“That isn’t possible,” Jane said.
“Do you think people just make up stories off the top of their heads? Everything comes from somewhere.”
“Most of the books I read are pretty out there,” she answered.
“I tried to warn you before, and you wouldn’t listen. Do you want to listen this time?”
He paused.
“The legend of the hunters is old and not one you will find at a local bookstore. About forty years ago, my grandfather was in his twenties and traveling the world, studying cultures and their religions. He was an anthropologist of cultures but obsessed with theology. Religion was his true passion. There were several cultures he found intriguing, such as the African tribes in the forests and the Arabs in their clothing styles, but the strangest things he saw happened here in Oregon. People went missing, and my grandfather was determined to find out why. The police and even the FBI were stumped. Sometimes bodies would turn up in alleyways or dumpsters.”
I had this fantasy in my head of tearing through the door and beating Rudy senseless for trying to turn Jane against me like that.
“There were even a few cases where the bodies went missing after being sent to the morgue. Those cases ended up cold. The bodies were never found. Eventually, my grandfather did find out what was going on, and when I was young, he used to tell me the story. For some reason, it never frightened me. It was like a bedtime story. My papa was a hero in my eyes, and I would ask him to tell me the story so often that I eventually knew it word for word. There were a lot of details he left out, but I do know that he talked about how he sought out the mysterious people in the woods who called themselves “The Sevren.” He explained to me how they hunted people—only certain people, pure people, the most loved and happy. They would sacrifice them with bone knives or axes and spill their blood on the alter in the clearing you have seen. The members would drink the blood of the victims, taking in their beauty and the essence of their lives. It is an incomparable pleasure to them, even the children.”
I stopped listening to him. I couldn’t stand what he was telling her. It made me want to hurt him—to kill him. I picked up Jane’s voice when I heard the name of the cult again.
“So, The Sevren is back?”
“I believe so, yes.”
I stopped listening again but picked up my name moments later.
“If the Summers kid is one of The Sevren, he’s broken the pact, and there will be hell to pay. Be careful, Jane. They are stronger than us.”
“Vampires,” Jane whispered.
“They aren’t vampires.”
“Sounds that way to me.”
“They may have some of the same abilities, but vampires don’t exist,” he demanded.
“Exactly. Thanks, Rudy, but I don’t think that listening to your stories is the best idea.”
“The night you hurt your ankle,” I heard him call. “The night you got hurt and Aidan rescued you.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Why do you think the wolves didn’t bother you that night?”
“What?” Her voice was acidic.
His voice dropped. “Why do you think nothing worse happened?”
“Rudy, Aidan isn’t a vampire, okay? Or hunter.”
“You have to listen to me.”
“No, Rudy, I really don’t,” she said. “Aidan can’t…control the wolves.”
“I saw what he is, Jane,” he yelled, “what he was doing, and it was terrible. Please just keep yourself safe!”
He was clearly lying. Rudy knew nothing about me. Again came the urge to beat him to a pulp. After all, he tried to beat me first. Maybe Jane would understand. I shook off the thought—it wasn’t logical. I would end up killing him.
I wanted her to know everything, but I wanted to tell her myself, to let her know to her face that I would never hurt her! I knew what she was thinking. Damn Rudy. I was going to lose her now no matter what. That feeling that grief would swallow me alive flooded back to me, and I knew I shouldn’t—especially now, especially when I was sure Jane was going into the woods, listening to Rudy like I didn’t want her to do. Perhaps it would help Jane to see it. I wasn’t entirely sure she was going to walk into the woods, desperately wanting her to. I also prayed she wouldn’t see me this way. I knew I had to tell her somehow. This would be the easiest way. Wouldn’t she turn her back on me like Vivian? Wouldn’t she turn away in fear and disgust? What was I to do then?
I raced around the back of Rudy’s house and past the edge of the woods, making my way back to where Jane would be. The rest is dark. All I remembered was hearing a gasp and pulling my teeth out of the bird and locking my gaze onto hers. She took a couple of steps back with a look of sheer terror on her face. Her eyes were not the beautiful amber color I loved but a dark, deep shade that made me terrified of what she was thinking. I stood up, dropping the bird on the ground. Before I even took a step toward her, she was running.
I chased after her, but she raced into her house and locked the door.
I knocked lightly. “Jane?”
“Go away!” I could hear the terror creeping into her voice, and I felt almost as if it would destroy me.
“Jane, please,” I begged. “You have to listen to me.”
“Rudy was right about you!” she shouted.
