Cadence nodded at him confidently before returning to her sister. "We were in a situation where we were trying to bring in a very dangerous Vampire and a team of Vampire Hunters that were angry with us over another situation ambushed us. Elliott died protecting my friend Meagan. He died a hero--he is a hero.""So, how are you going to find this Vampire Hunter, the one that killed Elliott?" Cassidy asked, the wheels in her head clearly spinning.

The flight from Shenandoah to Kansas City was both short and silent. Cadence spent most of the time trying to concentrate on what she was planning on saying at the memorial later that afternoon, rather than focusing on the fact that her morning had not started out the way she expected it to; she had, once again, woken up alone--something she was certainly not anticipating, not already anyway.Aaron had a perfectly good explanation--he had gone to get her breakfast--which she appreciated. But when she turned over to an empty bed, panic had set in pretty quickly. He had returned within a few mom

As Aaron made his way back to sit beside her, she gave him a reassuring smile, and began to focus on the reverend again. Once it became apparent that the ceremony was just about over, however, Cadence realized that the red-headed woman was gathering up her purse. She was certain Aaron had no idea what was going on--even though he always seemed to know everything; this situation had to be off of his radar. Cadence had to make a decision. As the reverend asked everyone to bow their heads one last time as he went to the Lord, the woman Cadence believed to be Amanda Keen stood and made her way to the nearest exit. With only a second's hesitation, Cadence bolted as well, hoping that if anyone noticed, they would think she was just overcome with emotion.

"We are having a light luncheon at the main building in a few minutes," Hannah explained as she approached. "Everything all right?""Yes, fine. Why?" Cadence asked as Aaron patted her gently on the back and then went over to talk to Jamie, Shane, and Christian.Hannah shrugged. "You took off out of her so quickly I just wondered if... Oh, my goodness, Cadence! What's that on your hand?"

"I hope Paxton and Smith can handle watching Laney, too," Shane admitted. "But I have them on the IAC, and they did okay yesterday during the memorial. Surely they can keep an eye on her for a few minutes....""Hope so," Cadence mumbled."We have an election date," Hannah offered. "Not sure if you heard."