The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (40 page)

I laughed and lay on him, his chest slick with sweat as his heart pounded in my ear. He ran his fingers over my hair. His other hand rested on my back, grazing my skin.

“I could stay like this forever,” I murmured against him. Lifting my head, I propped my chin on his chest to look at him. “What’s it like?”

He brushed my hair back, his blond brows pulling together. “What’s what like?”

“Forever.”

Slow. Long. Lonely.

I hugged Emily to me, her body cool and soft against mine. “It’s not as great as people make it out to be.”

She frowned and rolled off me, lying on her back. “I still think it’s gotta be neat. I mean, just imagine how much you’ve
seen
. And how much more is still to come.”

I watched her mind at work, staring off into space as a thousand different scenarios surely went through her head. She’d get her wish. She’d see for herself what was still to come, and I’d be right there next to her. Forever.

Now’s your chance. Tell her.

“Emily, I–”

The words caught in my throat, my mouth suddenly desiccated. 

Do it. You have to fucking do it!

I swallowed. “I–”

Sitting up, she frowned and searched my eyes.
 
“Thomas, what is it?”

I cradled her neck in my hand. She was so beautiful. So innocent... I didn’t want to ruin this. This moment, her entire world–take your pick. 

My thumb stroked her cheek. “I just wanted to tell you that...I love you.”

She smiled and kissed the pad of my thumb. “I love you, too.” Lying next to me, her head went on my chest. Several seconds of silence passed as she traced circles on my stomach. “So what happens if someone tries to break their contract?”

“That’s grounds for excommunication… If your mate doesn’t kill you first, that is.” At her arched brow, I smiled and shrugged. “We’re very territorial. We don’t like to share what’s ours.” 

“But you have no problems sharing your mate with humans?” she scoffed.

I
would, but the others didn’t. “They don’t really see humans as a threat.”

She ran her fingers up my stomach and chest. “So if
I
were your mate…” 

“It’d be the same as it is right now–I’d kill anyone that tried to touch you, human or otherwise.” But I didn’t want Emily as a mate. I wanted her as a wife.

She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Chapter Sixty-One

Friday, December 18
th

Thomas, Matt, Mel, and I were supposed to meet in the food court five minutes ago. I was running late, as usual. Mel said she wanted the “entire human experience,” so her and Matt were celebrating Christmas this year, and met us at the mall to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

My feet were sore, and my hands hurt from carrying all my bags, but I still picked up my pace as I headed for the food court. Neon signs came into view, and I paused by a directory, scanning the very crowded seating area. I did a double take when I saw Thomas off to the side, talking to Amber, that skank waitress.

She laughed at something he’d said, throwing her head back and placing her arm on his bicep. He politely shrugged her off, but it was too late–a sudden and all-consuming rage overtook me, flowing through me as easily as if it were my own blood. My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack. My nostrils flared as the edges of my vision blurred, taking on a reddish tint as I zeroed in on her. That bitch would pay.

She leaned in and whispered something to him. By the look on his face, he didn’t like whatever she’d said. She was oblivious, though, smiling seductively at him before sauntering away.

In an eerily calm move, I turned and went back the way I came, going the long way around the food court to the bathrooms, where it looked like Amber was heading.

I quickened my pace down the deserted corridor. She turned to look over her shoulder at the sound of my echoing footfalls. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me, and she faltered for a second before breaking out into a dead run. I dropped my bags and sprinted after her, easily catching up to her as she made it into the empty women’s restroom. She disappeared into a stall, trying to swing the door shut. I shoved it open, causing the door to collide with the wall and make a terrible thundering sound. She yelped and tried to squeeze into the tiny space next to the toilet. I kicked the door shut, grabbed her by the throat, and spun her around, pressing her back to the door.

Her eyes were shiny and panicked, her breathing ragged as she tried to claw at my hand. “Please, I can explain! It’s not what it looked like!”

I vaguely noticed a citrusy scent, but chalked it up to the residual smell of disinfectants.

A fresh wave of anger came over me, the odor quickly forgotten. “You sure?” I hissed, barely recognizing my own voice. “ ’Cause it looked like you were trying to fuck my boyfriend.” I leaned in closer, so that my mouth was to her ear. “I’ll let you in on a little secret: I don’t share what’s mine. And Thomas is
mine
. Got it?”

She nodded as best she could, considering I had a death-grip on her throat. Her neck was incredibly warm under my hand, and I felt the tiny pulsing of her vein under my thumb. Some odd, deep-seated instinct told me to bite her. I hadn’t felt it since The Incident in sixth grade.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I dropped her and took a step back. I didn’t trust myself not to follow this weird and fucked-up instinct. My hands trembled as everything in me screamed not to let her go.

She needed to get away from me.
Now
, while I’d still let her. “Go,” I said, balling my hands into fists to keep from grabbing her.

She swung the door open, scurrying past an elderly woman as she ran out. I kept my eyes down as I went to the sink, feeling the old lady’s stare bore a hole in me the whole time. I splashed some cold water on my face and dried off, trying to breathe deeply and calm myself. It didn’t work.

I suddenly remembered the bags I’d dumped outside the bathroom, and ran out into the corridor.
Oh, thank God
. They were still there. I sighed in relief that somebody hadn’t jacked them while I was…losing my mind, apparently.

The drive back to Thomas’s was quiet, the only sound being the occasional squeak of my windshield wipers. Lost in thought, I stared out at the narrow two-lane road, my headlights illuminating the barren trees lining the shoulder.

My violent reaction to some random slut-bucket hitting on my boyfriend hadn’t been rational. Of course, being jealous in that situation would be the normal response, but it was so much more than that. I wanted to make her suffer. I wanted to 
hurt
 her. Slowly. And very painfully.

