Contained (Evolution Series Book 5)

By Kelly Carrero

Copyright 2014 by Kelly Carrero

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author holds the rights to this work. It is illegal to reproduce this novel without written expressed consent from the author herself.

Cover Design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.

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Formatting by Polgarus Studio

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The moment Nathan fell at my feet, a spark of hope lit up my soul. I thought everything was over and I could lead a normal life. But I was wrong. Something far more disturbing was haunting my dreams and I didn’t know what to do.

Fear was gripping my throat and choking me as I watched in horror. It was a vision. A woman stood before a man who was strapped to a chair, paralysed.

His eyes flared with fear, as if he knew he was about to take his last breath and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

An evil smirk played on her lips as she tilted her head to the side, and a second later, his head twisted unnaturally to the left until I heard a deafening crunch. He’d endured an agonisingly painful death, trapped in his own body, without a fighting chance.

But it wasn’t over. I wanted to look away but it was impossible. I had to continue watching what was about to happen.

The woman walked closer, leaned down, and drew in a deep breath as if she were getting high off his death. A satisfied smile spread across her face. She straightened and got ready for her next move.

Without laying a finger on him, she ripped off his head then placed it in his lap, positioning it so his eyes were staring up to where his head should’ve been.

With a smirk, she turned her back to him and winked at me as if she knew I was watching.

I woke up in a cold sweat. My chest was heaving as adrenalin pumped through my body. I was going to be sick.

Aiden stirred beside me. Not wanting to explain why I was in such a state, I pushed into his mind and made him fall into a deeper sleep as I dashed to the bathroom.

Afraid I wasn’t going to make it in time, I transported the rest of the way, fell to my knees, and lifted the seat just in time. My body convulsed as I emptied my stomach’s contents, the whole time trying to erase the vision that was playing on a loop in my mind. But it was pointless. What I’d seen was etched on my soul. It was something I couldn’t escape, no matter how much I wanted to.

Collapsing against the wall, I curled my knees up to my chin and hugged them tightly as tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn’t know the man in my vision but I knew her. The girl who had just decapitated him… was me.

Rolling onto my hands and knees, I pushed myself to my feet and wiped away the tears. I went over to the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed water over my face, hoping that it was all just a dream and I was going to wake up any second. But of course, that didn’t happen. My life was never that easy and it was only going to get worse.

Putting my hands on the basin, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and wondered how I could possibly become that person, when all I wanted was peace and a bit of normalcy. What I witnessed in my vision was anything but normal.

Sighing, I leaned against the doorframe and watched the steady rise and fall of Aiden’s chest, completely unaware of what was going on around him. I hated controlling him like I’d just done. But there was no way I could explain why I was in such a state. I never believed I could be capable of killing someone without mercy. Even after everything Nathan had put me through, I couldn’t bring myself to end a life when there was a better alternative. I quickly dismissed the idea that Nathan was responsible. It had been three days since he’d been admitted to the psych ward, and someone would’ve contacted either Aiden or me if he’d escaped.

I knew it wasn’t really a possibility, but I desperately tried to convince myself that was the only answer, because the alternative was so much worse. I could fight Nathan, but how was I supposed to battle myself?

Trudging back to bed, I climbed in and curled up against Aiden’s chest, his rhythmic breathing lulling me into a peaceful state.

The sun was starting to rise on another beautiful day in Thailand and all I wanted to do was stay tucked up in bed with Aiden where the world felt safe, but he’d already made plans with Lucas to go fishing at dawn. And I was never going to be the girlfriend who came between him and his friends or family.

Shoving my fears to the back of my mind, I went inside his mind and removed the Jade induced coma I had put him in.

Aiden stirred beside me, and although I couldn’t see his face, I knew his eyes were open. He kissed the top of my head then a second later his body tensed. “Are you okay?”

I nodded.

He shuffled to the side so he could see my face. “Are you sure?”

Forcing myself to smile I said, “I’m just a bit tired. You know how much I like my sleep.”

Aiden knew something was up but he didn’t press it. I had given him the same excuse yesterday.

“That I do,” he eventually said as he ran his hand down my back and pulled me closer to him. “I could call Lucas and tell him we’ll go fishing another day.”