“Jane, I’m sorry,” I pleaded. “I had to.”
“Just go away!”
“Open the door. Please!”
“No!”
“I’m sorry. I was so hungry!” That was true in a way.
“Then cook a damn cup of noodles, Aidan! Go away!”
“You don’t understand!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Would you just let me in?”
“Why the hell would I let you in?”
“Trust me, please.”
“I could never trust you,” she answered. “You told me yourself you’re not a very good friend.”
“Yes, I said that,” I confessed, “but when have I ever given you reason to be afraid of me? Listen to me.” My voice fell. “I need you,” I whispered, leaning my head against her front door. I was unaware I was going to say that until I did. “I know it sounds crazy, but I need you to listen to me—please.”
I heard her door unlock, and she opened up, staring at me. She stepped aside and nodded but wouldn’t look at me again.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Are you going to tell me what you are now?” she whispered hesitantly.
“Do I need to?”
She jerked her head toward me but quickly recoiled and settled down on the cushions of her couch in the front room.
“Maybe not,” she whispered.
I sat down next to her. I softly touched her hand with my fingertips. She yanked her hand away almost harshly.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“You just surprised me,” she said but kept her hands in her lap.
“Don’t be afraid. I swear to you 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?”
My heart sank, and I almost felt sick. What was I supposed to say to that? I was supposed to kill her after all, and in a small way, I desperately wanted to. I pulled my eyebrows together and looked directly into her eyes.
“Jane—”
“I’m sorry,” she started. “Just please, Aidan. If you’re one of them, tell me.”
“One of who?”
“You know who.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Rudy,” I mumbled. “Ah Rudy.” I had to lie to her still.
“What?”
“My personal opinion is his grandfather was senile,” I said. “I don’t think The Sevren exist.”
“You know the story?”
Oops. “I…heard.”
“You were spying?” she yelled.
“Not exactly,” I retorted, putting my hand up. “I have good hearing, and yes, I walked by a
nd could hear from the open window. I couldn’t help but to 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?” she bellowed. “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.” I wasn’t sure if that was true, but it felt right.
“What about the bird?”
“I told you,” I said. “I was…hungry.”
“You ate the bird? Raw?”
I shook my head.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “You—”
“It’s what we do,” I said, hoping I was right about her figuring it out for herself.
“Blood?”
I 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?”
I put my hand up. “Another day.”
She just nodded feebly.
“I just had to make you let me in,” I said. “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. That’s why you didn’t want to be friends.”
No. I was protecting her from Abraham and his men, of course. It had very little to do with me.
“Now you understand,” I lied.
I stood up and turned away. I felt the pressure of her hand on my shoulder.
“Tomorrow?” she asked.
I turned around and held her face in my hands. I wanted desperately to kiss her. She wasn’t resisting my touch, so I very lightly touched her lips, and I felt my body temperature rise. I had to stop before I went too far.
“Soon, Jane,” I whispered.
I left then contemplating what everything meant, what could happen now that I told our secrets. I talked to Walter about it, ignoring Luna’s snide remarks.
“Clem, what do you plan to do?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “Get the Callahans out of North Bend as soon as I can and…” I broke off, averting my gaze.
“And?”
“And…” I paused and looked back at him. His eyebrows were raised, waiting for my answer. “And…go with Jane.”
Luna huffed and shoved herself between Walter and me on the couch. “James, I’m going to say this once.” She actually sounded calm. “If you try something like that, Abraham will not only come after her, he will come after you and me and everyone you have ever spoken to—including Walter.”
I flinched.
“So,” she continued, “what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I…don’t know.”
I tried to sleep that night, but my mind kept replaying my day, and I ached to see Jane again. I almost couldn’t stand waiting for school the next morning. It was driving me mad. I tried to relax, but after over an hour, it proved impossible.
I got up from the warm blankets of my bed and pulled on a simple pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, slipped on some simple shoes, and went for a walk. It should have occurred to me before I even began walking that I would end up at her house. I must have been crazy. If not, there was something severely wrong with me. I had to see her; that much was all I knew.
I climbed the tree that led to her window on the top story and tapped lightly on the glass. I could see even in the darkness of her room that she had hardly even stirred. I knocked a little harder, and light flooded the room as she switched on the lamp on her bedside table.
“Jane!” I whispered just loud enough to be heard.
“Aidan?”
“Open up!”
She sprang up and opened the window.
“Are you crazy?” she hissed.
“I hope so,” I said, chuckling.
I crawled from the oak tree into her bedroom.
