Chapter 81

Kadeem

Kadeem's heart beat like hummingbird wings in his chest.

The insatiable heat from the sun baked down on him, his ebony hair absorbing the searing warmth. He felt the sweat pooling along his brow and at the nape of his neck.

The oppressive blaze seemed to intensify the roiling fear inside him. A warning bell echoed in his head with every breath, urging him to use all of his strength to persuade Ardal to abandon the foolhardy plan.

She and Rayburn were standing at the outer rim of the cool shadows cast by the branches of a pecan tree’s broad arms. His muscles twitched to push into their space and take respite from the inferno, but he stayed as rooted as the old tree.

Because despite feeling as though he had walked into the fires of hell itself, he couldn’t interrupt the spell between them. He had to gauge her reaction to his words. He’d laid his entreaty as bare as he could, and now it was time to decipher and decode her intentions.

He watched as Ardal seemed to soak up the situation, just before a flash of determination shone through. Her response came as no surprise, yet it was maddening all the same.

He drew in a breath, knowing he'd failed.

All of the cautionary warnings he laid for her to think twice had amounted to nothing. He could plainly see in Ardal's emerald eyes that she was set to pursue the same dangerous path with Rayburn. She'd make a clandestine attempt to disappear beyond the pack's borders with him.

Even though all signs indicated that she had already made her decision, Kadeem felt a desperate need to make her understand that what she was attempting was futile and filled with great danger. Still, she was stubborn, beyond reproach. Mentally, he began to shuffle through various strategies he’d already considered in case he needed to shift gears.

Before Ardal opened her lips to respond, Ezra's voice cut through the silence.

"Mom!"

From inside the van, five children spilled emerged, their small feet crushing the gravel as they padded towards their mother with an eagerness that tugged at Kadeem's heartstrings.

He ran his hand across his forehead to wipe away the perspiration and push back his damp hair. He couldn't help but smile at their bright faces and untroubled souls, thankful for the distraction that had jolted them away from the impending argument.

"I need to go to the bathroom again," Lottie bellowed, her little fingers tugging on Ardal's arm.

Silas scowled and wiped at his reddened cheeks with an agitated hand. "It's boiling hot in there! Milo turned off the AC!"

Milo shuffled his feet guiltily, looking down at his sneakers. "I just wanted to see what the buttons did," he mumbled apologetically.

"Okay, okay," Ardal said, heaving a weary sigh. "Give me one minute."

Kadeem's gaze drifted down, only to find Erbao staring up at him.

The little boy's doe-eyed expression gave away the confusion and hurt inside. "Why haven't you said hello to us yet?"

The question caught Kadeem off-guard. Even as he was touched by Erbao's concern, a sense of shame washed over him for his overly narrow focus on playing an adapted version of his Alpha-self for Ardal and Rayburn.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, realizing the depth of his mistake. "That was really thoughtless of me. Can you forgive me?" He offered Erbao a lopsided smile.

Erbao nodded vigorously, returning the smile. Kadeem wanted to scoop him up, but held himself back.

"Alright," Ardal said, with a hint of harried frustration, as she tried again to wrangle the quints.

She was greatly outnumbered by her pack of wolf pups, but she marshaled them with an affectionate authority Kadeem admired, smoothing their hair and tenderly patting their small hands. Despite the exhaustion in her eyes, she beamed at them with a warm smile.

"Hang tight for just one more minute," she said firmly. "Wait on the porch and I'll be right there."

The children bolted across the lawn and bounded up the steps.

Erbao pivoted halfway and dashed back towards Kadeem again, throwing his arms around Kadeem's legs in a bear hug that nearly toppled him over.

Kadeem yelped in shock as he tottered unsteadily on his feet, but couldn't help but laugh, even as he flailed desperately to regain his balance. His efforts were met with uproarious laughter from Riley at his expense. Erbao flung himself off of Kadeem's legs, sending him wobbling again as he sprint wordlessly away to rejoin his siblings.

Riley put her hand over her mouth to contain her fit of giggles. Kadeem shot her a look that read clearly: ‘Shut the hell up.’

Ardal seemed to hesitate for a moment, fidgeting with a lock of chestnut hair while her gaze sought Rayburn's help. A twinge of envy shot through Kadeem when he saw Rayburn place a comforting hand on the small of Ardal's back.

Kadeem grit his teeth and brushed away the perspiration around his collar. Riley jostled next to him. He felt the buzz of her anticipation - her patience, no doubt waning in the sweltering heat.

He glanced at her again to send her an encouraging nod this time. Impulsive by nature, he was doubly glad for her efforts to remain - mostly - calm.

