The Secret of Spruce Knoll (20 page)

“By raising you with normals, your parents risked exposing all of us. My parents did what they had to do to protect our kind. Your parents went hiking in the same place every year. It made it almost too easy for them. But you were supposed to be on that hiking trip.” There was an almost feral look in his eyes and he bared his teeth at her like an animal.

“My parents planned to kill you all that day. Now I’m completing the plan. Father will be very pleased,” he said with a horrible laugh that chilled her despite the fire raging at her back.

It was hard to think past her pain but she had to. There was something else she had to know. “What plans are you talking about?” she asked.

A wicked grin split Luke’s face and his teeth gleamed in the firelight. “There’s a battle coming. The last battle, really. We’re taking the Earth back from the norms and you need to die because you’re the only one that can stop us,” he said.

Tears streamed down Eren’s cheeks. As much as she didn’t want him to see her cry she couldn’t help it. He grabbed her by the throat and hauled her to her feet. His hand was like a vice, cutting off her air supply. Anger and desperation pushed back her fear and the world took on a blue tinge again. Releasing just a touch more of her control, she let energy flow into her fingers as she grabbed a hold of both of his arms. His skin sizzled as her energy burned into him. 

Luke’s eyes widened with pain but he didn’t let go of her neck. Eren felt his power rise, flow into his arms, and push back at hers. It hurt, bad. He lifted her until her feet were dangling, toes just barely touching the ground. She grabbed his arm tighter until her fingernails were biting into his flesh. His upper lip twitched but he didn’t put her down.

“You’re not just a mixed blood, you’re a freak!” he spat at her.

Eren would have cussed at him but she couldn’t breathe, let alone speak.

“Put her down or I will put you down,” Aiden’s voice boomed above the chaos.

More out of shock than compliance, Luke lowered her to the ground and turned his head to find that voice. His fingers pinched Eren’s skin and she dug her nails further into his arm. His power receded enough that it had stopped trying to overwhelm hers. That horrible pressure being gone was such a relief that it brought tears to her eyes.

“Elisabeth must have let you go,” Luke hissed as he shot his sister a hateful glare.

Aiden stepped into the glow the bonfire gave off and his gaze met Eren’s. His eyes scanned her, catching on her torn shirt. Then his gaze shifted back to Luke and became murderous.

“Let her go,” he commanded.

Luke’s arm twitched and his grip loosened slightly, as if Aiden’s demand alone had almost forced him to comply. Anger burned brighter in his eyes as he clenched his teeth and renewed his grip.

“Make me,” he growled.

Aiden threw his jacket open wide and let it fall to the ground. He was wearing only a pair of cargo shorts. A green glow flecked through with gold surrounded his upper body when he thrust his hands out to his sides, fingers spread. His hair was stirred in the breeze caused by all that power. Like water running, the green aura flowed from his upper body until it was all focused in his hands. With the force of a sledgehammer, he drove his power into Luke’s side and knocked him to the ground. Blood splashed as Eren’s fingernails tore free of his arm. It hurt but the pain was dull and distant. She must have torn a few fingernails.

Luke’s power rose and they became a tangle of seething red and green energy. Strikes with both body and power were being thrown and it was hard to tell by who.

A step in their direction swiftly reminded Eren that Luke wasn’t the only threat. The four boys began to advance on her, fast. There was no time to shed her clothing so she didn’t. Tattered pieces of her expensive blouse floated to the ground as she let go and channeled. Her power slammed into the closest boy, sending him tumbling over backwards.

She could feel that she wasn’t naked. Most of her clothes had survived the initial channeling. But they would only survive a second release of her power if she could maintain her focus.

Faking a lunge at the boy in front of her, she twisted in mid-leap and shot her power at the one to her right by thrusting an arm in his direction. It struck him in the shoulder and caused him to stumble, but it wasn’t enough. A weight landed on top of her, pinning her against the other boy and knocking the breath from her. 

