17

OUTCASTS
— 16. Moon over Bourbon Street



A month had passed since Rebekah had left New Orleans. All seemed to be well in New Orleans. Cadence had spent all her time in the bayou with the twins, allowing them to get to know their father. The Crescent Curse was lifted, after all, and it was all thanks to Hayley.

Cadence had returned to the Quarter every now and then to check on Kieran, who seemed to be only getting worse. She hadn't heard from Klaus, which was a first, but she didn't bother wondering why.

It was afternoon time and Cadence stood with Jackson, smiling as she watched two men wrestle. Several others stood around them, watching the scene occur.

"Shouldn't you be over there, fighting with the rest of the little frat boys?" Cadence asked Jackson jokingly with a smile on her face.

"Nah. That's just for pecking order. They already know who's the alpha," He reminded her, causing Cadence to playfully roll her eyes.

She turned, lifting her head to look him in the eyes. "Is that so?" She asked, smiling sarcastically.

"Uh-huh," He replied, causing them both to chuckle. They turned to see Hayden and Hunter running around, playing with other children.

She knew the truth, though. Hunter was adjusting and adapting to the new environment far more easily than Hayden, who was hesitant to trust the people around him. He always had been that way. The only reason he was actually playing with the other children was that Hunter was there.

"The twins seem to enjoy being here," Cadence spoke up and Jackson smiled, nodding his head in agreement.

"It's where they belong. It's where they've always belonged," He reminded her and Cadence uneasily smiled as she looked down at the ground.

It wasn't long before Hunter and Hayden ran over. Hunter laughed and allowed his father lift him off the ground. Cadence smiled at the sight, but instead of going near his father, Hayden remained at her mother's side.

"When are we gonna go back home?" Hayden suddenly asked as he stared up at his mother.

"What do you mean?" Cadence asked, giving her son a puzzled look.

"I want to see Klaus again. He promised he'd give me a new toy car," Hayden replied, causing Cadence to sigh in defeat.

She turned her head slightly to look at Jackson, who frowned at the fact that the twins were familiar with Klaus.


_____


That night, at dinner, Cadence was helping Jackson light candles while Hayley stood near them, doing the same.

"You got to try Tucker's ribs, Cade," Jackson told Cadence, a smile forming on his lips, "I bet you missed those while living in the Quarter. I remember how much you used to like them."

"What's next? We gonna play horseshoes outside?" Cadence asked Jackson, beginning to chuckle.

"Hey. Don't mock country living, Cade," Jackson replied, laughing at her comment, "Last time you were here, you loved it."

"Sorry. This is just a lot more family fun than I'm used to lately," Cadence admitted, a nervous smile on her face.

"Well, maybe I can help you get used to it again," Jackson replied, seeing as though when she was younger, she had spent quite a lot of time in the bayou with him.

"Then all we got to do is just forget how she spent half her life with witches and humans and the other half with vampires. And not just any, but the man who forced the curse upon us in the first place," Oliver explained, placing a piece of food into his mouth.

"Olly, back off," Jackson warned his friend in a stern tone, "She's the mother of my children, who are just like us. She deserves to be here."

"It's okay, Jack. I can defend myself," Cadence retorted as she turned and smiled at Oliver threateningly, "And if the runt of the litter has something to say, he can say it to my face."

Oliver chuckled, nodding his head at Cadence. "You know, word from the quarter is your boy Elijah holding some kind of power summit," He informed her and Cadence gave him a weird look, "Guess who wasn't invited."

"Elijah's not my boy," Cadence argued, shaking her head at Oliver with an offended look on her face.

"Oh, right, that's Klaus," Oliver commented, earning a glare from Cadence.

"I'm sure there was some reason—" Cadence began to defend Elijah's actions, only to be cut off as Hayley spoke up.

"Where did you hear this?" Hayley asked, a concerned look on her face.

"It's doesn't matter," Oliver replied, shaking his head at her, "The point is is that we're stuck here living in the swamp while your vampire boyfriend's deciding who gets what in the city, but I guess that shows how much respect he's got for the werewolves, huh?"

Oliver sent Hayley a taunting smile, just before walking away.

