I walked to the edge of the woods but hesitated before walking into the trees. I couldn’t decide who to trust—Rudy or Aidan. Aidan had told me to stay out of the woods, but I knew Rudy wanted me to go into them—hopefully to find something that would prove him right. Either way, it was daytime, and I was very much expecting Aidan to appear out of nowhere again if I was in danger. I inhaled deeply. I was hoping to prove that Rudy was crazy.
I hadn’t even made it to the clearing, if I could have found it at all, before I stopped dead cold in my tracks. I tried to focus on breathing regularly. Hunched over on his knees like an animal, I saw him there, chewing on something. That’s when I noticed the feathers tightly gripped in his hand—his perfect hand. I gasped before I could stop myself, and he instantly turned to look at me. His mouth was smeared with blood, and his eyes were dark, yet still I knew—as I would know any time, any place—it was Aidan.
He was frozen stiff for a moment. I took a couple steps back. He stood up and dropped the bird carelessly on the ground. I turned and ran. I ran faster than I could ever recall running before. My muscles burned, my stomach turned, and I was stopped only feet from my porch, sick in the flowerbed. I scrambled to my feet and shut the door behind me, locking it clumsily. I leaned against the door, heart pounding, trying to get control of myself. That’s when I heard a knock on the door and that voice. The way he said my name never seemed to sound exactly like my name.
“Jane?”
“Go away!” It was impossible to hide the fear in my voice.
“Jane, please,” he begged. “You have to listen to me.”
“Rudy was right about you!”
If he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already—wouldn’t he?
“Jane, I’m sorry.” He sounded miserable. “I had to.”
“Just go away!”
“Open the door. Please!”
“No!”
“I’m sorry. I was so hungry!”
“Then cook a damn cup of noodles, Aidan! Go away!”
“You don’t understand!”
“I don’t want to.” It didn’t make sense. Who eats raw birds like a cat?
“Would you just let me in?”
“Why the hell would I let you in?”
“Trust me, please.”
“I could never trust you,” I answered. “You told me yourself you’re not a very good friend.”
“Yes, I said that, but when have I ever given you reason to be afraid of me?”
I looked back on everything. The only thing Aidan had ever done was save my life and take me out to a movie.
“Listen to me.” His voice had suddenly become very soft and kind. My heart sank. “I need you,” he said quietly, desperately. “I know it sounds crazy, but I need you to listen to me—please.”
I remembered the cold, soft kiss he had planted on my cheek the day I had saved him from Rudy. He had this power over me, this kind of dominance over my thoughts. I sighed and unlocked the door.
When I opened it, he was standing there perfectly clean and beautiful again with those enticing green eyes of his. I stepped aside and nodded but couldn’t bring myself to make eye contact.
“Thank you,” he said breathily.
“Are you going to tell me what you are now?” I whispered hesitantly.
“Do I need to?”
I jerked my head toward him but quickly averted my gaze again. “I guess not.”
I sat down on the couch in the front room, and he sat beside me. I gasped and pulled my hand away when I felt the coolness of his skin.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He was sweet and innocent again.
“You just surprised me,” I said but didn’t move my hand back to let him get any closer.
“Don’t be afraid. I swear to you that I’m not going to hurt you.”
“What does that mean? Does that mean you will kill me so fast I won’t feel the pain?”
He pulled his eyebrows together and looked at me, puzzled. “Jane—”
“I’m sorry. Just please, Aidan. If you’re one of them, tell me.”
“One of who?”
“You know who.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Rudy,” he mumbled. “Ah Rudy.”
“What?”
“My personal opinion is his grandfather was senile. I don’t think The Sevren exists.”
“You know the story?”
“I…heard.”
“You were spying?” I yelled.
“Not exactly,” he retorted in defense. “I have good hearing, and yes, I walked by and could hear from the open window. I couldn’t help but listen to what he was telling you.”
“What other abilities do your kind have?”
“My kind?”
“Yes. The…well, you know.”
“Well, the wolves.”
“It’s true? You can really control the wolves?”
“I wouldn’t say I can control them, but they listen to me. They trust me. And my kind, as you put it, has nothing to do with that ability. I don’t know where that one came from, much like my ability to sense danger. It’s just something I have inside me.”
“What about the bird?”
“I told you,” he said. “I was hungry.”
“You ate the bird? Raw?”
He shook his head.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “You—”
He nodded. “It’s what we do.”
“Blood?”
He nodded. “I cannot explain everything to you right now, but I promise you I will. I would never hurt you, Jane—or any human.”
“Then you aren’t a true—hunter, right?”
He put his hand up. “Another day.”
I nodded.
“I just had to make you let me in. I had to tell you to your face that I don’t intend to ever hurt you, but I also want you to know that I can.”
“That’s just it then,” I said. “That’s why you didn’t want to be friends.”
