Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (37 page)

“No, Bridget, our friendship was real,
is
real. You have to believe me.” His eyebrows pressed together.

“I just don’t know what to believe, anymore.” I whispered.

“I care about you, Bridget. You can believe that. I’ve given you no reason to think otherwise.” He said with sincerity in his eyes.

“Then,
tell me
who and why. If you care at all about our friendship, then you’ll stop lying and tell me everything.” I demanded. “I’m done with the secrets, Aiden. You need to choose.”

“I can’t tell you, Bridget and honestly, even if I could, I wouldn’t. Your safety is too important.” He dragged his hand through his dark hair.

“I guess you’ve made your decision, then.” I stood up and walked away. He didn’t try to stop me, and he wouldn’t have been able to even if he had.

I hid out in Cassie’s hospital room for the remainder of the day. Aiden stayed in the waiting room, allowing me the space I needed. Cassie fell asleep not long after the nurse gave her more pain medication. The room was dark aside from the light that seeped out from under bathroom door.

I thought back to everything that had happened over the last month. It seemed everything had changed, including me.
Especially me
. I no longer felt as if I were going insane. While it was a relief to not be crazy, the revelation only led me to the entrance of this mysterious rabbit hole. I had to make the decision whether or not to jump.

Was I honestly ready to face the truth that surely awaited me at the bottom? I wasn’t so sure. However, I knew that I needed the truth. Who was I? Who did Aiden work for? Why did they have any interest in my safety? I held my breath as I let a dangerous thought enter my mind.
Did any of this have to do with my parents?
Did Aiden know more about them than he let on? Anger surged through me at the notion. There was so much he hadn’t told me, and now he refused to tell me more.

I was jerked out of my thoughts at the sound of the hospital room door opening and clicking shut. A male nurse stepped into the room. He held a clipboard that he kept his eyes glued to.

“I thought Nurse Sanders was her night nurse.” I commented.

The man didn’t respond. Instead, he crossed the room to Cassie. After a moment of messing with the machine that Cassie was hooked up to, the heartbeat monitor went silent. My heart dropped at the lack of sound.

“What are you doing?” I squeaked.

My question was answered with silence. He gently tugged a pillow from underneath Cassie’s head. Panic seized me as he placed it over her face. I leapt forward and wrenched the pillow from his hands.

My heart stopped. I saw his eyes before I noticed the ring on his finger. Jet black eyes gripped me from across the hospital bed. The man’s face disfigured into a scowl.

“Jeremiah.” I gasped. “I thought you were…” My words trailed off as his lips tipped up into a smirk. I instinctively patted my pocket before I remembered that these were a different pair of pants. The ring must have fallen out when I changed. I suddenly recognized the man as the janitor who’d cleaned the bathroom, earlier.

“Gone? No, I’m still here.” He rasped. He reached forward and gripped the front of my shirt. “And I’ve come to follow through on my threat.”

With inhuman strength, he lifted me off my feet and tossed me against the chair. My back slammed into the arm in a painful manner. Air fled my lungs as I gasped in an attempt to replace it. My eyes lifted, and my view was filled with the sight of his sneakered foot swinging back for an attack. I had only enough time to cover my face which left my stomach wide open for the assault. His foot landed directly on my belly button causing me to curl in pain.

“And since you betrayed me, I think I’ll kill your little friend here, as well.” He declared.

Panic shot through me as I felt an energy building inside my core. Within seconds, it was pulsing through my bloodstream in a frenzy. My pain numbed out as my adrenaline pounded through me. He stepped back to the bed where Cassie lay helpless. Something new ignited inside of me. Rage amped up the electric orgy that had developed inside of me. Jeremiah’s fingers had barely slid around Cassie’s neck before I sprang on him.

His surprise bought me a few moments of dominance as I shoved him to the ground. I reached for the ring, but he tightened his hand into a fist that he then threw into my jaw. I fell backward, and he instantly crawled on top of me. He hand gripped my throat and squeezed. The air became impossible to get to as my lungs strived to reach it.

I scratched at his arms, but he seemed unaffected by the pain. My heart sped up as I began to panic which did not help my breathing situation. My head became light. I knew I was moments away from blacking out. My mind raced for a solution.

