Coldhearted (9781311888433) (46 page)

Arianna was silent. Now Edie knew Tristan had
been telling the truth. Arianna looked ashamed. Edie knew that look
only too well. She’d felt it creep up on her face, after she’d
kissed Tristan, and then later, when she’d admitted that she’d
liked it. It seemed no matter how malicious he was, no matter his
crimes, neither Arianna nor Edie could completely resist him. He
had all the looks of an angel, but the temperament of a demon; a
lethal combination.

If Lucifer had a son, it would be Tristan
Lockhart.

Adrian, unlike his brother, wasn’t easily
swayed to the dark side. With his other hand, Adrian cupped
Arianna’s cheek, caressing it. “I told you. I forgive you, my love.
Don’t listen to him. He’ll keep this up all eternity. You must be
strong, okay?”

Arianna nodded and gave him a small smile.
“Okay,” she agreed.

Tristan rolled his eyes. “Forgiveness,” he
spat, as if the word were poison on his tongue. He looked at Edie.
“Can you believe these two idiots? Edie, you can’t leave me with
them. They’ll annoy me to death—pun intended. Please, save me!”

Edie advanced and stood above him, staring
down into his dark, blue eyes. “If I thought you were worth saving,
I would, Tristan, but you’re beyond redemption.”

He growled and threw her sweater on the
floor, as if it were now, garbage. “You’re nothing but a hypocrite.
You call yourself a Christian when your heart’s as hard as stone.
You think God looks favorably down upon you? You think the angels
are singings your praises? Well, they’re not! A liar is equated
with a murderer, Edie, don’t you forget that! We’re one and the
same. Romans 3, verse 23: ‘For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God.’”

She was reminded of the time when she and
Uncle Landon had spoken about life and immortality; the maze and
the chapel on that cold winter night. Her uncle and Tristan had one
thing in common: they’d been in competition with their brother over
the love of the same woman. Where they vastly differed was how
they’d handled their loss: Her uncle ran away. Tristan committed
murder.

Edie crouched before Tristan. “You’re not the
only one who can quote Scripture,” she said, and then quoted what
he hadn’t: “Romans 3, verses 24 and 25: ‘and all are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through
the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to
demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.’”

Tristan was on the verge of crying. “Even the
Devil can quote Scripture.”

Alas, he was forever stubborn.

“
Am I the Devil?” she asked
him, wondering what he truly thought of her.

Tristan gave her a crooked, humorless smile.
“No. I met him once. He didn’t want me, either.” He started to cry,
tears falling down his cheeks.

She cupped his cheeks with both hands, so hot
to the touch, and took her thumbs, wiping the tears away. “I
forgive you,” she said. She meant it, feeling a great weight lift
off her shoulders, but she never, ever wanted to see him again.

She let go of him, stood up, and then nodded
at Adrian and Arianna. “Thank you.”

“
Go,” Arianna
said.

“
Be at peace,” Adrian
added.

She gave them a farewell smile, and then
looked at Tristan. He’d stopped crying.

“
Goodbye,” she told
him.

His eyes were dark, the lapis lazuli almost
appearing solid black. He looked absolutely evil. “I’ll find you,
Edie. Wherever you are, I’ll find you. One day, I’ll be free of my
keepers, and on that day, I’ll come looking for you. You won’t be
able to hide. We’re bound to each other, forever. You’re mine and
I’m yours, remember?”

That was the truth, so she nodded to him in
agreement, promising to always remember. They were tied together,
no matter the distance. Their connection had nothing to do with
romance, with love. She would forever be bound to him by her
memories, both good and bad. Yet his claim on her was only from a
desire to be free—free to harm—free to kill. And if on that
terrible day, he escaped, and found her, she just hoped that she’d
know a way of restraining him for good. Perhaps they’d go
somewhere, far away, on a remote island of rock and crashing waves,
full of wind and desolation, where no man or animal dared to
approach. She’d bind him there, and they’d live out the rest of
their days, in misery.

Until then…well, she’d live, as only a
corporeal ghost could, spending each day with family and friends,
in peace, grateful of the freedom that she’d been given, not
wasting a moment to reflect on the what-ifs that plagued mortal
minds so much. Perhaps she’d see Mason again, perhaps she’d see her
parents, or perhaps she’d see no one but the living, and that was
all right.