A cry escaped her lips as pain scratched its way down her back. She tried to throw off her second assailant but he was too heavy. Eren heard bodies slam together and suddenly the weight pressing down on her was gone. Not wasting a moment, she rolled off the boy and scooted back to assess the situation.

Aiden was easy to locate. His green energy was more magnetic than the moon. He and Luke were still fighting, throwing power and punches at each other. Eren called to him but he didn’t seem to hear. 

The group of fighting boys in front of her tumbled so close that she had to scamper out of the way. From their power she knew one of them was the boy who had pinned her down and the other was the one who had knocked him off. She could tell, by his smaller build, that the boy who had saved her was clearly younger. Despite his size, his power was formidable. It pulsed around his hands, under perfect control. It was a mixture of blue and purple. The too long black hair that had just a bit of curl to it and the soft brown eyes were unmistakable. Though she had only seen him on a computer screen, she would know him anywhere: Fane.

Another group of kids were fighting just to her right and Eren was horrified to see that one of them was Elisabeth. The odds were not in her favor. Eren couldn’t let her fight alone, not after she had stood up to Luke for her. She called her power and thrust it at the boy that was coming up behind Elisabeth. More of her clothing floated to the ground. It was getting harder to focus. 

“What the hell is going on here?” a voice boomed over the cacophony of the fighting.

Everyone froze. Eren looked up to see people stepping out of the woods from every direction; adults. Aiden had succeeded. They stormed into the crowd of kids with a presence that was undeniable. These were clearly the Rectors he had spoken of. Power radiated out before them. It reminded Eren of the hum of an electrical transformer. Kids fell to their knees at the Rectors passing as if their legs had given out. But when four Rectors approached Luke and Aiden, they did not bow.

Two Romanian couples that Eren didn’t recognize surrounded Luke and Aiden. Even from five feet away she could feel an intense pressure coming from the adults, kind of like the pressure during a storm. It increased and suddenly Eren was very glad they weren’t directing it at her. Luke dropped to a knee and from the pained look on his face, it wasn’t voluntary. However, Aiden fought their influence to stare defiantly back at them. Finally, he bowed his head and went to a knee of his own free will. Eren was proud of his ability to defy them.

One of the men grabbed Luke by the hair and yanked him to his feet. Eren barely looked away in time to avoid seeing him mostly naked.

Her modesty was swiftly forgotten as the other three adults turned her way. That incredible pressure turned with them, falling upon her and the other five boys around her as their gazes did. The boys’ and Elisabeth’s power faded away the moment that pressure touched them.

After shooting Eren a quick wink, Fane ducked his head down to hide his face and knelt.

That pressure turned upon Eren and she felt it trying to force her power to retreat. Instinctively, she pushed back at the pressure. The adults’ eyes widened and they exchanged shocked looks. Her intention wasn’t to disobey, and she didn’t want to seem difficult in case it made them less likely to believe her side of the story. She took a deep breath and drew her power back to the core of her being. Then she realized how much of her clothing had been destroyed by her channeling.

It felt like one of those horrible dreams where she walked into school in her underwear. Only this was actually worse since she was surrounded by other teenagers in tattered clothing. Her long hair covered enough to make her feel a little better.

“Eren Donovan?” one of the women asked.

The look she gave her wasn’t friendly. As if any of this was her fault! There was no telling what the Moldovans had the other Romanians believing though.

“Yes,” Eren admitted.

Aiden slipped around the three adults and came to Eren’s side. He had his coat in his hands. Glaring at the Romanian boys cowering on the ground, he swept the coat around Eren. The cuts running down the length of her back stung with the movement, making her wince. At least the coat was long enough to reach her mid-thigh.

“Which one of you did this to her?” Aiden snapped, ignoring the adults.

Clutching the coat closed with one hand, Eren reached out and grasped Aiden’s hand with the other.

“I’ll be all right. There’s been enough fighting,” she told him.

His eyes softened as they met hers and he clutched her a bit tighter. It made the cuts hurt but she didn’t care. At this moment it felt like he was the only solid thing in her world and she might spin away if he let go.

“Aiden Moldovan, get away from that girl, now!” Camilia commanded as she stepped up.

