The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (5 page)

Just for shits and giggles, I typed her name and the high school into a search engine. I knew it was a waste of time, and that nothing would come of–

Several pictures appeared on my screen as the results popped up. The small, pixilated pictures were all from the high school’s website. The caption to the first picture read, “Seniors Emily Hayes and Derek Webber Enjoying the Last Dance of Prom.” I clicked on the picture to enlarge it.

It was her. Beautiful and smiling at the camera, it was her. She was in a darkened room, on a dance floor, crowds of couples slow dancing around her. Tables lined the outskirts, decked out in white linens with lush, white flower arrangements.

Loose waves framed her face, and her dark green dress really brought out the gold flecks in her eyes. Her date embraced her in their dance, but he hadn’t turned to look at the camera like Emily. Instead, he stared down at her as they danced–his expression nothing but complete adoration.

Did she feel that way about him?

My chest ached as soon as the thought popped into my head. I winced and rubbed my breastbone, shutting my laptop in the process. It must have been indigestion. Or something.

Chapter Five

Tuesday, August 25
th

Emily rolled her hips, clamping her inner walls around my cock as she rode me. Her hands cupped her breasts, her fingers teasing her nipples. She threw her head back and moaned, her long dark hair tickling the tops of my thighs.

“Please, baby,” she breathed. “Make me come.”

I jerked awake, face down and panting in my giant bed, my legs tangled in my sheets as I thrust against the mattress. My boxers were sticky and wet.

What the…? Fuck.

Rolling out of bed, I peeled off my boxers and tossed them in the hamper on my way to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, trying to calm my racing heart.

The shower didn’t help, so I threw on some clothes and checked the time. It was a little after three in the morning. A run through the woods might calm me down.

Only half of the moon was visible in tonight’s black sky. I began jogging, the moonlight fading in and out through the overhead branches. I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t much care–I let my feet lead the way.

I drowned out the sounds of the forest and focused on my breathing, which was even and controlled as if I were standing still, not running through the forest at a preternatural speed. The wind felt nice on my skin, fresh and cool as it whipped against my
–

Emily’s hands on my skin, gripping me closer–her breath on my neck, hot and humid–my face pressed into her hair, her scent overwhelming me–my hips moving against her, my throbbing shaft enveloped in her hot, wet–

I closed my eyes and stumbled as flashbacks from the dream assaulted me.

Emily’s hands on my stomach, tracing her fingertips lower and lower until she gripped my rock-hard–

My eyes popped back open. Open was definitely better. I staggered in the surrounding woods of my house, grabbing onto the trunk of a giant spruce tree for support. I leaned against it, trying to catch my breath.

Holy shit, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think straight. My thoughts tangled with the explicit images until I couldn’t tell what was up or down. The dream had been so vivid, so clear, that I could have sworn it was all real.

Shit,
why
did I dream about her like that? I didn’t
want
to think of her like that. It was totally inappropriate and wrong.

But oh,
sweet Jesus
, it’d felt so right.

Through breaks in the boughs, I saw patches of the night sky. I stared at it for several seconds, trying to calm the hammering in my chest and the throbbing in my shorts.

A soft crunch in the branches above grabbed my attention. I knew better than to think it was just a squirrel or some other furry little critter. Inhaling, I immediately recognized the scent of the person with me.

“How’d you find me?” I called out.

“That’s no way to greet your brother-in-law. And
what
was that little conniption fit about? It was quite amusing.”

I glanced up, seeing Matt straddling a large branch, his legs dangling off the sides. He grinned.

My jaw clenched, but I ignored the question. “Did Mel send you?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“
Did
she?”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course she did. You never answer her calls anymore… She’s worried about you, you know.”

“I’m quite capable of taking care of myself, thanks.”

“I know you are, smartass, but your sister has a point. You shouldn’t live so far from civilization.”

I ran my fingers through my hair and frowned. “This
is
civilization.”

He swung his leg around and dropped twenty feet to the ground, landing in front of me with an almost inaudible thud. “You know that’s not what I meant. You belong with
us
, with others of your kind.” He put a hand on my shoulder, his eyes imploring. “Come
home
.”

I backed away from him and settled against the spruce tree again. My toes dug into the dirt, lifting up clumps of soft earth. “That’s not my home anymore. I have no reason to go back.”

“What about Mel? What about your parents?”

That was a low shot, and he knew it. “What
about
them?”

“They miss you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

I shrugged. “It’s not like I never see them.”

“Oh, yeah? When’s the last time you went home?”

I shrugged again and looked at my toes playing in the dirt. “It’s been–”

What…almost forty years?

Shit, has it really been that long?

“A while,” I mumbled.

Matt shook his head. “You’ve really changed, you know that?” A faint smile parted his lips. “We used to have fun together. Remember the sixties?”

I smirked, leaning my head against the tree. “No.”

He laughed. “
See?
That’s what I mean. We used to have a blast. Remember that time we got arrested at the Nashville Zoo?”

Did I ever. Matt and I got popped for public intoxication. We broke into the lion exhibit because he said I couldn’t win a fight against a lion while I was drunk, and back then, I’d never backed down from a challenge.

Besides, fighting a lion? That was a piece of cake.

The police didn’t even charge us with trespassing or breaking and entering. They said it was punishment enough being complete morons.

It was worth it, though. The look on that lion’s face… Man, he was
pissed
.

I smiled at the memory. “Of course I remember. That’s probably the only fight that lion ever lost.”

Matt wiped away the tears that had spilled onto his cheeks as he laughed. “I miss that kind of stuff.” As we began walking towards my house, all traces of laughter slowly faded from his face. “I can tell you’re bored, Thomas. I don’t have to see you every day to know that.”

