Coldhearted (9781311888433)

by Matthews, Melanie

  “Tristan…well, Tristan was jealous. He claimed to be in love with Arianna too. I didn’t think so. I’d always thought he didn’t like the fact that I had something he couldn’t. Perhaps it was the younger child syndrome or something. Anyway, Arianna loved me, not him. Tristan, in his warped mind, thought that if I were no longer in the picture, Arianna would be his; that she’d just jump from one brother to the next, as if Tristan and I were alike in character.”

  He shook his head. “Tristan and I were nothing alike. My mom and dad always doted on me and always yelled at him. He hated it. He hated me. So…he killed me, using poison. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t die right away. The poison didn’t kill me quick enough. I was brought to the hospital and when there was hope I might pull through, Tristan pushed a pillow against my face and suffocated me to death, finishing the job.”

  He stared into her eyes. “I can’t see other ghosts, but I can hear whispers sometimes; whispers of the deceased who I’d known when I was alive. Not too long after I’d died, I heard Tristan dying too, in Lockhart Manor. He was poisoned by the same poison that he’d used to facilitate my death. It was Arianna. She poisoned Tristan, vengeance, for him killing me, and then…I heard her take her last breath. She’d killed herself, drinking the last few drops that were left of Tristan’s toxic brew, I assume. She didn’t die in Lockhart Manor. I don’t know where she is, but I sense that she’s near the property.”

  “The woods,” Edie almost shouted. At Adrian’s confused expression, she explained her outburst. “When I walked up to Lockhart Manor, I heard a girl. She said: ‘Don’t.’ She didn’t want me to enter.” Edie held her head in her hands. “She was trying to warn me and like an idiot, I ignored her.” She lifted her head and gestured vaguely. “And now look at what I’ve done. Tristan’s free and I don’t know how to stop him from hurting others. I don’t know how to cut him away from my life for good.”

  In a gesture of comfort, Adrian laid a cold hand on hers; it passed right through and she jerked her hand back. “Sorry,” she apologized. “It’s not you. Well, it is you. You’re ice cold.”

  “Sorry,” he apologized back. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but I don’t know your name.”

  She smiled. “Edwina St. John. Everyone calls me ‘Edie.’”

  Adrian nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Edie, and I’m sorry for what you’ve been going through.” His face hardened and his dark, blue eyes looked almost black. “It seems that death couldn’t even make my brother seek redemption. He was a bastard while he was alive, and he’s ten times worse now dead.” His face softened, along with his pure eyes. “Oh, sorry, I cursed. I curse when I get mad.”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve heard worse and quite frankly, you’re entitled to spout obscenities.” She paused, and then continued, “I know you can’t see him, and he can’t see you, but…can he hear me, us? I mean, he hasn’t gone wild and started throwing stuff around the room, so it makes me think that he’s not only blind, but deaf, as well.”

  Adrian considered that and nodded. “Most likely,” he agreed. “He threw tantrums when he was alive. I remember when he was born I loved him more than anything. He was my baby brother. He hated me out of the womb, harboring misguided beliefs that my presence would take away all the attention that he sought. He didn’t know it was the other way around and that the oldest is often ignored while the youngest is coddled. Of course in the Lockhart family things were different. My father and I shared the same interests. Therefore we were the closest and spent more time together. I loved my mother too, but Tristan was such a handful, she was forced to devote all her time to him. Most sons love their mothers more than they love themselves. Not Tristan. He hated our mother. He hated most women, in fact. He always sought solitude, but when my father came home, he cried and cried when he wasn’t shown attention, and pitched a fit when my father seemed to give more attention to me than him.”

  Adrian shook his head, sighing. “My parents couldn’t win. There wasn’t anything they could do to appease Tristan. They died on the same day—no, not like you think,” he assured her when she gasped. “It was natural causes. They’d gotten married late and had me even later, then Tristan. I inherited the estate and that of course made Tristan hate me even more. Growing up, I was friends with Arianna.” He smiled, reminiscing. “I used to tease her and pull her braids, but I loved her at first site. I just didn’t know it. Arianna was the only girl Tristan didn’t outright hate, but that didn’t mean he was friendly to her too. He played pranks on her and called her names, but she never got angry. In fact, she tried to be his friend. I think it was for my sake, for at the time, she loved me too; she just didn’t really know it, like me.

