Breathing Lies: (The Breathing Undead Series, Book 1)

by Jessica Sorensen

  I swallow hard as I recall that haunting night, how I’d been talking to the detective on the shore when I felt a sharp sting of fear pierce through me, and somehow I knew Foster’s truck was going to fall off the cliff.

  It wasn’t the first time I’d felt an omen like that. It had happened a couple of times since I’d died and come back to life. But I’d never felt anything that major or potent. Suddenly, it made sense why earlier that night, I’d unexpectedly got a feeling I needed to change the meeting location with the detective—because I needed to be near the lake.

  I’d tried to call Harlynn to warn her, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. I even tried calling Foster, but he didn’t answer either. So, I jumped out of the car and ran for the shore. The second my feet touched the water, the truck fell off the cliff. I dove into the water and swam. After that, things become a bit blurry and truthfully, I’m not sure how I made it to the truck before it was completely submerged in the water.

  Somehow I managed, though, to get there in time, and I swam Harlynn out of that truck and out of the lake. But by the time we made it to the shore, she wasn’t breathing, and every single part of me was screaming that she was going to die. But I refused to let that happen.

  I tried to give her mouth-to-mouth, tried to pump the life back into her heart with my hands, but nothing I did worked and I became desperate. Desperate enough that I started begging.

  I’d done enough research to know there were things living in this world that were connected to the Land of the Dead. That the feather-like mark on my back connected me with these things. And sometimes, out of the corner of my eye or from a distance, I had seen tall figures that didn’t appear humanlike and people that looked like they were rotting. But I’d never tried to speak to any of them until that night.

  “Let her live,” I begged to the night sky. “Take me instead. Take me, please. Just don’t let her die. I’ll do anything.”

  As the pleading words poured from my soul, light started twirling around me. Then heat began to sear in my chest, as if something was being ripped from it. Seconds later, Harlynn’s eyes opened and she coughed out the water that was filling her lungs.

  Whenever I think back to that moment, I swear it was as if some of my life left my body and went into hers. But I doubt that’s the case.

  Still, I know something mysterious and strange happened between us since I can feel what she’s feeling now. The sensation was brief at first, but has been intensifying the more time passes. Part of me wonders if she can feel it too, but so far, she hasn’t shown signs of being able to.

  I worry, though, that dying and coming back to life changed her like it changed me. Even before the accident, I worried about her, although it was usually from a distance. After she died, that worry spread through me like the blood in my veins.

  I worry so much about her. About what she sees. About how different she is now. If there’s a feather-shaped mark hidden underneath that bandage on her wrist. If that mark makes her feel and see things like I do—

  I’m yanked from my worries as the door swings open and detective Brandlee enters the room.

  He’s in his forties with dark hair, and he wears a lot of dark brown suits with god-awful bright ass ties, but he’s a decent guy.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he says as he sets a folder he’s carrying onto the table. “I’ve gotten the charges against you dropped. And the girl that came forward with her allegation against you is being questioned. That way we can make this look more official, but on record, I gave a statement that you were with me the night of the accident and that I saw you swim into the lake to save Harlynn Everly and that you were nowhere near the truck when it went over the cliff. I’m not even sure why this got as far as it did since I reported the incident the night it happened. All I can figure is that the detective working the case isn’t aware of our deal. But I’m going to be speaking with her soon to let her know.”

  “Good. I’m glad.” I scratch at my shoulder blade as my feather-shaped scar begins to itch. I hate when it does this. Usually it means something unpleasant is about to happen. “When can I leave?”

  He plops down into the seat that’s on the other side of the table and loosens his tie. “I can release you as soon as we go over some things.” Wariness floods his expression as he opens the folder. “Some information has come to my attention about your brother. Information that could possibly move the case forward.”

  “Foster?” I ask, even though I only have one brother.

  But he’s never gotten into trouble before so I’m shocked.

  Not that I think he’s the good guy everyone believes he is. Foster has a dark side he rarely lets anyone see, except for me. He lets me see it all the time.

  When we were younger, it was little things, like lying to get me into trouble, not just with my parents, but with Harlynn as well. He used to do this thing where he’d pull her hair and blame it on me. It was fucking annoying. And at first, I tried to defend myself, but he was such a good liar that everyone always believed him. Eventually, I accepted that I was going to be seen as the bad one.

  “Yes, Foster,” the detective says, glancing down at the folder. “There’s been some claims that he may be selling night kiss. But the source behind these claims wants to remain anonymous, so I need you to look into it. I know that’s a lot to ask, since he’s your brother, but it could also make things easier.”

  Shock whips through me.

  Night kiss is what we refer to as the drug being slipped into drinks at parties in this town. It’s more potent than a rufi and can also be laced into joints. And the risk of an overdose is greater.

