Coldhearted (9781311888433) (34 page)

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 wasn’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?”