Hayley sighed and turned, exchanging a look with Cadence. "I'm going to head to the Quarter to figure this all out. You coming?"

"Nope. I have other business to deal with in the Quarter," Cadence replied, earning a weird look from Hayley and Jackson.





____


At first, Cadence had been hesitant to leave the twins with Jackson in the bayou, but after a bit of reassurance from the father of her children, she knew she trusted him enough to make sure nothing happened to their sons.

It wasn't long before she arrived at the Abbatoir. Without hesitation, she traveled to Klaus' room, knowing for a fact he couldn't have been busy. He would, after all, have a lot of time on his hands now that Elijah took control of the city.

"I saw the light from the courtyard and figured that—"Cadence began to say as she entered Klaus' room, only to freeze when she laid eyes on Klaus standing there next to Genevieve, who wore nothing but lingerie and a silk robe that was left open, "You weren't with the half-naked witch bitch. It seems I was wrong."

Cadence rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, glancing between Genevieve and Klaus. "Ten minutes ago, I was fully naked," Genevieve pointed out and Cadence simply smiled at her.

"Good for you. That means you served your purpose. There's the door," She commented, smiling as she pointed toward the door and waved, "Bye now."

Genevieve glared at Cadence coldly as she walked toward her. "Your kind sure do know how to piss off witches," She growled at Cadence, referring to the fact that she was a siphon witch.

   "Yeah, we do. But we also know how to siphon all the magic from you until you're nothing but skin and bones so you better watch the way you speak to me or you'll end up just like my mother," Cadence explained to her in a low, threatening tone.

Genevieve shot Cadence a glare, just before leaving the room without another word said.

Once Genevieve was out of sight, Cadence turned to Klaus, who smiled at her in amusement. "Really?" She asked him, a disgusted look on her face, "Out of everyone to sleep with in this city, you choose her?"

"Well, New Orleans breeds nothing if not strange bedfellows," He commented as he walked past her, "But I assume you're not here to question me on my leisure activities, what with you spending all of your time in the bayou this past month."

Cadence sighed, watching as Klaus poured himself a glass of scotch. "I'm here about Kieran," She informed him uneasily, "Cami tells me he's...deteriorating. The pills, the meditation, everything she's tried...none of it is working. His lucidity's shrinking by the day. A witch did this, Klaus, a witch can undo it. You seem super close to Genevieve, maybe you can convince her to help."

"It won't do any good," He informed her, earning a puzzled look from Cadence, "These hexes, they start with magic, but as they take root, they alter the very chemistry of the brain. That's why even your abilities aren't working. I'm sorry, Cadence. The damage is done."

  Cadence stared at Klaus in silence for a moment, tears welled in her eyes. "I refuse to believe that," She managed to get out, sighing before she walked in the direction of the door.

"Cadence, wait," Klaus suddenly called out, causing Cadence to stop and turn to him.

She frowned, watching as he walked over to a drawer. After a moment, he took out a toy truck made of wood and turned to her. He smiled as he held it out to her, causing her to give him a weird look. "I promised Hayden I'd give him this the next time I saw him, but since you've been spending all your time in the bayou, I might as well give it to you," He explained and Cadence looked surprised as she took ahold of the truck.

It looked to be carved by hand. By Klaus himself.

"Klaus, did you..." She trailed off, her eyes widening as she stared up at him, "Did you carve this out yourself?"

After a moment, Klaus gradually began to smile and nodded his head. "It used to be a passion of mine. When I was a human, I used to carve toys for Rebekah quite often," He explained to her and Cadence began to smile at the thought. Klaus had carved it himself.

"Are you..." He trailed off and sighed as he brought himself to look her in the eyes, "Are you and the father of your children back together?"

Cadence stared up at him and tried to keep a straight face. A few long moments of silence passed between them before Cadence suddenly began to laugh, causing Klaus to frown at her. He didn't understand how such a question was funny to her.

"Of course not. Are you crazy? That chapter of my life is finished. It is long over. Though that doesn't mean I won't let him finally be a father to his sons. Hunter has warmed up to him, but Hayden refuses. He doesn't even try to bond with his father or the other children his age in the bayou," She explained, but gradually began to smile, "He asks about you constantly. Jackson doesn't seem to like that. I give it no time before he confronts me about it, asking why I would let his sons around someone like you."

