“You’ve never killed anybody before, have you?”
I didn’t want to lie to her. “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.”
“Am I safe with you?”
I pursed my lips. “For now…yes.”
She glanced in the side view mirror and peered over her shoulder.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to push aside the tension that was swelling in my voice a moment before.
“That car,” she answered, pointing over her shoulder. “It’s been behind us since we left the school.”
I glanced quickly over my shoulder at the black Mustang, trying to tell myself it was nothing. “Strange. You don’t recognize it?”
“No. Should I?”
“No. I’m just expecting Rudy to do something stupid again.”
“You wouldn’t hurt him, would you?”
“I let him beat the crap out of me, Jane, without moving to fight back. What do you think?” I chuckled.
“Right.”
She looked behind us again. The car was still following even after we had turned.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
I was suddenly full of nervous worry. It was after all a black Mustang—the same car Abraham had.
“Testing this guy,” I answered, no longer worrying about hiding the tension.
“Can you actually see him?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder again.
“Stop turning around!” I snapped. “He’ll figure out what I’m up to.”
“Can you see him?” she repeated.
I nodded. “Barely.”
“Well—”
“Please,” I retorted before she could ask anything of me. “Don’t ask any questions. I promise everything will be all right.”
I was certain at that point it was Abraham. I was definitely in trouble. He must have been getting impatient. I kept driving, waiting for an indication to confirm my thoughts.
“Aidan?” she whispered.
“Shh. Really, Jane. I’m trying to concentrate.”
After about fifteen minutes, he stopped following, and I saw his figure in the car turn and stare at me as he drove by. I caught the familiar license plate that confirmed it was Abraham. I had to tell her now. There was really no way around it.
I sighed heavily and pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park. “I did the only thing I had tried to avoid,” I grumbled.
She was silent.
“All I wanted to do was keep you safe, and now I have endangered you.”
“What?” Her voice was instantly thick with anxiety.
“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…” I started.
“Yeah?”
“Did you see it?”
“I saw there was a seven and I think a…B?”
I nodded. “Yeah, tacked to the end of the letters S-E-V-R-N.”
I saw the fear paralyze her for a moment even when she tried to hide it. “It could be a coincidence.”
I shook my head.
“I thought you didn’t believe in them.”
“Yes, I said that,” I answered, my voice dropping at the thought of my dishonesty. “I lied.”
“You lied?”
“Yes, Jane, I lied. Let’s not make a big deal about it, all right? I know the Sevren exist. I know for a fact.”
“Because you’re one of them!”
“No,” I 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 sat there, waiting for her to ask me who, anxiously awaiting the answer I wished I didn’t have to give her.
“Who?” she finally asked in a strangled voice.
I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose, trying to stop the pounding in my head. My voice choked up, and I answered, “My father.”
It was silent for a long time. I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to say to her. I ran through several possibilities in my head, but none of them would come out right. I thought about telling her I was in trouble because of my betrayal. I contemplated making her swear to secrecy so I could tell her about Walter. I wanted to tell her everything—but I couldn’t.
“I’m taking you home,” I finally said. It was the only thing I was able to say. I started the car again. “But I want to stay with you tonight just to make sure you’re safe.”
She nodded, still with a mystified look on her face.
“If you do not ask me to talk about it tonight, I will tell you tomorrow. Just please not tonight.”
Jane walked to the front door of her house, and I came through the window like I had the night before. I was in Jane’s bedroom in minutes and heard her telling her father Becky had driven her to school.
I smiled as soon as she walked in. She sat beside me and sighed.
“I shouldn’t leave my car in your driveway,” I 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,” I said, pointing toward the window. “I’ll come right back.”
I got in and sped off out of her driveway. I realized it was probably not the best idea to drive when I was angry. I parked against the curb about a block away and walked quickly back to her house. I climbed the oak tree and hopped into her room.
“Aidan!” she yelped, startled again.
I laughed. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re right,” I said, laughing. “I couldn’t resist.”
“How did you do that?”
“Do what? You obviously weren’t paying very close attention, and your window is open.”
“Uh huh.”
“You give me too much credit.” I shrugged my shoulders and sat back down. “So…promise me you’ll sleep tonight, Jane.”
“I’m promising nothing.” She broke eye contact, staring out her window.
“Yeah…should have guessed as much from you,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped.
“Exactly what I said,” I answered, smiling. “I wasn’t insulting you.”
“Mm hmm.”
I smiled and put my arm around her, pulling her into my chest. It was one of those things that felt normal. It didn’t even occur to me until after it had happened that it may not have been normal at all.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to know some things about you.” It was driving me crazy that I was in love with a girl I knew so little about.