I closed my eyes and stopped fighting. I allowed my body to become limp as my arms fell to my sides. His fingers loosened, and my airways became free. I fought the urge to gasp for the much needed oxygen but, instead, took short, shallow breaths. He removed his hands from neck as he inspected my face. I felt his finger trace along my cheek as it made its way down to my pulse.

Before he could discover that I was alive, I surged my hand forward and gripped his wrist. I ripped the ring from his finger and released every ounce of energy into it. The metal crumbled in my palm until it was nothing more than dust. The man’s body toppled over on top of me. He was unconscious but still breathing. I scrambled out from under his weight. I glanced up as Jeremiah appeared in the center of the room with a look of anguish on his face. A deep, curdling cry of pure agony filled the room as his soul was ripped into pieces, one by one right before my eyes.

Jeremiah disappeared and the room fell into silence.
He was gone.
This time, I was positive. The ring was destroyed. Jeremiah could no longer hurt anyone. Relief allowed space for my lungs to fill with oxygen. This nightmare was finally over.

That Friday was grim. It was as if the gloomy sky was dressed in gray to mourn alongside the rest of us. Two friends had been lost to Jed and Hunter Kearney’s twisted revenge, along with plenty more girls like them. I didn’t feel sorry that Jed was dead, but I was still haunted by his death. Hunter’s disappearance caused quite the media frenzy just as Aiden had predicted.

Cassie’s parents finally made it back to town yesterday and had immediately packed her up and checked her into some clinic in Virginia that specialized in victims of violent crime. I missed her but was glad that she was getting some help and wasn’t dealing with the media asking for interviews like I had been. Besides, it was safer for her far away from here. It was unlikely Hunter would return for her, but I still felt better now that she was in a different state.

I glanced down at the black dress I was wearing. While I wasn’t sure it was appropriate for a funeral, it was the longest black dress I owned, and I hadn’t the time to go shop for a new one. I was standing at the end of my driveway, waiting for Chad to pick me up.

“Hey.” I heard Aiden say from beside me. When I didn’t respond, he continued, “Two funerals in one day? That’s tough. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I said shortly.

“I can come with you.” He offered softly.

“No, I said I’m fine.” I frowned.

“Don’t do that, Bridge. Don’t close yourself off.” He pled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I countered.

“Yes, you do. You push people away.” He contended.

“I only push people away when they give me a
reason
to.” I maintained. Chad pulled up in his mom’s SUV, and I hopped into the passenger side seat. “Let’s go, please.” I told Chad, and we drove off. When I glanced in the side mirror, Aiden had already disappeared.

“The saddest stories of all are the ones left unfinished by someone who is taken too soon. Jenny was taken far too soon. She was beautiful, smart, and ambitious. She had a bright future, and now all she has is a bright past. A past that we are here to celebrate and will be celebrating for the rest of our lives.” The pastor at the local church stood at the podium with his prepared speech, as if he knew everything there was to know about Jennifer White.

I didn’t have to fight tears today because I seemed to be all dried up. If there was a limited amount a person could cry, then I had used up every drop this last week. Chad wrapped one of his arms around me and drew me close to him. I laid my head down on his shoulder. It felt so comforting that I wished I never had to move.

But alas, I did have to move because we had another funeral to get to. Nicole’s funeral was being held in Lincoln, and I could guarantee Eli would be there to support Grey because that’s the kind of friend he was. I had been denying to myself that I missed him, but I was worried that if I actually saw him, I’d lose my resolve. That’s why I told Chad I was only allowed a brief conversation with Eli, and that he was to cut me off if it started to go in the wrong direction.

We drove up only a few minutes before the ceremony with the intent to avoid the before funeral conversing. Once the funeral was over, I scanned the crowd for Hail and Tiffany. They were near the front with Grey and, of course, Eli.

“I’ll be right back.” I told Chad.

“You have five minutes.” He gave a supportive nod. I sauntered over to them. Grey got startled by me, but Eli had been watching me the whole time.

“Bridget, I’m so glad you came.” Grey said, surprising me with a hug. I was quick to respond. I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling. Actually, I could. I’d experienced a few moments of it when I thought Aiden had been killed. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle that feeling any longer than that.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it. How are you holding up?” I asked, but regretted it instantly. There’s nothing worse than being asked how you were when you were fragile.

“I’m doing better than I would have thought.” He said, releasing me from the hug. His voice was steady, but his eyes were red from crying.