Tilting his head slightly, Klaus stepped closer to Cadence, a curious look on his face. "And what will you say?"

"Well, first I'll say that I birthed them and I can bring them wherever I want. Second, I will tell him that who would I trust more around my children than a person who understands more than anyone what it's like to be different than everyone else around them, a person who knows what it is to be viewed as an abomination to the supernatural world," She explained and Klaus immediately started to smile at her.

"I better go," She confessed and Klaus nodded in understanding, "In the meantime, try to pick better bedwarmers 'cause the one you got is bound to betray you sooner or later."

"You sound jealous," Klaus called out as he watched her walk toward the door.

Cadence stopped and turned to Klaus, smiling playfully. "I don't get jealous. And why would I get jealous? I'm not your girlfriend," She commented and smirked when Klaus shot her an annoyed look, "I just know you deserve better than her."

"Who do you have in mind?" Klaus asked her in a mocking tone, "I'm open to suggestions."

"Anyone but her," Cadence replied and Klaus laughed in amusement, "I have to go, Klaus. But I hope to see you soon."

Klaus nodded and with that, Cadence left the room. Klaus watched her walk out of the room, gradually beginning to smile in admiration.




_____


That night, at Saint Anne's church, Cadence stood with her arms crossed, watching as Kieran placed chains around his ankles. "Is that really necessary?" She found herself asking, a nervous look appearing on her face.

"The sickness, it's...it's overtaking my inclination to forgive, replacing it with one thought that I could barely contain at the summit," He explained, lifting his head to look her directly in the eyes, "'Kill every last one of them'."

Cadence sighed, trying to hide her easiness. "We'll figure it out, Kieran. I just know it. We have to," She assured him and Kieran sighed in response.

"I tried to figure out with Sean, we both did, but we were focused too much on that instead of trying to stop him, and I'm not...I'm not going to let that happen to me," He explained as he stood up and began to walk toward her, causing her to cautiously back up, "Cami's an O'Connell. They are going to ask her to take my place at the table. Make sure she doesn't agree. Tell her to leave. To start over. And so should you."

"I'm not doing any of that. There's still a chance for you," She argued, shaking her head in disapproval.

"How many times do I have to tell you and Cami I can't be fixed?" He snapped at her in an aggravated tone and Cadence immediately realized he was on the verge of having one of his fits of madness.

"And how many times do she and I have to tell you I will not stop trying?" She retorted in a cold tone.

"That is just stubbornness like—like when you were a little girl and I had just taken you in," He began to complain in an aggravated tone, "You always had to be right. You—You never listened. Just that thick head of yours," He ranted and Cadence tried to hide her uneasiness, "Instead, you only got worse. You got yourself involved in things a sixteen-year-old girl should have never been involved in and how did it end? You were left sixteen and pregnant with twins. I prayed for you and go not answer. There is only darkness. There is only death. And chaos. And you are a magnet for all three."

There was a moment of silence between them, just before Kieran lunged at her. She turned to run, only to have Kieran grab her by the leg and pull her down to the ground with him.

She cried out in fear, trying to crawl away. "No, no, no! Kieran, stop! It's me! It's Cadence!" She pleaded, but he continued to pull her toward him to kill her.

She had no magic left. It was one of the worst parts about being a siphon witch. Without a source of magic, she was nothing more than an average human.

Having no other choice, Cadence lifted her boot and kicked him in the face. He fell back and Cadence began to crawl away. He recovered and grabbed her ankle once more, but by the time he did so, she ended up grabbing hold of a lamp.

Without hesitation, she whipped herself around and hit him in the face with the lamp, knocking him out.

She heaved for breath, immediately backing away from his unconscious body. She began to tear up, horrified by what had just occurred.

She stood up and winced in pain, glancing down at the large gasp on her right arm. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Kieran's body there. The man who raised her had just tried to kill her after being hexed by her own mother. What was happening was no one's fault but her own.

Kieran was right. She was a magnet for darkness, chaos, and death and she hated it more than anything.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top