Chapter 89

Kadeem

Kadeem's gaze fixed on Rayburn's sleeping body in the dim, mildew-scented motel room. Already, pale light was beginning to peek through the curtains. If Kadeem's mind hadn't been so focused on Ardal last night, he might have already accomplished this small, but necessary, bit of detective work on his to-do list, but alas.

The plan was simple enough, although it required some delicacy. He needed only to confirm the mark Silas had identified on Rayburn's shoulder. He'd already directed Riley and Mateo to research the rune - now he had to just be sure they had the right rune. For all he knew, the pompous ass tattooed a Caduceus on his shoulder.

Barely daring to breathe, he crept towards Rayburn like a lioness in the Serengeti. He reached out his arm to lift Rayburn's shirt sleeve - hissing out a curse under his breath as the van door screeched open outside.

Rayburn jolted awake, his eyes wide with wary surprise to find Kadeem lurking over him.

Kadeem sprang onto him with an overly jovial slap on the shoulder, plastering on a wide grin. “Up and Adam!” he bellowed, while inwardly groaning with frustration.

Quickly, he returned to the bathroom to throw his meager belongings into his "suitcase" - the plastic shopping bag from the convenience store - and stepped outside into the humid air. Ardal's slender frame silhouetted the pink sunrise as she struggled to grab multiple bags from the porch in the dead quiet of the early morning.

She was in jeans and a vintage concert t-shirt. Her long brown hair, falling around her shoulders, looked slightly damp. She smelled of soap.

Kadeem tried to project an air of togetherness - pretending as though he wasn't a complete mess. He raked his fingers through his hair and took a breath. Whether they ever acknowledged it aloud, he finally had his fated mate again and it was all he could do to keep his heart in check.

“Hey,” he said softly, relieving her of a couple of suitcases and tossing them into the back of the van.

Her cheeks flushed pink. “Hi.”

Restraint lost out.

He pinned Ardal against the side of the van, pressing his lips to hers in a minty toothpaste kiss as he slid his fingers through her damp hair and let his nose inhale the fragrance of shampoo.

The motel room door was flung open, a gust of air carrying with it the voice of Jack, who let out a small squeak of pain.

Red-faced and clutching his suitcase, he stopped abruptly in the doorway as his eyes beheld Ardal and Kadeem tangled together.

Ardal shoved Kadeem away with unnecessary force - he was already peeling himself off of her - nearly taking the wind out of him before she scampered off. His body slouched against the van, gasping for breath.

"Morning," Jack croaked, extending a feeble hand toward them. The sound of his voice was reminiscent of a wounded animal - so sorrowful that it wouldn't have surprised Kadeem if he had hurt a faint wolf howl of heartbreak inside Jack's chest.

"M-morning," Ardal stuttered. Her face was bright red with embarrassment at being caught.

Rayburn silently added his bag to the pile in the back of the van and retreated to his room without uttering a single word.

"He's so noble," Ardal whispered in a soft voice that threatened to break as she blew her bangs from her forehead. The motel door clicked shut as they watched on.

Kadeem rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's a saint," he snorted.

Furrowing her brows, Ardal scowled at him and crossed her arms defensively. "He's still taking us, isn't he? I told you he's a good person." She sighed heavily before continuing, "I feel awful - and I'm so grateful to him for helping Erbao."

At the look on her face, Kadeem knew it was best to keep his mouth shut - it would be nice if Rayburn was indeed the hero she wished he could be.

Soon enough the doctor was behind the wheel of the family minivan and they were off down the highway winding ahead of them. The traffic was as heavy as the tension inside the van. They had been on the road all morning with Rayburn struggling to pretend as though he wasn't completely and utterly crushed by recent events and now in the awkward position of being dumped by Ardal only to find himself chauffeuring them across pack lines.

Kadeem found his so-called 'noble' act infuriating. He could hardly contain his rage as Rayburn chewed compulsively on bits of ice like a mindless cow beside him. Children squealed and giggled around them, but Rayburn remained distant, lost in some other realm as he continued to suck and chomp on the ice.

Every slurp and crunch felt like an assault on Kadeem's senses, and he had to fight the urge to throttle him with every passing moment.

With Ardal, Rayburn was an utter wreck, gazing longingly at her and looking like a kicked puppy every time she so much as glanced at Kadeem.

Ardal's gestures were relentless and too sympathetic for Kadeem's taste; her gentleness towards Rayburn was making him sick to his stomach.

Intent on absolving herself from guilt, she all but shunned Kadeem except when they shared a furtive look during breakfast over their diner menus, or when Kadeem held open the gas station door for her. Kadeem was shuttered out and it felt like a form of torture.

Rayburn avoided meeting Kadeem's gaze and refused to communicate with him almost entirely. Except for some snippy remarks that Kadeem chose to ignore, it was like being stuck next to an angry ghost who had been cursed to haunt the living for eternity.

Yet, despite everything, Kadeem couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor bastard.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy watching him suffer.

Finally, they were almost to the toll road that acted as a public check-in station for Pack X. Any Weres crossing their territory were monitored through their database.

Kadeem's chest heaved in horrified revulsion as he watched Rayburn snatch another piece of ice from his Styrofoam cup. He shut his eyes and tried to block it from his mind.

Just then van lurched. Kadeem's eyes shot open to see they were veering sharply off the main highway, kicking up a billowing cloud of dust.

“Where the hell do you think you're doing,” Kadeem roared. “The checkpoint is right up ahead!"

Rayburn paled and kept his gaze on the road, both hands clenched around the wheel, as they drove past a little nothing town instead.

“They won't be too happy to see me,” he said. “I know another way.”

“Oh yeah, I'm sure you do,” Kadeem barked mockingly. “But we'll stick to the official route. Now, turn this car around!”

Jack gulped and shook his head. “I can’t, I’m sorry,” he said weakly.

Kadeem let out a deep, guttural snarl - a sound designed to make Rayburn's skin crawl, but it only silenced the chatter in the backseat.

Kadeem glanced into the rear view mirror to find Ardal glaring daggers at him along with five wide-eyed six year-olds on either side of her.

He bared his teeth in a hostile smirk directed right back at her. The reason he was here was to keep her and the kids safe, so if he had to get a little mean to keep Rayburn from dragging them away somewhere secluded and unknown, so be it.

He leaned forward in his seat and snarled directly into Rayburn's face. “Stop this car or you won't get out here alive."

Rayburn gritted his teeth, turning his knuckles bone white as he tightened his grip around the wheel. “I won't pass through that checkpoint and allow them to track me down," he said.

Kadeem crossed his arms, the bulging muscles of his biceps tensing as he spoke. “We have to follow the rules. That's how it's done in our world and it’s not just you sneaking into Pack X this time."

Rayburn met Kadeem's eyes for the first time and Kadeem saw the surprise in them.

"It's me, a rival alpha," he continued. "You’re going to start some pack territory shit, so hit the brakes now!”

Rayburn shrank visibly in his seat and his hands trembled. He pushed his glasses back further on the bridge of his nose. “I can’t. I just can’t. This is the way we have to do things - covert,” he stammered. “Believe me.”

Kadeem took in the road around them. At the moment, there were no other vehicles close by.

“That’s the problem,” he said, reaching his hands over and gritting his teeth. “I don’t.”

Kadeem grabbed the steering wheel. He wrenched it savagely, spinning them flying around.