Hartley
After dragging Ashley upstairs by the arm, I shoved her through my room as fast as possible. There is no point in dealing with the Grinch today.
"What the hell Hart? It's been twenty four hours since I've last seen you and what do you do? You keep too much damn information from me! I know your aunt died but aren't you supposed to tell your best friends and not some random asshole that walks into your life?" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Rolling my eyes, I closed the door behind us. Ashley has been on my case ever since she got here and it's really starting to get on my nerves.
"I don't know okay?" Sighing I go over to the bed and plop myself down.
The bed dipped on the other side of me. "Look, I'm sorry. I just worry about you." She said in a very soft tone.
"I know it's just hard to explain. It feels as if I've known him my whole life. For some unknown reason, I feel as if I can trust him and his family. I've tried fighting myself with this on many rare occasions, but I just don't have the will to anymore. I have to focus on what's here and now and be grateful that his family is taking me in. Can we just drop this for now?" I sit up and put my head in my hands. All of these questions are giving me a headache.
"Then let's focus on something else. How are you doing with the..." she starts but I cut her off immediately not wanting to hear it.
"With the fact that my last remaining relative just died?" I say with a touch of venom to my voice.
I looked over at Ashley and see her eyes have widened in shock.
"Unfortunately Ash, there's no coping in a situation like this. I can't bring her back, I can't bring them back, I just...I just have to move on."
Shrugging my shoulders in defeat, I get up, walk over to my closet and pull out my suitcase. I open it up, put it on the bed and immediately start throwing stuff in it.
The door suddenly opens up and we see Ryan walking in as if he owns the place. "What's up Chicca’s?"
I raised an eyebrow, "Chicca’s?"
Ignoring me he walks over to the bed and sits down next to Ashley putting his arm around her. "So how's packing going? Our friend down there is growing slightly more impatient by the second."
"Where is he?" I questioned, curiosity consuming me.
Rolling his eyes, he said "Outside on the phone again. Hart, you need to sort your boy out, he has a lot of issues."
"My boy? He's not my boy, he's just a..."
"Ah, ah, ah, don't even say it. I can already see the sparks igniting between you two. So I say, shack up and get it over with. Then we can all breathe knowing you've satisfied the demon's craving."
I froze and looked at him wide eyed. "What did you just say?"
Furrowing his brow, "I said shack it up..."
Shaking my head in refusal, "No the other thing."
"You mean satisfying the demon's craving? Hart, it was just a joke no use in getting defensive."
Demon.
It hits me like a ton of bricks.
It all makes sense now.
Why didn't I put the pieces together before?
The seduction, the bipolar attitude, his dark demeanor, the fire in his eyes when he's angry.
Holy shit.
I am bound to the same animal that murdered my parents.
This is not happening.
Why does the world have to be so cruel? Ugh, I could just kill him! I begin pacing throughout the room trying to figure a way out of this.
How am I supposed to live in a house with the same bastards that murdered my family?
My hands tightened in clenched fists.
That son of bitch lied to me. They all lied to me. How could I trust someone that easily?
"Hart, what's going on?" I can hear the fear consuming her voice, but I can't focus on that right now. All I can think about is how the one person I thought understood me, has lied to me all along.
I grab my head and bend over trying to catch my breath.
"What's going on? I can hear you all from outside." My gaze immediately drifts up to meets his.
Scowling, I walk over to him and grab him by the arm. I dragged him down the stairs, through the living room and kitchen, until we make it to the back door that reaches outside.
"Hart, what the hell is going..."
I shoved him away from me as if he had just burned me with an iron rod.
"How could you?" My eyes became watery.
"How could I..." Those beautiful blue eyes that I have come to adore are staring back at me with nothing but pure confusion.
"To think that I had actually started opening myself up to you! How could I fall for your stupid act! You don't want what's best for me. You and your family are working with the bastard that murdered my family! So what? Who's next on his list? Ashley? Ryan?"
He continued to look at me as if I've lost my mind.
I walked up to him and started shoving him in the chest. "Why is he taking everyone away? What does he want from me? Tell me Dammit!" The tears trailed down my cheeks as I broke down in front of him.
"What did I do to deserve this? I was beginning to think you actually cared! Am I just some stupid seventeen year old girl to you?"
I turned away from him and ran into the forest. Unfortunately, I didn't make it very far when I was tackled to the ground.
"Get off of me!" I struggled with his hold and tried to get him off of me, but my strength was match for him.
"Hartley Stop!" I ignored him and continued struggling. With a firm grip, he was able to turn me around to face him, as he put all of his weight on me.
Pulling my arms above my head with one hand, the other hand grabbed my face and forced my chin up. I closed my eyes in refusal, trying my best to not get caught in his stare.
"Dammit Hartley look at me!" His voice was dangerously low, which in all honesty frightened me. I stopped unwillingly, and looked into his murderous gaze.
"Now, what the hell is going on?"
I shake my head in refusal, not wanting to break down in front of him again.
