Burning Bridges (39 page)

I glanced down
at
my body and took note
of the fact I was in the dress M
other had made for the wedding. The train tailed behind me, covered in dirt and torn at the edges.
It
looked black in the darkness. It stunned me that I even had it on, but I was more surprised by my hands and the way dirt clung to me as if I
’
d been hiding out in the forest for years. I tried to brush some of the dirt from my bodice as I walked and tried to remember my reason for being out alone at night.

My hand felt something cold around my neck and I reached up to touch it.
A necklace
, I thought,
shaped like a heart
.

Ayden.

My heart beat quickened in my chest and my feet moved faster as if they, too, longed
for
the comfort only Ayden could bring. Grabbing my dress at the hem, I ran forward through the dark screaming for Ayden. I noticed then that my muscles ached and how quickly I began to lose my breath. My voice grew hoarse, but I screamed anyway. I was answered each time with silence, though, and I lost my fight little by little.

I stumbled over something hard and fell to my knees. Tears rolled down my face and they tasted bitter on my tongue.

Ayden. Where are you?

A hand touched my shoulder gently
and I turned expecting Ayden. Though it was dark, his violet irises shone bright.
“
Ayden? Oh gods, Ayden! I thought I lost you.
”
I climbed to my feet and jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. I cried into his shoulder and refused, even for a second, to let him go.

When he pulled me away, I expected him to say something. Preferably something that would explain why we were here. Wherever
‘
here
’
was.  Instead, he mumbled something incoherent and pointed behind me. I began to ask him what he was talking about when I heard the coughing.

I peered over my shoulder and saw a tall mountain I hadn
’
t seen before. Alwaenia was naturally a flat country, so for a mountain to be in the middle of the way was ridiculous. I moved closer and a rancid smell overtook me. It smelled like rotten flesh and burnt hair. A sudden burst of light flashed and I saw the mountain clearer. When the smell and the coughing finally made sense, I immediately wanted to turn back. But when I glanced behind me, Ayden was long gone.

“
Echo!
”
a voice called out. I searched the darkness for the familiar voice, but found no one.
“
Echo!
”

The same burst of light went off again and I wandered towards it. The voice called out for me insistently
and I followed. I barely made it to the mountain before I felt a tug on my dress.
“
Help me,
”
the same voice screamed. This time I knew who it belonged to.

“
Issy? Issy, where are you?
”
I thought I
’
d been dreaming, but
in
this moment as I looked for Issy in the starkness, I
’
d never felt so wide awake.

I found Issy on the ground just below the mountain and nearly dived for her. She was curled up into the fetal position with her hands around her calves. I knelt down and immediately took her face in my hands. I cringed at the sight of blood.

She coughed and said,
“
Echo
, I
’
m so sorry. I tried to stop them.
”

“
Stop who, Issy?
”
I wiped the blood from her nose and the tears from her eyes.

“
I tried, but I failed, Echo. I am so sorry,
”
she mumbled.

“
Isobeli, you aren
’
t making any sense! I
’
m getting you out of here.
”
I wrapped her
arm around my shoulder and tried
to pull her up. She screamed in pain and pushed me away.

“
No! You can
’
t save me now, it
’
s too late.
”

“
Are you mad?
”
I about shouted to the heavens. Isobeli was the only reason I
’
d survived life in New Haven all those years. I couldn
’
t go without her.
“
Come on, I
’
m taking you to Ayden.
”

“
It
’
s too late!
”
Issy screamed. Her eyes found mine and she smiled through the blood and tears.
“
To the moon and back, Echo. Don
’
t worry, I
’
m not going anywhere. You just need to kill them. Kill them all.
”

“
Who are
you
talking about, Issy?
”

“
The people trying to hurt you. You need to get out, Echo. Get out. Get out now!
L
eave!
”
Issy screamed the words over and over again until it was all I could hear. She scared the hell out of me, but it was Isobeli and I wasn
’
t leaving her side.

“
I
’
m not going anywhere, Issy. I can
’
t leave you here, you
’
re bleeding! Please, let me help you.
”

Isobeli stopped screeching long enough to turn her head to me and say,
“
You need to help yourself before it
’
s too late, Aleksandria.
”
Her voice was blood-chilling and oddly calm. Before I had time to make sense of it, she began screaming again and it pierced my eardrums to the point where they began to bleed. Reality shattered like glass and I was thrown back into the wide abyss of nothing…

I awoke with a start and a hoarse scream erupted from my throat. My body was covered in sweat and my nightgown stuck to my body. I was
,
once again
,
greeted with darkness and I could have sworn I was still in the dream.

