The Other Part of Me
Chapter 23

Cassie/Eva

On the drive from the village, the silence pulled Cassie deeper and deeper into her own thoughts until she felt she would drown from the barrage. She found herself with thoughts ranging from having kids she wasn't ready for, to being frustrated in not knowing all of these damn wolf ways, to trying to figure out why her father helped attack the Bloodstone Pack, and why the hell had Eva stopped talking to her?!

She had tried often to get in touch with her, and though she was alive, she was constantly tired or asleep.

Fine, she'd let her sleep for now but tomorrow they would go for a run. They'd need to work off all the calories Cassie had consumed during the dinner anyway. The less Braden spoke, the more she felt she had to compensate by stuffing her mouth with a creamy pasta, a ton of breadsticks, sweet red wine and an extra dessert.

His, to be more specific.

When Braden pulled his SUV into his designated parking space, Cassie alighted the vehicle, running into the mansion, up the stairs and into their quarters.

When Braden finally caught up with her, she had already changed into a comfortable tank top that didn't quite cover her midriff, and loose pajama pants. She had put her hair back in a braid and was now brushing her teeth. When Braden walked in, all he did was lean against the wall and stare at her.

She could tell there was something he needed to say but he wasn't making a motion to start.

Cassie stared at his reflection through the mirror, trying to telepathically draw it out of him but she couldn't as hard as she tried, she couldn't read his mind right now, when she really wanted to.

When she finally felt enough of a failure at this alleged wolf-talent, she bent over the sink to scoop water in her mouth and rinse the toothpaste out.

She turned and left him alone with his own thoughts.

She expected him to follow her, at least to hold her as they slept, but he didn't and so disappointment and slight heartbreak kept her from sleeping all night.

Finally, at two o'clock in the morning, she felt Eva wake.

Without a word, Cassie walked out of her room and just outside the mansion. She stripped of her pajamas and let Eva free.

The gray fur that covered the muscular quadruped shone under the moonbeams as much as flaxen hair while being kissed by sunlight. "Eva, please go," Cassie begged Eva. "Hurry."

Sensing the implosion of heartache in Cassie that was about to implode in both of them, Eva released a howl and took off running at great speeds. She wasn't paying attention which direction they were going, she let Cassie navigate. She knew she had a destination in mind. As Eva jumped over the Bloodstone's fence, Eva kept right on going. She ran swiftly into the shroud of the forest, along the road.

Nearly an hour later, as they approached Lake Reva, Cassie unceremoniously took control of their physical form.

She stood naked, under the moon, walking cautiously in the forest. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest.

She sniffed the air, trying to get a sense of which direction she needed to head.

She smelled the scent of wolves in the air, but there was only one she was interested in. Cassie asked Eva to howl. She felt a slight sting as the vocal cords transformed to that of a wolf's so that Eva could howl through Cassie; no sooner the howl was heard through the night, she was surrounded by seven wolves. They growled as they came near her. She looked at all of them, trying to figure out if the one she sought was in their midst.

"Caspian Maximus!" She yelled while looking at the wolves around her, she ignored the sticks and twigs that poked into the bare flesh of her feet. "My name is Cassandra Wolfe, daughter of Thaddeus Lykos and I need to speak to Caspian!" One of the smaller wolves stopped growling and eventually morphed into human form. Soon, there would be another, and then, the largest wolf of all, a sleek red-furred wolf came to stand directly in front of her. "Caspian," she said, recognizing his scent.

Caspian stood upright, in human-form once more, and then the remainder of the wolves turned.

"What are you doing here?" He asked brashly.

Cassie raised her chin and met his gaze straight on. She managed to ignore the fact everybody was naked, including herself. "I am here to learn of my father."