Secrets Abound (Supernaturally Bound Book 1) (5 page)

I stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around myself. I decided my bath was over. Aiden helped me back to his bed. My outfit had disappeared along with the dirty sheets. I knew Aiden’s OCD had gotten the better of him and he was already starting to clean up. He handed me a couple of painkillers.

"Do you want anything to drink?" He asked me.

"No, I’ve swallowed enough water for one night." I told him. After a pause, I decided I'd ask about the painting.

"When did you get that?" I asked him, pointing to the top of the bookshelf.

"My parents sent it to me. They bought it when they were in Paris.” He informed me.

"It's interesting." I commented. He studied me like he was trying to read my expression.

"It's just a tree, nothing special." He asserted.

"It's just...very familiar." I said ambiguously.

I had not told Aiden about my dreams. I hadn’t told anyone, for that matter. Dreams were on the list of things I was not comfortable talking about, but I had to know more about the painting and maybe Aiden could help me.

"Familiar how?" He pressed.

"Well." I hesitated but made the decision to continue. "I've seen that tree before. Not physically, but I have these dreams. Well, one specific dream really. It’s just sort of a recurring one." I babbled.

“Bridget.” Aiden cut off my incessant babble.

“Right, sorry.” I described the dream to him. His eyes became wide as I told him everything.

"And you're telling me the tree in this painting looks like the tree in your dream?" He asked me with an expression that seemed to say his mind was running a hundred miles a minute.

"No, I'm telling you the tree in the painting
is
the tree in my dream." I maintained.

"Come on, Bridge. There are a lot of trees in the world. I highly doubt this painting is the same tree from your dreams. Besides, I'm sure the tree in your dream is more symbolic than literal."

"Yeah, maybe." That possibility hadn’t crossed my mind, but it made sense. From the little I knew about dream interpretation, the things in your dreams usually represented something else.

"Listen, it's been a long night. I'll take the painting out of here for now so you can get some sleep."

I nodded. The thought of trying to sleep with that painting a few feet from me didn't sound too restful.

"Where are you going to sleep?" My question seemed to throw him off for a second as if he hadn't thought it over.

"Probably, on the couch or in Ash's room." He answered.

Ash was Aiden's brother. He had taken Aiden in when their parents decided they were going to focus on business and travel around to other countries, striking deals or whatever it was they did. Aiden had explained it to me once, but I hadn't been listening.

"Here's one of my shirts for you to sleep in if you want." Aiden tossed me a white cotton shirt. I slipped it over my head, getting a whiff of its scent. It smelled like Aiden. I resisted the urge to bury my face in it to inhale it further.

"Hey, Aiden?" I said right before he closed the door to leave. He opened it back up enough to stick his head in the room. "Thanks for coming back for me."

"Always.” He smiled and I knew he meant it. “Now, go to sleep." And with that, he closed the door, and I was left in a dark room. Sleep captured me instantaneously.

Aiden

Aiden lounged on the couch flipping through the channels on the TV as he waited for Ash to return. He had so much to tell him but wasn’t sure what it all meant. He at least knew Bridget’s dreams were a clear confirmation of her identity. He had hoped she wasn’t the one. After growing so close to her, the last thing he wanted was to drag her into this whole mess. He was almost tempted not to tell Ash, but he knew with Eli setting his sights on her, Sam wouldn’t be far behind. If they figured out who she actually was, the situation would get complicated and Bridget would be caught in the middle of it all. He couldn’t risk that. No, he had to tell Ash, tonight.

Bridget

The attic was dark and dank as my eyes searched for some unknown item. I felt an energy tug at me with a captivating lure. All the unfamiliar items were coated in dust except for a single corner to my left.
These must have been recently stored here,
I thought to myself. As I made my way over, it was as if something called to me from that corner. While the words were unfamiliar, the message was clear. It wanted me to come closer.

I crossed the breadth of the attic only to come face to face with the painting from Aiden’s room. It was entirely uncovered, now. There was no denying this was the tree from my dream. This painting was definitely what drew me to the corner. Staring at it made me feel as if I were right back in my dream, which allowed me to recall details once lost. I brushed my hand across the surface at the heart of the tree. Forgotten words echoed through my mind. Memories of an urgent conversation resurfaced.

“Do as we discussed. Do not stray from the path. Her destiny is in your hands, now. Keep her safe. May Hecate be with you, my loyal servant.”

“My Qu-.”

“No, our enemies reach is great, even in this world.”

“My mistress, I swear my fealty to you and this child. I will safeguard her with my life.”

The women’s voices struck a chord buried in the depths of my brain. I dug deep through layers of memories in search of it. I could sense it but couldn’t quite find it. My efforts were cut short when a thud traveled through the walls. I crept down the stairs so that I could hear what was going on. I paused halfway down so as not to be seen. I could hear Aiden and Ash having a hushed conversation.

"This happened tonight?" I heard Ash ask in a low voice.

"Yes.” I heard Aiden say quietly.

I wondered what they were talking about. Was he telling Ash about Eli? A pang of guilt surged through me for eavesdropping, but my curiosity was overpowering. I wanted to know more.

"So, now we know for certain. We have to tell the Elders." Ash said. Elders? What were they talking about?

"What happens then? What do they plan to do?" Aiden questioned.

"It'll be up to them. We’ll simply have to wait for their decision on the matter." Ash asserted. It sounded like they were discussing Ash's work.

“That’s not good enough. I need a guarantee on her safety.” Aiden growled.
Her safety?
What had Aiden told me that Ash did again? For the life of me, I could not recall. Was it dangerous?

