Silver Skin

20

What a bite leaves
~
Cadence
~

She was on a warpath.

Cadence didn't care if she wreaked havoc and tore everything from the ground up.

She didn't know her destination, only that her feet took her in long strides that led her to nowhere in particular. Just away from here and away from Accalia.

She stormed past a tree and before she knew it, her fist collided into the trunk. Drawing back, and hissing through the pain, her knuckles were cut in blood and bark.

Growling to herself, Cadence shook it off and kept walking.

"Cadence, please, come here. You're hurt—" Rexton called out, hot on her heels.

She ignored him, his voice drowning out, but not his face. Rexton was in front of her within a short moment and Cadence skidded to a halt.

"Get out of my way, Rexton."

The hybrid refused her and made no move out of her blazing path. "Not until you talk to me. Not until you let me look at your hand."

"I can't talk!" Cadence bellowed and tossed her arms in the air, fighting back a wince from the pain writhing in her knuckles. "I'm too angry."

If his eyes could soften anymore, they did. Into pools of great worry.

"Then let me help you," Rexton said softly and outstretched his hand, waiting for her to let him check her wound.

He made Cadence want to stay put. Stay clear from the path that wanted her to wreak havoc and chaos.

"I don't want your help." Cadence forced out and hid her battered hand behind her back.

Rexton grew confused, tilting his head. "You want to be angry? You want to be in pain?"

"I want to find Cole!"

Rexton stepped forward and he covered his nose with his hand. "Let me check, please."

Cadence made a face. "Why are you doing that?"

"Your blood, Cadence. It can be overwhelming." It hurt him to say, at least that was what Cadence concluded as he stepped back away from her with regret pooling on his features. He was trying. "I apologise, I haven't consumed animal blood in a few days. I try my best to avoid it. I don't want to hurt wild rabbits."

Cadence's lips edged up, but instead, sent him a sneer. "Well, I don't wanna be your wild bunny to drink from, so you either walk away from me or I—"

Inhaling sharply, Rexton removed his hand away from his nose and closed the distance between them. "Hand, please."

If he was trying to prove a point, Cadence wouldn't help him do so and wiped her wounded knuckles along her jeans.

For good measure, she waved her hand in his face and ignored the changes floating across his eyes. "Don't get tempted, don't get tempted. See? You're fine."

Rexton closed his eyes, vanquishing out the red of the vampire and the black of the lycan. He breathed through it, forcing the biting hunger down into whatever pits of chaos it derived from and peered down at Cadence, a boyish grin pulling across his lips.

"Follow me, please," Rexton said, the order underlying his tone and turned on his heel.

Without refusing, Cadence settled by his side and they headed into the darkness of the woods.

Cadence was too rattled to talk, too wrapped up in rage and what that rage wished to commit as they walked in silence.

Would have she hurt Accalia? She wanted to beat her bloody and painfully, but Tristan put a stop to it. Stopped them both. But if he wasn't there, if Rexton wasn't, hell, even Tala, would Cadence have stopped herself?