“Of course, he’s doing
just
fine. He kissed Tiffany last night. It’s true, I saw it.” I heard Nicole’s voice from behind me say. I swirled around so rapidly that I lost my balance and began to stumble sideways. Eli grabbed my arm to steady me.

“Thanks.” I muttered.

“No problem. What happened?” He asked, still holding onto my arm.

“Nothing, I just thought I heard something.” I glanced around the room but didn’t see Nicole, anywhere. I must’ve imagined it, but what an odd thing for me to imagine her saying. I stepped over to Tiffany, gently moving away from Eli. I wrapped my arms around her, something she wasn’t expecting. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in tighter.

“Did you and Grey kiss?” I whispered in her ear. Her body went stiff.

“How did you know that?” She asked. Without answering her, I moved away and started back toward Chad. I could feel her and Eli’s stares on my back.

I felt poignant over Jenny and Nicole’s deaths, grateful for Cassie’s survival, betrayed by Eli and Aiden’s secrets, terrified of my own changes, and nervous over Hunter’s escape. All the emotions were overwhelming and threatening to erupt in a massive explosion. I needed an escape. I reached Chad and gave him an expression that said, “I’m in the mood for trouble”.

“Let’s get a drink.”

Hunter’s need for revenge was all-consuming, but he knew he had to bide his time. His face was plastered all over every newspaper. He simply needed to lay low and plan his next move. He had an idea that seemed impossible, but if he could pull it off, everything would be perfect. The only problem was he had no idea where to begin, but you could certainly bet that he would figure it out.

The gunshot rings loudly in my ears.

“No!” I scream, turning to see Aiden’s body on the ground as blood seeps from the bullet wound in his head. My chest tightens and tears spill out of me.

“Get the gun Bridget.” I hear Rosalie say from beside me. Somehow, I have the gun in my hands, and I’m shooting Jed in the chest. He falls to the ground, and his eyes go dead. Then, he suddenly springs off the ground and launches himself at me. He wraps his fingers around my throat, lifting me like a rag doll.

“You bitch! You killed me!” My stomach churns at the sound of his gruffly voice.

“You were going to kill my friend.” I barely muster with his hand cutting off my air supply.

“You killed me! Did you enjoy watching me die?” He taunts.

“No, I did what I had to do.” I say in barely a whisper.

“My blood is on your hands.”

I awoke with a gasp, as if I were actually being strangled. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to choke in air. The dream that had been haunting me since that night almost a month ago had stolen hours of my sleep each night. I glanced over to the bed across the room from mine where Clarissa slept peacefully. Jealousy filled my chest but was soon replaced with resignation.
I wanted to start my morning run early, anyway. Not.
My alarm clock said it was only four in the morning, an hour before I had it set to wake me up.
I guess three hours of sleep beat yesterday’s two hours but not by much.

I slipped on my workout clothes along with a jacket since it was early and probably around fifty degrees outside. It was the end of April, which meant the days were starting to get warmer, and it would get up around seventy later, but right now it would be chilly. Throwing my long, dark hair into a quick ponytail, I crawled out my bedroom window, something I had become accustomed to doing in an attempt to avoid my foster parents. A crisp breeze embraced me the moment I stepped outside causing a small chill to race up my spine.

I took off in a small jog along my normal path, and it wasn’t long before I felt someone watching me.
Seriously, Aiden? Were you just standing outside my house in case I left?
Of course he was. He’d been following me around everywhere since the night I had gotten taken by Hunter. I shuddered at the thought of Hunter. He had escaped after I shot Jed, and the police had yet to catch him. He was probably in another country by now.

Once I reached the park, I stopped near a tree to stretch. It was still dark out, but I could see Aiden’s dark figure a few feet away. I just wanted a few minutes by myself to clear my head after that dream, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. Irritation burned through my veins, and I couldn’t hold back, anymore. I usually pretended Aiden didn’t exist, but today I was in the mood to yell. I strolled over to where he was leaning against a tree, watching me.

“Look, I get that you’re a vampire with endless time on your hands, but you have got to find something better to do than stalk me, okay? You could get a hobby. Perhaps mountain climbing. I hear Switzerland is a great place for that.” He raised his eyebrows at me but remained quiet. “Whatever, do what you want but
quit
following me.”

