Ravenous (The Ravening 1)

“Did you speak to Jenna?’

“Jenna? No why?”

I hedged, uncertain how to proceed. He must have picked up on something between Cade and me, or perhaps Cade had said something after I’d fallen asleep. “Bret there’s something we should talk about. Did Cade…”

His hands tightened on mine, he leaned closer. “We don’t have to talk about him. When people are frightened, or stressed, they do things that they normally wouldn’t do.”

“Bret…”

“It’s ok Bethany; things will go back to normal now. Or at least as normal as they can be under the circumstances.”

I didn’t know what to say to him, I could barely breathe through the anguish clenching my chest. I'd known Bret most of my life, he was a good person. It was me that was awful and wrong. I clasped both of his hands in mine. I knew what had to be done, but maybe it didn’t have to be done right now. It was obvious that he didn’t want it to be right now, obvious that he was clinging to the hope that we would be fine. There wasn’t much that I could give him, but I could give him that at least. Couldn’t I?

My eyes shot toward the doorway as movement caught my attention. I didn’t know how long Cade had been standing there, but if he hadn’t moved I never would have noticed him. It seemed as if he was a part of the shadows as he blended seamlessly in with them. I was amazed and a little unnerved by the way the shadows embraced him.

I pulled back, unable to stop myself as Bret leaned forward to kiss me again. Distress flashed through his eyes, his hands clenched upon mine as he sat back on his heels. I couldn’t look at either of them as I untangled my hands from Bret’s grasp and rose slowly. My back protested the movement as I stretched my cramped muscles, but it felt good to move again.

I blinked against the harsh flare of light as Cade flipped the switch. Resentment flashed across Bret’s features when he spotted Cade leaning in the doorway. “What do you want?” Bret demanded.

Apparently Bret had decided to take all of his ire out on Cade, instead of me where it belonged. Cade lifted a black eyebrow as wry amusement flitted over his handsome features. Under the amusement though was a seething mass of tension. This was a situation that was going to have to be resolved, soon, or it was going to get ugly. It never should have gotten to this point to begin with.

And it was entirely my fault.

“You know what I want, or at least who,” Cade drawled.

My mouth dropped, my hands clenched on my arms as I stared at him in utter disbelief. I couldn’t believe he'd just said that. “Son of a bitch!” Bret growled.

I seized hold of Bret’s arm as he took a threatening step forward. He looked about ready to beat the crap out of Cade, but Cade remained leaning nonchalantly in the doorway. He didn’t appear at all fazed by Bret’s irritation though Bret was a good thirty pounds heavier, and three inches taller. “I just thought that all the cards should be on the table, so there is no confusion about what my intentions are.” I could only stand there and continue to gape at Cade as his gaze burned over me. “I know what I want, and now you do too.”

Bret was shaking in my grip, his hands fisted at his sides. I was trembling from the effects of Cade’s sizzling look, and from the words he had just uttered. “Don’t do this now,” I managed to whisper. Bret didn’t relax in my grasp, but his gaze did come slowly toward me. The look of betrayal in his eyes made me want to cry. “Bret, I’m sorry, I really am. I didn’t mean for this to happen, I never meant to hurt you, it’s the last thing in the world I ever…”

I gasped as he knocked my hand aside and jerked his arm from my grasp. Cade’s casual demeanor vanished as he came away from the door. Fury darkened his features; his eyes were shards of black ice as a muscle in his cheek twitched. My heart leapt into my throat, I scurried in between them and threw up my hands to halt Cade’s approach.

“You want to take this out on someone then take it out on me!” Cade snarled. His rage was so volatile, so intense, that it caused the hair on the nape of my neck to stand up. It didn’t matter if Bret was bigger; in that moment I was certain that Cade might just kill him. “Not her, me.”

Before I knew what Cade planned he seized hold of my hand with surprising tenderness, considering the enraged look on his face, and began to rub it. “It's fine... I’m fine,” I managed to stammer out. His eyes came toward me; they crinkled at the edges as his gaze softened. My hand clenched around his, I couldn't stop the immediate physical and emotional reaction that surged through me.

“What’s going on?” I had been so caught up in everything that I hadn’t noticed Aiden’s appearance in the room. His hair was rumpled from sleep, his eyes were a little swollen, but there was a keen edge in his gaze that was somewhat unnerving. “Are you ok?” he demanded of me as his attention honed in on Cade’s hand on mine.

“I’m fine. Everything’s fine,” I managed to reassure him.

He glanced at Bret, then at Cade, before finally settling on me again. Cade had been his friend once, but that had been years ago. Bret was his best friend now; I knew where Aiden’s loyalties would lie. I didn’t want him put in the middle of this. “Better be,” he said. “Abby, Molly, and Jenna are awake too.”

“Good, we have to figure out what we're going to do.”

“Didn’t Bret tell you?”

I glanced back at Bret, but he wouldn’t look at me as his gaze remained focused on the far wall. His mouth was clamped shut and his arms folded over his broad chest. I ached for the sting of rejection I sensed in him. Swallowing heavily I turned my attention back to Aiden. “No,” I informed him.

“The rental store down the road does have scuba gear.”

I frowned in confusion. “But you said that was a bad idea.”

“It’s the only one we have now. The fact that we have to get to the mainland hasn't changed Bethany. We can’t stay on this side. They’ll find us.” My hand tensed on Cade’s as I sought his strength. I knew I should let go of him, knew that I was only hurting Bret more, but I couldn’t bring myself to release him. I was a truly awful person. Cade’s hands wrapped around my arms, he pulled me a small step closer to him. His attention was still half on Bret as he listened to Aiden. “We have to do something Bethany.”

Though Aiden was trying to keep his face expressionless, confusion and astonishment blazed from the eyes rapidly flickering back and forth between the three of us. He focused on me, shook his head, opened his mouth to say something, and then clamped it shut again. He muttered something under his breath, it was so low that I couldn’t make it out, but Cade pulled me even closer to him.