  No one knows how the drug is being created and who’s creating it, but it’s what Porter and I are trying to find out. It’s why we spend most of our nights hanging out with sketchy people and dealing drugs. It’s supposed to help us get a good connection with the drug world, but sometimes I feel guilty about what I’m doing. But then I remind myself that in the long run, I’ll have done something good if I help catch the people behind this.

  Good.

  I can be good for once.

  “I can look into it,” I tell him. “Just so you know, though, Foster was supposed to leave for school today, but he decided to stay for a few extra weeks because I was arrested. I’m not sure if he’ll still stay, though, when he finds out I was released already. Plus, there’s another complication. Foster and I… we’re not close.”

  That might be the understatement of the year.

  “Hopefully, he won’t leave. And if he does try to, we might have to find a reason to keep him here.” He leans forward, crossing his arms on top of the table. “This might be the break we need, Kingsley. If your brother is selling the drug, he could know who the supplier is.”

  I nod in agreement, but my mind and heart races.

  If Foster is dealing night kiss, what else has he been doing? And does Harlynn know he’s doing it? The two of them are super close. But as soon as the thought crosses my mind, I can feel it’s not true.

  Feel.

  Feel.

  Feel.

  I can feel so much about her it’s almost like she’s consuming me.

  Not that I care.

  But I worry she might not want to consume me.

  “I’ll start looking around,” I tell him. “And see what I can find out.”

  “Good,” he says, closing the file.

  We shake hands then he leaves the room to go finish filling out the paperwork for my release.

  As soon as he walks out, I dial Harlynn’s number.

  Even though I’m technically not supposed to talk about the case with anyone besides Porter and the detectives working on the case, I need to tell her what I just found out about Foster. I have to tell her so she’ll stay away from him until I can figure out what sort of mess he’s gotten into. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m lying. A few weeks ago, she might have. Now, she might believe me.

  “Hey, you called me again,”
she answers the phone, sounding as breathless as she did the last time I called her.

  I’d wonder what she was doing except I can feel she’s excited I’m calling her.

  “I need to tell you something,” I say as I slump back in the chair. “It’s about something I just learned about Foster. It’s about the case too, so I need you to promise you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

  “I promise I won’t.” Worry creeps into her voice. “But is it bad? I’m guessing so by the… sound of your voice.”

  “It might be.” I take a preparing breath. “I found out he might be dealing night kiss—that’s the drug that’s been getting slipped into drinks at parties. The detective wants me to look into it, which means I’m going to have to be around Foster.” I pause, waiting for her to say something, but when she doesn’t, I grow worried she doesn’t believe me. Still, I continue, needing her to understand the severity of the situation. “But anyway, I wanted to tell you so that you’ll keep your distance from him while I look into it. I also wanted to see if maybe you knew something about it since you guys have spent a lot of time with each other.”

  Silence stretches between us, and I can’t feel what she’s feeling in that moment.

  Did she hang up on me?

  I’m about to ask when she says, “I might know something about it.”

  Shock whips through me. I didn’t expect her to say that.

  “I haven’t seen him deal drugs or anything like that,” she quietly adds. “But the night of the accident… I was feeling dizzy even before the truck crashed into the lake. In fact, I can’t even remember much of what happened after Foster and I arrived at the cliff other than we were... kissing. After that, all I have are faint memories of me wanting to stop the kiss, but I couldn’t.” Her voice drops to a shaky whisper. “I can’t even remember how far we went. All I know is that I was in the truck kissing him, then suddenly I was in the truck alone. Then I saw a light shining from behind the truck and two figures were standing there. I’m not sure who they were and I have no idea how the truck went off that cliff. All I know is I heard a loud crash and then suddenly I was in the water and you were there and…” She sucks in a tremulous breath. “I’ve thought about the possibility that maybe I was drugged that night, but it was over an hour after Foster and I left the party before I started feeling dizzy and hazy, and I’m not sure how much time it takes for this night kiss stuff to kick in.”

  My heart is pounding so forcefully in my chest I swear it’s trying to escape. The sensation is partly from my anger toward what happened to her, and partly from Harlynn’s fear pouring through me.

  “The amount of time it takes for the drug to kick in depends on the dosage you were given.” I suck in a breath in an attempt to steady my uneven voice. “When you were at this party, did Foster pour you a drink?”

  “No. I poured my own.” She pauses. “Although, this guy Grey… I’m not sure if you know who he is, but anyway, he was trying to talk me into letting him get me a drink. I refused, though.”

  “Yeah, I know who Grey is,” I tell her. “He’s actually been suspected of drugging drinks, but no one has pressed charges against him. But he’s one of the people we’re looking into.”

