Taken Over (Book 2 The Ravening Series) (33 page)

   “
I knew you’d eventually
realize it was me you were supposed to be with after all.”

   His tone was light, airy. He said the words, but
there was something crawling through me. A dark knowledge was slithering through my mind
, one that I could not shake
. For the first time ever
,
Cade had just lied to me
I was certain of it even though I had no proof
.
I just didn’t know why. It
had been
such an easy question, but one that he
had not answered
honestly
. There was something behind his eyes, something withdrawn
and secretive
, even as he smiled at me.

   I wanted to press him on it, wanted to understand why he would lie over something so simple,
but
I knew
he wasn’t going to tell me the truth. Perhaps I was imagining it, but I didn’t think so.
“
I wish we could stay, but
I
have to
get back
.
I’m sure Abby and Aiden have started to worry about me by now.
”  

  
He nodded, the distance in his gaze fading as his fingers stroked over my cheek. I buried my doubts
as I leaned into his gentle touch. I didn’t want anything to spoil the joy of this moment.
I couldn’t get over how wonderful it was to have him here again, how
whole
I felt with him
here
. I had never thought of myself as boy crazy or needing a man to make me happy. I had never thought that I would
ever
need someone else to survive. But I
did
need him.

  
I had survived without him, but I had been unable to
truly
live
. Now I could live again, now I could
feel
again
.
A
nd
I could
smile and laugh without feeling guilty or lost or
adrift in a world that terrified me without him. A world that
,
though it still possessed love and wonder
,
without him had been empty and cold.

  
“I wish we didn’t have to go either.” He threaded his fingers through my hair, curling it gently around his fingers.

   “They’ll be shocked to see you.”

  
God I loved his smile. It was so rare, so fleeting, and yet it lit his entire face. It sparkled in his eyes and
radiated
with his love for me. “
No less than you were.
”

   He pulled me closer to him, kissing me
softly. That wonderful smile, those magnificent lips.
All my doubts and fears were pushed aside as t
hey warmed me to the very depths of my soul. He pulled
slowly
away
from me; h
is eyes glowed with more than just
love. My toes curled in response to the ravenous gleam
in his gaze
. I was certain that he could devour me, that he wanted too, but it was more than just my body he wanted. A jolt of surprise tore through me as I caught sight of something within Cade that I had never seen before. Something dark and dangerous. Something that I didn’t understand
,
but
it
wanted possession of me in ways that I c
ouldn’t even begin to fathom
.

   Had they done something to him in there? Had they changed him somehow?
Was that why he had lied to me?

   The thought terrified me, but I couldn’t shake it
as that dark gaze burned into me. Seeming to realize my sudden trepidation he blinked and then managed a wan smile. The look was gone from his gaze, but I couldn’t forget it, and he couldn’t hide it completely.

   “Cade…”

   “Let’s get you back Bethany.”

   “Are you ok Cade?”

   “I’m fine.” His fingers entwined with mine. He lifted my hand to place a soft kiss against my knuckles.
“Lead the way.”

   I studied him for a moment longer, but there was no evidence o
f the darkness I had seen just moments ago
. No evidence of anything other than the man that I had always known and loved. I must have been imagining things. I had become so accustomed to the bad, that I could not allow myself to simply enjoy the wonder of his return.

   I squeezed his hand tight as I led him back through the forest. Even though my runs were often hectic and panicked
with my need for escape
, I was somehow always able to make my way back to the farmhouse.
Something in my subconscious must have remembered
the
route because I sure as hell wasn’t
any
good with directions. As we walked, I told him everything that had happened since he
’
d been gone. Everything we had gone through,
the losses we’d experienced,
the places we
’
d been
,
and our trip to Plymouth.

   In the beginning he asked questions, but the more I told him, the quieter he became. A
nger slowly settled over him as I told him
about
th
e
creature
that had attacked me. I did not go into detail about the pain, I didn’t think anyone should
know about that, ever.
It was a long moment after
I
had finished speaking before he finally did so.

   “You trust this Dr. Bishop?”

   That wasn’t the response I had expected. I had told my tale; I had thought that his was going to be forthcoming
now
.
“Well, yes
,” I said hesitatingly.
“
He’s very smart, he saved my life, and
he’s a good man.”

   Cade made a noncommittal sound that puzzled me. My uneasiness grew.
I didn’t know what had been done to him, what he’d had to endure while imprisoned by the aliens. I studied his countenance. Even if they had somehow managed to change him, I knew that he still loved me, it was obvious. But what had
happened to
him?
Where had he been? How had he escaped? And why wasn’t he telling me?

   I tried to bury
my
multiple questions and doubts
, hating myself for
them
. Of course they had changed him, of course he was different. We were both different after what we had endured. We were
all
different from what we’d endured.

   “Does he have any idea why you are different than the others?”

   His question sounded nonchalant but there was a new tension racing through his body.
His shoulders were tight
, his eyes hard. I didn’t tell him about my own fears, my own doubts
about myself
.
I couldn’t bring myself to speak of them. I didn’t
want him to look at me differently; I didn’t want him to fear for me. And if I was going to be honest with myself, I didn’t want to think about them right now.
Cade’
s return had given me
a reprieve from
the abnormalities in my blood
, and until this morning I hadn’t thought about it again. I wasn’t ready to worry about it now
either
.

  
“No. Not yet. But hopefully he will
be able
discover something that will help the others.”

   “Hopefully.”

   He had agreed with me, but he didn’t sound overly convinced. “What is your blood type?” I asked softly.

   The small smile he gave me did not reach his eyes.
“O negative.”

   “At least Bishop won’t be trying to stab you on a daily basis.” I had tried to sound light, but my voice sounded flat even to me.

  
“He shouldn’t be stabbing you, either.”

   I swallowed heavily, my hand tightened around his. “What happened to you Cade?
Where have you been?
”

   He was silent for a long moment, his hand
was firm and warm in my tight grasp
. “There are some things that
you
are better off not knowing Bethany.”
   “Cade…” His dark gaze swung toward me, the turmoil within it more than apparent. I wanted to push him, wanted to know what had been done to him
.
Wanted to know
why he seemed
so
off, but it was more than apparent
that he did not want to talk about
it
. I swallowed heavily. “Whatever happened I can handle it Cade
.
I
f you decide one day that you want to talk to me
,
I’ll be here for you
.
I’ll always be here for you.
”

   “I want to talk to you every day for the rest of our lives Bethany, just not about this. Not
right now
anyway.”

   “Ok. I understand.” I said the words, but
I was
slightly wounded
and still a little confused by him.

   He stopped walking suddenly. A small gasp of surprise escaped me as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. “I don’t
want
to hurt you
;
it’s the last thing in the world
that I want
. For r
ight now
though,
t
his
is all I want
. I just want you, and I
just
want to live in the present. I want to think of our future, not the past. I just want to be.”

   His eyes were haunted, but there was a feverish light in them. He needed this, he needed me to understand his
desires, and I could not refuse him.
There were things I did not wish to discuss with him, at least not right now anyway.
He was not asking me to kill someone; he was not asking me to abandon my family. He was simply asking me not to make him relive his pain. My heart swelled, ached. I wished that I could take
whatever it was
that had hurt him so bad
ly
away
, wished I’d had more faith that he had somehow survived
, maybe I could have rescued him sooner
if I’d had
.