At that moment, it felt like there was something inherently
evil
living inside me.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Thomas’s voice got my attention, and I sighed, turning down the heat. “No, I’m not.”

“What’s wrong?” He stared at me, worry etched on his features, before glancing back out the windshield, his eyes suddenly growing wide. “
Em, look out!
”

It was all over in a matter of seconds, but those seconds seemed to last an eternity. The road curved in front of us, dark and wet with rain. Someone had hit a deer, and their mangled car sat at an angle on the road, no cars able to get around them. Because of the curve in the road, I didn’t see the traffic until it was too late.

I slammed on the brakes and instinctively turned the wheel. The tires skidded and squealed on the wet pavement as I lost control of the vehicle. We broke through the guardrail and for a few seconds we were airborne. Plummeting towards the ground in a nosedive, we finally smashed headfirst into the forest floor. 

My eyes opened slowly, my vision spotty, blackened, and blurred. Excruciating pain immediately flooded me, and I groaned in agony.

“
Emily!
”

Why did Thomas sound so far away?

The air bags had deployed, blocking most of my view. I looked out my window, but nothing made sense. Everything was upside down and millions of glass shards sparkled on the forest floor and the roof of my car. My arms hung limply in the air, and my hair brushed against the roof. I couldn’t feel my legs. I didn’t know if it was the seatbelt cutting off my circulation, the steering wheel crushed up against me, or if I was paraly–

I didn’t want to finish that thought.

Blood was everywhere, darkly glistening in the night. I felt the warm, slow trickle of it on my face, working its way up instead of down.

My lungs felt so heavy that I couldn’t breathe. They made a sickening gloppy sound as I tried inhaling, followed by sharp bursts of pain in my chest. It felt like trying to breathe in a knife.

My blood tasted metallic and salty as it pooled in my throat and mouth, choking me. I spit it out and tried moving my arm so I could unbuckle my seatbelt. Another stab of pain hit me. I looked up and saw my broken arm, the bone protruding from a bloody gash.

“
Emily!
” Thomas screamed. He sounded closer this time.

“Thomas,” I gurgled, blood muffling the word.

I’m dying.

Everything slowly darkened as my eyelids grew heavy, the surreal realization repeating in my head until I lost consciousness.

Chapter Sixty-Two

THOMAS

I woke on the cold forest floor. Staring up at the bare branches and night sky, I let raindrops hit my face and prick my eyes. How long had I been out? And why the fuck was I outside?

I blinked, sitting up slowly. My head hurt something fierce, and my clothes were damp, torn, and bloody–  

“Thomas!”

I looked up to see Mel running towards me, her arms flailing and face horrified.

Why…?

She was in front of me a second later, eyes wide and brimming with tears as she kneeled down. “Are you okay? We were behind you when– No, Tommy, don’t move.”

I frowned as her voice faded out. Why did she call me Tommy? She hadn’t called me that since we were kids.

“Matt!” she called over my head. I turned to look behind me, but she caught my face in her hands and brought it back. “No, don’t look,” she pleaded, her face anguished. 

Why is she crying?

I pushed her off me and turned, seeing wreckage. It was Em’s car. Or what was left of it. 

Jesus Christ, the accident...

Upside down, smoke rose from the mangled front end, the car’s tires still spinning in the air. Matt peered down into the driver’s side, his face grim. He looked up and met my eyes, slowly shaking his head. 

My breath left me like I’d been socked in the gut. 

No!

I rushed to get up, but my body didn’t want to cooperate. I fell as soon I’d managed to get on my feet. “Emily!” My fingers dug into the dirt as I scrambled to get up again, my knee almost buckling under my weight.

Matt got in front of me, pushing back on my chest as Mel grabbed my arms. “You don’t want to do that, Thomas.” He was a solid wall of muscle as I struggled against him. “You don’t want to see her like this.
Trust me
.”

Tears stung my eyes as I fought them. “
Lemme go!
” My throat went raw from the force of my scream, but I didn’t care. I just fucking had to get to her. Why couldn’t they see that? “
Emily!
”

A gurgled response came from inside her car. It tapped into whatever reserve of strength I had left, and I shoved them off me, running towards her. The pain in my knee? Didn’t feel a goddamn thing. All that mattered was getting to Emily.
She
was all that mattered.  

Little shards of shimmering glass littered the forest floor, scattered among the wet leaves.
Oh, dear God
. Blood was everywhere. The thick, dark splotches looked more like oil stains in the night, but the unmistakable coppery scent hung in the air. 

She let out another gurgle when I reached her door. I ripped it off its hinges, the metal groaning loudly, and saw her hanging limply upside down, strapped into her seat. I flung the door aside and wrapped my arm around her torso, wincing as it sloshed and deflated under me. Ripping out her seatbelt, she fell into my arms.

Fully hysterical now, I dragged her out of the car and lay her on the ground. Pacing back and forth, I broke into sobs. Blood matted Emily’s hair to her face. She wasn’t breathing. Her chest remained still and slightly concave. I ran my fingers through my hair, yanking on it, as sobs trembled through me. 

She’ll come back. She
has
to come back.

I repeated this over and over in my head, but I wasn’t sure it could happen. She hadn’t matured yet, so there was really no telling.

Dropping to my knees, I gathered her lifeless body in my arms and held her close, pressing my cheek against her forehead as I rocked back and forth. My chest felt like it’d been ripped open and my raw throat was so tight, I could barely breathe. I pet her hair and kissed her forehead, shaking from the force of my sobs. “
No, baby, no. Oh, God, please no.
” My eyes squeezed shut as I prayed for a miracle.