I squeezed my eyes tightly and waged my inner battle. The blazing pressure on my hip intensified with every passing second. Drop the knife or kill him? Drop the knife or kill him?
Taking more restraint than I knew I had, I ordered, Drop the knife.
When the Rygon did, Aiden turned, still blocking my field of vision and finished what I’d started.
The thick goop of the Rygon’s mind released me, and I fell to my knees, gasping. My head throbbed from concentration. My body swayed from all the energy I used. I fought to breathe, determined to outlive the growing fatigue. Everything blurred and I felt the sting in my mind before I passed into darkness.
*****
I couldn’t quite decide if I was awake or dreaming. The memory of Rygons attacking danced in the back of my mind. But, for whatever reason, I walked through a cluster of trees. If you could call it walking. Something pulled me, like an invisible cord attached to my midsection. My feet moved, but I wasn’t moving them. I had no control over my body.
The sun hung low, creating an orange haze in the sky. I made my way toward a little serene river, its banks covered in pink and purple wildflowers. Leafy trees and plants lined the narrow dirt trail I walked, like some kind of red carpet entrance.
Guess that answered my question: dream. Had to be. Not bad, for my imagination. I preferred to be on the beach drinking one of those cool umbrella drinks, but no fire. Definitely a first. So, I could deal with the cheesy scenery. Plus, this was my dream. Maybe I’d run into some Abercrombie and Fitch model chopping wood—shirtless.
My body continued to follow the path, toting me along. At the water’s edge, a small white bridge appeared. I blinked: Trippy, but sweet nonetheless. I crossed over the clear water, wishing I could stop for a moment. Nope.
I cursed as the walk dragged on and on. Would I have to stroll in this make-believe land until I dropped off the face of the earth? Felt like it.
Finally, I halted when a log cabin came into view. The two-story home almost completed this perfect fairy tale forest. All it needed now was a princess and some dwarfs. Still waiting on that Abercrombie and Fitch model. In the front, there was a huge bay window and a deck that led to a door on the upper level. Beautiful. There wasn’t another word to describe it. I urged my body to go toward it, but it wouldn’t. Son of a—! Who rigged this? I looked down at myself frustrated and ready to launch out of my so-called body.
A figure on the side of the house, climbing out a window, drew my attention. Black hair, brown eyes…The girl.
She took in her surroundings and walked stealthily toward an old red car. Sneaking out? Nice. The closer she got, the more I realized something was wrong. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she shook.
A figure in a hooded, black cloak materialized and stared at her from behind a nearby tree.
Oh crap.
My adrenaline spiked. Why was I always immobile around this asshole? I screamed at the helpless girl, but no sound came out. I thrashed in frustration. If this girl died, it’d be all my fault.
Her head snapped toward the Kember. In the blink of an eye, he stood before her, blocking her way to the car. Her eyes widened and I heard her intake of breath. She turned and ran into the forest.
He watched her run.
Everything around me slipped and ran together like a wet canvas. The scene before me melted and darkness rushed in.
Replaced at once with concerned green eyes, a creased brow…
Aiden.
His hands gripped my arms. He gazed straight into my eyes. “Can you hear me? Taylee?”
I blinked.
He breathed in relief.
I opened my mouth, staring at Aiden in disbelief. “…what the—?”
He hesitantly released me and motioned around us. “I don’t know. You were in a trance or something. I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last half hour. Are you okay?”
“I…” We were still out in the forest, but out of the trees. Few stars dotted the sky and the moon’s light reflected right on…the cabin. I walked here? A chill shot up my spine. I stood at the exact same distance and angle I had in my dream—or whatever it was. “The girl was there,” I whispered, pointing past his head at the place I had seen her.
He glanced behind his shoulder, then back at me. “No one was there.”
I stepped around him but couldn’t make out much detail in the darkness. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, it’s abandoned. Windows are broken and a few logs are rotted away.”
No, that couldn’t be right. I squinted, trying to get a better view of the house and cursed my normal eye sight.
“What’s going on? One second you collapsed and the next you were on your feet walking. You wouldn’t answer me. You wouldn’t look at me…”
“I-I thought I was dreaming.” Without hesitation, I blurted the entire vision to him, all the while trying to make sense of it.
Aiden pivoted toward the house and raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t even know what to tell you. Kind of sounds like an illusion.”
“One way to find out.” I stepped around him.
Reaching out as I passed, he stopped me. “It’s midnight. Let’s come back tomorrow.” He gestured to the sky. “When you can see.”
I pushed his hand back from my stomach, smirking. “Your sense of adventure gets lost with your humor, Captain?”
“This isn’t some kind of ’do now, think later’ situation. If what you saw was, in fact, an illusion, the girl may not even exist. This could be a set up. You may be walking right into someone’s hands.”
I considered it. “Well…you sense anything? Anyone lurking in the shadows?”
His stiff reply took a moment to come. “No. Not that I hear.”
“Good. Now we’ve thought about it, let’s go.” I tried to step forward, but my ankle caught in the knee-deep weeds, making me trip.
He caught my elbow and sighed. “Careful.”
