Cherish

Another week has gone by, and nothing bad has happened, and I’m starting to think that the guys are just being overly paranoid since they’re more on edge now than they were before. Needless to say, their paranoia is suffocating, especially since all it’s doing is making them stick to me like glue when we’re at school. All that is doing is feeding the stupid rumors that I’m fucking the three of them.

Not that I wouldn’t mind. They’re all freaking delicious, but I don’t think they see me as anything else but a duty. It’s kind of annoying because I don’t know if I’m the only one that’s being affected by the soft, lingering touches between us. I also don’t think I’d be able to handle three guys at once. Or if they’d even be down with that. It’s definitely fun to fantasize though.

I still get dirty looks and exchange not so nice words with Gloria almost daily. Adam's left me alone for the most part, minus the longing looks he sends me when I'm walking through the halls alone. If one or all of the guys are with me, his expression darkens and turns angry and jealous.

Ella's frustrated with me for keeping secrets still, and I finally managed to convince dad that we should tell her tonight because we had decided that I'd leave after graduation and spend the summer with my biological father. It's still a lot to wrap my head around, and I'm nervous now that there's only a month to go until graduation.

“Everything okay?” I snap out of my thoughts at Kade’s words and turn to face him. I didn’t even hear him come in.

“What?”

“You’ve been staring out the window deep in thought for quite a while. You didn’t even realize I came in. I’ve been here for a few minutes, waiting for you to notice, but it was like you were lost in your own little world.”

I purse my lips as I close the book he had given me to read through and set it aside. “Yeah, just thinking about everything.”

“Everything?” he asks, moving to come further into the room.

I sigh. “Just school, Ella, and leaving with you guys after graduation.”

He smiles softly at me. “I know it’s a lot, Cherish. You’ve advanced well in your training with Andrei as well as the language with Xander, even if you do stumble through it quite often, except for the swear words,” he says with a chuckle. I give him an unrepentant shrug. “Even though it’s a lot to take in and something you don’t really want to do, you’ve learned a bit about our culture and our history.”

“Sorry, I know I should already know more about it than I do, but it’s boring as shit.”

He laughs. “It’s all right, if I didn’t live through some of it I’d have thought the same thing.”

“Is it time for me to leave already?” I ask, not really wanting to go into the whole learning shit again. “I haven’t even looked at the time in a while.”

“Yeah, we figured since you walked here today, I’d walk you home. Make sure the wards are in place still.”

I raise a brow at him. “You don’t already know?”

He flashes a sheepish expression at me. “Uh, the wards we have set up only alert us to a breach if we’re actually inside the ward.”

It doesn’t take long for me to read between the lines. “At least one of you have been staying outside my house at all times when I’m home, haven’t you?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, we needed to make sure you were safe.”

I snort. “You could have told me, I’m sure my mom wouldn’t object to whoever’s there overnight to sleeping in our guest room or on the couch.”

“Probably not, but we needed to be outside anyway just to patrol the area. It’s fine,” he assures me when he notices my frown. “We’re used to it, mia.”

My frown deepens when I don’t recognize the word he used. “Mia?”

“Precious,” he supplies. I bite my lip and feel my face getting warm.

“Oh.” ‘Oh’? Great reply, Cherish. I’m such a dumbass.

He chuckles. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

I stand up from my spot at the window and follow Kade out of the house, shouting goodbyes at Xander and Andrei before I leave.

The walk back to my house is silent but pleasant. At least, it is until I feel Kade tense beside me after we take a few steps on my driveway.

"What's wrong?" I ask, feeling myself tense up in response.

"There's been a breach," he says a split second before pulling his phone out. He pushes a few buttons on it then puts it away. He turns to face me, expression serious. "Cherish, you need to stay behind me, and whatever you do, don't wander off. No matter what we find, if we even find anything, you need to stick close to me."

I glare at him. "My family is in my house, Kade. If they need help, I'm going to help them."

I move to step around him, but he grabs my arm and pulls me back to face him again. "No," he clips. "We cannot risk your safety."

"We aren't doing anything. I'm more concerned about my family. I won't let them get hurt because of me." I wrench my arm out of his grasp, and he sighs.

"Just stay close, please." He reaches behind his back and pulls out a gun, holding it out for me.

I tentatively reach for it, still not one hundred percent comfortable around guns, but with Andrei's help I've been getting better. At least, I know how to shoot sort of accurately. I hit the target about seventy five percent of the time, anyway.

Kade takes my hand and pulls me after him in the direction of my house. "I'm not sensing anything or anyone outside, that doesn't mean they're not there but all the same they could be inside, Cherish," he warns in a hushed tone. "Was your family supposed to be home?"