“You know I can’t do that.” He asserted.

“No, I
don’t
know that.” I crossed my arms. The only thing I did know was that Aiden had been sent to protect me, but he refused to tell me from what or who had sent him. That was the main reason I was no longer speaking to him. Well,
that
and the fact that he had lied to me for the entire year we’d known each other. “I don't need you to protect me. I'm not some damsel in distress. I can fight my own battles.” I told him, and I
could.
I had been training in Hapkido over the last month, and I was getting really good. I never thought martial art was my thing, but it felt incredible to not feel so defenseless all the time.

“Prove it.” Aiden demanded.

“What?” I asked.

“Prove to me you can defend yourself, and I will leave you alone.” He explained.

“How?” I asked with slight trepidation.

“Fight me.” He challenged, but remained relaxed.

“Fine.”

I spread my legs into a starting stance. He stepped away from the tree but didn’t come at me. He simply stood there, waiting for me to make a move. Most of what I had learned so far was defending against an attack by using my opponent’s momentum against them. Seeing as how Aiden wasn’t going to strike first, that wouldn’t work, now. However, I
had
learned a few kicks.

I centered my balance, kicking my leg up in aim for his stomach. With lightning speed, Aiden twisted around, grabbing my leg in the process. Right before I hit the ground, he grabbed my arm to slow my fall. It still hurt as I hit the hard dirt but not as bad as it would have. My pride, on the other hand, that
had
been bruised.
So much for no longer feeling defenseless.
Aiden leaned over me, staring down with a concerned expression. I glared back up at him, and his expression turned to amused.

“You’ve been training every day after school, and that’s all you’ve learned?” He raised an eyebrow.

I wanted nothing more than to punch him in his cocky face, at that moment, but I knew it would be fruitless. He would only dodge it and further prove my inferior fighting skills. I lifted myself off the ground, refusing his extended hand. I brushed at my now dirty clothes.

He regarded me carefully and said, “You look tired.”

“Gee, you sure know how to make a girl feel pretty.” I strolled past him on the jogging path. I didn’t start to run again because honestly my butt
hurt.

“How much sleep have you been getting?” He asked, concern returning to his face. He was matching my pace next to me.

“Enough.” I regretted stopping to talk to him because, apparently, I had opened the floodgate.

“Do you want to talk about your nightmares?” He asked.

“Your creepy side is showing.” I told him. The only way he’d know about my nightmares was if he’d been watching me sleep.

“I’m worried about you, Bridge.” His words tugged at the longing I felt for our friendship. I ignored it like I had ever since the day at the hospital.

“Okay, Aiden, you want to talk? How about we start with why you were sent to ‘protect’ me?” I asserted. He was silent as he slowed his pace so that he was at least ten feet behind me. “That’s what I thought.” I muttered under my breath, but I knew his vampire hearing would pick it up. He wasn’t willing to give me the answers I wanted, and I wasn’t willing to mend fences until he gave them to me. We were at an impasse.

Later at school, it was no different. Aiden still followed me around, but he was much more discreet about it. At least we didn’t have
all
of the same classes, so I did get some much needed reprieve during that time. Strolling through the halls, I felt myself expecting to see Cassie even though I knew she was still out of state at the clinic. I missed her though. But I did get to talk to her once a week, and she was doing better. Of course, better than before didn’t mean she was well enough to come home.

“Bridget, when are we going shopping for prom?” Zach asked, falling into step beside me. Zach Wall had just moved to Waverly a few weeks ago. He had curly blond hair and amber colored eyes. He was very attractive and very much into guys.

“Um, never?” I told him. I had no plans of attending this year’s junior senior prom.

“Come
on.
You in a hot dress, Tom in a tuxedo. You guys could get a hotel room.” He said, giving me a wink as if I needed the extra expression to explain what he meant. I rolled my eyes.

“You’re listing all the reasons
not
to go.” I told him.

“Please? It might attract less attention that my date is a
guy
if you and Tom are there.” He begged.

Tom was an old friend I used to hang out with before Aiden moved to Waverly. He had left to travel right after his graduation and had just recently moved back with plans to start school in the fall. Tom and I had been sort of seeing each other, lately. It was nice to be hanging out with a
normal
guy.