I straightened and pushed back the hair hanging in my face, my cheeks growing warm. Walking forward, a lot more cautious, I made my way to the entrance. I turned the handle and pushed on the door. It wouldn’t budge. “Son of a— did they cement this thing in?” I kicked it hard, cursing it to hell. “It’s stuck!”
Aiden motioned me aside. He wiggled the handle and it broke off, clattering as it hit the cracked concrete pad.
I scoffed. “That’ll work, too.”
He slammed his shoulder into it and the door flew open, dangling on one hinge.
I rolled my eyes. “Showoff.” Though I’d never admit it to him, I was actually quite impressed.
A hint of what could’ve been a smile touched his lips, but otherwise he didn’t acknowledge my comment. Testing each step with his foot, he went inside the mass of shadows. “Step where I do.” He turned back and held out his hand, giving me something. “The last thing we need is you falling through the floor.”
I frowned, turning over the smooth cylindrical object in my hand: A flashlight. “You’ve had this the whole time?” His hand, still outstretched, caught my attention. My chest tightened and the flashlight situation left my mind. I stepped inside the house and took it. I hated how warm and strong it felt around mine. As bad as my emotions wanted to wig out, they were blocked when I took in the abandoned house.
Moving the light beam across the space, I grimaced at the apparent living room. Back in the day, it was probably beautiful and cozy with the huge rock fireplace and tall windows, but all traces of that were gone. The only things that’d occupied it in the last decade were most likely animals and guys like Herman.
Dust from the warped wood floors clouded and swirled in the air as we walked. I pressed my lips tightly together, but the powdery substance wafted into my nose. I coughed and fanned my face. “Nice. When do we move in?”
“Strange.”
I peered around the room wondering what had him stumped. Sofas were ripped and moldy. Pictures covered in cobwebs hung on the walls…I didn’t f
ind it strange, just gross. Aiden pulled me around a broken coffee table positioned in front of a small boxy TV and bent to dust off a few magazines splayed across the floor. He picked one up. Faded and torn, but enough intact to make out the cover. A TV Guide that advertised Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. His brow furrowed and he tossed it back onto the ground.
“Come on.” He pulled me toward a staircase winding to the second level.
The flashlight beam bounced off four doors and the cracked walls of the narrow hallway at the top of the stairs. Aiden didn’t hesitate. He opened the first door we came to and dragged me inside. A long desk, still covered in papers, dominated the middle of the room. On it sat a grey computer I swore was older than the Golden Gate Bridge.
He blew out a huff of air as he looked around.
I jerked my hand from his and turned on him. “Okay, enough with the huffing and puffing. I know you’re confused. Time to share with the class.”
He motioned around the office. “You don’t find any of this odd?”
“What? That people were able to function before real computers?”
“That someone left all their stuff.”
“Oh, that.” I took in the room one more time. “Yeah, I’d say it’s weird. What does it have to do with the girl?”
Cautiously, he moved to the desk and started wiping the dust off papers. He rummaged through them and rubbed his brow. “I don’t know yet.”
“Well, what’re you looking for?”
He winced, and I quickly moved the light beam from his face.
“Anything. If I can find a bill or letter it could tell us who lived here.”
“Good thinking. Me and trusty flashlight’ll check the room across the hall.”
He pointed a finger in my direction without looking up. “Stay.”
“Dog commands? Really?” I placed my hand on my hip and glared.
“Power bill.” Aiden unfolded the paper. “This has to give us something.”
I stared expectantly at him.
He tapped his chin, eyebrows drawn together.
“What?”
He set the bill down and slowly lifted his head until his eyes met mine. My heart thudded in my chest and not because of the beautiful green emeralds staring back at me. It was the look in them. Compassion, confusion and a lot of other things that told me something along the lines of: shit.
Give me life-sucking monsters any day. Bad news—anything life changing—and…
I spun on my heel and walked out of the room.
“Taylee!”
Half way across the hallway, his tone stopped me. Not harsh or exasperated. Panicked. He barreled over the desk and bound toward me.
I found out a second too late why.
Chapter 18
Like the wood was made of sawdust, it disintegrated beneath my feet. I fell straight through the floor.
Everything happened in slow motion. I squeezed my eyes shut. A high pitched scream escaped my lips as a picture of me with a broken back, flashed through my mind. Body cast…wheel chair…Aiden spoon feeding me...
Air burst from my lungs when I hit something firm but, surprisingly, soft. I clutched the flashlight in hand and opened my eyes as Aiden crashed down next to me.
Before I could regain my stolen breath, Aiden rolled over top of me. He didn’t smoother me, he supported his own weight, hovering like a shield. A cracking, creaking sound, met my ears. Debris piled around us—on top of us—as the ceiling crumbled and clattered to the floor.
Gasping, I sucked in dust then coughed hoarsely. A musty, damp smell flooded my nose. My throat burned and scratched like I’d inhaled a screw or…sheetrock. I dropped the flashlight and lifted my hands to pull my shirt over my face, but they got distracted when my fingers brushed along Aiden’s solid abs, then pecks.
Nice…
Once the crashing stopped and the cabin finished its attempt to kill us, I could feel Aiden’s glare bored into me. “Don’t you ever listen?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Every once in a while.”
