Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (4 page)

“Are you freezing, yet?” He grinned.

“Um…Yeah.” I said, still disoriented by the kiss.

“Do you want to go to my car?” He asked with desire still clear in his eyes.

“Sure.” I answered.

My body thrummed with unspent desire that seemed to lessen as we made our way over to the cars. Eli let out a grunting sound that drew my attention to him. He seemed to glare intently at something up ahead. However, when I did a brief scan to find the culprit, I came up short. I couldn’t figure out what had caused the abrupt mood change in Eli. It was only a moment later that Aiden appeared out of the shadows.

“Oh, there he is.” I told Eli. His expression was puzzled.

Aiden stomped over to stand directly in our path. His body was just as tense as Eli’s, if not more. I was dumbfounded by the whole exchange. Their entire demeanor screamed for a fight, which didn’t make any sense.

“What’s going on?” Aiden’s eyes never left Eli as he spoke.

“Nothing, I didn’t think you were going to make it, so Eli was going to take me home.” I told him. Their silent fight was beyond puzzling. Did I miss something?

“What’s up with you guys?” I asked them. Neither even offered a glance in my direction, as if I wasn’t even there. Annoyance filled me.

“Well, I’m here now, so you can go back to your party.” Aiden growled at Eli. “Come on, Bridget. I’m taking you home.” He said to me in a much softer voice.

“How about someone explain to me what all the tension is about before I go
anywhere
.” I barked, frustrated with them.
Was I suddenly invisible?

“You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let her go anywhere with you.” Eli sneered at Aiden while simultaneously ignoring me.

“Let me?” Ok, now I was pissed. What the hell was going on here?

“I didn’t mean it like that. Listen, whatever you may think, he’s
not
your friend.” Eli said to me in a much calmer voice than he used with Aiden.

“Hold on, do you two know each other?” I asked, directing the question at both of them. An unsaid message passed between them that told me there was something they weren’t telling me.

“Our paths have crossed.” Aiden muttered, obviously not willing to go into any more detail than that.

“Fine, don’t tell me. Just leave me out of whatever feud you two have going on here.” I growled.

I tossed Eli his coat. As I did, I noticed Grey and Hail were also on edge. Although they remained where they were sitting, their eyes were glued on the three of us and they appeared as if they were ready to leap into action if a fight broke out. I truly hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but if it did, I wasn’t sticking around to watch. I took off toward the woods.

“What are you doing?” Aiden’s voice roared from behind me.

“I can't deal with this. I'm choking on all the testosterone.” I threw the words over my shoulder.

I was so furious that I didn’t even feel the cold on my bare skin. My adrenaline was pumping hard as I raced on. I knew taking off was probably idiotic and over-the-top, but I didn’t care. I was drunk and pissed. I sprinted through the woods, dodging trees until my lungs felt like they were going to collapse. I plopped down, leaning back on the nearest tree and tried to catch my breath. Perhaps, I’d be camping, after all.

Eli

Eli stared after Bridget. He was shocked and more than slightly amused at the sudden turn of events.
So, her friend was Aiden Matthews,
Eli thought to himself.
Things just got exciting.
But then Eli realized what this meant. Aiden was in town. What was he doing here? And why was Bridget calling him a
friend?
There was more to this story, but Eli couldn’t think about that, right now. He was much more concerned with what Aiden’s presence meant for Eli and his brother, Sam. He knew that if Aiden was poking around, they’d never be able to finish what they’d started. Eli had had enough of this douchebag for one lifetime.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eli shot accusingly at Aiden. He clinched his fist under the jacket that now lay across his arm.

“I could ask the same of you.” Aiden shot back with a fierce glare.

“Oh, you know, cute girl, wild party. You can put two and two together.” Eli taunted.

“You lay one finger on her and you are a dead man.” Aiden threatened in his annoyingly arrogant accent, getting right in Eli’s face. Surprised by Aiden’s reaction over Bridget, he knew he’d found a sore spot he could exploit.

Eli moved even closer and whispered daringly, “Too late.”

