“Yeah, and this time there wasn’t anyone around, so I don’t think he was acting, the way he was in lunch that first time.” I feel my face heat up as I say this.
“Wait, what? You think Caiden was acting?” She looks at me skeptically.
“I don’t know.” I shrug self-consciously. “I mean, we are supposed to be pretending to date, ya know? I don’t know how much is an act and how much, if any, is real.”
She continues looking at me, a strange smile playing around her lips. “Em, I don’t think he’s been pretending anything with you.”
At her words, my stomach clenches, and a warm fluttery feeling permeates my chest. I try to fight a goofy grin from breaking through.
“So you like him then?” She asks me.
I’ve tried to deny it. Tried hard. But I can’t anymore.
“Yeah,” I answer. “I really do.”
Chapter 25
As I drive to school the next day, my stomach quivers nervously as the scene in the parking lot replays over in my mind. That kiss.
He said we’d talk today, but he didn’t say what about. Is he going to ask me out? I mean, for real, not the way we’ve been pretending for the past week. I don’t know.
I feel silly getting so worked up about it. I mean, I’ve dated a lot of guys in the past, but I’ve never felt like this about them, so nervous and unsure.
Things have always been so up and down with Caiden. Despite what Arianna thinks, I don’t know if anything that’s happened this week has been real on his part.
With my stomach in knots, I drive into the parking lot and see Caiden standing by his car, already waiting for me.
“So,” I begin, a small smile playing around my lips. “You said you wanted to talk?”
His eyes roam over my face. “Yeah.” But he doesn't continue, just watches me.
“About what?” I prompt him.
He looks down, breaking eye contact. “About Caroline.”
“I...What?” This is so not what I was expecting.
He meets my gaze again. “Have you made up your mind about the ritual yet?”
I stare at him, trying to shift gears. Of course he wants to talk about the ritual. I’m an idiot for thinking it would be anything else.
“Um... yeah.” Now it’s my turn to look down. “Yeah, I’ll do it.” I turn to walk into the school but he grabs my arm to stop me.
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” I say, meeting his eyes squarely. “I’m sure.”
“Okay. We’ll go over to her place after school.”
“Yeah. Sure.” I turn my back on him and head into school before he can say anything else.
* * *
The day passes much the same as yesterday. We still pretend to flirt in the hallways, but I don’t kiss him again, and I try to keep my distance from him when I can, shrugging him off or moving away when he tries to hug me or put an arm around me. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything.
When the last bell rings, I meet Caiden in the parking lot and he follows behind me to my house so I can drop off my car before meeting with Caroline.
As I pull into my driveway, I see my dad’s black Jag already sitting there. What’s he doing home so early?
The back of my neck prickles in alarm. I slam my car into park jump out, scrambling toward my house.
I’m pulled up short as someone grabs me from behind, lifting my feet off the ground and dragging me backwards.
I struggle to break free, squirming and kicking, needing to get into that house.
“Stop, Em! Wait!” Caiden yells, but I barely hear him through my hysteria.
He drags me a few feet away before putting me down and spinning me to face him, holding tight to my shoulders.
“Wait, Em! The door is broken! You can’t just run in there!”
“The hell I can’t!” I scream. “My dad is in there, dammit! Let me go!” I try to break his hold, but he grips me harder, keeping me in place.
“Just wait; let me go in first. We don’t know who could be waiting in there. Use your head! Just calm down and think!”
I stop fighting him, knowing he won’t let me go until he thinks I’m calm.
“That’s better,” he says, removing one hand and whipping out his cell phone to dial 911.
“I’d like to report a break-in.” He rattles off my address. “Send an ambulance.” He hangs up, eyes locked on mine. “Stay behind me.”
He jogs quickly to the front door, stopping just outside it and pushing it open with his fingertips. The door swings wide in its shattered frame. I peer over Caiden’s shoulder, wrinkling my nose at a strange coppery scent in the air.
