Drumming his fingers, Cahan looked at his watch for the fifth time in three minutes.  His patience was waning and Cain was going to be in a lot of trouble if he didn’t show up in the next minute.  Cahan never waited.  People waited for him!  Damn it! 

His nerves were stretched thin as he stood up and started pacing.  The men that were with him kept their eyes averted.  All of them knew that if they made so much as a peep they could kiss their asses goodbye.  It wasn’t uncommon for Cahan Jᴔnsa to be in a mood, especially a violent one, but this felt a little more intense.  Cahan hadn’t been sleeping well for two days and his eyes were wild with something that his men did their best to not identify. They had finally reached the edge of the Frying Pan that morning but the town where Cain had been staying was a good four-hour drive.  It had been decided that Cain would go to them.  Yet Cain was late.  Cain was never late. 

Cahan started chewing on his thumbnail, a habit he hadn’t done in over a year.  His teeth chewed and tore at his nail as he did everything he could to not think about Alessandra.  She had appeared to him every time he slept.  Each time she was silently crying, unable to speak, totally unaware he was there.  It made his heart ache.  All he wanted to do was hold her, an urge he was unaccustomed to.  Yet he could never touch her.  It was like he was a ghost and his hand would pass right through her.  Why did she affect him this way?  She was nothing but a child.  A stubborn, bull-headed, idiotic child! 

There was the sound of a door closing and Cahan snapped around to see Cain in his presence, dressed immaculately. Without warning, Cahan smashed his right fist into Cain’s gut and then cut across Cain’s face with his left.  Cain staggered and doubled over but didn’t fall.  Cahan’s punches were nothing to laugh about. 

Straightening Cain kept his face impassive and controlled.  He knew he was late and that such things angered Cahan.  Yet it couldn’t be avoided.  Cain had a lot of cleaning up to do after the incident with Aless and the slug-man.  So Cain was prepared to take his punishment.  It was only right. 

“Where the hell have you been and don’t you dare say ‘traffic,’” Cahan snarled.

Baring his teeth, his fists clenched in preparation for another blow. 

“I was cleaning up a mess, master,” Cain bowed his head in submission, focusing on Jᴔnsa feet.  “I’m sorry it took so long, but it was not something that could wait.”

“You kept me waiting so you could play?”

Cahan landed another blow to the side of Cain’s face, which knocked him over this time.  Cain fell, barely catching himself with his knees, so he ended up in a kneeling position.  Chagrin Cain knew he had been wrong to indulge in the fun he had the previous night when Cahan was so close to being in town, but it was something he, at the time and even then, thought couldn’t wait.

“There was a piece of scum I had to deal with.  I am sorry that I have disappointed you, master.”

“I won’t tolerate such inconsideration in the future, Cain.  We have too much business at risk right now for any insubordination.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cain bowed his head and focused his eyes on the ground again in submission.  Cahan fumed for a few minutes but quickly lost steam.  He was exhausted from lack of sleep and, to be honest, he needed Cain in good working condition.  Suppressing a sigh, Cahan stared at Cain in a cold, malicious fashion for about five minutes, looking a great deal like a dog waiting to be challenged by its underling.  Cain did not look up.  Dominance reinforced, Cahan Jᴔnsa cleared his throat and addressed Cain again.

“Have you had any luck locating the slave?” he inquired coolly.

Contradicting his cool demeanor, Cahan’s heart skipped in his chest. 

“I’m not sure, but I think I may have found her in the town I was staying in,” Cain replied quickly.  “It’s about four hours from here in a very small quiet town.  She is with another girl, a boy around their age, and a young child.  They are working for an older couple in exchange for shelter.”

“Does anyone know who or what they are?”

“No.  They have kept that under wraps.  It’s a small town though and people have their speculations, but none of the theories are even close.”

“Good.  It’s no surprise though.  She is very smart.”

Cain raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He didn’t see how his master got the idea that Kayla was smart.  But maybe he had missed something, however unlikely that was. 

“Is she safe there?”

“For the most part.  There are some businessmen in town right now for a convention and they get a little rowdy but nothing serious has happened.”