“Now you understand.”
He stood up and turned away. I put my hand on his shoulder, concentrating on the softness of his leather jacket.
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
He turned around and held my face in his hands. He very lightly touched his lips to mine.
“Soon, Jane,” he whispered. Then he was gone so quickly, leaving a lingering sweetness on my lips from his kiss.
I couldn’t sleep that night. Usually, thinking of Aidan put me to sleep, but this time, my daydreams kept me awake. I heard that sound again, the eerie tapping of the tree against my window. I rolled over, trying to ignore. I realized then that it wasn’t that squeaking noise I heard before but a rounder, more rhythmical rapping. I turned back to the window and flipped on the lamp on my nightstand. I inhaled deeply trying to calm myself so I wouldn’t wake Ethan.
“Jane!” I heard in just a loud enough whisper to hear.
“Aidan?”
“Open up!”
I sprang up and opened the window. “Are you crazy?”
“I hope so.” He chuckled.
I smiled, and he crawled from the oak tree into my bedroom.
“Don’t wake Ethan,” I whispered.
He nodded. “I had to see you. I don’t think I’m entirely ready to explain myself yet, but for some reason…I had to see you.”
“You must be out of your mind,” I said, but I couldn’t help but smile.
He sat down on the edge of my bed, and I sat beside him. He moved slightly closer and began brushing his fingers across my neck. I shuddered as I did every time he touched me. I need you. I replayed those words in my mind so many times the syllables began to run together, and the words became meaningless. I wondered what he could have really meant—that he needed me to believe him or that he actually needed me with him and by his side.
“Stay,” I whispered, the word half caught in my throat.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
It was puzzling to suddenly have this desperation for h
im to touch me. I felt as if the coolness of his skin turned mine to silk. He made me feel almost un-solid, like mist. I could only ask myself why I was feeling this way. This boy, who was once the source of no more than pure irritation, somehow brought tenderness from me that I never thought I could feel since I lost Danny. My mind raced, and I continued to feel weightless.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
I couldn’t respond. I felt him touch my cheek and brush his fingers across my lips, which forced a cold gasp from my chest.
“Are you okay?”
His voice was like velvet.
I moved closer, still trying to veil the sudden affection I felt toward him.
He groaned quietly. “You’re tempting me, Jane.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but when I remembered the bird, I grew nervous. “My blood?” I almost regretted asking. “Or my body?”
“Well, neither would be safe for me to take.”
He moved away.
“Stay,” I whispered. “Please.”
He nodded. “You need your sleep.”
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Will you sleep if I lie beside you?”
I nodded.
He curled up next to me, and instantly, I felt nervous yet warm and tired. He put his arm around my waist, and I quietly gasped.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered as he moved away from me.
“No, it’s okay,” I whispered back. “I don’t mind.”
And it was true. I didn’t care if he constricted me to death—I would die in his arms.
I did fall asleep eventually even though I had tried to stay awake to savor the time that he was actually there with me, and when I awoke, I was alone. Sure that I hadn’t been dreaming, I whispered, “Aidan?”
“I’m here.”
I turned to see him beside the window, leaned against the wall, with his arms folded in front of his chest. I jumped when I saw him, and he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I got my car. I’m driving you to school.”
“I wasn’t planning on going to school.”
He smiled. “Go to school, Jane.”
I nodded. “Just need a shower.”
“I’ll wait,” he answered, still smiling.
I hurried into the bathroom and showered as quickly as I could. I pulled a brush through my hair and didn’t worry with the blow dryer. I got dressed and skipped back to my room. He was there, still leaned against the wall, smiling at me as if he hadn’t moved at all.
My memory never did his beauty justice. All I could think about when I looked at him was what he was and why, after all that had happened, I wasn’t afraid of him, why I only wanted to be closer.
Chapter Thirteen
School wasn’t the same that Monday. I felt like a different person. After every class, Aidan was there, waiting for me. He was different when he was at school. He seemed more normal, more like a kid. When it was just the two of us, he acted much more mature and sure of himself.
Aaron tried to steer away from the subject of Aidan in conversation and chose a seat as far away from him as possible in history class. During class, Aidan was silent, but sometimes, he’d steal a glance or smile at me. He drove me home after school, and I tried my hardest to make conversation.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, the most real and logical question in my head.
He glanced quickly at me and smiled.
“Trying to figure out what you’re thinking.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t think of what to say next.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.
I didn’t even hesitate before responding. “No.”
“You should be.”
“Why?” I snapped. “You promised you’d never hurt me.”
“I did. It’s just that the logical, safe thing to do would be to fear me.”
I shook my head. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“I know. I’m just saying you should be. I know by now…that’s never changed your mind about anything.”
“Why would you want me to be afraid of you?” I asked. “You said before that…you needed me…to believe you, remember?”
