With You In Spirit (The Bassinville Witches Series) (7 page)

Shawna swallowed quickly, and whispered back, “You don’t know the half of it. What’s he doing in here? He
never
comes in here.”

Jackson took a quick glance round, and this time caught sight of Catherine. His smile faded as he saw Caden with her, his expression darkening like a grey storm cloud. Shawna sucked in a breath as he began to make his way towards them. “Oh boy, we’re gonna see some fireworks now!”

Catherine looked up from Caden just in time to see Jackson’s cold expression looking across at her. She fell away from Caden, and turned to face Jackson, biting her lip.
“H-Hi Jackson.
What are you doing in here?”

He stared, fuming
at Caden for a moment, and then turned back to Catherine. “Hello Catherine. Joe sent me; he didn’t know if Shawna would be with you tonight or not.
Seeing as how I’m supposed to keep you away from strangers.”
He directed this last comment towards Caden, who kept his steady gaze.

Turning his full attention towards him, Jackson jutted his chin towards him. “I’m sorry; I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Jackson Perret. And who might you be?”

Caden returned the cool look, wrapping his arm tightly around Catherine’s waist. He smiled, but it held no warmth this time. “I’m Caden Rouquette. You can call me Mr Rouquette.”

“Well, Mr Rouquette, I don’t believe I’ve seen you in here before.” Jackson folded his arms across his chest, taking a defensive stance. Hannah, Shawna, and Catherine all stared at him in dismay, wondering what the hell he was doing.
Th
ey knew he cared for Catherine, but this was ridiculous.

Caden raised his eyebrows, tipping his head back so he could look better at Jackson, staring him down. “Well, that would be because I’m
new in town. I only just arrived yesterday. Is that a crime?”

Jackson gritted his teeth. “’Round here it might be. Pretty strange that Catherine here gets a death threat around the same time that you show up. I have no idea who you are, and I don’t know what Catherine is doing hanging around with you.”

“Jackson!” Catherine was furious with him now. Most of the bar had turned around to listen to him, and he had just told everyone about the note. Not to mention he was just being downright paranoid. “I think you better leave right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere until he leaves. What the hell
are
you doing with him anyway?”

“
He
has a name. And I’m here with him on a date, if you must know. I don’t know what you think you’re doing.” She looked around herself, cheeks bright red with embarrassment.

Shawna and Hannah silently seethed at Jackson, although she did hear Hannah lean over to Shawna and whisper, “What the hell is he on about,
‘
death threat
’
?”

The whole bar had fallen silent now,
except for the jukebox mournfully playing a romantic rock song,
and Catherine swallowed nervously, wishing the floor would open and swallow her up whole.
Pursing her lips, she turned back to Jackson, feeling like she wanted to slap him. “Fine.” she snapped. “If you won’t leave, I will.”

“No, you don’t have to do that.” Caden stepped in front of her, clasping her cheek in his warm palm. “Look, you stay here with your friends; I don’t want to ruin your night. I’ll leave and see you later, okay?” Before Catherine had a chance to protest, he pressed his finger against his lips, and then hers. He turned to leave, giving Jackson a look that would have lit him on fire had it been possible, the bar door banging behind him.

Jackson grinned, looking pretty pleased with
himself
. Turning back to the girls, his face soon fell as he saw their expressions. Shawna was the first one to snap at him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? You don’t know that man from Adam. I think if any murderous strangers are hanging around, they’re unlikely to introduce themselves, huh?” Catherine did cast
her a
glance though, remembering
her friend’s earlier question about Caden being a stranger. Jackson turned to Catherine, his mouth opening and closing like a lost goldfish.

“Save it, Jackson, I’m not interested.” she hissed, grabbing her bag. “I’m going home now. And I can walk myself home, so don’t you dare think of following me!” She glared at him, a melting stare, before storming past him, and swinging the door out into the cool night air.

Catherine stared ahead of her, hoping she might see Caden walking along, but he had obviously driven here and was already gone. Not that she was sure she wanted to see him at the moment anyway. Jackson had well and truly embarrassed her, and she expected that Caden wouldn’t want to see her again anyway. Then she remembered she would have to walk past Mrs Delfoy’s on her way home.
I hope he doesn’t see me…

Pulling her bag strap over her shoulder, she began to walk determinedly away from the bar, down the small road into t
he centre of town. The noise fro
m the bar behind
slowly
started up again,
and then began to fade away as she walked further and further. The silence became filled with the sounds of night; an owl hooting far away, the cicadas chirruping in the swamps. A cool breeze floated by, possibly the first for many nights. Catherine appreciated it, it made her feel more human again, calming her anger slightly. The dark sky above her was covered in a glittering array of stars, the moon the only light shining down on the town.

Catherine turned into the town, onto the main high street, all of the shops closed for the night. She had always thought there was something spooky about shops when they were closed on a night. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that they were so full of life during the day, and then so dead during the night. There was a sudden screech of tyres behind her, and she turned, to see a black sedan slowly driving along the main street.

She turned back, and continued to walk along, looking ahead to where the guest house sat at the end of the road. To her surprise, she heard the purr of the engine, as the black car drove slowly up along the street, just behind her. Feeling just a little bit nervous, she speeded up slightly, taking longer strides.

The car speeded up as well.

Catherine’s heartbeat began to thump painfully against her ribs. She may have played it down when she had spoken to her mum and everyone else about it, but secretly she was worried
as hell about the death threat.

And now there was a strange car following her.