“Need I remind you, you are still on rocky ground with the Elders after your last stunt? You are not in any position to be making demands.” Ash asserted.
His last stunt?
Aiden was in trouble with Ash’s work? Were they even talking about his job?

I felt a jerking sensation and, suddenly, I was back in bed. What just happened? Was that a dream? It hadn’t felt like one. I shifted on the bed causing the springs to creak.

“Shh.” I heard one of them say.

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon and coffee. Without even thinking, I hopped out of bed. The moment I stood, I remembered all the events from last night, especially the part about my ankle. Instantly, I fell back down on the bed. My ankle was still sore as ever, although the swelling had decreased since I kept it propped up all night. I glanced around the room to find something I could use to hold myself up with.

That's when I noticed a pair of crutches leaning against Aiden's dresser. He must have found some in the attic when he took the painting up there last night. Oh
geez
, I had forgotten about the painting. It all seemed silly, now. No wonder Aiden stared at me like I was crazy. What made me think that the tree from the painting was the same tree from my dream? I hoped Aiden had forgotten my ramblings from last night.

I grabbed the crutches and used them to make my way to the kitchen. Aiden was placing a plate of bacon, eggs, and French toast on the table. I sat down, and he handed me a fork and a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." I sipped the coffee. "Aren’t you going to eat?" I asked him when he slid down in the chair across from mine without any food.

"I ate when I woke up, three hours ago." He pointed at the clock on the wall. It was eleven thirty. I was surprised I had slept so late.

"If you already ate and I was asleep, then why'd you cook all this food?" I asked in between bites. I was too hungry to devote all my attention to the conversation.

"Well, I hoped if you started smelling the food, you'd wake up, and I was right." He smirked. He knew me too well. Then, his expression changed and I could tell there was something he wanted to say.

"What?" I asked him.

"Nothing, I wanted to apologize for last night. I shouldn't have acted like that. I just lost it when I saw you with
him
." Aiden explained. I didn't know how to respond to that. Was he saying he was jealous? Or that he was simply worried? Probably the latter.

"It's okay. I might have overreacted, just a little." I confessed.

"Overreact? You? No, never." He said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes but continued to eat.

After a few moments I asked him, "Are you ever going to tell me the deal between you and Eli?"

"It's a long story and I promise to tell you later but for now, please just trust me when I say he's not someone you want to be around."

I raised an eyebrow. "You know, he said the exact same thing of you. Why should I believe you over him?"

"Well, A) you've known me longer and B) you can never trust a guy wearing a gold watch. That's a fact."

"This is all true." I said not indicating whether I would do as he asked or not. Honestly, I still hadn’t made up my mind, yet. I couldn’t explain it, but I had felt a connection with Eli. Was I willing to give that up?

"So? Are you going to stay away from him?"

"I'll think about it." I told him. Knowing that he wouldn't get any further with me on the subject, he dropped it.

"There's an extra toothbrush in the medicine cabinet, and I got you a towel if you want to take a shower."

"Thank you. I think I will." I told him. “By the way, you can get the painting out of the attic, now.”

“How did you know I put it in the attic?” He asked.

His question caused me pause. How did I know? I hadn’t actually seen him place it there. My mind trailed back to my dream last night. Had it even been a dream? If so, then how did I see the painting in the attic when he could have put it anywhere?

“I just assumed.” I lied as I scrambled into the bathroom.

After I finished my shower, I wrapped myself in a robe and limped to the living room. I could hear Aiden in the kitchen washing dishes. Normally, I'd help, but I'd be more in the way with my crutches than assistance.

I lounged out on the couch, grabbed the remote, and switched the TV on. I flipped through channels and stopped at the news. There was a picture of a young girl around my age on the screen. I raised the volume so I could hear what they were saying.

"Another young girl, Kimberly Turner, has gone missing as of last night. Police have not confirmed whether they believe it to be linked to the recent kidnapping and murder of three other young girls all matching the same description as Kimberly. The police do, however, advise all women to remain alert and try to avoid being out after dark in Lincoln."

I focused on the pictures of the four girls on the screen. They were right. All four had blonde hair and were all the same age. And three out of the four were dead. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Once they moved on to another story, I started flipping through channels, again. I decided to watch an old black and white sitcom. It was an episode I'd seen a million times, so I wasn't paying that much attention to it. I started getting lost in my thoughts.

The news story made me think of Nicole. She fit that same description, and she lived in Lincoln. I was relieved to not have seen her picture on the screen, but it still made me worry. I hoped she was smart enough to be cautious. It was probably pointless to hope for Nicole to be smart enough for
anything.
I instantly felt a pang of guilt after that thought crossed my mind. I regretted not getting her number. I guess I could always Facebook her and Tiffany on Monday in BCIS.

Eli popped into my mind. I knew Aiden wanted me to stay away from him, but there was no way he could be as terrible as Aiden thought. However, I didn’t want this to come between us. I hated fighting with Aiden. Besides, I refused to be the type of girl who would choose a guy over her friends.

As much as I liked Eli, I knew we were simply too different. That comment that Aiden had said earlier about the gold watch could have easily been something I would have said yesterday. I mean, as much as I loved Cassie, I knew she’d never understand my world, and I never tried to make her. All she understood were boys, money, and clothes, and that was as deep as she got. Which is sufficient for someone who I’m merely friends with, but could I ever date someone from that world? I guess it’s not worth losing my friendship with Aiden to find out.