“Such as?”
“Such as…your mother.”
“Okay,” she answered. “My mother, Carol. She’s very attached to me. She’s the type of person my dad fell in love with when they were young. The problem was Ethan grew up—my mother didn’t.”
“Kid at heart?”
“You could put it that way,” she answered. “She’s crazy in my opinion. She relieves stress with extreme things like sky diving and parasailing.”
I could tell by the tone in her voice that Jane was not the type to indulge in risky things. Me on the other hand—I wasn’t frightened of much anymore.
“Not your thing?” I asked.
She chuckled. “Definitely not.”
“And your dad? Why did he come here?” This, I actually wanted to know.
“He actually grew up here.”
She explained that she met Becky and Rudy when she was out visiting her grandparents, and after they died and her parents divorced, her father, Ethan, moved back.
“Everyone I have ever loved besides my mother lives here.”
She smiled. “Yeah…I guess it did. People still stare at me like I’m an alien, but I'm getting used to it.”
“You notice that?” I asked.
“Of course I notice it. I’m the new girl at North Bend High—the reclusive girl that nobody can get any type of answers from. You’re the only one I’ve told things to, except maybe Becky and Rudy.”
I knew that wasn’t at all why people stared. She really had no idea how beautiful she was. I let it go.
“Well, then I should return the favor, right?”
“Sure. I’d love to know about the mysterious Aidan Summers. You’re famous at school, you know. People make up stories about you.”
“More like infamous I’m sure.”
“So, what about your mother?” she asked.
“My mother was…crazy,” I said. “Not crazy in the good way like your mother. She was a little off her nut if you know what I mean. Both of my parents are dead.”
“Oh my gosh, Aidan. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s really all right. I live with my uncle Walter, who is a professor and a genius.”
“How did your parents die?”
“They were murdered,” I answered truthfully for the first time, easily able to push the pain from my voice.
“My father’s business partner was a thief and destroyed my father’s wealth before he killed him…and my mother. I came home to find them dead.”
She stared at me for a moment.
“Not really a good time for sob stories,” I said. “You’ll hear all about it later. I promise.”
She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes.
“I promise,” I said, laughing. “Take your moments. I’ll wait.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
I waited for her, clearing my head for only fleeting moments before my brain forced images of Jane into my head. I tried not to think about her naked and in the shower. It was wrong to be lusting over my target. It was wrong to be thinking about it at all, but I couldn’t help it. She was what I wanted and all I really thought about. I was also haunted with the fear that she may know I had lied to her about other things, like the fact that I was one of The Sevren at least at one point. It was obvious that she didn’t put it together that I had something to do with the death of her brother—but I knew she would also find out about it eventually. I shivered at that thought.
When Jane walked in, my thoughts were completely stripped away. She was in a white silken nightdress where I could actually see every part of her body, though not enough to take away the lovely mystery I was so intrigued by. I could feel the blood rushing to my face.
She sat beside me on her bed.
“Are you going to sleep tonight?” I asked.
“Mm hmm.”
I smiled. “Good.”
“I have one condition.”
“Of course you do.”
“You have to lie with me,” she said.
I nodded, smiling. I, of course, would not have it any other way. Even more than being close to her, I wanted to make sure I was here to keep her safe. It was too late to stay away now, too late to con Mike into believing Becky was the one. It was my fault, of course, but I blamed her…for being so tempting.
Those feelings and thoughts came rushing back to me when I touched her shoulder. I stopped when she locked her gaze onto mine.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
I could feel her hands quaking and saw her cheeks flush terribly.
“Are you afraid?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
Was that the truth? She had every reason to be frightened of me. She had every reason to be terrified, but even knowing what she knew, she didn’t resist my touch. I touched my lips to her cheek, and she turned her head, meeting my lips with hers. She gently pulled away, but I couldn’t stop yet. I softly placed my hand on the back of her head and pulled her close. The kiss was deep and passionate just as I dreamed it would be. I felt her pull away and wrap her arms around me. I returned her embrace and felt her softly kiss my neck.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
I nodded. “Lie with me.”
“I want you to kiss me again.”
I leaned forward and kissed her briefly, not wanting to let myself get too involved yet. I wanted more than I was ready to take from her.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “but you’re testing my self-control.”
“Then let it go,” she murmured.
I chuckled quietly. “Not tonight.” I kissed her cheek. “Lie with me.”