“Don’t call me that. My last name is O’Reilly,” he snapped.

Camilia’s eyes widened and her upper lip twitched as she clenched her hands into fists. Her eyes started to glow with orange and red energy. Eren hoped she tried to separate her and Aiden because she wanted the chance to blow a chunk of her hand off.

“You insolent little son of a bitch. How dare you!” Camilia screamed.

She took a step toward them and Eren smiled as she felt her power rise. Her vision went blue. Remembering that horrible room this woman had locked Aiden in made Eren want to hurt her. In response to her anger, her power pushed out at Camilia’s until the orange glow was completely gone from the Romanian woman’s eyes. Camilia gasped and froze in mid-stride.

“Impossible,” she whispered.

The Rectors around her echoed her disbelief. Eren could hardly believe she’d done it.

A hand fell upon Camilia’s shoulder and yanked her back none too gently.

“Stay away from my granddaughter!” Zolin commanded in a voice that carried that same kind of weight that the others had used to try and make Eren suppress her energy.

The two stared one another down for a tense moment until finally Camilia tipped her head.

“Fair enough. Aiden, come,” she said as though she were commanding a dog.

“Hell no! He’s not going anywhere with you!” Eren yelled.

“Zolin do something about your mixed blood,” Camilia snapped.

Two Mayan men stepped up just in time to grab Zolin and hold him back when he lunged at her. Tugging against them, he spat threats and curses at her in the Yucatan dialect of Maya. His words would have made Eren blush under any other circumstances. She hadn’t realized her grandfather could cuss so colorfully. Had he been any younger the men restraining him wouldn’t have stood a chance of holding him back. Camilia raised her hand to slap him but one of the Romanian women grabbed it before she could swing. All the adults started yelling, which drew others to them. Eren buried her head against Aiden’s chest and tried to shut them out.

Aiden pressed something small into her hand. It was the recorder. In all the commotion she’d been sure she’d lost it. She tucked it into the pocket of Aiden’s jacket and clutched the garment tighter. If they would believe the word of a fifteen year old boy, the proof was there. And how could they not with all the other evidence?

Virgil arrived and tried to push his way through the crowd. He made it most of the way but the Mayan Rectors wouldn’t let him anywhere near Eren and Aiden. After a lot of shouting, the adults finally quieted and Zolin stepped forward.

“We will have a town meeting in one week’s time to discuss what happened here. Due to concerns brought up, Aiden will stay with the Murphy’s until that time,” he announced with finality.

Murmuring in agreement, people began to disperse. Several Romanians coaxed Virgil and Camilia away, trying to redirect their focus to their children. Eren felt a pang of fear for Elisabeth. She looked up at Aiden and mouthed her name. Aiden shook his head and held a finger to his lips. As much as Eren hated it, she knew he was right. There was little they could do for her right now. To speak up would only make things worse.

An Irish couple stepped from the crowd, looking pointedly at Aiden.

“I’ll be at your window,” he breathed against her ear, his voice so quiet she barely heard it.

He gently kissed her forehead and then walked away with the Irish couple. Watching him go was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. But at least this way he would be safe far from the Moldovans. And she knew he’d show up at her window no matter what he had to do to get there. She’d seen the fierce determination in his eyes.

Zolin moved to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Let’s go home,” he told her.

Unable to speak around the lump in her throat, she just nodded. As he led her away from the glow of the fire she scanned the clearing for Fane, but he was nowhere to be found. She wanted to ask her Grandfather to stop and find him, but she was too afraid of giving him away. It would not be good for the Moldovans to find out about him now. Things had gone from scary to downright dangerous. Now was not the time to reveal any of the cards they were left holding. Still, she couldn’t resist one last glance back at the clearing. Amidst the chaos of the party breaking up, Fane was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 36

As much as Eren wanted to talk to Alin and Fane, she had to take a shower first. She could still feel Luke’s hands all over her and though she knew it was silly, she had to try and wash the dirty feeling away. Just thinking about how close he had come to forcing himself on her made her shudder. Before getting in she opened her window wide and placed her clothes on the bench in the bathroom.

