Between the Bleeding Willows (The Demon Hunters Series Book 1) (18 page)

“Oh my, how?”

“Good question. There was no sign of what she was doing prior to falling. I just remember her laying on the ground, twisted unnaturally, blood everywhere.”

“I am so sorry.”

“Thanks. It’s been a few years…”

“Did your dad remarry?”

“Not yet, but he’s in a relationship. She’s okay, I guess. I think she’s more arm candy for him than anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t have much personality, but she’s stunning to look at. She doesn’t look much older than me. He brings her around to all of his high press events. Anyway, change of subject…”

“Sorry.” I didn’t want him to feel uneasy talking with me. “So, no college for you either?”

“I finished.”

“What? How old are you?”

“Twenty-one. I graduated this past spring. Lots of summer school and advanced classes helped me finish early.” He looked at me. “Wait, how old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

Joe took our bowls away and laid down the bill. Tyler grabbed it and looked at his watch.

“My treat. Listen, I hate to speed this along but I forgot I have an appointment in an hour.”

“That’s okay. I just need to use the restroom. Be right back.” When I returned, Tyler was chatting with Joe near the register. I walked past our table to double check that I had not left anything. A one hundred dollar bill lay on the table. There was no way our food cost that much money. At the register, I noticed the display read
$27.53
.

“Tyler, there was a large bill on the table, did you mean to leave that much?” I whispered. He nodded at me and finished with Joe. He held the door for me as we exited. Either this kid had more money than he knew what to do with, or Joe needed the money and Tyler was being altruistic.

In the car, I turned toward Tyler, “Thank you for lunch. By the way, I decided on my new career choice. I think I’ll be your personal waitress since you tip so well.”

He smiled at me from the driver’s side. “I could go for that, you’re pretty and your banter is fun. All that’s left is bringing me delicious food.” His compliment made me blush. “Maybe we can partner up next week in class?”

“Maya might be sad. She was a good match up today.”

“I’ll kick Maya’s ass so you don’t have to worry about upsetting her,” he teased as he pulled up next to my car. We hugged farewell, and he waited long enough to see me start my car before turning out of the parking lot.

My afternoon with Tyler had been fun and it reminded me that positives existed here in the Human Realm, I just had to remember to not let life pass me by.

Chapter Seventeen

I was feeling better than ever. My energy returned, my outlook on life was brighter—time to get my life in order.

I started with the laundry. My mom’s ring fell from the pocket of my workout pants and clanged as it hit the tile floor. My hand was still healing from the gash the ring made during Krav class. Not wanting to aggravate the wound, I put it back in my jewelry box before heading downstairs.

“Lots of work, but lots of energy,” I said to no one. It felt great to not be sick. I managed to get the house back in order and even looked into college classes.

The next day was another great day. I stretched out and went for a two mile run along the country roads around my house. When I returned I saw I missed a call.

“Hello, Ms. Kavanaugh, this is Tracy from Dr. Milosett’s office. We need you to come in for a repeat blood test. You don’t need an appointment, just come in when it’s convenient.”

They left a number if I had any questions, so I called and pressed two to speak to a nurse.

“You’ve reached Tracy, Dr. Milosett’s nurse. I am with a patient right now but if you leave a message, I will try to return your call within one business day. Thanks.”
Beep.

I hung up. Why did they need more blood? They said I didn’t need an appointment, so I left for the doctor’s office.

When the receptionist asked, “Hello, can I help you?” I realized I had no recollection of my drive. Scary.

“I need to give another blood sample.”

“Oh, very good. Please fill this out and have a seat.” She handed me a clipboard with three papers. Did I seriously have to fill this out again? Nothing had changed since last week, but laboring through the forms helped pass the time. Eventually, the door opened and a nurse looked down at her clipboard.

“Cassidy? Are you here for the blood draw?” the nurse asked and I nodded.

“Come here, sweetheart…” She led me to a back room and had me confirm my date of birth. “Very good. How have you been feeling?”

“Well, it depends on the day. Right now, pretty good. But a few days ago I swore I had a virus.” She nodded and motioned for me to sit in a special chair with large arms. As she prepped and started drawing my blood, I continued, “They said I needed to repeat the blood test. What were the results from the first one?”

“I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to discuss that with you, but I can see if your doctor is available.”

“Yes, please. Thank you.” She finished and withdrew the needle, then applied a bandage.

“Wait here, and I’ll see if I can find her.” The nurse returned a few minutes later. “I’m sorry, Dr. Milosett left twenty minutes ago for a conference. I can have her call you in the morning.”

