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“What happened?” he asked.
Cadence shrugged. “I caught a falcon.”
“I remember…I remember…”
“She was going to save you.” Cadence lifted her chin higher into the air. “You know, even at our best, I never wanted to Change for you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what that means.”
One side of her lips curved up. “She’s made a nest in her trailer. She’ll go there when her wings are worn out.”
Lucas frowned, and then ducked his head. “Thank you.” He didn’t know what he was thanking her for, but it felt right. He turned to head to his truck, but she called after him, “Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
She wrapped her arms tighter around her middle. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Cadence—”
“Not for me, Lucas.” She inhaled deeply and looked heavenward, then back at him. “This place was missing something I couldn’t provide.”
“I’m not staying.”
“Even so. Even if you’re leaving, for a little while, this place made sense.”
He pursed his lips and gave a little salute as a goodbye. He wouldn’t see Cadence again after this.
“Lucas?” she called as he turned.
“Yeah?”
She held her arms out and exposed the deep gashes on her arms. “I’m glad she’s on our side.”
He froze, staring at the half-healed claw marks on her arms. He had seen the speckled white-and-brown falcon aiming for Torren, but she’d disappeared and he’d been immersed in the fight. He just stared at those talon marks in shock. “Why did she do that?” he asked.
Cadence waited a three-count, then lifted her chin higher. “Because I was taking her away from you.”
Chapter Nine
Exhaustion had settled into her bones as she staggered through the woods toward the clearing of Smashland Mobile Park. She had no clue what time it was. Her cell phone was still in her purse, and had probably been stolen from the fight barn at this point. Her clothes would still be in a pile when she mustered up the courage to go there in the morning before work, but there was no way her purse would still be there.
Last night had been so stupid.
She expected darkness when she climbed the final ridge to the park, but her porch light was turned on, and a large figure sat on the top stair of her porch.
Lucas.
She stumbled to a stop. “W-what are you doing here?”
Lucas stood slowly and held up a folded pile of clothes. “I brought back your things.”
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. “Well, thank you. You really didn’t have to go to the trouble.”
He twitched his head toward the reinvented 1010 trailer. “I’m staying here for a couple of nights. I have to meet with Damon still.”
“Oh.” She frowned at the trailer he would be staying in. “You could’ve just left these on the porch. You didn’t have to stay awake.”
He turned his face in the halo of porch light and she swallowed a gasp. He was bruised and cut and swollen. Still healing from the silverback fight then. His entire body probably looked like that, it was just covered in a black T-shirt and jeans. She stared down at his bare feet, and saw that the left one was speckled with red. It wasn’t dried yet. Still bleeding then. He smelled like wet copper.