Tilting my head back, I looked into his eyes and forced a smile. “How about Chelsea and I come with you guys? We could get a boat and make a day of it?” I had no idea why, or when, I was going to become a brutal murderer, but I didn’t plan on letting the possibility consume me. Aiden and I were finally free to enjoy our life together and I would be damned if I was going to let myself get in the way. The future wasn’t set in stone and I was going to do everything within my power to be the person I wanted to be.

Aiden drew his eyebrows together as he studied my face. He couldn’t hear my thoughts anymore, and it was driving him crazy. But there was no way I was going to let down my barriers when I had something so monumental to hide.

I sat up and threw the sheet off my legs. “Besides, I still need to show Lucas how awesome a fisherman I am, otherwise he’ll think I’m all talk.”

Aiden chuckled. “I don’t think there’s a soul alive who will think you’re all talk.”

I sighed. We were never going to escape what Nathan had done. “We’re going to have to face the media at some point, aren’t we?”

He grabbed my hand and tugged me back down to him. Resistance would’ve been easy, but I did as Aiden wanted and melted against his chest.

“Yeah, we are. But not today.” He brushed my hair behind my ear. “Today we’re going to pretend we are normal teenagers doing normal teenage things. We’ve never heard of Nathan. Government agencies all over the world aren’t trying to find us. And the internet isn’t filled with video’s of us doing the impossible.”

“And Harry isn’t wanting to do tests on me to try and save the world from pain and suffering.”

“Harry who?” he asked, sitting up.

I smiled. “Exactly.”

Aiden grabbed my hand as he stood, pulling me up with him. “Go put something on and maybe we can grab a coffee on the way over to the marina.”

“Sounds good.” Coffee was one of my biggest weaknesses. And had been used as Nathan’s way to control me. But I just couldn’t resist the taste.

I went over to the closet and pulled out a bikini. The humidity at that time of year didn’t allow us to wear much else, but even so, I slipped a beach dress over the top, grabbed a couple of towels and shoved them into my beach bag.

Aiden caught me in his arms as I headed out of the closet. He was wearing a pair of boardies and nothing else. I grinned, once again revelling in the weather for blessing me with the opportunity of seeing his Godly body uncovered day in and day out.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” He cupped my cheek in his hand and kissed me, biting my lower lip as he pulled away. “’Cause I’m sure Lucas would understand.”

I laughed, because that’s all I really could do to stop myself from taking him up on his suggestion. But for once, time was on our side and I didn’t want him to ditch his friend. “As much as I’d love to, I want to see how Chels is going.” That wasn’t a complete lie. I was dying to find out what the go was with her and Lucas.

Gazing at me with lust in his eyes that made me question my decision to do the right thing, he shook his head and pressed a kiss on my forehead, thinking how I could make it up to him later.

Breaking away, he slipped the bag off my shoulder and threw it over his.

“I sent a message to Lucas with the change of plans. They’re going to meet us down near the harbour,” he said as we made our way down to the sand.

It would be the first time I’d seen Chelsea since the day we arrived in Thailand, and I could only imagine the stories she would tell. I was sure that she and Lucas had gotten together, but Aiden and I, caught up in our own love life, hadn’t given theirs a second thought.

An eerie feeling settled over me as we passed Jaidee’s. His little café had been our favourite place to eat when we had been living there before, and I prayed that he’d been able get his business back in order.

“You know, it’s only 6:15 in the morning,” Aiden said. “Most people don’t open those types of businesses until at least nine.”

I looked up at him and smiled. He couldn’t hear my thoughts but he knew me well enough to know what I was thinking. “Are you sure you can’t hear me anymore?”

He draped his arm over my shoulder and sighed. “Yep. And my confidence has taken a real dive since I can no longer hear you thinking how sexy I am.”

I laughed and nudged my elbow into his ribs.

Aiden clutched his hand over the spot I’d hit him and moaned.

“Oh, my god.” I grabbed at his hands, trying to move them but he collapsed to the ground. My worst fears resurfaced. I was turning into something else, and all hope I’d had that my future wasn’t set in stone came crashing down.

Kneeling in front of Aiden, I reached for him again. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He lifted his eyes to meet mine, a cheeky grin playing on his lips. He’d been feigning his injury. I hadn’t hurt him at all. A second later, his hands wrapped around my waist and he hurled me over his shoulder, and took off toward the water.

I squealed at him to let me go, which was really quite stupid because I could get free anytime I wanted.

The water splashed my face then Aiden collapsed into the sea, bringing me into an upright position, my dress clinging to me. A moment later he emerged from the water, his body pressing against mine.

