“Is this Tom?” the woman asked.
Ethan sighed.
“Why have you been calling me?” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
“I dialed star sixty-nine. I know it was someone from this line.”
Ethan had been out for the past three hours. Before leaving, he’d made a few calls for his own amusement. His mother was too easy to play games with, and lately he’d begun calling regularly to torment her. He hadn’t realized his phone lines weren’t adequately blocked.
He couldn’t believe the old bag was lame enough to sit at the phone for hours and redial until she finally received a response. If nothing else, she was patient. His mother might be plagued by fear and weakness, she might lack a sense of her own identity, and she might have abandoned any level of personal hygiene ages ago, but the one quality that remained was persistence.
There was no doubt in Ethan’s mind that his mother still blamed him for his father’s abandonment over thirty years ago. What she clung to as devoted adoration to her ex-husband was more accurately a pathetic inability to let go of a man who was far out of her league. Despite her insistence that Tom left because of the baby, Ethan believed she was at fault for his father’s disappearance. The unexpected pregnancy had pressured his father into marriage. And who could blame Tom for wanting to be rid of the weepy, wretched tramp? More likely his father, of whom Ethan had no memory, was like him—incapable of tolerating weakness.
In the typical sense of the word, Noreen was not an abusive mother, either physically or verbally. The withholding of affection might not technically qualify for child abuse, but if it had, she would have been a prime offender.
A highly varied garden of fears had sprouted from Tom’s abandonment. Noreen nurtured it daily with her obsessive obedience to those fears. She didn’t leave the house. She left every light constantly on, even at night. The house was devoid of mirrors. She couldn’t tolerate cold weather. She wouldn’t allow Ethan, or anyone else, to ever touch her. And she refused to seek help or treatment for her issues because of her fear of all health professionals.
“Is this Tom?” she asked again.
He baited her. “Maybe.”
“Please come home.”
“I can’t tonight. It’s too late. I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“Do you promise?” After thirty years, she was still so gullible.
Sickening.
“I promise. Just stop calling me.” Before she could utter another word, Ethan yanked the cord from the wall.
He had no intention of traveling across the entire country to see her, and doubted she would recognize him even if he did show up on her doorstep. Tomorrow he’d change his phone number.
Straightening, Ethan turned and headed back toward the bedroom. When he opened the door, he found his prey lounging on the bed in the darkness, waiting for him with a sensual expression on her face. No more time for diversions. He was ready for the real fun to begin.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” he said, shutting the door behind him.
The following Monday, Jade was sitting in biology class, but her mind was on the surfer boy next to her. She still didn’t know where she stood with him. They had only been on one real date, two if you counted racquetball, which she didn’t. He wasn’t her boyfriend; however, there was the complication of Saturday night. The kiss.
Despite how brief and how harmless it may have been, that kiss had changed everything. It had formalized all Cam’s feelings. The biggest problem was that she hadn’t decided to reveal her secret.
She should’ve known she couldn’t ride the fence for long before indecision caused her to fall off on one side or the other. Now, depending on her decision, the “talk” she’d been putting off might turn into the “breakup.” Worse. So much worse.
Cam’s feelings had completely overtaken her. And beyond that, seeing the Schuylers’ interaction and affection for one another made her long to be a part of their family. Her sixth sense had made her feel the bond they shared, like she was one of them. She didn’t want to lose her friendship with Cam or any of the Schuylers.
When class ended, they collected their books and left. Cam took Jade’s hand once they were outside.
“I’d walk you to your car, but Ben’s picking me up, since we’re working the same shift today.” Cam motioned to the curb in front of the building.
Jade nodded. She was about to answer when she spotted a familiar face crossing the campus a way off.
Abruptly, she dropped his hand and gave him a quick hug. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Cam’s ride pulled up as he was saying good-bye, but Jade was already several paces away, leaving him with a puzzled expression on his face. She glanced back to see him climb into Ben’s car, but once they’d pulled out of the lot, she sprinted toward the figure crossing the lawn.
At first Logan didn’t notice her, but then, as she closed the gap between them, their eyes met and recognition clouded his face. He looked the same as when she’d last seen him, his dark hair short but slightly unruly. Only the hint of a five-o’clock shadow grazed his angular jawline. Her heart skipped a beat.
Recognition and surprise washed swiftly over Logan’s face and were gone, replaced with the hard lines that reminded her of their last parting. It made her ache inside. Apparently his resolve to keep his distance hadn’t changed. Putting these thoughts out of her mind, Jade approached him. “Hi,” she greeted in a friendly tone.
“Hello.” A hint of irritation crept past the formality. Other than that, he was free of emotions.
“Long time no see, huh?” She waited, but he gave no response. She barreled ahead, filling the silence between them. “I got an A in my philosophy class.”
“Good for you,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His manner was polite, but not friendly. Jade could barely believe that this was the man from only a few weeks ago. He seemed like a stranger.
“Well, I have some errands I need to take care of.” Logan turned to go. His brush-off stung, but she refused to show it, reminding herself that they were merely a student and a professor.