She wasn’t going to sulk, but rejoice in the
fact that she had friends and family, who cared enough, loved
enough, to put themselves in danger—knowing how lethal Tristan
could be if let loose—in order to free her from the pair of
spiritual shackles that she’d been forced to wear, separating her
from her fate as keeper over the dead.

But she shouldn’t gloat, not yet. She still
wasn’t free.

Chapter 31

Jules was still holding out the necklace, the
golden, heart-shaped pendant with Love in rubies, luminous against
the gloom.

The foyer wasn’t lit—Tristan must have cut
the power—but Gunnar and the others had been prepared and brought
flashlights; its beams were dancing all around the house, trying to
find Edie.

When Edie reach for the pendant, Tristan
yelled, “NO!” and struggled free of his captors.

As she grabbed the pendant, he grabbed her
free hand, pulling her away. The necklace jerked free from Jules’s
hand, and she gasped, realizing what’d happened.

“
She’s here!” Jules
announced, giddy. She jumped up and down. “She grabbed the
necklace.”

Flashlight beams danced everywhere.

“
Edie?!” everyone cried out
in unison.

“
Where is she?” Russell
asked, sounding frustrated. “Adrian promised this would
work.”

“
And it will,” Adrian
grunted to himself, trying with all his ghostly might to pull
Tristan away from Edie.

Arianna joined in, prying Tristan’s fingers
from Edie’s, while Edie secured the necklace in her other hand.
Tristan had been trying to snatch it from Edie, but now he failed,
as the combined strength of Adrian and Arianna subdued him.

Tristan was on his knees again, cursing and
yelling, mostly at Edie. “You bitch!” he cursed. “How dare you
leave me?! You love me, I know it!”

Edie was firmly holding onto the pendant, but
her friends and family had yet to find her.

Maybe she had to put in on.

Yet she waited and turned toward Tristan.
“Yes, I love you, Tristan.”

Tristan’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“
I love you, and I forgive
you. Don’t struggle against Adrian and Arianna. Live in peace.
You’re home. It doesn’t have to be full of gloom and oppression. It
can be bright. It can be full of love. Forget the past and start
over. I’ll always remember you, and if we do meet again, I hope
it’s as friends, and not as enemies. Goodbye.”

Tristan was fighting back tears, trying not
to seem weak. “I’ll always remember you, Edie, but in my mind,
you’ll be the one who betrayed me the most.” It seemed that she
hadn’t been able to get through to him. Tristan would always be a
losing battle. “I never forgive, and I never forget,” he warned
her. “And don’t pray for me. God has abandoned me. He did the day I
was born.”

Adrian gasped and squeezed Tristan’s
shoulder, gently. “Brother, don’t talk like that.”

“
Shut up,” Tristan growled
at him, and followed up with, “your whore girlfriend is squeezing
me too tight.” He smirked. “Then again, she always did like it
rough.”

Arianna let go, ashamed of what she’d done
all those years ago. Tristan was cunning; he’d used that against
her. Now Adrian had to hold his brother down, alone. He tried to
keep Tristan restrained, while at the same time, pleading for
Arianna to come back; she’d retreated, keeping a sizable distance
between her and Tristan.

Giving up on bringing her back, Adrian turned
toward Edie, and yelled, “Quick, Edie! Put on the necklace and go!
Go!”

Tristan was almost free. It was now or
never.

Quickly, Edie placed the necklace around her
neck and felt the pendant secure itself against her chest, near her
heart. She didn’t feel any different, but suddenly, the room
erupted into a multitude of gasps.

She turned toward the crowd. They could see
her. Everyone rushed toward her, but she held up her hands, backing
away.

“
I might hurt you,” she
warned, not knowing if she’d received Tristan’s killing
touch.

Everyone ignored her, moving as one, with
Russell in the lead. He caught Edie in a tight hug. She waited for
him to die, but he didn’t. He was alive and warm.

He let her go, shivering. “You feel like
ice,” he bemoaned, realizing that yes, she was dead.