I felt her nestle close and press her face into my chest as I ran my fingers through her soft hair. I knew she was falling in love with me, and I wasn’t sure at the time if it was a good thing or a terrible thing. What would it mean if Abraham or one of the others found out that not only did I love her but she loved me in return? Things were not going to end well. That I was already sure of.
I slept soundly and awoke to Jane running her fingers through my hair.
“Morning,” I whispered. I twisted a lock of her hair around my fingers, admiring its softness. “I didn’t know you had curly hair.”
“I don’t. You mistake my tangles for curls.”
I smiled and bowed my head.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said. “You act so modest sometimes.”
“Do I?”
I raised my eyebrows at her.
She mirrored my smile and turned away.
“It’s tomorrow,” I said, “and I promised to explain.”
She nodded and locked her eyes intensely on me.
“I need you to believe me,” I said. “I need you in general—that simple.”
“You need me?”
I nodded. “Yes. And I would rather you not go to school today, simply because it would make me feel better for you to stay within my sight at least for a day. I tell you I need you, and if I ever want you to need me in return you deserve to know the truth.”
“You lied to me?”
“Yes, Jane, and I’m sorry. I understand that it’s going to be hard to believe anything I say now, but that’s what I need you to do—believe me.”
“Okay.”
Even by telling her the truth, I didn’t want her being able to find information on my family, so there were a few things I changed, such as my father’s occupation.
“It seems like a very long time ago, yet I still remember it as clearly as possible. I was young and still lived with my mother and father. My father was a very skilled surgeon and was very wealthy. His fortune, however, was beginning to diminish thanks to his partner, Matthias Castlebar. Castlebar was a thief, but at the time, my family trusted and respected him.”
She moved closer to me and began listening intently. I told her everything, leaving out that Walter was Rudy’s grandfather, my love for Vivian Black, the fact that I killed her brother, and the fact that I was meant to kill her. Everything else I was honest about. I explained that Abraham was the one I now called “father” and how my betrayal was not going to help matters in any way for me.
“Abraham is evil. I understand that now,” I said. “He enjoys the killing and the feasting. He’s not sane.”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose and sighed.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I looked up at her, again being reminded how lovely she was. “Yes. It is just painful sometimes.” What she didn’t know was I was not haunted by the death of my parents but of the evil of Abraham and even more than that because I was the cause of her misery and pain. I was the very reason she was here—ironic.
“I do share your pain,” I said. “My mother and father… I know how it feels to lose someone you love.”
“I’m so sorry, Aidan,” she whispered. “For everything that happened to you.”
“You must never tell anybody, Jane,” I said almost frantically. “You m
ust never say a word about who or what I really am.”
“What about Rudy?” she questioned.
“NO!” I cried. “Especially not Rudy!”
“No…I mean…Rudy already knows.”
I laughed, and it was genuine. “Rudy thinks I’m a…hunter.”
“He told me where to find you that day.”
I nodded. “And I knew that, remember? I wanted you to see,” I admitted almost without shame. “I wanted something that would force me to reveal myself to you. I couldn’t find the courage on my own.” That was the truth.
“You wanted me to see?”
I nodded. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been there. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean to frighten you, but you don’t seem like somebody who gets frightened easily. I didn’t realize how terrifying I must have looked.”
“You looked beautiful,” I heard her mumble, almost like she was speaking to herself.
“And pathetic, crouched down like an animal.”
“But you looked strong,” she said. “I liked that. Even if it did frighten me.”
“Were you afraid I was going to hurt you?”
“I don’t know what I was afraid of,” she answered, “but I don’t think I was afraid of you hurting me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you in.”
I was overjoyed to hear that, but what came out was not the happiness but the anxiety I also had in my thoughts. “In a way, Jane, I wish you hadn’t,” I said softly. “As much as I needed you and as much as I wanted to assure you I wouldn’t hurt you, it is because of me that you are in danger.”
She didn’t say anything. I waited for her to break the uncomfortable silence developing between us.
“Aidan?”
I smiled at the sound of that name and kissed her forehead. “Everything will be fine. I promise.” I wasn’t sure if that was true, but I knew I wanted it to be.
“Aidan?” she said again.
I looked at her, waiting.
“There is one more thing that you haven’t explained.”
I sighed, knowing instantly that it was the question I was dreading. “Rudy?” I muttered. “Is this about the day with Rudy?”
“You don’t have to tell me,” she said, “if it’s painful.”
I tried to smile, but it didn’t last, the discomfort and suffering showing in my features. “I am only afraid of truly terrifying you.”
She pulled her eyebrows together. “I really think it’s better now if you tell me.”
Summers' Shadow (Hunters Trilogy Book 2) Page 13