seth!”

My thoughts drained and Dirk and Bryce were with me. “What?”

“What are you doing?” Bryce asked.

“I’m going on a little trip by myself. Don’t tell anyone. Can you do that?”

“I guess.” Dirk said. “But I’m confused about why we’re doing it at all.”

“I’ll tell you when I come back. Just don’t tell.”

“All right. We won’t.”

I was gone.

I didn’t want to stick around for anymore needless chatter. I had to get to Dorlin. It was easy for me and maybe even faster than I’ve ever been but it was dark when I arrived and I couldn’t remember where exactly her house was.

I walked the streets, trying to keep my head down and hood up so no one would recognize me and report my sighting to my grandfather. I didn’t need any distractions right now. I just needed to find Cadence.

I came to a house that looked familiar. It had the iron gate and stone wall but the wall was shorter than I remember due to a growth spurt that caused me to get taller but this was the house.

I went through the little gate and took the path right to the door with a swift knock.

A woman came to it, a woman I remember being Cadence’s mother, Meg. “Yes?”

“Is Cadence home?”

She looked at me for a long while and her eyes didn’t look pleased. “Seth, didn’t you get her letter?”

“That’s why I’m here. I need to see her.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Please! I don’t know what caused this but I just need to speak with her if only for a minute.”

“It’s not possible because she isn’t here, Seth.”

“She isn’t?”

“She’s out with a few friends for the night and—” She gave me one long look before speaking it. “Her boyfriend.”

Boyfriend?

My disbelief caused me to take a step backwards down the stairs. “Oh. I see.”

“I am sorry, Seth.”

“No. It’s okay. I guess I’ll just go.”

“I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

“No. That’s okay. Thank you for your time.”

She nodded to me with a sympathetic smile and I turned away. That’s exactly what I felt; pathetic. Cadence had a boyfriend now and it wasn’t me. Is that why she sent me that letter because she would rather spend her summer with him?

Whatever the answer I just wanted to get out of here but I couldn’t seem to use my speed at all like this mood wasn’t allowing it and so I walked. I walked the streets again, taking another long route back to the eastern gates. Maybe that would help ease my mind and allow me to run again. I wanted to run and flee this place forever.

My hand brushed against my side and I felt the letter she had written in my pocket. I took it out to read it again.

Seth,

I’m sorry for this, please know that but I won’t be in Seni this summer and please don’t come see me. We can’t see each other anymore. It just wouldn’t be possible but I’ll still write every now and then to let you know that I’m okay and I am okay. I hope you remain okay as well. Goodbye.

Cadence

As I looked at the letter I noticed spots on the paper where it looked like it had been wet. My eyes turned black and I smelt it with a long deep breath. It was salty almost like—like tears.

She wrote this while she was crying. She couldn’t have meant it.

I looked back in the direction I came and anger aroused through me. Meg had lied. Could she have lied about her having a boyfriend? I couldn’t leave now. I had to find out. I had to find her; now.

My senses were extra strong these days with having my wolf gift beginning to mature but I’ve never used it before. I’ve been kind of scared to but the wolf senses plus my others from my father, I had a good chance at finding her without having to go back to her house and hear more lies.

I took the letter in both my hands and cupped them around my nose while I took another heavy breath, maybe even heavier than before. It was her. I could smell Cadence. Kaluian blood smelt earthy but that was everywhere due to my current location of being surrounded by Kaluians but there was also something else, something that wasn’t in a full Kaluians’ blood. It was different, almost cold if cold could have a smell. That had to be the Hintin in her. It was always cold in Hintus. The only time of year it didn’t snow was summer. It smelt like it would if earth had frozen. I locked onto it and followed it through the city.

I tried to be inconspicuous about it. I didn’t want to walk around with my nose stuck up in the air like I was actually smelling it. I was but I kept my head low tracing the scent to all the places she had been that night. That little eatery we once had breakfast. I didn’t need to go inside. The smell was weak here. She probably passed through an hour or two ago. I had to find the strongest scent I could and that’s where she’d be.

I passed the busiest parts of the upper district where the shops and market was where she had to of passed through. I even passed the residential section and sighed in relief. If she did have a boyfriend, she at least didn’t go to his house.

The scent was getting stronger when I came up to a grassy patch of earth that was shaded by the tall oaks that littered the city. There were benches and narrow paths to walk on, a place where kids would come play so they wouldn’t break anything from throwing a ball around in the streets. That always got dangerous.

She had to be here somewhere and I began to hear the voices before seeing who they were coming from.

“Come on. What’s wrong with you?” It was a boy’s voice followed by a slightly annoyed girl’s voice.

“Curtis, I said no. You’ve kind of caught me at a bad time.”

“Quit moping about your stupid Prince. Look what you get instead. Now come here.”

I knew that had to be her if he just mentioned a Prince. Who else could he have been talking about besides me?

Cadence’s voice got rough like he was trying to force contact between them. “Would you stop it? Let go of me!”

“Just relax. You’ll enjoy it.”

His words blackened my eyes and I felt this unfamiliar hate build up inside me. I had to find them.

Just around the next large oak is where they stood. Cadence was pinned up against the tree with that scummy creature looking for a place to nest his lips while he tore at her clothes.