“
Echo? Are you okay?
”
Warm lips pressed against my temple and an arm wrapped
around my shoulders. Without thinking, I leaned in closer and sighed, thoughts of the nightmare still plaguing
me
.

“
Yes, I think so.
”
My head lay against his chest and I clung to him as if he
’
d disappear if I dared let him go. After the dream I had, it wasn
’
t an impossibility.

“
What happened?
”
Ayden asked.

“
I had a bad dream. Gods, it was awful.
”
New tears welled in my eyes and he held me closer.
“
Issy was dying and you-you…I don
’
t know. You were there, but then you were gone. There was a mountain and a light. I was so confused.
”

Ayden shushed me and lay me back on my pillow. I was no longer tired, but lying in bed with him seemed perfectly ideal.
A storm raged outside the window like a bad omen.
“
It was just a dream,
”
he crooned. He kissed my shoulder and for a while we sai
d nothing. I could have lost myself in his embrace if only Issy
’
s face hadn
’
t been on my mind—her screams
, the blood, the tears. Her words.

You need to get out, Echo. Get out. Get out now!
Leave!

“
What is
this?
Her!
”

The voice was so foreign I had assumed
it was all in my head, but when
Ayden turned and jumped from the bed
,
I knew it wasn
’
t. A tall girl with dark eyes, black hair, and a deep complexion stood in the doorway dripping with water. Her clothes stuck to her body and the bag around her shoulder looked heavy. Her tattoos told me she was a Hunter.

“
Feven?
”
Ayden said.

Feven?

“
Yeah, it
’
s me,
”
the girl said, eye
s shooting to
me.
“
Who
’
s she? I leave to come back and you
’
ve already got me replaced?
”
Her eyes hardened with tears.

“
You left!
”
Ayden screamed. He paced the room and ran his fingers through his hair.
“
You left, Feven. And I didn
’
t replace you.
”

“
No, I guess not. I was going to ask you if I could stay the night, but I see you
’
ve got other
things
to do. I was never good enough for you anyway.
”

When the girl named Feven stormed out from the room, Ayden followed her out. I remained in bed and listened to their conversation in the kitchen.

“
Wh
ere
’
d you find her, Ayden
?
”
Feven asked.
“
Is she your new girlfriend now? I saw the way you held her. Like you cared!
”

“
Are you saying I don
’
t care about you? Feven, you left! Twice, if I can remember. What happened to this person you were staying with?
”

“
He
’
s married!
”
Feven
’
s voice cracked and I sunk lower into the blankets.

“
You
’
re kidding. You were messing around with a
married
man, and then you expect me to just take you in again? Don
’
t you think I
’
ve given you enough chances to prove yourself, Feve?
”

“
You
’
re all I have, Ayden! I-I thought he loved me, but his wife miscarried and he said he couldn
’
t do it with me anymore. I just want to matter for a moment. Not her, not him, but
me
.
”

I heard Ayden sigh, and then say,
“
Did I not make you feel like you mattered? I invited you into my home, you met my family, and that still is not enough for you?
”

There was a brief pause just before Feven belted out,
“
I loved you, I still do! But you wouldn
’
t give me the time, you saw right through me, Ayden. But you notice her, that girl in your bed? You
’
ve known her probably weeks and yet she gets all the attention I
’
ve worked years to get from you.
”

“
It
’
s not the same,
”
Ayden whispered.
“
F
even,
I love you, you know that. I don
’
t know what I did to lead you on, but my love for her is different
from
my love for you.
”

“
You love her,
”
Feven said with finality. Footsteps sounded and she said,
“
Have a nice life with her, Grey.
”

A door
slammed,
and then I heard Ayden groan. I didn
’
t know what to think of what had just happened. I was speechless, that much was true, but I couldn
’
t help thinking:
Feven
’
s real?

Ayden walked slowly back into the room and I sat up in the bed.
“
I
’
m so sorry,
”
he whispered.

I went to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“
It
’
s okay. Who was she?
”