Page 78 of Autumn Secrets
“Angel, this is my last warning. Don’t lie to me. Give me the amulet. I know you have it.”
“I’m telling you the truth,Adrian. I don’t have it. I managed to break my protection spell by myself. I’m connected, but not bonded yet,” I cried desperately.
We stared at each other in silence. The lump in my throat was ready to explode. I felt like I had swallowed a golf ball, and I struggled to keep the tears at bay.
“Why, Adrian?” I whispered and swiped away a tear that had managed to escape. His betrayal stung, demolishing my soul into nothingness, and I knew I would never be able to recover from this.
“It’s nothing personal, Aurora. But I need that amulet, and youwillgive it to me.” He reached out and caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. I pushed it away. I couldn’t stand to feel his touch; it was going to break me.
“I trusted you,” I admitted in defeat, my voice laced with pure pain.
“Maybe that’s your problem, huh? You’re a little bit too trusting with that innocent and pure heart of yours. Look around you. I’m not the only one who has lied to you, and I’m quite certain I won’t be the last.”
“No, you and Luca seem to have that in common.”
Who was this guy? He was so cold and distant. I was painfully aware that I wasn’t going to be able to hold the tears in for much longer. The floodgates were about to open any second now.
“I’m not talking about Luca, angel. Take your mother as a prime example—”
“I told you not to call meangel. And when it comes to my mother, she just kept me in the dark to protect me. She has told me everything I need to know, so don’t you dare compare her with you or Luca!” At least I was angry now, which was easier to deal with than the awful pain of being utterly betrayed.
He gave me a menacing grin and shook his head. “I doubt that she has.”
“Don’t you dare talk about her like that. You don’t know anything about her—”
“Did you ask her why you can’t remember your friend Lexi? Or why you’re the one taking over after your grandmother, not her? Have you ever asked yourself why this amulet is suddenly skipping a generation?” Adrian interrupted.
I stared at him. Of course I had asked myself that question. Why wasn’t Mum next in line? Mrs and Mr Peters had made it clear that Mum had to be the one to share the rest of our family story. We hadn’t exactly had a chance to sit down and talk, because I’d been avoiding her, blaming her for keeping me in the dark and forcing her to give me space. This was the result of that space. Adrian was right: there was still so much I didn’t know.
“I thought so.” He smirked.
“Did you know who I was? The night we met?” I asked with a shaky voice.
He nodded. “Yes, I was looking for you. I needed to get to know you.”
We stared at each other in silence, before I finally asked the question that was slowly suffocating me.
“That’s it? That’s the only reason you took an interest in me?”
He gave me a scornful grin. “What other reason would I have, angel? I mean, I guess I could pretend there was another reason, if that would make it easier?”
I shook my head. His words were so toxic, I cringed in pain. I never knew that words could hurt as much as they did in this very moment. My eyes still stung with an overflow of unshed tears. I tried to look anywhere, except directly at him. I didn’t want him to see that he had broken me. Because he had; there was no question about it.
“Who are you?” I whispered harshly.
He sighed. “It doesn’t matter who I am—”
“It matters tome, Adrian,” I said as my tears finally broke the barrier and started to fall. I wiped them off with the back of my hand. I didn’t want him to see me cry like this, but there was no way I would be able to stop them from falling now. I tried to push back a sob that uncontrollably left my broken soul.
“Aurora…” He stepped closer and let his fingers gently wipe the tears from my face. His tender touch confused me, but only for a second. I looked up and met his gaze, and that’s when I saw something flicker in his eyes. Regret? It was something that reflected my own pain. I couldn’t tell, and I definitely couldn’t trust what was going to happen next. I knew this was the only chance I would ever have to escape. Fuelled by a sudden burst of rage, I kneed him in the groin, where I knew it would hurt the most. I might have been clueless in many ways, but I did know how to defend myself against a guy.
“Go to hell, Adrian.”
I yanked open the door and started to run. I felt like I was flying down the stairs. I reached for the doorhandle and ran out into the cold autumn night. I knew I probably didn’t have much time to get away, and every second counted. The harvest moon gave me enough light so that I knew I wouldn’t get completely lost. I didn’t know my way around here that well, but I knew I was safer in the forest than in the hands of Adrian Hunter.
I ran across the big lawn in front of the house, straight into the nearby forest, and as far away from the house as I possibly could. My tears blinded me as I stumbled, almost falling over an old tree stump. I regained my balance and stopped for a second to figure out which direction to run. I wiped more tears away and tried to catch my breath. I didn’t have time to feel this overwhelming pain, I needed to get back to Angel Falls somehow.
Determined, I pushed the hair off my face and was just about to start running again, when a pair of strong arms caught me around my waist. Before I could defend myself, a hand came down and pressed something over my mouth, and the next think I knew, I was falling into the darkness…
To be continued in…
