I know I owe you guys a fight scene (and I have an amazing one in the works) but unfortunately, it isn’t ready quite yet and I don’t want to rush it. So I’m putting this one up to tie you over in the meantime.
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Nathaniel kept himself hidden as long as he could. Watching Caden and Kyla where they stood in front of the waterfall, he had expended whatever self-control he possessed. The time had passed for self-control; that was over the moment he saw what Caden was after.
The first thing Nathaniel noticed was the boy’s nervousness. It wasn’t hard to see it; he didn’t even need to use his discernment for that. But it did make him uneasy. If something had Caden this nervous, there was little chance that this secret meeting had been staged to exchange pleasantries. Hell, even if Caden hadn’t been nervous, Nathaniel still would have been skeptical just by how it had been done.
Not that he could blame him. He hadn’t exactly left the boy with options.
As soon as Caden mentioned Nashville, Nathaniel felt a tension in his chest. He didn’t know what he was talking about and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Nathaniel knew it was probably a mistake for him to step out into view the way he did. After following Kyla to this place called Rainbow Falls, he had set up the perfect hiding place for himself that would never have allowed them to know he was there. But as soon as he realized what Caden was doing, Nathaniel had to put a stop to it.
He watched Kyla’s face drop when he walked up to them, and saw about a dozen different emotions play across her eyes.
None of them were happy.
The first emotion that marked her was surprise. Genuine surprise; strong enough that it might even be described as shock. Then she looked confused. She stood there for a moment staring at him, trying to fit the pieces together and understand how it was that he was even there. Then she got mad.
That was the one Nathaniel was least anxious to deal with.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped at him. “How did you know where I was?”
Nathaniel gave her a patronizing look and Kyla rolled her eyes. “Right,” she mumbled.
“I need to talk to Caden,” he told her.
She and Caden both looked surprised by that.
“You need to talk to Caden?” she asked him.
Nathaniel affirmed to her, “Yes,” emotionlessly. He kept his eyes on the boy, and was surprised when Caden wasn’t afraid to look back at him.
“You know, we were kind of in the middle of something,” Caden said. There was tension in his voice that he didn’t attempt to hide.
Do not hit the human boy, Nathaniel told himself. You can be civil about this.
As Kyla looked back and forth between them, it was obvious that she was afraid. No doubt, images from the first time he and Caden had ever laid into each other were flashing through her mind. Nathaniel couldn’t blame her for that, either. He knew she wanted to yell at him; Nathaniel could see it in her eyes. But at the moment, she seemed more concerned with keeping the peace between him and her best friend.
“Cade, maybe you’d better talk to him,” she said. “We can always do this later.”
Caden looked a little thrown when she said that. “Okay?”
“I have to get to work soon anyway,” she told him.
Nathaniel could tell that she was disappointed and he hated that, but when she turned to look him, Kyla gave him a firm look and said, “I will deal with you later.”
Nathaniel winced internally, but on the outside he showed no fear.
Caden looked about ready to snap, but even in his anger, Nathaniel could tell that he was holding back for reasons beyond the obvious. They both watched Kyla drive off in the Civic, and once she was gone, they turned back to face each other.
Nathaniel didn’t waste any time being subtle. “I know what you’re trying to pull,” he said, “and I am not okay with it.”
Caden scoffed at him, completely unfazed by his threats. Instead of responding to him, he shook his head and started to walk away, but Nathaniel grabbed his arm. Caden glared at him furiously and Nathaniel could see that he was trying to hold back his anger.
“Let go of me,” Caden spoke in a measured voice.
“Or what?” Nathaniel asked.
Caden tried to steady his breathing, tried to keep himself calm. “You don’t want to mess with that, Nathaniel,” he said. Then he gave him a look that made Nathaniel question just how much this boy knew.
It startled him, what he saw in Caden’s eyes. He could see that there was something he knew, more than Nathaniel realized, and it caught him so by surprise that Caden was able to break out of his hold and leave.
Nathaniel stared after him as he drove away in his Jeep. “Damn it, Kyla,” he muttered under his breath. “What else haven’t you told me?”
Nathaniel flew up to the mountain to cool off and get control over his anger, but it didn’t work out as well as he’d hoped. He tried to think of any truth he could, anything he could cling to that would help him to release this, but it was so powerful. He tried to resist the dark of his fear, his jealousy, his hate...but finally it pushed him to the point where he couldn't deny it anymore.
Nathaniel left in a fury, ready to re-confront Caden Howell despite his knowing it would be a mistake. He wasted no time making his way down to the Howell’s property, and when he got there, he headed straight for Caden’s bedroom. Nathaniel pounded on the glass sliding door, not even bothering with discretion; but it did him no good since the boy wasn’t even back yet.
That was when Nathaniel heard a voice behind him.
“He’s not here.”
Slowly, Nathaniel turned around to face Alexa. She stood expressionless behind him, unfazed by his door-pounding and his angry demeanor.
“Where is he?” Nathaniel asked her.
“He isn’t going to stay away from her,” the girl told him bluntly.
Nathaniel was taken aback, but he didn’t respond to her comment. He felt a fire flare up in him again, but he knew he couldn’t get angry at this child. That wouldn’t be right. Still, he didn’t like Alexa Howell very much, and at that particular moment, he especially didn’t like that she was a seer. This was one obstacle he would have preferred not to have to work around.
Nathaniel put his hand on his forehead and tried to control his anger. His head was throbbing, so he pressed his fingers to his temples, hoping to dull the pain. “Does he know?” Nathaniel asked her.
Alexa was quiet.