What more could I do? “Fine. When will these results be in?”

“The lab is in this same building, so hopefully tomorrow midday. No promises, though.”

God, I hated waiting. Needing a distraction, I got in my car and headed to Krav. I had never been to a Tuesday class, but I knew they offered classes all throughout the week.

“Hi, it’s not my usual class day, but I’m having a bad day,” I said to petite blonde behind the counter.

“No worries, there’s a bag class going on right now.”

“Thanks.” The class was challenging; it was more of a workout and did not teach blocks and hits, but it felt good to exercise and clear my head. After class, I finished signing up for classes, then went to my car. My brain was thinking about the blood tests, and I wasn’t ready to go home. Physically, I felt better than I had in days so there was probably nothing to worry about.

I drove aimlessly around this side of town, nearing the Lake Michigan shores. It was hard to believe this beautiful view was less than an hour from where I lived.

‘Village of Winnetka’
the brown wooden sign read. Hey, this was Tyler’s part of town. I slowed, not wanting to get a ticket in the small town ahead. The houses were grand; each was as big as four of mine combined, at least. Their front yards stretched far and were adorned with gorgeous, mature trees. Each house seemed more impressive than the next. But the one that particularly stood out had a horseshoe drive lined with boxwoods and rose bushes. The house was a pale stone mansion with large windows that arched at the top and repeated around the ground floor. The entry had a circular landing surrounded by large pillars resembling the Grecian monuments connecting the landing to the circular overhang—breathtaking. Someone exited a car parked on the driveway, a grey car with a Krav Maga sticker in the back window. It couldn’t be. Surely, it was a coincidence, and some other Krav student lived here or was visiting. I drove slowly ahead to get a better view of the car. The front grill had four perfect circles—an Audi. Was this Tyler’s house? Grabbing a pen from my purse, I wrote down the address so I could look into this in the safety of my own home. When I reached the end of the block, I flipped around and slowly drove past the house one last time, writing down the license plate number too.

A welcome distraction…just what I needed.

I drove home, avoiding Blaylock Grove. That was my past. It was time to look ahead and find out more about Tyler. I pulled up the gravel drive and parked beneath the large elm in the back of the house. Inside, I made a cup of soup and fired up my computer. I typed in his license plate number and hit search. Nothing. Google Earth would be easier. I typed in the address and an impressive mansion on a large plot of land came on the screen. There’s no way this could be Tyler’s house; he didn’t act like a rich kid. I admired the house for a few more minutes and then Googled “doctor repeat blood test.” Curiosity always won over smart thinking.

Various answers scrolled across the screen but they all said “doctors will repeat a blood test if there is an abnormal result.” It could be nothing, and I needed to keep the worry from growing within me…at least until the doctor told me there was something to worry about.

I shut down the computer and cuddling up on the couch to watch
The Shining
. Halloween was approaching, my favorite time of year. Gram and I would bake a pie each weekend in October, a different flavor each week. Then mid-October we would stop at a local pumpkin farm, take the hay ride to the field, and grab some pumpkins to carve.

I decided tomorrow I would make a pie in honor of Gram and our traditions.

***

In the morning, I headed to the grocery store to buy the needed ingredients for the pie. Then I headed home to heat the oven and assemble the crust. Pricking it as Gram taught, I remembered I needed dried beans to weigh the crust down for the blind bake. I grabbed the beans from the pantry and the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Cassidy? This is Jan from Dr. Milosett’s office. Your most recent blood test came back normal. If you experience feelings of being unwell in the future, call and make another appointment.”

That was great news, but I still asked her why they had to take blood twice.

“Your initial white blood count was very high, but your new results are normal. Dr. Milosett said it was probably an infection, but you are all clear.”

My body truly felt worlds better.

When the pie finished baking, I set it out to cool. A trip to Benton’s Pumpkin Farm would make this day even better. I ran upstairs and changed into warmer clothes and checked myself in the mirror. There was more color in my face and my eyes looked brighter. I undid the bandage that covered my palm and saw the wound from the ring had healed. Good, I was wanting to feel connected to my past while enjoying the day. Opening the jewelry box that sat on my dresser, I found Mom’s ring and slid it onto my finger.

Benton’s was a five minute drive from the house at best. I meandered through the old country store and bought a few jams and honey bottles. Then I bought my ticket for the hayride to the pumpkin patch and ran my bag of goodies to the car.