He directed his attention back to Ardal, and was surprised to see further signs of quiet uncertainty in her demeanor. There was a nervousness in her eyes and a frown played upon her lips.

Her hotheaded confidence seemed to be fizzling out - although surely not soon enough for Riley's liking.

Ardal chewed on her lip and turned to face Rayburn. "Could you - would you mind," she stuttered anxiously.

Without missing a beat, Rayburn interjected reassuringly. "Of course not," he said. He flicked his eyes up at Kadeem, shooting him an haughty warning behind his wire-framed glasses.

Kadeem barely suppressed an eye roll as Rayburn sniffed, before glancing back at Ardal. "Just let me know if you need me." He lifted his chin, but avoided Kadeem's direct gaze as he walked away to kill the car engine.

Pompous ass.

It pained Kadeem to see Rayburn's figure encircled by the kids as he walked up the steps of the porch. Kadeem was about to resettle his eyes on Ardal when Lottie's squeal of joy caught his attention. Rayburn had just pushed open the door, sending Lottie scurrying past all of them for the bathroom inside.

He almost smiled, but in front of him, Ardal had begun to break apart. Right in front of his eyes, now, something was crumbling within her. The raw emotion she was feeling radiated through the air, hitting him with an almost tangible force.

Riley seemed poised to seal the deal. She inhaled sharply, ready to expedite the process with a few well-timed words. With one fierce look, he silenced her.

That's when the dam broke. A sob escaped Ardal’s throat, like a mournful song for her broken heart. The tears spilled over, wetting her dark lashes and cascading down her delicate features.

Kadeem longed to rush to her, to hold her and dry her eyes, but while he was still fighting against the instinct, she walled it all back in, valiantly stemming the tide of emotions.

Despite her despair, she managed to bolster her own courage and Kadeem silently admired her as her glinting green eyes met his own, shining with a fierce resolve.

"I'm going," she said, her voice unwavering. "Jack knows of a cure to help Erbao. We’re leaving to find it and you won’t stop me.”

Kadeem froze. That’s what this was all about? It clicked painfully into place. Ardal’s sheer force of will as she relentlessly pursued what she thought would save her child - and Rayburn’s manipulative pulling at her strings, leading her and the children straight into peril. The anger came on so strong, Kadeem had to battle his wolf from surfacing.

Ardal looked pointedly at Riley. "Throw me in jail, do whatever you want." She inhaled and refocused, laser sharp, on Kadeem. "Don't you think for a second I won't figure out a way!"

Kadeem let out an audible sigh and shook his head gently. "God, but you're stubborn,” he whispered.

Stubborn, and caught in Rayburn’s deception.

His mind racing, Kadeem weighed his options.

He could have Rayburn killed and hope Ardal didn’t guess Kadeem’s connection to this… but the unknown about what information Rayburn held was too crucial for him to ignore. Keeping Rayburn alive - for now - was essential.

There was only one choice if he wanted to ensure Ardal and the kids were safe - and bonus: It was likely to get Rayburn talking, spilling the details Kadeem needed to ensure there would be no more vampire attacks.

Kadeem clenched his fists and readied himself. He would give Riley the signal. She’d corral Ardal and then, cool and collected, he’d extract Rayburn from the home, so the children wouldn’t have to bear witness to his arrest. His only fear was that Rayburn would use some form of dark magic to turn the tables on him.

Having played out every detail in a blistering pace, he should have right jumped into action.

But he stared at Ardal.

Her slender frame appeared almost fragile, although he knew her strength. Her eyes were wide and luminous with sorrow and he could see the depth of her anguish for her son, as well as her unwavering hope that this would save Erbao from painful medical treatments and give him back his childhood.

Whereas before she had been filled with doubt, now it seemed she had willed herself to accept their wild, quixotic plan. She was willing to throw away everything if it meant sparing her boy any more suffering.

Kadeem felt a sharp pang in his heart - he couldn't convince her otherwise - not when she was so blindly determined. Even if he arrested Rayburn, Ardal was likely still going to go ahead looking for whatever cure he had promised, walking right into a trap set by the villain.

He shuttered his eyes for a moment to steel against his flagging energy. Then, he turned to Riley. "You'll take over?"

She nodded assertively, though he felt the disagreement coming off of her in waves. "Yes, sir."

Ardal’s brow was crinkled in confusion. Her hands were curled tightly around the fabric of her shirt, twisting it in nervous hesitation.

"This was my 'Plan Z,'" Kadeem said with a wry grin, though the exhausted resignation had taken hold. "But let's avoid all the useless junk in the middle."

He took a breath. "So here's what’s left, my dear: Go if you must, but I’m coming, too.”