"Dammit! Tell me why you freaked out on me back there!" Sighing in defeat, I take a deep breath and look into his gaze.
Through clenched teeth I say, "I know what you are."
Chapter Fifteen
His hands go limp around my arms and his eyes drift from anger to confusion.
"What?" he asked, staring back at me with wide eyes.
Using his confusion as an opportunity, I push him off of me and get up off the ground.
"I know what you are. I know you are a demon." I state.
His eyes widened even more if that were possible. "Yep, that's right. Score one for the naive seventeen year old girl. You fooled me. I mean I knew you were some supernatural creature, but I had no idea that you were the enemy."
I give him the coldest glare I can muster up, "The funny thing is, I actually trusted you. Sure it was stupid of me to, especially after I just met you, but I couldn't help but feel that you were genuine. Yes, we have issues, we are on a constant battle with each other, but I considered you a friend, possibly something more. I guess, I was wrong, and I am quite the idiot for believing you."
I clap my hands together, "Well done, Mr. Evans. Now that we've got that part over with. I will not be moving in with you and your family, and you will not speak to me EVER again. Thanks for being another disappointment in my life." With that, I turned around leaving him stunned in the forest.
A million thoughts raced through my mind, giving me an unending headache. I am utterly disappointed with myself that I could possibly break down my walls and be a normal person. Turns out, I will never be normal, and I will never live a normal life.
A hand grabs my arm and I instantly shrug it off knowing he's trying to convince me that he is not my mortal enemy, blah, blah, blah.
"Hartley, please it's not what you think."
Ignoring him, I continue on my journey back to the house.
"Dammit Hart, can't you just stop and listen to me for fi
ve minutes?" His pleading voice almost stops me from my escape.
Almost.
That's when he grabs me by the waist and unwillingly brings my back flush against his chest. His lips skim my ear, "Now, either you relax and calm down or I won't let you go."
My body instantly relaxes, hoping he will let go of me. "You will listen to everything I have to say, otherwise I will lock you up in my room until you can get a hold of yourself." I nod, willing myself to at least try to understand where he is coming from.
His arms loosen around my waist and I take that as the opportunity to move several feet away from him. Once I regain my composure, I turn around, cross my arms over my chest and wait for him to start talking.
Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he takes a deep breath. "I'm not what you think I am."
I scoff, sure, he's not what I think he is. Yeah right.
"Hartley, can you please just shut up for five minutes?" His voice is laced with irritation.
I wave my hand at him so he can continue.
"You did guess partly right. I am half demon, but I am also half angel. The demon part was not chosen so much as it was branded into me."
Now it was my turn to be flabbergasted. "What do you mean it was branded into you?"
His gaze darkened, flames swirling around in his eyes. "Let's just say I've been to Hell and back."
I gulped, slightly afraid of what happened to him.
"I don't think I should be telling you this here, but since you insist on not believing me, I guess here is the perfect place to tell you how I lost my soul to the devil."
My eyes widened in astonishment.
"An enemy you and I both have in common, is the one who did this to me. Before I was turned into this monstrosity, I was a protector, or what a human would call a "guardian angel". I was sent to protect the humans from any supernatural force that would harm them. Vampires, demons, so on and so forth. One day my family had been offered an assignment they couldn't refuse."
His gaze switches to mine briefly, and then back to the ground as he grabs the back of his neck. "We had gotten word that the royal family of our kingdom would be welcoming another child into their home. The royal couple already had two little boys, but the kingdom was quite pleased to find out the King and Queen would be having a baby girl."
Hartley,
My breathing hitches and a deep stabbing pain goes through my abdomen.
"Hart, are you alright?" His eyes are masked with concern.
I nod, as my vision turns blurry, and the ground beneath me shakes. My stance breaks and I fall backwards when strong arms wrap around me.
Hartley,
You must find the truth, at all costs. Find out what happened to us...
My eyes close and I can feel the pull of a vision taking me away...
Death.
It's everywhere.
Dead bodies surround me.
Red blood stains cover the snow on the ground.
My hands are shaking with fear, and blood continues to drop onto the snow.
A sting of pain goes through my abdomen, as I look down and see my shirt is covered in blood. A knife is still lodged firmly in place, when I put a hand on it and pull it out. I tear up the ends of the shirt and wrap it firmly around the wound.
Trying to gauge what could've happened here, I turn around and see a ginormous castle standing off in the distance. Black elegant pearly gates surround the beautiful white building, while snow covered trees cover the grounds.
The breathtaking castle draws me closer and closer as my feet begin to move at their own pace.
I walk over body after body trying to make my way to this beautiful resting place.
The need to reach the castle grows more heavily upon me, like a burden that needs to be lifted off my chest. Once I reach the gates, I see that the locks have been broken and I easily slide my battered up body through.
When I make it in, the exhaustion takes over as I fall back down to the ground. Looking up at the gray covered sky, a tear falls out of the corner of my eye.
I finally made it.
I made it home.