“More than having you believe me, more than having you close to me, Jane, I want you to be safe.”
“You’ve saved my life more than once already.”
He nodded. “Let’s hope I am never the cause for anybody else needing to play your knight in shining armor.”
I sighed. He promised he’d never hurt me.
“You’ve never killed anybody before, have you?”
“You know I have, Jane. I basically told you I have.”
“But…the bird.”
“I simply promised that I would never hurt another human again.”
I nodded. “Am I safe with you?”
He nodded. “For now, yes.”
I glanced in the side view mirror and peered over my shoulder.
“What is it?” His voice had completely transformed from the tension a moment before; he sounded completely content.
“That car,” I answered. “It’s been behind us since we left the school.”
“Hmm,” he grunted, glancing quickly over his shoulder at the black Mustang. “Strange. You don’t recognize it?”
I shook my head. “No. Should I?”
“No. I’m just expecting Rudy to do something stupid again.”
“You would never hurt him, would you?”
“I let him beat the crap out of me, Jane, without moving to fight back. What do you think?” He chuckled. His emotions were inconsistent, as usual—the most unnatural thing about him.
I just nodded. “Right.”
I looked behind me again. The car was still following us even after we had turned.
“Where are you going?” I finally asked when I noticed he had passed my street.
“Testing this guy.” His voice was quiet and swelled with tension again.
“Can you actually see him?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder again.
“Stop turning around!” he snapped. “He’ll figure out what I’m up to.”
“Can you see him?” I asked again.
He nodded. “Barely.”
“Well—”
“Please,” he demanded, cutting my sentence short. “Don’t ask any questions. I promise everything will be all right.”
That was a dead giveaway he was worried. I was thinking that maybe he could read the stranger’s mind or something like that. Should he be worried?
I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. It was strange; I could barely even make out a shape behind the tinted windows of the car, but Aidan seemed like he actually knew who it was.
“Aidan?” I whispered.
“Shh. Really, Jane. I’m trying to concentrate.”
Concentrate on what? I didn’t ask. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Aidan turned, and the Mustang kept going straight. I thought I saw the stranger’s shape in the car turn and stare at us as he drove by.
Aidan sighed and pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I did the only thing I had tried to avoid.”
I didn’t answer.
“All I wanted to do was keep you safe, and now I have endangered you.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want us to be friends because I wanted you to be safe, but if I leave you now, you will never be safe.”
“Aidan, what’s going on?”
“The license plate of that car…” he paused.
“Yeah?”
“Did you see it?”
“I saw there was a seven and I think a B?”
He nodded. “Yeah, tacked to the end of the letters S-E-V-R-N.”
I froze for a moment but recoiled. “It could be a coincidence.”
He shook his head.
“I thought you didn’t believe in them.”
“Yes, I said that.” His voice dropped. “I lied.”
“
You lied?”
“Yes, Jane, I lied. Let’s not make a big deal about it, okay? I know The Sevren exists. I know for a fact.”
“Because you’re one of them!” I yelled out instantly after his response.
“No!” he yelled back. “No! Never!”
“Then why are they a problem?”
“Because they are being led by a man who is more powerful than me, stronger than me, and I have history with him.”
I wasn’t sure if I should say anything, wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to ask any questions. I tried to let him get ahold of himself before I said anything, but the word was being forced from my mouth. It was hard to find my voice at first, and it was scarcely a sound when I finally asked. “Who?”
He sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose again. He answered in a choked whisper. “My father.”
It was silent for a long time. I couldn’t bring myself to ask for an explanation. Just the look on his face told me he was in agony.
“I’m taking you home,” he finally said, starting the car again. “But I want to stay with you tonight just to make sure you’re safe.”
I didn’t answer, but I nodded to let him know it was okay with me.
“If you don’t ask me to talk about it tonight, I will tell you tomorrow. Just please not tonight.”
I nodded again, still unable to answer.
When I got home, Ethan was there. As soon as I opened the door he called my name.
“Jane?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Who else?
“I thought you were home earlier because I saw your car. Did Becky drive you to school this morning?”
“Yeah.” Easier than explaining Aidan.
Aidan was in my room, waiting for me. He smiled as soon as I walked in. I dropped my book bag on my bed and sat beside him.
“I shouldn’t leave my car in your driveway,” he said. “That wouldn’t look good.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to give my dad any reasons not to trust me.”
“I’ll go park down the street and come right back.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I watched out my window as he pulled out. He drove like a lunatic. I realized he drove much slower when I was in the car with him. I sat back down and waited for him. I didn’t feel safe by myself, didn’t feel safe knowing that The Sevren was back in North Bend. I tried to ignore, tried to push that from my mind until Aidan would explain. He appeared again out of nowhere. I jumped.
Summers' Deceit (Hunters Trilogy Book 1) Page 11