  “I want to say I’m surprised, but I’m not.” She grows quiet again. “But what about Foster? Because if he is dealing this night kiss and I was with him that night…” She trails off, her ravenous breathing filling up the line.

  Her fear.

  It’s so potent.

  So is my rage.

  What happened the night of the accident? Did someone drug her? If so, I’m going to make them pay.

  “I’m going to figure this out,” I promise her. “And I think you should tell your mom what you just told me.”

  “But I’m not even sure I was drugged.”

  “Still, I think you should tell her. It’s important.”

  She sighs heavily. “Okay, I will, but she’s already paranoid as it is so I’m probably never going to be able to leave the house alone again.”

  “That might be good—it’ll keep you safer.”

  “I’d be safe with you,” she whispers through a sigh. “When will I be able to see you?”

  She wants to see me? The concept is so difficult to grasp.

  “I’m not sure,” I tell her. “I have somewhere I need to be tonight, and then I need to start trying to look into what Foster’s been up to. Plus, I doubt your parents are going to let you see me.”

  “Actually, they might,” she says, surprising me. “I told my mom how Evalynn was Foster’s stalker and that she might not be a trustworthy witness, and she immediately started questioning if you were guilty. She even called your mom to tell her about it.”

  While I appreciate Harlynn sticking up for me, I doubt this is going to make it so her parents will allow me to see her.

  “Thanks for doing that. And I want to see you—I really do. But it might be better if we weren’t at your house when we meet up.”

  “Where are you even staying?”

  “At Porter’s for now,” I say. “But we’re going to be moving into an apartment in about a week or so.”

  “I’d really rather not wait a week to see you,” she says and this shaky, excited feeling quivers through my body.

  “I’ll figure something out. I promise.” I glance up as the detective opens the door and motions for me to come on. “They’re releasing me now so I have to go. But I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Pinkie promise?” she asks.

  A smile tugs at my lips. “I pinkie promise and then some.”

  Relief trickles through her. “Okay.”

  We hang up and I spend the next few minutes talking to the detective about the case. Then I’m released and I head out to the parking lot where Porter is waiting for me. But as I exit the station, the strangest fading sensation flickers through me. For a brief moment, I feel as though the world fades away from me.

  As if I fade away.

  When I blink, though, everything snaps back into place.

  Still, I can’t shake the feeling that something briefly slipped away from me. But I shove the though aside and focus on the most important problem in front of me.

  Finding out if Foster did something to Harlynn the night of the accident.

  And if he did, I’m going to make him pay.

  About the Author

  Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

  Also by Jessica Sorensen

  The Breathing Undead Series

  Breathing Lies

  Shadowed Whisperers (coming spring 2019)

  * * *

  Enchanted Chaos Series:

  Enchanted Chaos

  Shimmering Chaos

  Iridescent Chaos (coming soon)

  * * *

  Capturing Magic:

  Chasing Wishes

  Chasing Magic

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Chasing Hadley Harlyton:

  Chasing Hadley

  Falling for Hadley

  Holding onto Hadley (coming soon)

  * * *

  Cursed Hadley:

  Cursed Hadley

  Enchanting Hadley (coming soon)

  * * *

  Tangled Realms:

  Forever Violet

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Curse of the Vampire Queen:

  Tempting Raven

  Enchanting Raven

  Alluring Raven

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Unraveling You Series:

  Unraveling You

  Raveling You

  Awakening You

  Inspiring You

  Fated by Darkness

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Unexpected Series:
/>
  The Unexpected Way of Falling

  The Unpredictable Way of Falling

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Shadow Cove Series:

  What Lies in the Darkness

  What Lies in the Dark

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Mystic Willow Bay Series:

  The Secret Life of a Witch

  Broken Magic

  Untitled (coming soon)

  * * *

  Standalones:

  The Forgotten Girl

  The Illusion of Annabella

  Confessions of a Kleptomaniac

  Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl

  The Opposite of Ordinary

  * * *

  Broken City Series:

  Nameless

  Forsaken

  Oblivion

  Forbidden (coming soon)

  * * *

  Guardian Academy Series:

  Entranced

  Entangled

  Enchanted

  Entice (coming soon)

  * * *

  Sunnyvale Series:

  The Year I Became Isabella Anders

  The Year of Falling in Love

  The Year of Second Chances

  * * *

  The Coincidence Series:

  The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

  The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

  The Destiny of Violet and Luke

  The Probability of Violet and Luke

  The Certainty of Violet and Luke

  The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

  Seth & Greyson

  * * *

  The Secret Series:

  The Prelude of Ella and Micha

  The Secret of Ella and Micha

  The Forever of Ella and Micha