When she was rinsing the conditioner out of her hair she heard a soft thump as someone landed on her bedroom floor. A moment of fear gripped her as she wondered if Luke knew where she lived. It hadn’t occurred to her that he would dare come here. But now, vulnerable and alone, with someone standing in her room, it was all she could think about.

A sob nearly escaped her when she heard Aiden’s soft voice. “E?” 

She shut the water off and rung her hair out. It took her a moment before she could speak.

“Can you hand me my towel?” she asked.

It appeared over the top of the shower curtain. She dried off quickly, wrapped the towel around her, and stepped out into his arms with only a moment’s hesitation. The ordeal with Luke had left her so scared that even the possibility of Aiden’s anger flaring up worried her. She was fairly certain he would never do anything to hurt her, at least not on purpose.

The strength that had kept her on auto pilot melted away and she gave in to tears. Aiden scooped her up and carried her to the bed where he held her and let her cry. Her fear faded away and she was happy to let it go.

“This is becoming a routine for us,” she said with a sniffle.

“I don’t mind,” Aiden said after kissing her forehead.

Eren never wanted to move, but she had to. For one, the cuts on her back were like lines of fire, and two, she had to face her family and tell them what she’d found out. They hadn’t heard the proof on the recorder yet. Come to think of it, neither had Aiden. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to hear it. Reluctantly, she pulled away and went into the bathroom to dress.

Neither her top nor her bra was going to work. The cuts ran from the top of her shoulder blade down to the middle of her back. There was a sundress she had that tied at the neck and had no back. It had straps that crisscrossed over the back and gave some support but she didn’t have to put those on. She went back into the bedroom and turned to go into her closet.

“My God Eren!” Aiden exclaimed.

When he said her name she felt his breath upon her neck. He was behind her that fast. He traced the undamaged skin to the side of one of the long cuts. Eren trembled at his touch, not out of fear or because it hurt, but because it felt good. He had never touched that much of her bare skin. His hands were gentle and she knew—unlike Luke—he’d never touch her more than she wanted. The main difference was; she craved Aiden’s touch.

Eren was so distracted that for a moment she forgot why he was touching her, it only mattered that he was. She froze and he drew his hand away. With her back still to him, she dropped her shirt on the closet floor and grabbed her dress. Though she gasped at the pain lifting her arms caused, she managed to slip it on. She pulled her shorts off and stepped back out of the closet.

“How bad did he hurt you?” Aiden asked hesitantly.

It dawned on her that he didn’t mean the boy who had cut her. He was afraid of what Luke had done to her before he’d gotten there. Shaking her head, she looked down at her feet, unable to meet his eyes. While Luke may not have had the chance to do what he wanted to her, he had tried and Eren felt ashamed of that.

“He tried to. . .” she just couldn’t say it, so she went on, “but he didn’t.”

Aiden made a sort of growling sound and started to shake. Though it scared her, Eren crossed the distance between them and took his face in her hands. His energy stung but she ignored it.

“He didn’t, he didn’t,” she repeated until he calmed and his eyes focused on her.

Rising up onto the balls of her feet, she kissed him, fighting not to cringe at the slight electric shock. There were tears in his eyes when she pulled away. She wanted to wipe the guilty look from his face. None of this was his fault. She had known the risks going into it.

“Luke chained me in the basement. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get to you at all. And if it weren’t for Elisabeth, I wouldn’t have,” he said.

A tear slid down his cheek and she rose up to kiss it. This time his energy didn’t hurt and the salty taste was unexpectedly delicious. As she was licking it from her lips Aiden caught her off guard by turning to press his lips to hers. The kiss was long and anything but sweet. When he pulled away he left her tingling all over.

“We’d better go downstairs before your aunt comes up after us,” he said with a smile.

Too dazed to speak, Eren just smiled back and nodded. She remembered to grab the recorder before they went downstairs. Three sets of eyes turned and stared at them as they walked into the kitchen. Aunt Sylvia didn’t look up from the coffee she was preparing and from her rigid stance Eren could tell she was very upset. No one seemed surprised that she came down the stairs with Aiden.