“Okay, I’ll
ask
him, but I’m not promising anything.” I said.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He exclaimed as if my answer had been yes. “We can go to the mall this weekend. I’m so excited!”

I made a mental note to ask Tom later on that night. I wasn’t really sure how he’d feel about prom. I mean, he already graduated. It wasn’t like people got out of prison just to put on a tux and willingly walk right back in. That metaphor may have sounded like an exaggeration, but I felt it was pretty accurate.

“Prom? Oh, I’m so jealous!” Nicole said appearing right next to me. My muscles jerked in reflex to being startled.

“Don’t do that!” I scolded.

Nicole’s ghost had been following me around ever since her funeral. It was strange. Not because she was dead and all that because trust me, I had come to grips with the whole “me seeing ghosts” thing. Between being haunted by Jeremiah, warned by Rosalie, and finding out Sylvia was a ghost, I had to accept it as a reality. No, the strange part was how easy it was for her to roam around. When Rosalie had been following me around, she was linked with where she had been killed, and so it had been painful for her to leave it. However, Nicole didn’t seem to be having any problem wandering around. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her body had been put to rest. I didn’t know. I also didn’t know why her ghost was even here. It probably had to do with Hunter still being out there, somewhere.

“Sorry.” She muttered insincerely. “I can’t believe I died before I got to go to prom. This is so unfair! Plus, my debutante ball was supposed to be in a few months. Dying fucking sucks.” She disappeared and then reappeared right in front of me. “Well, aren’t you even going to
try
and make me feel better?”

“I can’t talk to you in public.” I mumbled, trying not to move my lips.

People already thought I was going to go off the deep end because of everything that had happened to me. I didn’t need everyone thinking I was talking to myself. Mrs. Owens was already forcing me to go to group therapy every week. Who knew what she’d force me to do if she saw me talking to a “ghost”?

“Move it, girly.” I heard someone growl from behind me.

I hopped out of the way right before the janitor could run me over with a mop bucket that he was pushing through the halls. The janitor was such an asshole. Plus, he was creepy as hell. If Aiden seemed bad about lurking, this guy was ten times worse. He would always stand in the hall corners, watching people. No one actually knew his name, so everyone simply called him “Creepy Janitor Guy”.

I strolled into drama class and slid into a seat as far from Aiden as I could get. Of course, I knew it was pointless. He always moved to sit right next to me in every class we had together, but I also refused to be accommodating for him. I heard him lay his book down on the desk next to me as he slipped into the desk next to mine, but I didn’t bother looking over at him. I was back to not acknowledging his existence.

Ms. Teal watched me from the front of the classroom. I shifted in my seat as I became uneasy under her gaze. She was an odd woman to say the least. Her hair was gray and extremely poufy. She always wore tacky dresses that were covered in flowers and a jean jacket over them. Of course, it wasn’t just her appearance that made her seem peculiar. She was constantly muttering to herself and sometimes would randomly ask
what
when the room was silent. There were whispered rumors that she was schizophrenic, but I didn’t know if I believed that. However, her staring at me still made me feel extremely uncomfortable, crazy or not. Normally, I would have said something rude and sarcastic to make her stop, but part of me kind of liked Ms. Teal, so I just opened my notebook and doodled until the final bell rang, and class started.

“Do you all remember on the first day of class when we did that mirroring exercise?” Ms. Teal asked the class. Some students nodded their heads but most, including me, stared blankly ahead. Of course, we remembered. It was the first time we got to see just how weird Ms. Teal was. She had a couple of students attempt to mirror her, but she was so random that it was impossible to predict her movements. “Well, we are going to do that again, today. I want you to use your same partners and see if you’ve learned enough about them over the school year to better mirror them this time.” She continued. I groaned internally. It seemed like the less I wanted to be around Aiden, the more I was forced to. After she gave her instruction, I quickly raised my hand.

“Yes, Ms. King?” She said.

“May I go to the bathroom?” I asked. When she nodded, I didn’t hesitate to grab the girls’ bathroom pass from the front of the classroom.

“I need to use the bathroom, too.” I heard Aiden say.

I saw Ms. Teal narrow her eyes, but she hesitantly said okay. I rolled my eyes but exited the classroom, allowing the door to shut behind me in Aiden’s face. As soon as I heard the door close behind Aiden, I swung around and gave him a fierce glare.