Page 34 of Bed of Thorns

When he exited the truck, I slumped against the passenger door, shivering the way I’d done in the shower. I closed my eyes, hating the way my heart thumped against my chest. I was nervous and excited. He was with me. He was free, but was he truly free at all? There were so many demons lurking in the shadows of his mind.

But they were mine as well.

Even closing my eyes now, visions and memories surfaced that my psyche had folded into the black box, never to be brought to the forefront of my mind again. Why had I not remembered them? What had been the catalyst to keep me from envisioning the terrible day when Edmond had been arrested? They’d been invited over to dinner. At first everything had been fine. Then Edmond and Fernando had gotten into a terrible argument, their loud voices heard over the approaching storm. Then Edmond had cursed at him, racing out the door into the night.

Fernando had gone almost insane, tossing things around, screaming at my mother. Then he’d left. He was intoxicated, as he usually was at that time of night, my mother begging him not to drive. He didn’t care. I’d known he wasn’t returning to his house. He was planning on going after his own son.

Jesus. I hadn’t thought about that night in a long time, likely as a protection mechanism. Cringing, I felt my throat closing in as it played in my mind again.

Then I remembered the phone call I’d made to Edmond warning him.

But he hadn’t answered. I’d called and called, leaving several messages, then finally leaving the house without permission. My God. I’d stolen my mother’s car.

What? Blinking several times, I tried to access what seemed to be like a real memory but I could no longer grasp anything from that night. I sat up in the seat, rubbing my eyes, pressing my fingers against my forehead in some crazy hope it would help me think of the details. Damn it. How could I forget something like that? While I knew how to drive, I didn’t have a license.

Where had I gone?

Think. Think!

The knock on the window made me jump. Still shaking, I opened the door, trying to avoid the light from the cab. I could tell my cheeks were flushed. I felt panicky inside, sick to my stomach. I’d blacked out where I’d gone and what had happened. My God.

“Are you alright?” he asked, taking my arm.

“I’m fine.” I shifted my attention to the house, lights filtering through two of the windows. While I walked to the stairs, the sense of terror as well as dread remained pooling deep within me.

What was I missing? Were there other dark secrets hiding in the furthest reaches of my mind? Were there other reasons the entire town had shunned him? I glanced over my shoulder, the headlights of the truck yet to be extinguished. The glow around him was surreal, pulling my mind into a different time and place. I shouldn’t have been able to see his eyes, but the luminosity in them released a jolt of current so powerful my body swayed. He stood still, the light breeze listing through the trees, but it was as if the entire area around us was frozen, if only for a few minutes.

A cold, heart-wrenching shudder started from my neck, crawling down like vines overtaking a precious flower, twisting and turning until its life was drained away.

And for the first in that moment, I was very afraid.

* * *

Edmond

Shadows.

Adam had once told me that shadows had always been his friend, that he’d moved through them invisible, allowing him to become whatever he wanted to be. Twilight was his favorite time of day, the quietness enveloping the world as it prepared for a long slumber allowing him to come alive. I’d never liked the darkness or the shaded silhouettes, the times when shapes and monsters were allowed to roam freely.

Oppressive, overwhelming, the breath sucked out of me. They floated around us like a warm blanket yet there was nothing but the prickly sensations of being smothered. As I stared into her eyes, I could hear her rapid heartbeat, the quick hammer pinging in my ears. She was suddenly frightened of me, her mind swirling with possibilities, but portions of her memory had been awakened. I could tell by the look in her eyes. There was no rhyme or reason, other than her realization that I’d taken her far away from what she’d believed was her life.

What she’d thought she’d wanted.

But I knew better.

I was the only one who knew what she needed.

I would be her only salvation.

Only after she slowly turned her head away from me, still shaking as she took her first step inside did I take a deep breath. The humid air did little for the wretched frigid sensations I’d had since returning to the ugly little town. Maybe one day I could learn to breathe without hesitation. Maybe one day I could sleep without nightmares.

Maybe one day everything I’d planned would come to fruition.

I closed the door, studying Mercedes as she surveyed the small but functional house. Adam’s brother had done an excellent job of keeping the structure in solid repair. He’d even provided almost everything we’d need to get us started. Food. Wine. Toiletries.

Could we be happy here? That wasn’t a question I was prepared to face.

“This is nice,” she said, but her tone was tentative as hell.

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