The old, red tractor pulled up just as I returned from the car. A group of us loaded onto the attached trailer; a couple sat opposite me on a bale of hay. They were young and in love, holding hands and whispering to each other as Jace and I once had on this very ride. Jace had joined Gram and I the past two years at Benton’s. We’d return home to carve the pumpkins and watch whatever scary movie was on TV. So much had happened since then, and now Jace was lost to the darkness. He’d
chosen
the darkness; that’s what Killian had said. A cold breeze stirred me from my memory, and I pushed it away.

Pumpkins, orange and fat, lay in waiting on the dirt amongst the withered vines. The tractor stopped and we unloaded into the patch. My eyes scanned the field for three pumpkins that weren’t too large to carry. I settled upon one medium and two small round ones. The wind blew its icy breath again, and I felt the cold deep within my bones. My teeth chattered and my hands trembled. I set the pumpkins down to zipper my coat and put on some gloves. Better, but still frigid. Where was that tractor? Tilting my chin beneath my coat collar, I blew warm air from my mouth into the small area my lower face occupied. Finally, the tractor sputtered and lurched to a stop close by. I loaded on with my pumpkins. My teeth made so much noise that I drew attention to myself. Damn, it was cold! I looked around at the others riding back and many had their sweaters tied around their waist. No one wore gloves or shivered like me.

The sickness had returned. I needed to get home and drink some warm tea.

At home, I set the pumpkins on the porch and clambered in the house. Inside, I put on warm PJs and took my temperature, 101 F. Dammit, fever. I grabbed two Advil and swallowed them with a glass of water.

For the next four days, I stayed in bed, alternating between freezing and burning up. Friday I called the doctor. Surprisingly, they got me in quickly and asked for another blood draw.

“We’ll call you with the results, but we probably won’t know anything until Monday. Till then, go home, stay hydrated, Advil or Tylenol for fever, and plenty of rest.”

“No antibiotic?” I was still hopeful.

“Sorry, Cassidy, I don’t think this is bacterial.”

Back home, I drank a liter of Evian before returning to my sickbed.

***

“My God, Cassidy, what’s happened to you?” My eyes fluttered open briefly, but that was all. There was a breeze and movement. All of a sudden, I was no longer in bed, with a blanket around me. The frigid outdoor air blew on my sweat-soaked head. There were noises around me, feet crunching leaves and gravel below, a car door opening, then I was laid across a seat with the blanket drawn up around me. “I’m gonna get you help, just hold on.” The voice was familiar. But who?

We drove for a short time, and then I felt warm arms cradling me again. The rise and fall of his chest while he breathed soothed me. I felt so drowsy. It was so much easier to sleep than suffer through being awake.

“Come on Cass, almost there. Try and open your eyes, babe.” I tried, but they protested. “This will help, hold on.” He laid me on the cold ground. My eyes fluttered, trying to open. I must be dreaming. Tree branches reached down in an attempt to grab me, caress me. I knew these trees. Tyler brought me to the cemetery, but why? Was I dying?

“Dammit. Why isn’t it working?” His voice sounded desperate. His footsteps paced around, and then he knelt beside me. “Cassidy, you have to fight this. You have to want to live. Come on!” But I was too far gone, too sick and weak to call up any ounce of fight. He stood and paced again before returning to me. “I don’t want to do this, Cassidy. Come on, try.”

There was nothing in me; to fade away into nothingness was easy. I felt myself floating away from it all, detaching from my body, letting darkness engulf me. A tug at my sleeve, followed by a wetness that burned my skin, brought my attention back to my dying body. The darkness that had embraced me now rejected me. My mind became more attuned to my surroundings, and this time when my eyes fluttered, they remained open.

“Tyler?”

“Yes! Listen, Cass, I’d love to have a welcome back party, but we gotta fly.”

“What? Why?”

“Because this kind of magic draws
their
attention, and I’m not prepared to deal with them right now.”

What was he talking about? Them who? Surely he wasn’t talking about the other realm.

“Come on, I’ll carry you. You’re too weak to walk.” He hoisted me into his arms again and walked at a quick pace out of Blaylock Grove. As Tyler bent to set me into his Audi, I saw
him
through the window. Tall and muscled, wearing his leather pants—Killian. Our eyes locked as he approached. Tyler secured me and hurried to the driver’s side. The tires squealed as he sped toward the exit. Killian was stuck on the roadside, waiting for a break in the traffic. It was enough of an obstacle to allow Tyler a chance to get away.

“Do you know him?” I asked Tyler.

“No, I only know
of
him.” What did that mean? Was Tyler scared of Killian?

“What did you do to me back there?”