“Okay…”

Cahan paced for a moment thinking.  It was a delicate situation. Small towns weren’t like big cities.  They noticed when people went missing and they remembered faces.  He couldn’t just swoop in and take Alessandra.  Cahan also couldn’t show up and take her a couple of days later.  The town would be suspicious of him.  He didn’t doubt that the town had been watching Cain as much as Cain had been watching them.   What to do…he could disguise himself as a federal agent again or a police officer. No.  Small town sheriffs were prone to being hostile to other law enforcement.  The convention was in town, so he could pass for a businessman, but Cain said the businessmen did cause issues.  Better to not be associated with them.  A drifter was cliché. A lost tourist could work. 

The Jᴔnsa clan men watched in silence.  Their boss was deep in thought and they knew he would come up with a way to solve the situation.  Everyone there knew small towns were pains to deal with.  It had only been luck that had ensured the other slaves they had hunted so far had been in big cities or in the middle of nowhere.  Yet the whole event had been unusual.  Half of the men objected when the Dominic guy had said the slave sale would be a race. 

The tallest man who stood in the middle watched Cahan carefully.  He was Cahan’s brother-in-law, Thane.  Thane was married to Cahan’s oldest sister, Jezebel.  It was by her request that Thane had made the trip to the slave auction with Cahan.  She was concerned about her brother, who despite being seven years younger, acted as if he was older than all his siblings.  Jezebel said she had a feeling something was going to be different with the auction this year. 

“Something is going to happen, Thane,” she had whispered as they held each other in bed two weeks before the event.  “I can feel it.  I dream of it.  Katherine came to me in my sleep and told me to be wary.”

Jezebel was partial to dream messages and foretelling of events.  She was extremely spiritual and religious, a quality that Thane adored since he himself was extremely superstitious.  And her feelings seemed to have been right.  The Dominic character had changed how the slave auction was run, turning it into a game.  Cahan had met that slave girl…what was her name?  Ah, Alessandra.  A good Deitian name but there was something about her that unseated him.  She wasn’t particularly remarkable in any physical way, but he guessed it was the way she affected Cahan.  Thane had never seen it before and, while he would never tell his dear brother-in-law, Thane had heard Cahan whisper her name in his sleep. 

It all gave him bad vibes and he did not wish for the Jᴔnsa clan to participate in the race.  He didn’t trust Dominic Dúcái.  He was a viper in a child’s crib.  Cahan had enough responsibilities in their homeland as well.  Not to mention the fact that Thane had always objected to joining the human slave market.  Cahan had been at first too, but someone had convinced him.  Who had it been? 

Thane’s eyes searched the group of men he was with to identify the inspiration of the idea until his eyes laid upon Cain.  Had it been Cain?  Thane honestly couldn’t remember, but it had been someone close to Cahan.  Three years ago, whoever it was had finally convinced Cahan and it had turned out great so far.  It did add another source of income for the family and bring in fresh blood to their industries.  Profits went up and there was less mess to deal with among the servants.  It was easy to import slaves from other countries.  People enjoyed them because they were exotic, and they worked just as hard as their own people.  It eased tension with the locals who no longer had to fear being caught or blackmailed into service.  Slaves were also easily replaced. 

Yet it had never sat well with any of Cahan’s sisters or Thane.  He had always viewed their family as a higher order than other crime families.  They did the messy stuff when they had to, yet they were not overly cruel.  It is why he chose to marry into the family and why he had pledged loyalty to Cahan after his father stepped down. 

“I need to think!” Cahan snapped suddenly bringing everyone to the present.  “Go get me some food and leave me be for a bit.”

Everyone nodded and left him, but Thane wavered.  Finally, he approached his brother-in-law and touched his shoulder.  Thane was one of the few men not afraid of Cahan.  Cahan’s eyes turned upwards in irritation and his mouth opened to snarl; however, he stopped when he saw it was Thane.  Cahan respected and liked Thane.  He was a good husband and father.  Aside from being superstitious, Thane was a rational and calm man, able to think about deep topics.  It was one of the reasons Cahan had been glad that Thane had chosen to come on this trip.

“Thane?” Cahan inquired, raising an eyebrow at his brother-in-law.

“Cahan,” Thane sighed, sitting across from him.  “Why are we here?”

“What do you mean? We have here to find our slaves.”

“I know you enjoy a good hunt as all of us do, but I miss the fields and home.  Why don’t we go home?”