“All right. I need to head to work anyway.”
“Good-bye.”
“’Bye.” Unable to pry herself from the spot where she stood, she stared as he strode away across the campus.
~
For the third time since she’d entered her car, Jade fought back the tears that threatened to break loose. First the Cam thing, now Logan. She would not give in. Taking in a deep breath, she focused on the radio and finally won the battle. Pulling her car into the lot of the bookstore, she took a deep, labored breath and cut the engine. She had a feeling that work today was going to be one of the worst Mondays yet.
After an emotionally draining weekend and the unexpected run-in with Logan, work was the last place she wanted to be. She wanted to go home, be alone, and wallow in her feelings of despair. The deserted state of the store on a Monday afternoon wasn’t going to help take her mind off her problems. Her boss greeted her as usual and then left her to cope on her own. As was typical, he’d already priced and stocked the new merchandise, and now there was nothing for her to do. She walked the aisles, staring mindlessly at the rows of books.
The hours passed by slowly. She thought about purchasing another journal, since she’d abandoned hers in the woods, but at the moment she didn’t feel like writing.
The store had been empty since her shift began. Around three o’clock, she heard the faint tinkle of bells as a customer entered the shop. Jade glumly kept her post at the counter, not able to get up the energy to greet the patron. She doodled aimlessly on a legal pad, not even looking up until she heard the footsteps stop at the desk in front of her.
When she raised her head, she was shocked at the face before her. A flood of her own emotions—hurt, confusion, anger—threatened to break loose as she stared at Logan. She fought to remain composed, but heard the irritation in her own voice
as she greeted him dutifully. “Can I help you?”
“I didn’t know you worked here.”
She stared him down as he searched for what to say, looking flustered. She couldn’t bite the words back any longer. They flew out with a fury she hadn’t expected. “So, what? If you knew I worked here, you wouldn’t have come?” A glimpse of hurt flickered across his face and she felt the twist of pain in her own gut, but then it was gone.
“I—” he began. His eyes weren’t guarded like they’d been this morning, but open, searching, as if they were stripping away all her protective layers. His eyes, though usually hazel, had more of a golden-brown tone today, possibly because of the light in the shop.
Just then a streak of fear shot through her, so incredibly out of place that she knew it wasn’t her own. Something about the sensation behind that emotion triggered a memory. She’d felt it before.
Her breath caught in her throat as a sudden jolt of recognition struck her like a hard blow. It was the same variety of fear she’d felt that day in the forest. His fear? And those golden eyes staring back at her—those were the eyes of the beast. It hadn’t been Bigfoot that day in the forest. It had been the very man standing in front of her, under some sort of transformation.
“It was you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “You were there in the forest. The day that—” Her voice trailed off as she remembered coming face to face with the bear.
Logan looked down at where his hands rested on the counter between them. “I didn’t want you to see me… like that.” He shuddered and the fear turned to humiliation. “I never would have shown myself if it weren’t for that bear.”
“What are you?” She instantly regretted her words.
“I’m a human being. I’m just… different. I have a problem… sort of.”
“Different?” That was a little close to home.
At that moment, the tinkle of bells indicated the arrival of another customer.
“Listen.” Logan leaned over the counter, and his voice took on a confidential tone. “I’d rather not talk about it here.”
“Okay, fine,” Jade said sharply, turning away from him and putting up the cold shoulder again.
“Jade. I’m not blowing you off.”
The way he said her name, so softly, so tenderly, sent goose bumps down her spine. “But you were, earlier today,” she said, still not meeting his gaze. He sighed again and she could feel his frustration mounting.
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He touched her hand, and Jade’s eyes darted up to meet his. “Just not here. It’s personal. I would prefer we were alone.” His emotions had gone silent again, and she felt any trace of her own anger dissolve.
“All right.”
“Are you free after work?”
“Yeah.”
He named a restaurant downtown. “Can you meet me at six o’clock?”
“I’ll be there.”
~
Ethan’s passion was classical music. He enjoyed variety within the genre, but his soundtrack of choice was opera when entertaining a guest. It didn’t take long for his neighbors to think of him as “that really nice gentleman who plays classical music a little too loudly.” But he hadn’t had any complaints so far.
Around him, the soprano vocals swelled and overtook the writhing notes from the symphony. But rather than the music, his focus was on the young woman lying faceup on the bed, her hands and feet bound to the bedposts. Her eyes pleaded with him in the dimly lit room, but the gag in her mouth kept her speech muffled.
Long, tangled ringlets of black hair framed her youthful face—she might be one of his youngest yet. Since high school, anyway. The hem of her dress had a slight rip due to the struggle, but other than that, she looked perfect—full, dark lips, flawless pale complexion, and slender physique. So innocent. And so weak.