“Get your hands off her!”

He only moved his head but kept his hands on her. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Seth?!” Cadence’s voice was mixed between relieved and concerned.

“This is Seth?” He backed away from her and looked me over. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Would you like to find out?” I’ve been warned about this. I couldn’t turn them blue again and I knew what I had to do to relieve it.

“Oh, no, Seth. Please calm down.” Cadence cried.

“Back away from her before someone gets hurt.”

He was more amused of my threat than threatened. “Really? Hurt by a little kid like you? Piss off. Can’t you see we’re busy?”

He went to reach for her again and I almost snapped. “Don’t touch her again.”

“Or what? You’ll make me? Well, there’s only one of you and a lot more of me.”

Others came from behind other trees or the dark paths around me and I was completely surrounded.

“No!” Cadence shouted, trying to reach me but she was grabbed by two of them. “Don’t hurt him, please!”

“Shut her up!”

One of the boys held her throat to keep her still while the other gagged her.

“Leave her alone!”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Curtis stepped in front of me in my attempt to get closer to Cadence so they wouldn’t hurt her. “Got a soft spot for this little whore, do you?” My face tightened. “Oh, you don’t like that? Well, you should know, it’s not a lie. She’s been very open to all of us.”

I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t.

Cadence was crying, trying to scream for me but she couldn’t get out any words with the gag in her mouth.

“Shut up!” Curtis turned and slapped her across the face.

My body twitched and I felt something growing inside me. It hurt and it caused me to collapse. I heard the laughter and more screaming then I was on my feet again but it wasn’t the same. I seemed a little shorter than I once was until I realized that I had four legs and was covered in white fur that felt like a thick blanket.

That laughter turned into gasped expressions but my stare was still on Curtis. I felt this urge to crunch his face off and now I had the jaws to do it. I never thought I would see and think so much like myself but I did. I was in complete control. The only thing was, I didn’t want control. I wanted to let go and kill everyone who hurt Cadence.

I leaped at them and they scattered like the rodents they were but they took Cadence with them. Her scent was the only thing I had and it seemed stronger this way. I followed it through the shadows of the city, ignoring anyone who saw me until I reached an old gate and within it, an equally old building. The smell was coming inside. I had no choice. I pushed open the gate and headed for the building.

I could hear Cadence’s gargled screaming when she saw me but I couldn’t hear what she was saying and I was hit from behind. I immediately felt this sharp stinging in my hind hip like someone had stabbed me. I saw the knife still in me for myself and it became hard to walk.

Cadence still screamed, tears soaking her face and the gag in her mouth. She had a clear bruise on her cheek from where she was slapped and I tried to go to her. She kept shaking her head like she didn’t want me to and I was hit again. This time it was in my side by maybe three boys and I rolled to the left, getting trapped in some kind of cage. Before I could muster the energy to get up, the door was slammed shut and locked with me still inside.

“Glad you could join the fun.” Curtis said. “We’ll be back to play in a bit. First, we have someone else to play with.”

Cadence was forced up and they started pushing her towards the doors.

My anger growled at them and I tried to escape. Uncle Ryon said we were stronger than Darius in this form but for some reason, I couldn’t break free of these bars and she was taken away from me. I frantically tried to use my other gift to get the bars to bend or melt but I couldn’t do a thing and haven’t learned to use my mind yet so nothing was working. I honestly didn’t know why. My senses all worked together but like this it seemed I couldn’t do anything.

I broke down. My mind crumbled and I felt like giving up. They were probably going to kill her to get to me and I just wanted to lay here and die.

I felt there was nothing I could do. I didn’t even have the strength to get up because my hip wound was still gushing blood.

“How’s our little Prince?” Curtis was crunched by the cage and he seemed alone but I couldn’t really know that for sure. “Do your people know their future leader is a dog?”

“Cadence—where’s—Cadence.”

He laughed. “Are you really trying to speak? That would be fairly counterproductive, don’t you think?”

I heard myself ask for her but for some reason he couldn’t hear me. Was he hearing animal sounds instead?

“Well, if you’re wondering, don’t worry. I wouldn’t fatally harm my little Princess. You see, I still need her to take over Hintus but you, you’re getting in the way.”

“If I ever get out of here, I’m going to kill you.”

He laughed. “I have no idea what you just said but I’m sure it was unimportant. Let’s see how you do after a few days without food.”

My teeth snapped as he got up to walk away and I was left alone.

It got hot in here during the days and this fur wasn’t helping. I just didn’t know how to change back. I wanted to but for a few reasons I didn’t. One, I’d be naked if I did turn back but I could get at his throat much better this way. I just had to get out of this cage. The pain in my hip subsided or I just started to get used to it from licking it to keep it clean like it was really my own blood that kept me alive but barely. I was so starving, ready to eat anything that got too close.

Some of the other boys I’ve seen before would come by periodically to check on me to see if I was still alive. I acted weak only to save my strength and one of the boys got too curious for his own good. He may have liked animals and didn’t see me as the boy in the park because he got close.

“How are you?”

I was sorry but I was so hungry. His smell pulled at my stomach and I needed something if I was ever going to get strength enough to get out of here.