  “As we got older and matured, Arianna and I realized our feelings for each other were more than just friendly. We became a couple soon thereafter. I saved up money and bought her an engagement ring. Tristan found it and went berserk. He claimed to love her more than me and that Arianna was meant only for him; that they were soul mates. I didn’t know where he was coming from. He’d never shown any romantic interest in her, or at least any desire for commitment. Angry, I left the manor and spent the day with Arianna.

  “When I came back, Tristan had cooled down. Or so I’d thought. To make up for his behavior, he’d made dinner. I should’ve known it was a ruse, but I wanted to believe that I had my baby brother back. I should’ve known evil couldn’t so easily be expunged. I fell ill after a few bites, but it wasn’t enough to kill me. Tristan had used too little poison, having been new to the weapon of choice. I escaped and made my way here, to the hospital. Arianna came by to see me, prayed over me, and only left my side when Tristan persuaded her that he wanted to see his brother, alone. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t warn her about my brother. He stood next to my bed and told me that he’d take care of Arianna. Then, smiling, he suffocated me to death.

  “I don’t know how Arianna knew of what Tristan had done. Perhaps my consciousness, my thoughts reached out to her when I died, or perhaps she put the pieces together, but in the end, she just knew of the foul play Tristan had committed. And…she killed him. I only wish she hadn’t poisoned herself. I wish she’d lived to see old age, and then died peacefully in her bed, surrounded by loved ones. Now…well, now, she just haunts the woods surrounding Lockhart Manor. It must be hell for her.”

  A light bulb went off inside Edie’s head, and she got so excited, she lunged for Adrian’s hand, passed through it, shivered, and then jerked her hand back, warming it with her other.

  “What?” he asked, confused by her actions.

  “I just had a realization: if I can see you, then maybe I can see Arianna. Perhaps because Tristan is attached to me, I can see other ghosts, particularly ones from his life, like you.”

  “Why would you want to see Arianna?”

  “You said you know some stuff about the ghost world, well maybe she knows more. You see, I’ve been trying to communicate with ghosts, thinking there’s some ghost network, a community of wandering souls, who can tell me how to kick Tristan out of my life for good.”

  Adrian didn’t look convinced, but said, “Good luck. I hope you see her, and…tell her that I love her, okay?”

  Edie snapped her fingers. Her mind was on fire. She almost forgot Mason had broken up with her. Almost.

  “I had another realization: if Tristan can attach himself to me, maybe you can too. Try it.”

  Adrian shrugged, unsure. “I don’t know how. I can’t even leave the hospital.”

  Edie shot off the bed, excited. “C’mon,” she encouraged. “You’ll never know unless you try.”

  He hesitated, and then stood up, taking a leap of faith.

  “Besides,” she continued, “I think this was meant to happen, me finding you.”

  “That reminds me: why were you running around the hospital?”

  She bit her lip, and then said, “Um, I was chasing after someone.”

  “Do you want to find this person before
…?”

  “No,” she cut him off, shaking her head. “He doesn’t want to see me, I’m sure. And there’s really no point in rekindling our romance if Tristan is always going to be a thorn in my side.”

  “You shouldn’t give up on love so easily,” Adrian said. “Life’s short. Take it from me.”

  “Russell,” she said instead, ignoring Adrian’s advice.

  Adrian furrowed his brow. “Russell Ballantine? Your teacher?” he remembered.

  Edie nodded, grinning, looking possibly manic by the worried expression on Adrian’s face. “I think I know how Tristan’s been influencing him: Tristan’s related to Russell. Obviously, Russell’s his descendant, as he is yours. Descended through I’m guessing this relative of yours who died here of the Lockhart line.”

  “My first cousin,” Adrian confirmed. “He was married with one child, a male, I think….and?” he asked, confused.