Chapter Sixteen
Trace
I'm scared.
I may be a guy, but I can damn well admit when I'm scared shitless.
As I look down at my beautiful counterpart covered in nothing but breathing tubes, I can easily admit how scared I was when she collapsed.
When I tried to tell her about our history, she bent down wide eyed and grabbed her stomach. I knew right then and there she was going into a vision.
The funny thing is, she's not supposed to be having these until she turns eighteen. It's been predicted with the amount of power she holds that she would start receiving visions once her birthday came along, but no one could've predicted it would have this effect.
She's been laying out cold in this bed for three damn days. My mom's told me countless times she will wake up and that everything will be okay, but every time I look at her laying in this hospital bed, the angrier I get.
We are supposed to continue this fight together, hand in hand, and I will not lose her to that fucking bastard!
When she goes into a vision it's not supposed to have this physical effect on her. This is what scares me. Nobody ever mentioned her suffering mentally and physically from these things. Every time I think about her being the "chosen one" it honestly makes me want to puke.
Why does it have to be her?
She's already suffered through so much, so why can't we just live in peace?
Is that so much to ask?
I've been pacing throughout this room for the last three days. I haven't slept, I haven't eaten. I can't do anything besides worry about her and plotting my revenge.
I knew that this bond would have an effect on us, but I had no idea it was going to cause me this much pain.
I haven't even gotten the chance to tell her how I feel.
Sighing, I sit down in the chair next to the bed and rub a hand down my face.
I take her hand in mine, and move her long midnight hair out of her face.
"Baby, please wake up. I need you. I need you here with me. I'm not strong enough without you." I said as I laid my head down on her bed.
I can hear the door creaking open, "Trace?"
I look up and see Ashley poking her head through the door.
"Yeah?" I ask in a soft voice. No matter how annoyed I am with her best friend, I know that if I were to tell her off, Hartley would instantly serve my head on a platter.
She opens the door up a little bit more and slips inside. She wraps her arms around herself as if she is unsure of what to do next.
"Can I ask you a question?" Her voice comes out in nothing more than a whisper.
Nodding my head I examined her a bit more.
She's dressed in the same clothes she wore three days ago. A light blue t-shirt, pair of blue jeans and some tennis shoes. She looks like hell.
She walks over to me and then her eyes rake over her best friend. Her eyes then zero in on me and the hand that is grasping Hartley's in a strong hold.
"What does she mean to you? I mean you just met a couple of days ago, and you seem more torn up than the rest of us. What is going on? I'm so confused and I...I just want to make sure you’re not using her."
She rubs a hand down her face and swallows hard, "She is my best friend. She is my sister. It's tearing me up inside that I can't see her smile or try to make her laugh. I would do anything for her, even if that means doing what's best for her. I need you to tell me what your end game is. You and your family seem to know so much about her when we don't know shit about you. So please, if you care for her at all, please tell me what is going on."
A tear slips from the corner of her eye and I instantly feel like a jackass for not explaining this sooner.
"I..." I start, but feel movement tug on my hand.
Returning my gaze to the beautiful creature lying in the bed, her eyes flutter open and wid
en in shock.
"No, please leave me alone!" The heart rate monitor increases with her distressed state.
I let go of her hand and bring my hand to her chin, turning her face towards mine. Her eyes are glossed over, tears streaming down the side of her face.
"Baby, you need to calm down. You're safe no one can hurt you." My voice comes out strained.
The door slams open as several nurses and doctors rush in here. The heart rate monitor spikes once again. Hartley clenches her hands into tight fists as fear crosses her features.
She grabs my shirt by the collar and draws my face close to hers, as she whispers in a very low voice, "I see them."
My eyes widened in realization as I am pushed away from her and dragged out of the room.
"Trace what the hell is going on? You better tell me right now! No more of this stupid bullshit!" Ashley screams in my face while I'm still standing in the middle of the hospital hall in a state of shock.
I pace back and forth when I see my parents running down the hall.
"Honey what's going on?" My mom asks with fear lacing her voice.
I look at them and swallow hard, "It's happened. The last stage before her final transformation."
Their eyes widened as I continued, "She can now see and talk to the dead."
Chapter Seventeen
Hartley
After being in the hospital for four days, they were finally satisfied that I was ready to go home.
When I woke up, Trace, his family, and my friends were frantic. It was like I was sucked into some alternate reality.
To see Trace show something for me other than the usual "I hate you looks" or the "I want you looks", was definitely interesting. It was like he actually cared for me.
Sitting up, I swing my legs over the hospital bed in a sitting position. A slight pain runs through my abdomen where the gunshot wound took place. I stand up very slowly, and use the hospital bed for support.
The door swings open and I am suddenly engulfed in a pair of strong arms.
"Dammit Hart, how could you scare us like that?" Ryan hugs me even more tightly making me groan out in pain.
"Ry...can't...breathe." He drops his arms so fast I get whiplash.
Breaking The Darkness (The Light and Dark Trilogy Book 1) Page 6