Aiden swung his fist, catching the side of Eli’s face. It knocked Eli off balance briefly before he punched Aiden right back. Grey and Hail were on them instantly, forcing them apart.

“This isn’t the place. People are staring.” Hail warned. With neither side satisfied from the fight, tension still lay heavily in the air. Grey released Eli, but Hail still held on to Aiden. Aiden tore himself from his grip but didn’t attack, again. Instead, he took off into the woods. Eli chased after him, determined to find Bridget before Aiden did. He knew she was the key to distracting Aiden long enough so they could do what they needed to.

Eli spent twenty minutes searching for Bridget without any luck. She was apparently faster than he thought. He finally gave up and headed back to the party. He noticed Aiden’s car was gone too and he hoped that meant that Aiden had as little luck as he did. Maybe Bridget had found someone to give her a ride home.

On his drive to Lincoln, Eli thought about Bridget. He wondered why she had such a hold over Aiden. Yeah, she was beautiful. Okay, she was more than beautiful, but that couldn’t be everything. What was so special about this girl that had Aiden following her around like a lap dog? If Eli didn’t know any better, he’d think Aiden was ordered to protect her. But why?

I lingered in the dirt for a few moments, attempting to calm down. Breathing in the frigid air, I took in my surroundings. The soft light of the moon made everything seem phosphorescent. The trees all appeared tall and intimidating. Various animals made shuffling noises through the bushes that surrounded me, causing my imagination to run wild.
They are just bunnies,
I consoled my racing pulse. I decided I would walk home. I definitely needed to start moving if I wanted stay warm since all I had now was my thin jacket.

I lifted myself off the ground. I scanned the forest as I tried to access some internal compass that I knew wasn’t there. Everything looked the same, so I gave up and headed left. As I strolled along my path, I soaked in the atmosphere around me. My instinct began to pick up on an invisible energy that had a calming effect on me. The trees no longer fed my panic but, rather, snuffed it out. Somehow, I felt protected by them.

Thinking of the strange energy, I was reminded of what had happened between me and Eli. What happened to me? While I knew that it was me, it was almost like having an out of body experience. I couldn’t believe how I had attacked him like that. It was as if something else was in control in that moment.

My thoughts were broken when I suddenly had the feeling of being watched. What was a serene calm a few moments ago seemed more like an eerie quiet, now. Where were the animals? My heart rate sped up and I picked up my pace. I glanced over my shoulder, but no one was there. Yet, that feeling of someone watching me was unshakable.

I screamed as I felt someone shove me to the ground. I twisted around to see who had assaulted me, but the forest appeared empty.
I know this was not simply my clumsiness.
Someone pushed me!
I pulled myself up, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. However, once I put pressure on my right ankle, pain shot through me entire leg.

Well, this was
just great
. Now, I had to walk fifteen miles in extremely uncomfortable sandals and a sore ankle with some invisible assailant close behind me. I’d say this couldn’t get any worse, but then it’d probably start raining. Why did I always let my temper get the better of me?

After I had only moved a few feet, something caught my attention. I heard an incoherent whispering behind me. I whirled around but nothing was there. I heard it again, but this time, it was louder and it sounded like it was saying my name. It didn’t sound like a human voice but more like the wind was whispering to me. I knew that description sounded crazy, but that’s the only way to describe what I was hearing. It had a calming effect on me and my intuition told me I should follow it. I limped in the direction I heard it coming from. No matter how far I moved toward it, though, it always sounded the same distance away from me.

It didn’t stop until I found myself back at the road. However, by that time, my ankle had gone from a bearable soreness to a throbbing pain, and it had started to swell. All thoughts of the whispering wind and the invisible attacker were pushed to the back of my mind. I made it only a few feet down the road before the pain was too much.

I flopped onto the edge of the road. As I listened to the silence of the deserted street, I began to wonder what the police’s initial reaction to discovering my dead body on the side of the road would be. Considering my outfit, they’d probably assume I was a prostitute who blew the wrong politician.
Wow, my thoughts got weird and morbid when left astray.