  Edie would’ve smacked Adrian in the face if he wasn’t transparent.

  “Don’t you want to see Arianna? Well, if you possess Russell and you’re attached to me, then...” She let the prospect of a reunion hang in the air.

  “It sounds too good to be true,” he said.

  She held out her hands. “How long have you been stuck here?”

  “Decades,” Adrian said, sounding tired of wandering the same old halls.

  “I regret freeing Tristan, but you deserve your freedom. You’ve suffered long enough, being alone all this time.”

  “What if it doesn’t work?” he asked, still skeptical.

  Edie smiled and held out her hand. “You’ll never know until you try.”

  Adrian kept his hand by his side, wary. “Aren’t you worried that I’ll hurt you?”

  “You’re not your brother, Adrian. It’ll be a shock at first, but I believe”—she spread out her fingers—“if we believe we can actually touch and hold on, we can, and it won’t hurt, I promise.”

  Taking another leap of faith, Adrian reached out for Edie. It didn’t work the first time. It didn’t work the second time, but they didn’t give up. The third time was the charm and they clasped hands. Initially, she felt the familiar shock of ice travel up her arm, but the more she held onto Adrian—willing it to work—and him, her, it subsided and she returned to her normal body temperature. I knew it would work!

  Adrian’s grip was strong but gentle. As they left the hospital, hand in hand, she realized that freedom wasn’t such a silly thing to wish for, after all.

  Adrian stood outside and took in everything that he’d missed being trapped for decades inside the hospital. “The world’s changed so much,” he observed, looking out at the crowded parking lot with cars that he’d probably never seen before.

  Still holding hands, she led him to her BMW—her uncle had brought it as he’d promised—and unlocked the passenger door. “I wouldn’t feel right letting you float behind the car,” she said with a teasing smile.

  He didn’t return her smile. “I’m afraid to let go of you,” he said, holding onto Edie for dear life. “What if I disappear or get sent back to the hospital?”

  “You won’t,” she assured. She didn’t know where her sudden confidence was coming from, but she was riding that train all the way to Freedom Station. “This will work,” she promised him.

  Adrian hesitated, and then let go of her. Edie’s belief was vindicated when he remained. His eyes widened, surprised that he was still standing by her side.

  He closed his eyes briefly, smiled, and said, “Take me home.”

  ****

  Before they departed for Lockhart Manor, Edie called up Russell—Adrian was fascinated by her iPhone—and asked him to join her at the property. Strangely, he didn’t question why and said that he’d be there in ten minutes. Then again, she’d been vague about why she wanted to see him. She didn’t want him to not show up because she had plans to use his body as a vessel for a ghost, who was trying to communicate with his dead love.

  Russell/Adrian was her contingency plan in case she couldn’t see or communicate with Arianna. He’d ask the questions on her behalf, and hopefully, she’d get the answers that she needed to get rid of Tristan and get back to her life. A life she was hoping that included Mason. She wasn’t so confident about repairing that damage.

  I broke his heart and that’s the hardest wound to heal of all.

  She mentally shook her head. First things first: find Arianna.

  They made it successfully to the property, despite the icy deathtrap of a journey by road. Edie pulled up alongside Lockhart Manor, near the bricked archway, and scanned the woods. There were plenty of trees covered in snow but no ghost.

  “Someone’s coming,” Adrian said, sounding excited and nervous at the same time.

  “Where?” she asked, scanning the woods again.

  “No, here,” he said, pointing at the reflection in his passenger’s side mirror.

  She checked her mirror and discovered that it was Russell. He parked his car behind her, got out, and approached her window. She rolled it down.

  Russell gave her a seductive, expectant smile. “It’s nice to see you, Edie.”

  “You too,” she said, but not for the reason that he desired. She got out of the car and Adrian joined her, standing by her side. “Russell, we need to do this quick.”

  Russell advanced and cupped her cheek. “Here, Edie?” He began massaging her skin with his thumb. “It’s not exactly romantic, but it is desolate. No one will find us,” he assured in a husky voice.