“Fane, Alin, this is Aiden,” Sylvia said as she put the creamer back in the fridge.

Eren sat down at the bar next to her grandfather. Aiden remained standing just behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Alin reached out and shook Aiden’s hand while Fane eyed him with a calculating gaze.

The computer screen had not done Alin justice. He was much more handsome in person. He gave Aiden a thankful smile and shook his hand like he meant it. Eren got up and went around the bar to hug him and Fane. Fane was very careful of the cuts on her back.

“Thanks for saving me,” she told him.

“Anytime. He helped, though,” Fane said with a flick of his chin in Aiden’s direction. “And don’t worry, the guy that did this to you is hurting just as bad,” he grinned.

“Right on,” Aiden laughed as he high-fived Fane.

It appeared they were going to get along splendidly. Eren shook her head at the two of them and went back to sit down in front of Aiden. Sylvia gave her a chastising look as she handed Aiden a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a bag of cotton balls. Taking the hint, Aiden moved Eren’s hair out of the way and opened the peroxide.

“I’m sorry, E. This is going to hurt,” he warned.

He was right it did hurt, a lot. Every time she winced he whispered an apology so she tried really hard to be strong. Even though she couldn’t see it, she felt Aiden’s power flare ever so slightly and the pain faded considerably. Despite the risk of discovery, he had healed her a little. She almost had to laugh at the protective way Fane kept a close eye on Aiden’s every move, it was very sweet. But Aiden was the last person Fane needed to protect her from. Had he seen what Aiden did? If so, would he say anything?

“You didn’t get hurt did you?” she asked Fane.

He smirked and curls bounced as he shook his head.

“Not a chance. Those guys were slow and undisciplined,” he laughed.

Eren smiled and shook her head. Most of the guys her age didn’t have the vocabulary Fane did, and English wasn’t even his first language. Not only was he very well educated for his age, he was a voracious learner. Each time they’d talked on the webcam he had insisted she teach him something new about American culture. She should have guessed it was because he and his father were planning to come to America.

Finally Aiden put the peroxide down and Sylvia handed him a tube of ointment. She hardly even felt it going on. How much had he healed her?

“What, channelers don’t use something, oh I don’t know, a little more mystical?” Eren joked.

“Yes on a normal wound. That won’t heal as fast as a normal injury would on you though,” Sylvia snapped.

Suddenly Eren realized why her aunt had been so quiet and hadn’t looked up until now. Her face was contorted in a look of concern and fear.

“Aunt Sylvia I’m—I’m so sorry,” she said.

“You’re sorry? You were hurt, pretty badly. You
could
have been killed! If Aiden and Fane hadn’t gotten there in time then I . . .” her voice failed her as she turned into Alin’s embrace.

Eren felt horrible. The pain of the scratches was nothing compared to what she’d put her aunt through. She knew there had been a risk in going to that party. She had underestimated just how big that risk was.

“Your mother and father’s death was very hard on Sylvia. She couldn’t bear to lose you as well,” Alin said as he stroked his wife’s hair.

“What were you thinking, Eren? What made you take such a risk?” Zolin asked as he squinted and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

Great, she had made her grandfather worry too!

“To get the proof we needed, and I got it,” she said as she set the recorder on the bar.

All eyes turned to it except for Sylvia’s. She had her face turned against Alin’s chest and was shaking her head back and forth. To see her like that broke Eren’s heart and made it swell at the same time. She had never imagined that anyone besides her parents would care so much about her.

“It’s all my fault. I’m the adult, I should have found proof so she wouldn’t feel like she had to,” Sylvia was mumbling.

“Aunt Sylvia, no! Don’t take the blame for this. I made the decision to do this because it was my parents and Aiden’s that those people killed. I wanted to help, to do something for them,” Eren said.

Aiden stepped around to Eren’s side and put his arm around her shoulders. She reached over and grabbed his other hand in both of hers, thankful beyond words for his presence.