I hated that he was right. But what was the alternative? Go home and face disappointed looks and whispers?

Fat chance.

Besides, I couldn’t put my family through that. I’d already disgraced them once, and I wasn’t about to do it again by returning. Their failure of a son was going to do the right thing for once and stay far, far away.

Chapter Six

EMILY

It was cooler outside but still humid as I walked through the student parking lot. Security lights flickered on and I looked up to the dusk sky. Shades of orange, pink, and red in the west blended seamlessly into the purples and blues of the east. The moon peeked out, its crescent shape barely visible, like a ghost in the sky.

I looked over my shoulder and quickened my pace. I knew the chances were slim, but I didn’t want to risk running into the fucktard from yesterday. Being arrested for assault didn’t really fit into my plans for this evening.

My car beeped as it unlocked and I found my sneakers–the whole reason for my trip out here–in the backseat. I also found several other things I’d forgotten to unpack, and before I knew it, I had a whole pile of crap I needed to carry back to my dorm. I searched for a bag to put everything in, but came up empty-handed.

Maybe I can carry it all.

Nope. “Son of a–” Things kept falling out of my arms the more I piled on. I’d have to make two trips. “
Fuck
.”

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I hit my head on the roof of my car and pulled myself out from the backseat. I’d been so absorbed with my task that I hadn’t realized anyone was around…or that my ass was bent over, with my pink and white pajama shorts riding up.

Fantastic.

I turned around, subtly trying to pull my shorts down where they belonged, which was
not
in my ass crack where they currently were. Gabriel stood behind me, smirking.

My face grew hot. Of all the times to run into him...
Awesome
. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was there.”

He shrugged, the smirk still plastered on his face. “Don’t apologize. It was a great view.”

My face felt like it was about to burst into flames, and I looked away, hoping he couldn’t see. “So, um…how are your classes?”

“Fine. Yours?”

“They’re fine.” I picked up an armful of my stuff, dropping a few bits and pieces. “Crap.”

“Here, let me help.” He reached down and swooped up the rest of my things.

“Oh…thanks.” I shut my door with a swing of my hips and locked it with my key fob. “My dorm’s not too far away, if you don’t mind…”

He shook his head. “Not at all.”

We walked in silence as I tried to think of something to say. I couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound lame, so I kept my mouth shut. The seconds ticked by and the tension grew. It was moments away from becoming the most awkward situation
ever
, when he spoke.

“I, uh… I was gonna call you…”

Aaaand
now
it was the most awkward situation ever. He just
had
to mention the elephant in the room, didn’t he? Why couldn’t he be a gentleman and pretend it didn’t happen?

I winced at the reminder that no, he hadn’t called after I’d given him my number. He held my building’s door open for me, and I crossed over to the elevator, holding my elbow out to hit the “up” button.

I looked anywhere but at him. “It’s fine.”

The doors slid open and I brushed past him, sticking out my pinkie to press the button for the third floor. He walked in, the doors closing behind him.

“I really was gonna call. I just wanted to give you a chance to get settled first, that’s all.”

The elevator lurched as we ascended, and the beeping of passing floors filled the glaring silence. It dinged when we reached the third floor.

I took a deep breath as the doors opened. “It’s only been a week, so don’t worry. You didn’t break my heart or anything, I promise.” I glanced at him before walking out.

He jogged to catch up with me. “I wasn’t implying that I did, I just…know how girls can get. They read into things too much, and I didn’t want you to take it personally.”

I laughed. “Trust me, my list of shit that’s gone wrong this week
doesn’t
include missing a phone call from you, so consider your conscience clear.”

“I– That’s not what–” He fumbled over his words as I awkwardly gripped my doorknob and turned, pushing the door open.

I heard the shower running as I walked in and dropped my stuff on the sofa. Gabriel followed suit and dropped his load next to mine.

“That’s really not–” He shook his head, as if to clear it. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here,” he said as I walked him back to the hallway. “Maybe I can make it up to you over coffee?”

My head rested against the side of the door. “Can’t right now.”

“Some other time, then?”

I faked a smile. “You’ve got my number.”

Chapter Seven

That evening, I decided to do more digging into Emily’s past. It didn’t make sense that she’d actually gone to a human high school, and in
Dallas
, no less. We had no population in Dallas–or Texas, for that matter. It was too hot for us.

Another search for “Emily Hayes” turned up several profiles on a social networking site. I scrolled down until I saw a profile picture of Emily, and clicked on the link. Laid out before me was a treasure trove of information. Her name, date of birth, hometown, where she went to high school, her current school,  her favorite bands, movies, TV shows, her friends, her family, correspondence with her friends and family, and pictures. So many pictures.

I really need to get on this Facebook thing.

The same couple kept popping up in various photos of Emily’s life, growing older as the years progressed. I studied the man and woman, tagged as Sophie and Richard Hayes, and frowned. My eyes scanned the couple once more, noting the tiny red veins in their eyes and the general plainness of their features. They had the same last name as Emily, but there’s no way they could be related. This couple was human.

I backed out to the main page of Emily’s profile, scrolling down to see who she had listed under “family.”

What the–

Emily had them listed as her mother and father.

That’s not possible.

I clicked on the man’s profile, seeing he was a realtor from Dallas. He had pictures of Emily from her childhood, most of which contained his happy, smiling face.

I searched for her birth certificate next, wondering if these people showed up on that too. The first document I pulled up wasn’t a birth certificate, but…court papers. For an adoption.

The papers didn’t take long to read through, since most of the information was blocked out. But from what I could gather, it had been a closed adoption. I stared at the computer screen, the puzzle pieces slowly fitting into place. Those really were her parents. Her adoptive,
human
parents.