  She almost slapped his hand away, but then remembered that she needed his cooperation.

  Instead she gently pushed him away, and said, “No, I need your help. I met Tristan’s brother, Adrian.” She gestured at the ghost by her side, visible only to her. “He’s going to try to possess you, like Tristan. You see, I figured it out: you’re a descendant of the Lockharts.” She gestured at the manor. “They were your ancestors.”

  Russell took a step back. He looked angry and disappointed. “You called me out here for that? What makes you think I’ll let myself be possessed? If that’s even possible?” he questioned skeptically.

  Adrian shifted his feet, nervous. “We don’t know if it’ll work,” he reminded her.

  She looked up at Adrian. He was tall and lean like his brother. And like Russell. She didn’t know why she hadn’t noticed it before. Russell Ballantine, in some respects, was almost a carbon copy of Adrian and Tristan Lockhart.

  “Remember, we can touch and that’s something,” she told Adrian. She hesitated, and then placed her hand on his, making contact, as she clasped their hands. He was cold, but she could take it, and eventually her body temperatures rose to accommodate. “See? It’s just like with the suit you’re wearing. Will yourself to possess Russell and it’ll happen.”

  “Whoa, wait,” Russell said, taking another step back, then another, almost to his car. He couldn’t see Adrian and probably thought that Edie was crazy, talking to an invisible person. “Edie, what is going on?”

  She let go of Adrian’s hand and gave a frustrated sigh, watching her breath escape in the cold air. She didn’t have time to explain.

  “Do you care about me?” she asked in a huff.

  “Of course,” he said without hesitation.

  “Then trust me, okay?”

  Russell nodded. “Okay.”

  Well, that was easy. I should be assertive more often.

  She made a shooing motion at Adrian. “Hurry before Tristan knows what’s going on.”

  Adrian nodded, and then advanced toward Russell, who was shivering with his ungloved hands shoved into his coat pockets. Adrian looked back at her, over his shoulder, and Edie gave him an encouraging nod. He focused on Russell, really focused, and then…he was gone. Russell blinked and swayed, then he almost fell on the ground, but Edie caught him in time.

  She held him up by his arms. It was a lot of work. She hadn’t realized how strong he was. “Russell?” she called out.

  His face w
asn’t masked by a dark shadow. Instead it was soft and illuminated with a white glow. “Edie?” he said. “This feels weird.”

  “Russell, is that you or Adrian?”

  “It’s me, Adrian,” he said in Russell’s voice.

  He indicated that he wanted to steady himself and get his bearings. She let him go and watched him move around a bit, taking baby steps, as he got used to the feel of being inside another person’s body. After he’d learned how to walk again, he turned back toward her, standing on steady feet.

  “I can tell that Russell is unaware of what’s happening to his body,” he said. “It’s like he’s asleep.”

  Edie nodded, understanding. “When Tristan left him, Russell didn’t remember what he’d said or did. I guess that’s a good thing. When Tristan spoke through Russell, he said awful things.”

  “Good ol’ Tristan,” Russell/Adrian said sarcastically. He adjusted his leather coat. “Nice,” he approved. Finally, he turned toward Lockhart Manor. “I want to go inside, but I also want to flee.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “This place is full of good and evil. How can that be?”

  She reached out for him. His warm hand grasped hers, holding her gently at first, and then he squeezed, feeling the sensation of skin-on-skin contact.

  “I don’t know,” she said to his earlier question. “But let’s make it right. Let’s rid ourselves of evil, okay?”

  He nodded in agreement, but didn’t move, and didn’t let go of her hand. “Edie, I can sense Russell’s feelings for you. They’re very strong. Part of him is sickened by it because you’re so young. But the other part, the overwhelming part, wants nothing more than to be with you, despite what the world will think. It’s driving him mad, this desire.”

  Edie shook her head. “It’s a trap laid by Tristan,” she argued.

  Russell/Adrian let go of her hand, sensing Edie’s distress. “Edie, there are other forces at work here.”