She also realized something: Russell truly,
absolutely loved her. But…that would mean…no, no! She wouldn’t
dwell on Adrian’s words: fate and soul mate. No. Her soul mate was
not a Lockhart, no matter how many generations apart. Mine’s
gone.

As she was missing Mason, she thought she saw
him, standing in front of her, but it was just Quinn. He shrugged
out of his coat and offered it to her.

“
Here, Edie, you must be
freezing in that T-shirt.”

She shook her head, telling him “no.” He
hesitated, confused, and then shrugged his coat back on. She’d also
shaken her head to clear it of Mason, just for a little while.
Right now, she needed to think clearly.

She felt someone holding her hand. It was
Uncle Landon. He was crying joyfully at their reunion, and perhaps
sadly of what she’d become.

“
I don’t get cold anymore,”
she told everyone.

Everyone’s eyes widened at this news,
considering ever since she’d arrived in Grimsby, she’d been
perpetually cold. Her death had changed that.

But there wasn’t any time to ponder the
intricacies of her undead existence. They had to flee. Adrian was
having a hard time keeping Tristan restrained. He was struggling to
break free, having an easier time at it, now that Arianna had
backed away against the wall, covering her face in shame. Edie
wanted to go to her and comfort her, but she couldn’t. Arianna had
traded her freedom for Edie’s, and Edie wouldn’t throw all that
away, by staying and trapping them both.

“
You’re strong,” Edie
reminded her. “You always have been. Be strong now!”

To Edie’s relief, Arianna freed her face and
looked at Edie. She gave Edie a grateful smile, and then rejoined
Adrian, where she placed her hand on Tristan, and secured him,
unable to move. Tristan was silent, resigned to his fate, for now.
Adrian was relieved, smiling, as he held Arianna’s free hand in
his.

Edie thanked them, and then turned back
toward her rescuers.

Uncle Landon was still holding onto her cold
hand; it didn’t seem to bother him. “We need to hurry,” she told
him, and then to everyone else, “Now!”

There wasn’t any hesitation. Gunnar led the
group, racing toward the front door. He threw it open, and then
remained at the threshold, motioning everyone forward, making sure
that they all made it out. Edie let go of her uncle at the door,
urging him on, which he reluctantly did, and then she grabbed
Gunnar, pulling him out of the house. She remained at the threshold
and turned to take one last look at Lockhart Manor. With the
flashlights gone, the foyer was dark. It reminded her of when she’d
first entered, but now she wasn’t scared. She was happy.

As if sensing her joy, Tristan sought to
crush it.

So out of the gloom, as he’d done before, a
floorboard creaked.

“
Come in.” His voice was
enticing and dangerous. “I’ll help you find your way.” He chuckled,
deep in his throat. “Oh, Edie, I’m going to miss you. Dream of me,
my love, and remember: you’re mine and I’m yours. Don’t get too
comfortable. This prison can’t hold me forever, or these pathetic
jailers. Soon, my sweet, soon, we’ll be reunited. Goodbye, for
now.”

His farewell wasn’t pleasant, but of course
he’d never intended it to be. He thrived on instilling fear; that
was how he’d become corporeal in the first place. She’d feared his
transformation, but it’d ended up being a blessing, for when it’d
been her time to die, after, she’d become corporeal herself,
through her bond with Tristan. She wasn’t a transparent, unseen
spirit like Adrian or Arianna. She was among mortals in their
world, visible, but undead, and even though she’d rather be alive,
she’d take this existence, now that she could be with her loved
ones again.

So because of this, she said to Tristan,
“Thank you for entering my life,” and closed the door.

She walked away, intending not to turn back
around, but she did, and faced Lockhart Manor, for the last time. A
light came on inside Tristan’s bedroom, then the curtain moved, and
she saw him, staring at her from the window. He pressed his palm
against the pane, telling her “goodbye,” but in a more genuine
gesture than the creepy farewell that he’d given her before. She
thought that he knew deep down that he’d never see her again. But,
for some reason, she was almost certain that he’d reenter her life.
Not today, not tomorrow, but one day. One day…

“
Edie?” her uncle called
out, snapping her out of her thoughts.