“Does he know what I am?”
“Yes,” she finally said. “Kyla told him everything.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nathaniel kept himself hidden as long as he could. Watching Caden and Kyla where they stood in front of the waterfall, he had expended whatever self-control he possessed. The time had passed for self-control; that was over the moment he saw what Caden was after.
The first thing Nathaniel noticed was the boy’s nervousness. It wasn’t hard to see it; he didn’t even need to use his discernment for that. But it did make him uneasy. If something had Caden this nervous, there was little chance that this secret meeting had been staged to exchange pleasantries. Hell, even if Caden hadn’t been nervous, Nathaniel still would have been skeptical just by how it had been done.
Not that he could blame him. He hadn’t exactly left the boy with options.
As soon as Caden mentioned Nashville, Nathaniel felt a tension in his chest. He didn’t know what he was talking about and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.
Nathaniel knew it was probably a mistake for him to step out into view the way he did. After following Kyla to this place called Rainbow Falls, he had set up the perfect hiding place for himself that would never have allowed them to know he was there. But as soon as he realized what Caden was doing, Nathaniel had to put a stop to it.
He watched Kyla’s face drop when he walked up to them, and saw about a dozen different emotions play across her eyes.
None of them were happy.
The first emotion that marked her was surprise. Genuine surprise; strong enough that it might even be described as shock. Then she looked confused. She stood there for a moment staring at him, trying to fit the pieces together and understand how it was that he was even there. Then she got mad.
That was the one Nathaniel was least anxious to deal with.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped at him. “How did you know where I was?”
Nathaniel gave her a patronizing look and Kyla rolled her eyes. “Right,” she mumbled.
“I need to talk to Caden,” he told her.
She and Caden both looked surprised by that.
“You need to talk to Caden?” she asked him.
Nathaniel affirmed to her, “Yes,” emotionlessly. He kept his eyes on the boy, and was surprised when Caden wasn’t afraid to look back at him.
“You know, we were kind of in the middle of something,” Caden said. There was tension in his voice that he didn’t attempt to hide.
Do not hit the human boy, Nathaniel told himself. You can be civil about this.
As Kyla looked back and forth between them, it was obvious that she was afraid. No doubt, images from the first time he and Caden had ever laid into each other were flashing through her mind. Nathaniel couldn’t blame her for that, either. He knew she wanted to yell at him; Nathaniel could see it in her eyes. But at the moment, she seemed more concerned with keeping the peace between him and her best friend.
“Cade, maybe you’d better talk to him,” she said. “We can always do this later.”
Caden looked a little thrown when she said that. “Okay?”
“I have to get to work soon anyway,” she told him.
Nathaniel could tell that she was disappointed and he hated that, but when she turned to look him, Kyla gave him a firm look and said, “I will deal with you later.”
Nathaniel winced internally, but on the outside he showed no fear.
Caden looked about ready to snap, but even in his anger, Nathaniel could tell that he was holding back for reasons beyond the obvious. They both watched Kyla drive off in the Civic, and once she was gone, they turned back to face each other.
Nathaniel didn’t waste any time being subtle. “I know what you’re trying to pull,” he said, “and I am not okay with it.”
Caden scoffed at him, completely unfazed by his threats. Instead of responding to him, he shook his head and started to walk away, but Nathaniel grabbed his arm. Caden glared at him furiously and Nathaniel could see that he was trying to hold back his anger.
“Let go of me,” Caden spoke in a measured voice.
“Or what?” Nathaniel asked.
Caden tried to steady his breathing, tried to keep himself calm. “You don’t want to mess with that, Nathaniel,” he said. Then he gave him a look that made Nathaniel question just how much this boy knew.
It startled him, what he saw in Caden’s eyes. He could see that there was something he knew, more than Nathaniel realized, and it caught him so by surprise that Caden was able to break out of his hold and leave.
Nathaniel stared after him as he drove away in his Jeep. “Damn it, Kyla,” he muttered under his breath. “What else haven’t you told me?”
Nathaniel flew up to the mountain to cool off and get control over his anger, but it didn’t work out as well as he’d hoped. He tried to think of any truth he could, anything he could cling to that would help him to release this, but it was so powerful. He tried to resist the dark of his fear, his jealousy, his hate...but finally it pushed him to the point where he couldn't deny it anymore.
Nathaniel left in a fury, ready to re-confront Caden Howell despite his knowing it would be a mistake. He wasted no time making his way down to the Howell’s property, and when he got there, he headed straight for Caden’s bedroom. Nathaniel pounded on the glass sliding door, not even bothering with discretion; but it did him no good since the boy wasn’t even back yet.
That was when Nathaniel heard a voice behind him.
“He’s not here.”
Slowly, Nathaniel turned around to face Alexa. She stood expressionless behind him, unfazed by his door-pounding and his angry demeanor.
“Where is he?” Nathaniel asked her.
“He isn’t going to stay away from her,” the girl told him bluntly.
Nathaniel was taken aback, but he didn’t respond to her comment. He felt a fire flare up in him again, but he knew he couldn’t get angry at this child. That wouldn’t be right. Still, he didn’t like Alexa Howell very much, and at that particular moment, he especially didn’t like that she was a seer. This was one obstacle he would have preferred not to have to work around.
Nathaniel put his hand on his forehead and tried to control his anger. His head was throbbing, so he pressed his fingers to his temples, hoping to dull the pain. “Does he know?” Nathaniel asked her.
Alexa was quiet.
“Does he know what I am?”
“Yes,” she finally said. “Kyla told him everything.”
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