"Yes," I manage to squeak out past the lump in my throat. My heart races from the fear that someone hurt my family, and I have to constantly stop myself from thinking about all the things that could happen to them.

Following Kade into the house, I swallow hard. It's quiet. Way too quiet. Looking up to meet Kade's eyes, I nod when he puts his finger over his lips, telling me to remain silent.

His sharp eyes take in every detail of the house for a few moments before he lets out a soft breath. "There's no one here, Cherish. I'm not sensing any life in the house besides us. You're sure they're supposed to be here?"

"I'm positive. We were all supposed to tell Ella what was going on and explain why I would be leaving with you guys at the end of the school year."

"Alright. Stay here while I do a physical check of the house okay?"

I bite my lip to stop myself from refusing, but I know if I move I'll just stress him out even more. Giving him a nod, I move to lean against the wall beside the door. I turn my head slightly to my left and frown when something on the floor by the kitchen counter catches my eye. "Kade?" I lift my chin in the direction of the kitchen. "Check in there first. I think there's something on the floor."

He studies me for a minute. "Alright." He moves steadily in the direction of our kitchen. As soon as he reaches the other side of the counter he stops. "Kish." Shit.

"What?" I move to step away from the wall, and he holds his hand up to stop me.

"No. Stay there while I check the rest of the house." I narrow my eyes at him. "Please, mia."

I give him a jerky nod, even though I fully intend to look when he's out of my sight. He slowly makes his way through the kitchen and moves through the living room and down the hallway.

Once I'm sure he's out of my sight, I walk into the kitchen, swallowing hard. My breath leaves me in a whoosh as the gun Kade gave me clatters to the floor, and I cover my mouth with my hands to muffle the sob escaping me.

Laying on the floor with one of our kitchen knives sticking out of her chest is Ella, blood pooled around her body from the wound. I fall to my knees as I stare at my little sister, sobs racking my body and tears flowing freely down my cheeks.

Before I realize that I'm moving, I'm at her side and moving her hair out of her face with shaking hands. "Ella," I whisper, my voice breaking. "No, no, no. You can't leave me," I sob, pulling her into my arms and bury my face in her hair. "Please, don't leave me," I beg into her hair.

"Damn it, Cherish," Kade swears quietly as he comes back into the room. He places his hands on my shoulders, rubbing his hands across my shoulders soothingly.

"I don't understand," I mutter after several minutes of clutching my sister to me like a lifeline as I cry over her body. "What happened?"

Kade's hands freeze on my shoulders a split second before his grip tightens slightly. "The same person who spelled Adam is behind all of this," he informs me quietly.

I pull back slightly and run my fingers across my sister’s cheeks. "Did you find our parents?" I ask, even though from his body language when I asked what happened, I'm pretty sure I already know the answer, and I don't think I can stop the tears from falling again.

"I found them," he murmurs. "I'm so sorry, Cherish."

Tears slip down my cheeks, and I bite my lip to stop any sounds from coming out. I sniff. "H-how?"

"Cherish–"

"How?" I repeat with more force in my words, making it clear that I won't let this drop.

"The spell that was placed on Adam, enhancing his negative emotions. It was cast on your dad," he says softly.

"My dad did this?" I ask, my chest tightening.

"Your dad wasn't himself, Cherish, you have to understand that." From my peripheral, I see him kneel down beside me. He reaches out and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering. "It may have been his body, but under that spell, he wouldn't have been able to control what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"That spell, if it's triggered by even the smallest hint of anger or frustration, essentially takes control and enhances the emotion tenfold. You mentioned that your parents were fighting a lot, I think whoever did this knew that and knew that your dad would be an easy target. However, I think they were hoping that you'd have been here."

I shake my head, trying to my best to understand why someone would do this. "If the goal was me, why take my family?" I ask, voice breaking. "What happened to my dad after he–" I cut myself off, not able to finish the question.

"I believe whoever placed the spell on him also placed a compulsion on him for after the deed was done. Once everyone besides him in this house were dead, he killed himself. It's entirely possible that he snapped out of it and couldn't live with what he'd done, but I'm not sure."

We sit there for several minutes, Kade rubbing my back and me sobbing while clutching my sister to me. I don't know how long we sit there for. At some point, Kade manages to get me to let my sister go and pulls me into his arms while I cry into his chest.

"Kade? Cherish?" Andrei's voice calls out to us shortly after my tears have dried, I just have nothing left.

"In here," Kade says, rubbing my back once more before tucking one arm underneath my legs, supporting my back with the other arm and standing with me in his arms.

I don't react. I'm completely numb, overcome with grief for my family. I've never felt so alone, so helpless.

The guys all talk around me, but I've stopped listening. I want to see my mom and dad, but I know that the sight of them dead will haunt me just like I know Ella will.