In no hurry, Ethan took his time retrieving one of his tarantulas from its glass cage. Delicately he placed it on her wrist, out of reach of her frenzied fingers. She tried in vain to break loose. Her eyes bulged with horror as the spider crawled up her arm, confirming that his first specimen was a winner. He placed the second tarantula on her ankle where it soon disappeared under the folds of her skirt. The third one, which he positioned on her stomach, hesitated for a moment and then began to crawl across her chest toward her face. She trembled silently, her eyes locked on the creature.
Fear was something that Ethan didn’t completely understand, but he knew how to use it to his own advantage. Fear could be debilitating, controlling, and painful. Fear made people weak, and weakness was the biggest flaw of mankind. Fortunately, he was not flawed in this manner.
The helpless girl was mesmerizing with the contrast of the dark creatures traversing her pale form at will. Ethan bent over her, peering into her eyes. He waited for the precise moment, and then decided to indulge himself. He removed her gag as the notes from the soprano peaked in volume. As if orchestrated, the wailing from the two voices filled the room, forming a new dimension to the rapturous music. Gratification surged through his veins as he enjoyed the moment.
The game had only begun.
As Jade drove to the restaurant, part of her wondered if Logan would even show up. Maybe setting the whole thing up had been an excuse to get her off his back so he could make a quick exit. But then she saw his truck in the parking lot. She pulled into a spot and stepped out as he was heading her way.
He was wearing the same clothing as earlier, but he seemed to have shaved because there was no trace of the five-o’clock shadow from before. This was the first time she’d ever seen his jaw completely smooth.
“Hi.” His voice was warm and emotions were calm. There was only a trace of tension matched with an overall pleasant friendliness.
“Hi,” she said, somewhat shyly. Her curiosity about his secret, so urgent a few hours ago, was suddenly trivial, now that she was faced with the intimidating prospect of an evening alone with him. When his emotions subsided, her own unwelcome nervousness crept over her.
Together they walked into the restaurant, a local steakhouse designed to look like a rural cottage, with its high, pointed gables, wood siding, and gingerbread trim painted in hunter green and white. The hostess walked them through a maze of private dining rooms, finally seating them at a booth in a dimly lit corner of the small room. It was obvious why Logan had chosen this place, considering privacy was his main concern. Jade was thankful for the seclusion as well.
They sat, perused the menu in silence, and gave their orders to the waitress.
“So,” Jade said.
“So.”
She twisted her fingers awkwardly beneath the table. How did one begin a conversation like this? She bit her lip to avoid the ‘What are you?’ question she’d let slip earlier. “What happened to you last Saturday in the woods? You said you have a problem. What is it, exactly? What causes you to turn into that… um… creature?”
His expression turned grim and she felt bitterness welling up inside. “More like monster. Well, it’s not like I transform in the light of a full moon or anything like that. The truth is pretty lame. It would be cooler if I were some kind of mythical being.”
“I’d rather know the truth.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“Please?
“Abnormally rapid hair growth.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“No genetic ties to wild animals?”
“Nope.”
“No magical curses keeping you from your true form as a prince?” Her lips twitched.
“Nope.”
“No mutations or science experiments gone awry transforming you into a killing machine?”
“Nothing even remotely that exciting.” He gave a wry expression at her science-fiction references.
“Then why were you afraid to tell me? What’s the big deal?”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“No,” she said. “I guess I don’t understand.”
“It’s disgusting. Hideous. I can’t go for more than a week without grooming before I start to look like a freak.” Jade’s heart went out to him as she experienced his deep emotions. It was very personal, and there was a lingering regret. She reached for his other hand lying motionless on the table. Her touch startled him and he looked up, but didn’t pull away.
“But you aren’t,” she said.
“But I am. You don’t know what it took to get me back to this.” He gestured at himself. “It’s repulsive.”
“I don’t find you repulsive.” Quite the opposite, she thought. The warmth of his hand in hers made her heartbeat quicken.
The waitress arrived with their food. Jade abruptly pulled back. She’d nearly forgotten that they were in public.
He concentrated on her, making her wonder if he could read her thoughts. The waitress placed the dishes on the table, breaking the spell between them. Abruptly, all emotions flowing from Logan ceased.
Once the waitress left and they began to eat their dinner, Jade spoke again. “I’m really curious. Do you mind telling me more about your… er…” Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right word.
“Abnormality? No, I guess not. What do you want to know?”
She thought for a moment. “How fast does your hair grow?”
“That depends.”
“Depends?”
“The hair on my head and face grows the fastest. I have to cut my hair every few days to keep it this short. I shave my face twice a day, and even then I have stubble.”
Jade looked at his chin, realizing with shock that in the time since they’d walked into the restaurant, he’d already developed a five-o’clock shadow.
Logan continued, “The hair on my body grows more slowly, but I still have to trim it often. The same thing goes for my fingernails and toenails—cutting them is a daily routine. The only exceptions to the rapid growth are my eyelashes and eyebrows. I’ve never figured out why. But then, I guess even normal people can grow their hair out as long as they want while their eyebrows always remain a set length.”
Empath: The Flawed Series Book One Page 11