Fane picked up the recorder and hit play. Aunt Sylvia and Zolin looked impatient as it played through her and Luke’s walk to the party and the introductions done there. When it got to the part where Luke took her off into the woods Aunt Sylvia looked horrified. Aiden’s energy started to spike. It got to the part where Luke said he didn’t care, that he was going to have her anyway, and Aiden began to shake.

“I’ll kill him,” he grumbled.

“Shh,” Eren murmured as she lifted his hand and kissed it. His energy didn’t hurt her this time. Either he was getting better at controlling it or her energy was getting better at counteracting it.

His shaking stopped but the fire remained in his eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zolin and Alin exchange a look. She was pretty sure that look had something to do with her and Aiden’s interaction. If her Uncle or Grandfather tried to have the sex talk with her it may very well be the end of the world.

“Listen,” Eren chastised them.

The part came when Luke said Eren was supposed to die with her parents that day and how he meant to complete the plan. Aunt Sylvia drew in a sharp breath and the men cursed.

“Yes my dear, I think this will do. Combined with the other evidence we have, this should be enough,” Zolin said as he patted Eren’s arm.

“Luke may tell his father what he said. Should we worry about them leaving town?” Fane asked.

Eren had to admire his quick thinking. She hadn’t thought of that.

“No, he won’t. Because I’m going to kill him first,” Aiden swore.

Fane smiled and nodded at his father. “I like him,” he said with feeling.

Eren turned to face Aiden, squeezing his hand so hard that his eyes focused and he looked at her. The worry and fear must have shown on her face because his angry look turned to guilt.

“Please don’t put yourself in danger again. Please don’t go after him,” she said.

After a moment his eyes fluttered closed and he nodded.

“Luke won’t tell Virgil. He’s too concerned with pleasing him to admit to him that he screwed up,” Aiden said with a sigh.

“Virgil doesn’t know I’m here and he has no idea that we’ll be addressing the Rector Council about him and Camilia. They won’t run,” Alin said with a confident nod.

A tremendous amount of relief came with knowing that the killers of her and Aiden’s parents would be held accountable. Finally, she asked the question that had been eating at her for months.

“What will happen to them?” she asked, the words almost a whisper.

Alin’s eyes filled with pain and Eren was reminded that this was his brother they were talking about. He had to swallow hard before he could answer. Aunt Sylvia reached over and squeezed his hand.

“I’m recommending servitude. Fifty years to Aiden’s family and fifty years to yours,” he told her.

Eren felt kind of stupid for not knowing what that meant. She turned to her grandfather with a questioning gaze.

“They were already exiled so servitude is the next step. To put them to death would mean they wouldn’t have to atone for what they’ve done. I will support Alin’s recommendation,” Zolin said.

Eren and Aiden both nodded in satisfaction. Death would be too swift, too merciful considering all the damage those two had done. This seemed much more fitting. Something about Luke was still bothering Eren though.

“What do you think he meant by their plans for a battle with the norms? And me being the only one who can stop them?” Eren asked.

The adults were silent as they exchanged looks that made Eren feel left out.

“My brother is probably planning some kind of foolish attempt at starting a war. But it won’t matter once he’s sentenced. Then they won’t be able to do anything. Who knows what he meant by you being the only one who could stop it,” Alin said.

Eren shook her head. It had felt like much more than that when Luke made the threat. Saying it out loud felt like it would make it real though and as much as it needed to be done, she couldn’t bear to do that.

“What if it’s more than just your brother and his wife who are involved in the attack plans?” Aiden asked.

Relief brought tears to her eyes. Somehow, Aiden had known exactly what she needed of him. But the adults didn’t look concerned.

“Victor is no doubt the instigator. He always has been. Without him, their Rector, the others won’t do anything,” Alin said.

Aunt Sylvia and Zolin both voiced their agreement. There was no point in arguing. They weren’t going to listen. Besides, maybe they were right. 

“With that out of the way, let’s talk about what I saw Eren and Aiden do,” Fane piped up.