“Don’t wake Ethan,” she whispered.
I nodded. “I had to see you,” I confessed. “I don’t think I’m entirely ready to explain myself, but for some reason…I had to see you.”
“You must be out of your mind,” she said, but I could see she was still smiling.
I was out of my mind. After all…what the hell was I doing at her house in the middle of the night? The thought of just leaving without a single word would be better than sitting here with her, not knowing what might happen. I couldn’t leave, of course. When I was close to her, all I wanted was to be closer.
I sat down on the edge of her bed, and she came over to sit beside me. I moved closer, and she didn’t move away. I felt desperate to touch her again and lightly brushed my fingers across the soft flesh of her neck. I saw her shiver, but she still didn’t move away.
“Stay,” she whispered, her voice sounding throttled.
“I’m not going anywhere.” That was the honest truth.
It was puzzling to suddenly have this desperation for her, so much deeper and intense than it had ever been before. I felt as if the very touch of her skin turned me into something more than human, something more than myself. She was beautiful and strong. I felt addicted to her mentality and her body as if I were meant to study every part of her in every way I could. Her spirit was intertwined with my own, and I felt that she was part of me. Is this what it feels like to be in love?
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered. I touched her cheek and moved my fingertips across her lips and heard her gasp.
“Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer but moved closer until I could feel the heat of her skin so close to me I wanted to take her for myself.
I groaned deep in my throat and whispered seriously. “You’re tempting me, Jane.”
I moved away.
“Stay,” she whispered again. “Please.”
“You need your sleep.”
“I’m not sleepy,” she insisted.
“Will you sleep if I lie beside you?”
She nodded, and my heart rate sped up.
I curled up close to her, and my heart was pounding the whole time. I tried to veil my nervousness. I put my arm around her waist, feeling that familiar, helpless need to touch her. I heard her quietly gasp.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, feeling my heart sink into my stomach, and I moved away.
“No, it’s okay,” she said, sounding almost frantic. “I don’t mind.”
I smiled to myself and put my arm back around her, pulling her into my chest. I knew what I was doing was going to cause immense problems. I decided I didn’t want her out of my sight for any amount of time. I slept for a very short while and awoke when it was still dark outside. I walked home to get my car and was back in Jane’s room before she woke. I watched her sleep, trying to imagine what she may have been dreaming about. She stirred lightly and whispered my name.
“Aidan?”
“I’m here.”
She sat up quickly and turned in my direction, startled.
I laughed. “I’m sorry. I got my car. I’m driving you to school.”
“I wasn’t planning on going to school.”
I smiled. “Go to school, Jane.”
“Just need a shower,” she answered.
I tried to shake off the images but still ended up smiling. “I’ll wait.”
I kept my mind away from the fact that Jane was thirty feet away from me in the shower and focused my attention on what I might tell Mike the next time we would speak, as well as Luna and Walter.
She was dressed and back in her room before I had much time to think. I smiled when I saw her. She was dressed in tight-fitting dark wash jeans and a red top that exposed a very small amount of cleavage. It hit me then that she shouldn’t be anything more
than afraid of me, all things considered, but she seemed to be swooning more than anything else. It was a wonderful and confusing truth.
Chapter Sixteen
School was different that day. I was different. After every class, I was there, waiting for Jane. Things felt wonderful when we were at school. I was a normal boy with a normal girlfriend (if that’s what she was) and a normal disinterest in my studies.
Aaron ignored me at lunch, which I was used to, and again chose a seat as far away from me in history as possible. I didn’t speak much, but I did do my usual glancing or smiling at Jane when she looked my direction.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
I glanced quickly at her and smiled, amused by her question. “Trying to figure out what you’re thinking,” I replied, honestly.
She just looked away for a moment.
“Are you afraid of me?” I asked, realizing that during class probably wasn’t the best time to ask.
She didn’t even hesitate before responding. “No.”
“You should be.”
“Why?” she 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’m not afraid of you.”
“I know,” I answered. “I’m just saying you should be. I know by now…that’s never changed your mind about anything.”
I smiled at her, and after class, she walked with me to the parking lot and instantly continued the conversation.
“Why would you want me to be afraid of you?” she started. “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.” This was the most honest thing I could have possibly said to her.
“You’ve saved my life more than once already.”
I nodded. “Let’s hope I am never the cause for anybody else needing to play your knight in shining armor.”
I heard her sigh, but she said nothing. We got in my car and drove in silence for a few minutes before she started with more innerving questions.
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