She began to walk even faster, practically at a trot now. Her fingers wrapped themselves tightly around the handle of her bag, cutting into her own palm. The car speeded up again. There could be no question of it now. Catherine broke into a run, her hair flying out behind her like
streamers. The car’s engine revved up;
and it mounted the pavement, aiming straight for her.

Catherine cried out in fear, wishing she had made Shawna or someone leave with her, her heart pounding in her ears like a war-drum. She sprinted forwards, trying to get as far away as she could.
The car suddenly dived forwards, its tyres screaming. It rammed straight into the wall just behind her, missing her by inches.

She screamed, and jumped away, sprinting as hard as she could, her lungs feeling as though they were on fire. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she thought she saw Caden running out of Mrs Delfoy’s house, and racing towards her, although he looked as though he was running faster than she could really see.

Suddenly, a crack in the pavement seemed to open up from nowhere, and Catherine went flying, holding out her arms to try and stop herself from falling. She missed, and smacked her head off the pavement,
a ringing pain soaking through her brain. In her daze, she turned her head just in time to see the monster-like grill of the car bearing down on her.

Through her haze, she thought she saw Caden leaping onto the bonnet as he were simply jumping onto a step, and smashing the window through, the glass shattering around her. The car engine growled just above her, and she heard screams coming from inside the car.

Then she thought she saw Caden grabbing one of the men through what was left of the windscreen, and ripping into his neck with his teeth, blood spurting across the pavement, running into little rivulets. Confused and dizzy, Catherine passed out into darkness…

H
e shouldn’t have left her on her own.

He shouldn’t have walked so fast away from the bar.

He should have been quicker.

Caden tormented himself with these thoughts, carrying Catherine gingerly in his arms. He
r
beautiful face looked so serene at the moment, but her eyelids were still closed, and she looked so pale. Her soft hair brushed against his skin as it lay over it like a curtain of coppery chocolate.

The blood of those bastards still dripped from his mouth. He didn’t give a shit if anyone saw him or not; it wasn’t important now. He had to make sure that Catherine was safe, that she was going to be okay.
Thank gods Mrs Delfoy is away tonight…

Using his foot, he gently pushed the front door open, which was still swinging from where he had thrown it open when he heard her screams. Manoeuvring
himself
so as not to knock her at all on the doorframe, he brought Catherine inside, and stalked quickly over to the stairs, carrying her up them two at a time. Once upstairs, he took her into his room, laying her gently on the bed, locking the door behind him.

Caden took a moment to look down at her, taking in her creamy white skin, her soft, rosebud lips, her shimmering hair. Not to mention her very sensuous curves. Gods, he had wanted to rip her clothes off her when she was in the garden last night, in that innocent-looking white blouse, which had barely contained her cleavage. No, he chased that thought from his head. Bad enough he had already kissed her and allowed himself to have a date with her, never mind anything else. She was simply the person he was supposed to protect, nothing else.

She stirred, and he dropped to his knees beside her, murmuring soothingly, and stroking her hair.
Catherine
wrinkled her nose up, as if she didn’t want to be woken up,
and moaned, moving her arms up above her head. Her hand brushed the wound on her head, and she winced, the pain waking her up further. Opening her
eyes slowly, she blinked a few times, before registering she was not somewhere she recognised. Turning her head slightly, she croaked, “Where am I?”

“Shh, you’re safe now Catherine. You’re in my room at Mrs Delfoy’s, don’t panic.”

Catherine seemed to be satisfied with that for now, and she
sighed, rubbing at her eyes. Suddenly, she sat up in a shock, crying out as fresh pain erupted from her head wound. “Wait! What about that car?
Those men?”

Caden put out a hand, and
placed it on her arm, making her jump. “Please, it’s fine Catherine. They’ve gone now.”

Continuing to look down at his hand, Catherine’s expression suddenly darkened. She looked up slowly, meeting his eyes, her own looking filled with fear. “You,” she whispered, “you killed one of them…y-you bit into his neck.” Wide-eyed, she pulled her arm out of his grasp, and shuffled to the back of the bed, trembling.

Caden could see that simply telling her she imagined it was not going to wash with her. He chewed his lip, looking closely at her, trying to think of what to say. He was actually considering telling someone. He had never told anyone in the whole one-hundred and eighty-six years he had been alive.
But he wanted to tell her.

“Catherine, I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone. I never even got to tell my own parents. I’m not human. I’m…I’m a vampire.”

Catherine stared at him in silence for a second, and then burst into nervous laughter, shaking her head. “Are you serious? You’re some kind of psychopath and you’re going to be covering it up by pretending you’re a vampire?
Brilliant.
Okay, Mr Vampire, why don’t you prove it?”

Caden’s eyes burned into her for a second, before he opened his mouth, and two wickedly sharp fangs shot out as he held her gaze. Catherine’s nervous fear was replaced by a stunned silence, and her eyes were riveted on his mouth. Her own jaw fell open, as she asked in a quiet voice, “A-Are you going t-to kill me?”

“No, gods no!”
Caden jumped onto the bed
and threw his arms around her, burying his nose in her scent, letting it wrap around him like a warm blanket. “I want to look after you, Catherine. And besides that…I’m starting to get feeling
s
for you.” He straightened himself again, and curled his finger under her chin as he had
in the garden, raising her gaze to meet his. She still seemed stunned, but he could hear that her heartbeat had slowed down. Leaning forwards, afraid that she was going to pull away, he laid a soft kiss at the corner of her lips. To his shock, she gave a soft moan. Closing his eyes in pleasure, Caden leaned in again, and pressed more firmly against her lips this time
, passionately. She moaned again, and flicked her tongue out, feeling her way along one of his fangs. Caden growled as a sudden feeling of lust shot along it.