“Do you smell that?” I ask him.
He sniffs the air, but shakes his head. “I don’t smell anything.”
I hold one hand over my mouth and nose struggling not to gag on the scent. We step through the door and survey the living room.
It’s completely destroyed, tables knocked over, couches slashed, pictures hanging off the walls, glass ground into the carpet.
A shiny black loafer peeks out behind the sofa.
“Dad!” I run past Caiden, leaping over the ruined couch to reach him. “Dad, wake up!”
He’s lying on his side amid the destruction, one arm thrown up over his face, his blond hair matted with blood. The coppery smell is overpowering; I swallow convulsively to keep from getting sick.
Blood. That’s what I’ve been smelling. My dad’s blood is all over, oozing from a nasty gash near his temple.
“Oh God! Dad! Wake up! Please!” I shake him but he doesn’t move, doesn’t speak.
Tears streak down my face as I frantically pull on his shoulder, trying to wake him up. Sirens howl in the distance.
“He’s breathing.” Caiden’s kneeling on the other side of him, his head bent down to listen. “He’s alive, Em. The ambulance is on its way.”
I stare at Caiden through blurry eyes. “Can you fix him? Can you wake him up?”
Heartbreak in his eyes, he shakes his head. “Not with the police on the way. I don’t even know what’s wrong with him. I won’t be able to heal him in time. I’m sorry.”
I break down in sobs, my hands clenched in my father’s blood splattered shirt.
“Maybe when we get to the hospital,” I hear Caiden say. “I’ll see what I can do then.”
I nod, trying to get myself under control, but I can’t stop the tears.
The sirens get louder, screeching to a halt outside on the street. Caiden leaves me so he can lead the paramedics inside.
Strong hands lift me up, away from him. I struggle at first, but stop when I hear Caiden’s voice.
“It’s okay,” he croons. “It’s going to be alright.”
I turn and bury my face in the front of his chest, shaking.
“Shhh, I got you. It’s going to be fine.”
His arms wrap around me, his hands making soothing circles on my back, threading through my hair. He leans his head down and rests his cheek on the top of my head, murmuring nonsense to calm me.
They load my dad into the back of the ambulance and an officer comes over to take our statements. Thankfully, Caiden handles most of it and I just have to nod and agree.
Once the police have the information they need, Caiden drives us over to the hospital where we’re shown to a waiting room. A kindly looking nurse comes over and tells us my father is undergoing tests right now, and someone will be out shortly to let us know what’s going on.
Caiden waits with me, bringing me coffee and rubbing my shoulders and neck. At some point Arianna, Ethan and Lydia show up. I don’t know whether Caiden called them or Lydia just knew, but either way, they all take up positions around the room to wait with me.
Occasionally I hear them whispering to each other, casting worried looks my way, but I don’t bother paying attention. All my focus is on the swinging door across the room, the one where any minute the doctor is going to appear and tell me that my father is awake and u
nhurt.
After an eternity, the door opens. I jump up, the remainder of my lukewarm coffee sloshing over the rim of my cup.
“How is he?”
A man in green scrubs walks forward and looks at me somberly. “I’m afraid your father is in a coma. He has severe trauma to his prefrontal cortex. His vitals are strong, but at this time it’s too early to tell what the long-term effects will be.”
“A coma...” I echo numbly. “When–” My voice cracks. “When will he wake up?”
He shakes his head sadly. “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that. It could be hours, weeks, months... There’s just no way of knowing. I’m very sorry. If you want to see him, the nurse here will show you where he is.” He reaches out to squeeze my shoulder sympathetically before leaving back through the swinging doors.
Months... I cover my face and break down in sobs. Caiden’s arms wrap around me and I latch onto him, my face pressed into the crook of his neck, my tears soaking his shirt.
“Shhh, Em.” He places his lips so close to my ear I can feel his breath. “I called Caroline,” he whispers. “She’s on her way. She may be able to help him.”