My breathing became rapid as I was reminded of the very first time I’d seen Aiden. And then, how relieved I was to find out that he’d fallen in love with me on his own. Nathan never had any part in our relationship except for making the Scotts come over to the Gold Coast in the first place. He’d also made sure Aiden was at the beach the same day as I was, but everything else was us.

Aiden was my soul mate and I was his. And nothing on earth could change that—except maybe those visions. But I wasn’t going to think about them. I was going to try and live in the now and enjoy the man of my dreams without a care in the world.

Aiden cupped my cheeks in his hands and pressed his lips against mine, deepening our kiss as he ran his hands down my sides. Grabbing on to my ass, he lifted me so I could wrap my legs around him.

“Eww! Enough already,” Lucas called out.

Tearing our lips apart, Aiden and I turned to the beach. Lucas and Chelsea were standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel they were staying at, each holding two coffees.

Aiden’s hands went to my waist, allowing me to slide down. He gave me one more kiss before we headed back up to Lucas and Chelsea.

“I thought you’d want a coffee, but a bit of privacy probably would’ve been better.” Chelsea winked.

God, she was incorrigible. I loved her to bits, but she really did have a one-track mind. Getting my hormones in check, I took the coffee she was holding out to me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She barked out a laugh. “Yeah, whatever. If we hadn’t turned up when we did, you two would’ve been making babies in the sea.”

My eyes widened. “Chelsea!”

She laughed as she slapped my arm. “I’m kidding. You guys are way too young for babies. A puppy maybe” Her eyes lit up. “Ooh. You guys should totally get a puppy.”

Ideas started ticking over in Lucas’s mind. He was head over heels for my best friend and was taking major notes of her likes and interests.

“No puppy.” I looked at Lucas.
“For any of us.”

“Fine. No puppy,”
Lucas said, silently to me as he handed Aiden his coffee.

“Thanks,” Aiden said.

Lucas breathed in deeply as he looked out to the ocean. “So where are we going today?”

Aiden glanced behind him at the sea then shrugged. “Wherever.”

“Can we hire the boat we had last time?” Chelsea asked, her blond hair softly blowing in the breeze.

“Sure,” Aiden said, heading down the beach to where he left our bag. He picked it up and trotted back to us then laced his fingers with mine—and Chelsea and Lucas did the same. Her thoughts instantly went to the memory of his hands exploring her body for the first time.

I pulled out of her head with a bitter, twisted expression on my face. That was so not an image I wanted of my best friend and my brother. I looked over to Aiden and saw the exact same expression I had.

“Sorry, guys,”
Lucas said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I think she’s just given me nightmares for the rest of my life,”
I said.

Lucas found it hard to suppress his smile.
“Welcome to my world.”

My eyes widened in horror as I thought about everything he would’ve seen and heard before I learned to block my thoughts. It was one thing to capture an image of your best mate and his girlfriend but it was another to see your best mate with your sister. I shuddered.

Aiden laughed then pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.
“And that’s why everyone learned your signals before your thoughts ever went too far.”

“Except I have one very… disturbing image before I figured out what your triggers are,”
Lucas said.

“Oh, God,” I buried my face into Aiden’s side.

Chelsea turned around. “What?” She eyed off the three of us when no one responded to her. “I hope you guys weren’t talking about me.”

We shook our heads but didn’t say anything, which made us look even more guilty.

She glared at us. “Well, it better have been about what puppy you should get me for my birthday.”

“Chels, you don’t even have a house.” I instantly regretted what I said but Chelsea wasn’t fazed.

“And whose fault is—” She bit her lip to make herself stop talking when she realised that it was because of Lucas’s father. Even though Nathan was my father, too, Lucas had grown up with him, thinking he was a normal, not so affectionate dad, not the monster he turned out to be. She placed her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

Lucas pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be. He’s the reason you don’t have a house. And he’s the reason your mum was burned.”

Chelsea quickly glanced at me and smiled.
Thank you
, she thought. Chelsea knew I could hear her thoughts but she didn’t know every other next gen could hear her, too. I wasn’t sure how it would go down when she found out. But, if Chelsea was going to live with us the truth would eventually come out. It was inevitable. What happened to her ex-boyfriend, Ben, was something I never wanted to divulge. Nothing good could ever come from that knowledge. Nathan was locked up and would never see the light of day. Chelsea was safe. Everyone was safe—except maybe from me.