Taken Over

   He frowned at me, his mouth pursed tightly. It seemed he wanted to say something, but instead he shook his head and dropped a soft kiss on my nose. “There was nothing you could have done. If you had come after me we wouldn’t be here right now. You would have been captured or killed also. None of this is your fault Bethany and it all worked out for the best. This, right here,” he placed my hand firmly against his chest, his other hand stroked lightly over my cheek. “This is all that we need; just us and our loved ones.”

   I managed a small smile for him but I couldn’t shake my lingering guilt. I breathed a soft sigh of love and desire as his lips traveled down to my own, seizing hold of my mouth with a growing hunger that caused my bones to quiver. He was right; this was all that we needed from now on.

   “Bethany!” I jumped in startled surprise at the sharp bark that broke into our bliss. “Where the hellhave you…”

   Aiden’s voice broke off as Cade straightened above me; his dark eyes were hooded as he surveyed Aiden. Shock widened Aiden’s eyes, his mouth dropped as he stopped abruptly. “Cade?” he squeaked in surprise.

   “Hey Aiden.”

   Aiden’s mouth dropped even further, probably due more to Cade’s nonchalant response than the fact that he was actually standing there. Aiden’s eyes flew to me, shock and disbelief radiated from him. He came slowly forward, his eyebrows drawing tightly together as he surveyed Cade from head to toe with disbelief.

   “You’re alive.”

   “I am,” Cade agreed.

   “What? How?” Aiden sputtered. Then he broke into a grin and grabbed hold of Cade’s arm and pulled him close in a quick embrace. “This is amazing! It’s great to see you!”

   “You too.”

   “We thought you were dead, how are you still alive?”

   “Not now Aiden,” I interjected. Leave it to my brother to pounce on Cade with questions. He was like a dog with a bone sometimes, I just hoped that this was one bone he was willing to let go of. At least for a little while.

   Aiden’s gaze slid to me. “Did you know?”

   I started in surprise. “No. Of course not.”

   Aiden frowned at me. “Then what were you doing? Why did you leave if you didn’t know he was out here?”

   I shook my head, taking strength in Cade’s solid presence as he wrapped his fingers through mine. “I just needed to get away for a bit. Needed some time to myself.”

   “In the woods? By yourself !?” I shifted uncomfortably. “How long have you been doing that for?”

   “Aiden…”

   “Damn it Bethany!” he snapped. Then his gaze slid to Cade. “I hope that is all over now.”

   “I like the woods, they’re peaceful. I found solace in them.”

   “And now you won’t need to.”

   I glared at Aiden, he may be right, but that didn’t mean I still didn’t want to beat the hell out of him right now. Cade knew that I loved him, that I had been lost without him, but I didn’t want him to think I was moping around for the past month. Even if I had been. I wanted him to think that I was strong, that I had been surviving, and not trying to kill myself. I didn’t want him to think that I’d quit, when I hadn’t.

   “I like being alonein the woods,” I grated out.

   “Not anymore.” I shot Cade a dark look. “I’ll be coming with you now.”

   I wanted to argue with him for taking Aiden’s side, wanted to protest that I was fine on my own, but I simply didn’t have it in me. All I could do was smile up at him. In all honesty I didn’t really care if I went into the woods on my own again, or not. It didn’t matter as long as Cade was by my side.

***

   Cade stood silently in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest, his eyes hooded as he surveyed the room. Though his posture was casual, tension hummed through his body. Bishop prattled eagerly on, explaining how he hoped that my blood would hold the answer. Cade’s displeasure was nearly palpable as his eyes followed Bishop’s every move.

   He had been back for almost three days now, but much to everyone’s displeasure, he refused to talk about what he had gone through, what he had seen. He had also tried to keep me from Bishop. For the most part Cade still seemed like the person I had lost, but there were other times when he was distant, almost harsh. There was a current of hostility thrumming through him that only eased when we were alone together, which was far rarer than I wanted or liked.

   The first night had been spent making our way through the dark, staying to the woods as we moved toward Boston. We had stopped to stay in an old house sheltered in a cove deep in the woods. Unfortunately, there weren’t many rooms and though we slept at each other’s sides at night, we were never alone.

   Those onyx eyes slid toward me, his strong jaw clenched tight. There was a smoldering heat in his gaze that warmed the very marrow of my bones. “I do need a fresh sample though, if you don’t mind Bethy. You’re off the antibiotics now.”

   “Ah sure,” I answered absently. Cade took a step toward me; he looked as if he was going to protest but remained silent. It was moments like these, when he looked about ready to punch something that had everyone weary of him, and me more than a little concerned.

   I was rolling my sleeve up for Bishop when a shout rang out. Leaping from the chair I had been sitting upon, I pulled the gun swiftly from my waistband. Something flashed through Cade’s eyes; he reached out as if to stop me, but seemed to reconsider it as his hand fell back to his side. He moved with me as I hurried through the house. Bret and Aiden were out there somewhere; they had gone out with a group of people to help scavenge for food.

   Terror for them hammered through me, I was sprinting by the time I slammed into the screen door. The weight of my body caused it to fling open but Cade grabbed hold of it before it slammed closed. I flew across the porch, coming up short, my gun raised as I took in the crowd gathered in a circle. Darnell and Lloyd stood at the front of the circle, their guns leveled at the young man that stood in the center with his hands raised above his head.

   “I come in peace,” he quipped, using his raised fingers to flash the Vulcan salute. He was gri

   The smile slipped slowly from his face as he seemed to finally realize that he was in real danger. His hands raised minutely, his dark eyebrows lifted slightly as he surveyed the crowd. Cade stepped forward suddenly, blocking me as the young man’s dark eyes swung in our direction. There was something about Cade, something dark and deadly. We may have had guns but for one stu

   The young man’s eyes rested upon Cade for a moment, narrowing slightly before sliding toward me. There was a moment, one brief intense moment, when I could almost feel the crackle of tension that filled the air. I would have thought that perhaps I was imagining it, but several heads turned in our direction. In Cade’sdirection. One of them was Bret, who studied Cade with a weary expression that left me feeling oddly hollow. The two of them had not ended things on a good note and the lingering hostility between them was starting to grate on my nerves but for one instant Bret stared at Cade as if he didn’t even know him and it scared the hell out of me.