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed. Do you think I’d tell you to stay if I didn’t have a reason?”
“I think you’ve had one too many dogs, personally.”
“Start being responsible.”
What made him think I wasn’t trying? It’s not like I knew the floor would cave in. These things just happened to me—victim of wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time syndrome.
Silence filled the cabin and I realized neither of us had moved. He still hovered over me and I couldn’t bring myself to let go of his shirt, though my fingers ached. I cursed my ridiculous, teenage-girl stomach flutters and strained my eyes in the darkness, trying to see Aiden. Please don’t let him feel how much I like this. Maybe he was enjoying the warmth our bodies created, too. I might be irresponsible, but something made me think it gave him a break from his endless perfection.
Aiden grunted and pulled his body off mine.
Crashing sounds echoed through the room as more pieces of ceiling hit the floor. I covered my head, pulled my knees to my chest and let out a horrible girlish squeal.
“It’s okay.” Aiden coughed, his voice close—like he was standing right in front of me. “It was the wood sliding off my back.”
“Oh, uh, I-I know.” I jolted to the sitting position feeling a bit sheepish and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Idiot! Had I been alone, I would’ve slapped my forehead. Reaching out, I moved my hands over the chunks of wood next to me. “Where’s my flashlight?”
“Broken. How’re you— hurt anywhere?”
I flinched when his fingers unexpectedly tilted my chin.
“Did I startle you?” There was a sort of humor to his question—something I’d never heard before.
I scowled. “Not all of us can see in the dark, Batman.”
“Batman can’t see in the dark.”
“I’m. Fine.” I pushed his hand away, still irritated.
Aiden didn’t argue, so I guessed he believed me. The sound of boots tromping across the floor made me reach forward to see if he was still there. He wasn’t.
Out of frustration and the need for something to do, I started shoving piles of sheetrock off the surface I sat on. A bed. I laughed coldly.
“What?” Wood snapped and knocked together in the same direction Aiden’s voice came from.
“Well, I’m beginning to think fate keeps me alive for the sole reason of hurling its next life threatening situation at me.”
I didn’t hear his response. Instead, my attention got swallowed by the flicker of light sparking across the room. It built into a small flame then continued to grow bigger until a rock fireplace appeared and Aiden crouched in front of it. Within minutes, a full-fledged fire developed.
Fire…
The hole in my chest ached. The void in my stomach churned. I squeezed my eyes closed but felt the heat against my skin. Smelled the smoke. Heard the roar. Saw his face.
“Open your eyes.” Like Aiden knew the horrors running through my mind, he grabbed my shoulders and twisted me away from the fire. Kneeling in front of me, he assessed me. “Still with me?”
My heart pounded. Beads of sweat formed on my brow. I nodded and peered around the room, trying to divert my thoughts. A big dresser, walk-in closet and two nightstands took up most of the space around me. I’d fallen right into the master suite.
“Good.” Reluctantly, he handed me a paper and stood.
“What’s this?”
He turned away, his hesitance made my mouth dry. “Delmari.”
I scowled and looked at the letter. “Of all the sick jokes—”
Delmari Aiken, the name practically blared. I swallowed back the pain stinging my throat. “W-Where’d you get this?”
“From the desk upstairs.”
“M-Maybe it’s just a...”
He reached back and handed me what appeared to be a utility bill. Again, Delmari’s name was printed in bold black letters.
“Coincid
ence?”
Now I really couldn’t breathe. Or talk.
“Have you been here before?” He motioned around the room. “Do you recognize anything?”
I stared blankly, shaking my head.
He stood and took a few steps toward the wall. A dusty old crib sat in a corner along with a rocking chair. He ran his finger over it. “Maybe you lived here as a baby.”
“No.” My voice sounded barely audible. “We’ve only lived in one house. The one that burned.”
Aiden grabbed a picture off the dresser. He wiped the glass with the bottom of his shirt and looked beyond the little gold frame. “Is this the girl from…” He turned the picture so I could see it.
My eyes widened, and I crossed the room, yanking it away from him. “Yeah, th-that’s her.”
“You’ve never seen her before?”
“No. He must’ve been her Kember before he was transferred to me.”
“Something like that.” Aiden fell quiet, leaving the crackling fire as the only sound. He held another one, his expression weary, his body stiff.
Stepping forward, I peered down at the photo. The frame I held clattered to the floor.
Delmari.
He smiled. The smile I loved—the face I yearned to see. I lost all feeling in my legs and sank to the floor. My breath caught in my throat. A sharp pain squeezed my chest. How could I have left him? Why hadn’t I tried harder to help him? I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to get rid of all the heart-wrenching guilt.
“What does your mom look like?” Aiden crouched across from me and angled the picture so I could see it. For the first time, I noticed the girl in the picture with Delmari—with him. He held her and she was snuggled against him holding a baby.
I swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes from the photo. “I, uh… I don’t remember. I’ve never actually seen her, to tell you the truth.” Realization dawned on me, and I immediately shook my head. “I know what you’re thinking and no, Delmari didn’t know my mom.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. I asked him a billion times. He didn’t know her. This had to have been another chick.”
Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) Page 150