I jerk my head back so quickly I almost crack his jaw with my skull.
“Caroline’s coming?”
“Yeah, if anyone can heal your dad, it’s her.”
The choking hopelessness eases slightly, replaced with a sliver of hope. Caroline will fix him. He’ll wake up. He’ll be fine. I wipe the tears off my face and walk mechanically back to my seat to wait.
It doesn’t take long for her to get here. She strides right up to me and wraps me in a warm hug.
“I’m so sorry, Emerson. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your father.” She steps back to look at me. “Let’s go to his room.”
The nurse says he can only have two visitors at a time, so Caiden stays in the waiting room while Caroline and I are shown to my dad.
He’s in a large hospital bed, white sheets pulled up to his shoulders. Tubes and wires are hooked up to every part of him, machines beeping and wheezing all around. He looks so small lying here, so young, his face slack, mouth slightly parted.
I step up to his side and hesitantly touch his hand.
“The doctor says he’s in a coma,” I tell Caroline without looking at her. “They don’t know when he’ll wake up–” A lump forms in my throat, making it impossible to continue.
“Let me see what I can do.” Caroline gently pats my shoulder before closing her eyes and laying her hands on my father’s forehead. I can just make out a faint glow emanating from her palms and seeping into his fair head.
I hold my breath and pray that this will work. After what seems like ages, the glow fades and Caroline removes her hands. He doesn’t move.
It didn’t work. Caroline couldn’t heal him. Oh God...
“Em...” His eyelids flutter, fighting to open.
“I’m right here, dad.” I grab his hand and squeeze. A moment later, he faintly squeezes it back.
“Emerson.” He opens his eyes all the way. They’re bloodshot and unfocused, but they’re open.
“You’re awake,” I whisper, giving him a watery smile. “You’re going to be okay.” A sob catches in my throat, sending tears spilling over my cheeks. “You’re going to be okay, dad. You’re at the hospital now.”
Caroline touches my shoulder to get my attention.
“Thank you, Caroline. Thank you so much–” my voice gives out. “I’m going to get the doctor.”
“Not just yet.” She stops me. “I’m afraid I have to ask him a few questions first, before we can bring anyone else in here.”
“Questions about what?”
Instead of answering, she turns to my dad. “Mr. Greenwood, I’m Caroline, a friend of your daughter’s. Can you tell us what happened today?”
His brows crinkle in puzzlement.
“At your house,” she prompts. “Who attacked you?”
His eyes widen, his breath catching in his throat. He jolts up in bed, pulling wires out of machines, alarms screeching through the small room. He clutches my shirt, his eyes wild with terror.
“The wolves! Em, you have to run, the wolves are coming for you!”
Chapter 26
The clock on Arianna’s night stand reads two a.m., and I’m staring up at the ceiling, still trying to block out the image of my father’s terrified face.
It took three nurses and an orderly to hold him down before they could sedate him. After that, Caroline thankfully wiped his memories. She said that he’ll wake up with no recollection of what happened after he walked into the house. Considering his head wound, no one will be suspicious of his spotty memory.
Caroline was right. The pack is hunting me. Werewolves broke into my house and nearly killed my father. I won’t give them the chance to go after anyone else I care about.
Tomorrow, after homecoming, I’m going to blood bond myself to Caroline and let her take care of those monsters once and for all.
I tried to convince her to do it before homecoming — it’s not like I care about going to some stupid school dance — but she said she needs some time to prepare and right now I’ll be safest in a crowd. The pack already knows where I live. They could come for me at any time.
Caroline decided it would be better to have me stay at Arianna’s house tonight, though I fought that idea. What if they showed up here? I would never forgive myself if Arianna got hurt because of me.
But in the end, Caroline got her way. I’m not to be left unprotected for a moment.
I watch the room gradually lighten to gray before I get up from my makeshift bed on the floor and head down to the kitchen for some coffee. In the living room, Ethan’s blond hair peeks out from under a mound of covers on the couch.