The sound of a car driving down the road broke my train of thought. As it got closer, it began slowing down. I was unable to make out the type of vehicle since the headlights were blindingly bright. It came to a full stop twenty feet away from where I was sitting. I probably should have been terrified that it was some random psycho who wanted to chop me up and feed me to his cat, but honestly, what was the difference between freezing to death and being murdered? Either way I'd be dead. Besides, what could I seriously do if I couldn't even stand up?

While I told myself I wasn't afraid, I still felt my heart beat faster as I heard the car door creak open and slam shut. I closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands as I heard footsteps inch closer.

"Bridget." I heard a familiar voice say and I sighed in relief. I glanced up to see Aiden looming over me. "Will you please get in the car?"

I didn't acknowledge his question as I stared intently at the ground. I was still furious over everything and my petulant side won out.

"Seriously? You're freezing and from the looks of your ankle, you're hurt, but you're too stubborn to let me take you home?" When I still didn't respond to him, he said, "Fine."

He was swift as he lifted me from the ground and carried me to his car. I was shocked at how easily he accomplished this. He made it seem as if I weighed less than a feather, which I guarantee you, I do not. Once I got over the shock, I yelled at him to put me down, but of course, he didn't listen. He put me in the passenger seat and buckled me up. Then, he got into the driver's seat and turned the ignition. I wanted to continue arguing, but the heater kicked on and the warmth made me lose my train of thought. We sat in silence, except for the chattering of my teeth, for a few minutes.

“So, what was all that about?” I asked him.

"I couldn't very well leave you on the side of the road to freeze to death."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about. What’s with you and Eli?" I asked.

When he didn't respond, I glanced over at him, but I couldn't read his expression. He leaned over and switched the radio on. He sang along to some oldies song I had never heard before. I rolled my eyes and switched the radio off.

“Well?” I pressed on.

“What all happened at the party with your new
friends
? You smell like cigarettes and…other things.” He said and then muttered under his breath, “Like sex.”

“
Did you just say I smelled like sex?
” I said, shocked.

“And cigarettes. Must have been a fun party.” Aiden said sarcastically.

“Whatever, stop trying to change the subject.” I growled and he responded with silence. "Aiden, come on. Tell me what happened back there."

Aiden let out a long sigh. "It's complicated. There's a long history there."

"Could you be any vaguer? You wouldn't want it to sound like a real answer or anything." I snapped, extremely frustrated. Aiden continued staring straight ahead at the road.

"What could Eli have possibly done to you? He was…
sweet
." I couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on my face. I knew that word would push his button. I was hoping it would make him explain himself.

Aiden shifted to face me, his eyes gripping mine. "He’s dangerous, Bridget. You need to stay away from him.” His voice sounded more serious than I’d ever heard it before.

"Oh, right, you want me to never see him again, but you don't want to tell me why. Should I be seen and not heard, too?" I frowned.

"You are so
dramatic
." Aiden said, lifting a corner of his mouth.

"Shut up." It was annoying that I couldn't keep myself from smiling at that. I knew I was being dramatic, but I despised being told what to do.

"Can we please not fight anymore, tonight?" He pled.

"Fine, but that doesn't mean this conversation is over or that I'm going to listen to you." I was too exhausted to discuss this anymore.

"Okay." Aiden said with a sigh, knowing there was no arguing with me over it. "By the way, you forgot this when you stormed off, earlier.” He reached in the backseat and handed me the camera. I had completely forgotten it and was thankful Aiden had thought to get it. I didn’t have the five hundred bucks to pay the school for it.

By the time we parked in Aiden's driveway, I was drowsy and my ankle had gone completely numb. I opened the car door and Aiden said, "Wait and I'll carry you in."

"No, I can walk." I told him stubbornly, heaving myself up onto my feet.

As soon as I put pressure on my ankle, searing pain caused me to lose my balance and I fell to the ground. Without saying I told you so, Aiden darted over to me and placed my arm around his neck. He placed one arm under my legs and wrapped the other around my waist. As he did, his hand just barely grazed my breast, but suddenly I was aware of just how close our bodies were. My heart began pounding so loud I was worried he could hear it. Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized Aiden was headed straight for my front door.