“We will soon, Thane.  Just a little longer.  We must finish the hunt we started.”

“It has been months.  I know you and I have been home to attend to business while the lesser have hunted the slaves, but still, you are here. If they are that important let the slaves be hunted by the men and we returned to our land, where we belong.”

“I said we will, but I wish to oversee just a little longer.”

“What is it you hope to find, brother?   What is holding your spirit in such a place as this?”

“You speak in riddles, brother.  I do not understand what you are asking.”

“You haven’t slept in days and when you do it is feverish.  What are you dreaming of?”

“Nothing.  I dream of nothing.”

“Nothing is always something. I have known you since you were but a lad.  Tell me.”

“I dream of Katherine.”

Thane blinked and watched his brother-in-law as Cahan gazed out the window of the room.  The sun shone and there appeared to be a breeze from the sway of the few trees.  Yet it seemed cold to Cahan. 

“Katherine?”

“Yes.  I dream of her when I have not in years.”

“What do you dream of with her?”

“Nothing really. She just stares at me with eyes like the Harvest Moon, large, golden, and frigid. I cannot tell if she is angry or happy or sad. She just stares at me.  Then she speaks, but I know it is not her voice.”

“What does she say?”

“She says, Cąȶ, it is your turn to do the seeking. And then she vanishes, and I try to find her, but I can’t.

“Katherine was very special to the family. And it is almost the anniversary of her death. You are probably just feeling a surge of old feelings, which are hard to let go of.”

“I have let them go, though. I always miss her, but it does not make me angry or sad as it used to.  Yet she now comes in my sleep and she seems disappointed.  I do not know what to do.”

“Is that all you dream of?  Is that all she says?”

“No.  I dream of things I do not understand.  I dream of someone hiding from me and Katherine asks why I am not seeking them.  Yet I do not see their face.  I only know they are there hiding and waiting for me to seek. It makes my heart ache something fierce. What does it mean, brother?”

“I do not know, brother.”

Thane suppressed the urge to make the sign against evil.  The dreams sounded like a premonition or as if the Three-Eyed Cąȶ was playing with Cahan’s mind.  The Three-Eyed Cąȶ loved to enter dreams and mess with people’s minds. 

“Has Jezebel been dreaming of late too?”

“Yes.  She dreams of Katherine as well and she worries about you.  She says something is coming, but she doesn’t know what.”

“So it is a family event.  I best be on my toes.”

“If something is coming, would you not be better at home?”

“Not yet, Thane.  Soon.”

“I asked it before, but I’ll ask again.  What holds you here?”

“Nothing.  I just enjoy the hunt.”

“Is it that slave girl?  The one who mistook you for him?”

Cahan stiffened but didn’t reply.

“If that is the reason then let her go.  It is only your pride that holds you to chase her.  Let another have her.  She is a waste of your energy.”

“She is not a waste.”

Cahan’s façade became so smooth and stern that Thane paused.  His brother-in-law’s eyes were focused on the distant horizon with a chilly determinedness that Thane had never seen before.  There was a set to his jaw that made Thane wish to step back, though he stayed seated. 

“I will not stop hunting her, Thane.  Ever.  I cannot say why but I will not. I do not indulge myself often.  I put the family first, but in this, I will not budge.  If you are unhappy and wish to be with Jezebel, you may leave for home.  I will not hold it against you, but I will not return permanently until I have her.”

Cahan turned his green-gray eyes towards Thane and they were hard as sharpened jade.  There was an aura around him that made Thane wonder if he had made a mistake by discussing the girl with Cahan. 

“I will have her, Thane.  Nothing and no one will stop me. So accept it or leave for I will not tolerate any suggestion again about leaving her behind.  And if someone takes her from me or hurts her before I can reach her, they will suffer.”

Thane had leaned back in his seat to create space between him and his brother.  There was a crazed look in Cahan’s eyes that made Thane’s breath catch in his chest.  The way Cahan’s voice slipped from his mouth was chilly and calculated.  There was no room for argument, not that Thane would anyways.  When Cahan turned back to the window, Thane crossed himself against the Three-Eyed Cąȶ. For a moment, Thane would have sworn he was watching the Three-Eyed Cąȶ searching the distance for Death.