When Caroline declared that I was to stay at Arianna’s, I wasn’t the only one who protested. Ethan was furious that Caroline would put Arianna at risk. When Caroline overrode his objections, Ethan insisted on staying over as well, intent on protecting Arianna from me and the danger that hunts me.
Surprisingly, Lydia wanted to stay over too, arguing that if the pack were going to attack in the night, she’d see it first and be able to warn us. Ethan had a fit about that and downright refused to allow her to risk her life as well.
Then I shocked everyone, including myself, when I suggested Caiden stay at Lydia’s to guard her. The pack has obviously been spying on us, so there’s a good chance they know where we all live, and I didn’t think anyone should be left unprotected. I may not like the idea of Lydia and Caiden spending the night together, but I’d rather that than see Lydia get hurt.
I open a few cabinets, looking for the coffee mugs so I can begin ingesting some much needed caffeine, but I guess I’m not very quiet about it, because after a few moments Ethan stumbles over in sweats and a t-shirt. He opens up the cabinet on the far left and grabs a mug and a bowl.
Without a glance in my direction he turns on the coffee maker and hands me the mug. Then Ethan pours himself a heaping bowl of Cocoa Pebbles and digs in.
When the coffee is done, I get myself a cup and sit down at the small kitchen table across from Ethan.
He ignores me, reading the back of the cereal box to avoid looking at me. I stare down and trace the grooves in the wood with my fingers and sip my coffee.
I can’t take the stony silence anymore.
“The last thing I want is for Arianna, or anybody else, to get hurt because of me,” I tell him. “Believe me, if I could have stayed somewhere else tonight, I would have.”
“I know.” He looks at me steadily, no hint of anger or antagonism in his expression. “But just because you don’t mean for anyone to get hurt, it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. These weres are hunting you, and anyone around you will just end up as collateral damage.”
Like my father, I think, flinching at his blunt assessment.
“It’s not that I don’t like you, Emerson. I just can’t take any chances. Not with Arianna’s life.”
I nod in understanding. I can’t blame him for wanting to protect the person he loves.
We sit in silence as the kitchen gradually lightens. Eventually sounds are heard from upstairs. Doors opening and closing, water running.
“There you are,” Arianna says, spotting me as she comes down the stairs. There’s worry in her eyes as she looks back and forth between Ethan and me. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, Ari.” He smiles over at her. “Don’t worry.”
“You’re being nice?” She narrows her eyes at him.
“I’m not being mean.”
“That’s not the same thing,” she accuses.
“Really Arianna, everything’s good.” I smile at her so she knows I’m not offended by Ethan’s attitude.
She studies us one more time before making herself some tea.
“I need to go home to get some clothes,” I say, standing up and finishing my coffee.
“Caroline said you’re not supposed to go anywhere alone,” Arianna reminds me.
“Yeah, well I need something to wear and I’m sure as hell not letting you come with me to my house.”
“But–”
“Caiden and I already took care of it,” Ethan says, getting up and placing his bowl in the sink.
“You did?”
“Yeah, last night, after he brought you back here.”
“You didn’t have to do that, you guys could have gotten hurt. What if they were there waiting for you?”
“As you said, you need clothes and we certainly weren’t going to let you go. We can’t take any chances, not now when we’re so close. After tonight, you won’t have to worry about these mutts anymore. But until then, you’re under our protection.”
His willingness to protect me moves me more than I’d expect. I know he’s only doing it because keeping me alive to complete the blood bond is the best way to keep Arianna safe, but whatever his reasons, he’s still putting himself at risk to protect me.
“Besides,” he smiles slightly. “Caiden knew if we didn’t do it, you would just find a way to sneak off on your own and go anyway. You’re as stubborn as Arianna.” He disappears back into the living room.
Deceitful Circle (Silent Circle Book 2) Page 17
