Page 76 of Light As A Feather
“But you did. You saved my life, both our lives probably.”
Jayden stirs, and we both fall silent.
“I’m going in there.”
“I’m coming too,” she insists even though she gasps in pain with the slightest movement of her injured ankle.
“Give me just a minute to talk to Jayden alone. Please?”
Sinking back into her seat, she nods her agreement.
My footsteps ring ominously as I approach where he’s restrained in the chair.
“What the hell happened?” Jayden groans, rolling and stretching his neck.
“You tried to kill Sol?”
“What?” His shock is genuine. “No. I came here to warn you guys…”
“Warn us?”
“Yeah, I had this weird, like, flashback, I guess, of the last time I was here. Except the memories, they weren’t mine. There was this tangle of seething hatred and jealousy that didn’t belongto me. Itscaredme. I needed to make sure you two were okay, that I hadn’t…fuck.”
“That’s why you’d called a bunch of times?”
“Yeah, but when you didn’t answer, I thought maybe something had happened to you, so I drove right over.”
“Sol said that when you came to the door, you were covered in dirt. Do you remember why?”
“Dirt?” He shakes his head, but his gaze is distant. “All I remember is getting out of my car; after that it’s all just…dark.”
Leaning back on the table in front of him, I study my best friend, searching for any hint of betrayal or insincerity, but Jayden is the most open-book of a person I’ve ever known. He wears his heart on his sleeve for better or worse. The same goes for all of his emotions. The remorse and bewilderment are plain as can be.I believe him.
“I don’t really think there’s any easy way to say this, but you were possessed by Ivan. He used you.” I take a deep breath, trying not to get wound up again by what I saw. “He used you to chase her down. He almost killed her. You—he—had a knife ready to plunge into her.”
“Hawthorne, you have to believe me. I would never do that. I would never take her from you. I would neverhurther.”
“I know.” Even though this entire situation has been terrifying and horrific. There’s a sense of peace that settles over me, the last few interactions we’ve had making so much more sense.I thought I was losing him.And maybe I had, in a way. But I’m determined to exorcise whatever hold Ivan’s established over him. I’m determined to protect him from this, both of them.
“What now?” Jayden asks. “How do we prevent this from happening again? I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I won’t let that happen. We’re not going to let this motherfucker harm anyone else.”
The soft click of the door grabs both my and Jayden’s attention. Sol locks eyes with Jayden, her mouth opening and closing before she thinks better of it and simply approaches, a limp in her step.
“I’m so sorry,” Jayden starts, but Sol holds up her hand.
“It wasn’t your fault. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“Still, I’m sorry for what happened to you. I would never want you dead.” There’s no denying the sincerity in his voice.
“Thank you.” She joins me against the table. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry you had to experience that. I can only imagine how violating it must be. I know how much he can take in a short period of time.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely going to need some therapy for this shit.” He laughs, and it’s a pathetic thing, but it’s a start.
A loud vibration interrupts the moment of camaraderie.
“They’re here. I’ll be right back.” Rushing to the front door, I welcome in Ozzie, Zoey, and Hale. We can use all the backup we can get.