"No, I have to go through my window or we might wake up Judy." I insisted.

"Okay, but we'll make just as much noise if I try to carry you through your window. I'll just take you to my house for the night." He suggested.

"Your brother won't mind?" I asked.

"No, besides he won't be back until morning."

"Okay, it's not like anybody will notice I'm gone at my house." I glanced over to the dark house. Judy would be passed out by now, but Bill probably just got home from work.

Aiden waltzed back over to his house, unlocked his front door, and opened it, all while still holding me. I was impressed, if not jealous, by his graceful movements. He took me to his room and laid me down on his bed. He found a few extra pillows and placed them under my hurt ankle. Gently touching my foot, he examined it closely.

"It doesn't look broken, but it’s deeply bruised. Do you want me to run you a bath so you can get cleaned up?"

"A bath sounds excellent." I had no idea how exactly we would manage that without him seeing every inch of me, but the thick layer of dirt that caked my skin told me it was worth the risk. I knew I was a hot mess with my disheveled outfit and swollen ankle.

He left for a few moments, and I could hear the water running in the tub. My eyes scanned his room while I waited. I'd been in here a million times over the last year, but something seemed different. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though. His walls were covered in band posters, like always. His bookshelf was still in the corner with all his favorite novels.

Finally, I spotted it. There was a painting propped against the wall on the top of his bookshelf. A sheet covered half of it. At first I couldn't tell what it was a painting of, but my heart dropped once recognition set in. It was a painting of a tree. Not just any tree, though. It was exactly like the tree from my dream.

I felt a pit begin to form in my stomach. I was probably being paranoid. I mean, a tree is a tree, isn't it? And millions of painting portrayed trees, right? Yet, I still couldn't shake the eerie feeling I had that it was the same tree. Right at that moment Aiden strolled back into the room holding a robe.

"Here, put this on and I'll carry you into the bathroom." He ordered, setting the robe down on the bed. He turned his back to me so that I could change.

"Don't peek." I told him.

"I can't make any promises." He teased, but he stayed facing away the entire time exactly like I knew he would. He was a gentleman to a fault.

"Okay, I'm done." I told him.

He carried me to the bathroom. I couldn’t help but think of how close we were and how little I was wearing. I wondered if he was thinking about it, too. If he was, he showed no sign of it. Then again, he was ridiculously talented at hiding his thoughts. I suddenly wondered what else he was ridiculously talented at. My body warmed at the notion. Once we were in the bathroom, he placed me down on the side of the tub.

"Will you be okay from here?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks." I replied and he left, closing the bathroom door behind him. The bathtub was full of warm water with lavender smelling bubbles. As I sank into the water, I could feel my muscles begin to relax. After a few moments, my exhaustion took hold and I dozed off.

I found myself back at that field. This time my dream was focused solely on the tree. Things were still happening in the background, but my focus was on that tree. I felt the urge to touch it. I wanted to grab hold of its unobtainable power. I needed to soak in its essence. It called to me like the sirens called to sailors. I needed to respond to survive. I would surely die if I could not reach the tree.

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I tried to let out a scream, but my lungs felt as if they were on fire. My eyes flew open and I realized my head was under the water. I lifted myself up, using either side of tub. I began coughing and gasping for air. Aiden barged in and rushed to me.

"Are you okay?" His voice was filled with concern.             

Once I caught my breath enough to answer I told him, "Yeah, I'm fine, now. I just fell asleep in the tub and..." It was at that moment that we both realized I was still naked in the tub and all the bubbles had disintegrated. His eyes wandered down briefly before he glanced away.

The last time Aiden had seen me naked was a few months ago. I had gotten wasted at a party at the lake and decided that it would be fun to go skinny dipping. The only problem was that it was in the middle of November and around fifteen degrees out. Aiden noticed just in time and stopped me before I got into the water. I swore I’d never get that drunk again.
Kind of like I’d sworn to stop smoking.