Coldhearted (9781311888433) (45 page)

Despite all his lies, Edie believed him. “So
what happened?”

His lips lifted into a half smile, but he
wasn’t happy. “I found out that she’d been telling Adrian the same
thing. You see, she was playing us, me and my brother.”

Edie shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t
think she did that.”

“
You didn’t know her,” he
said with disgust at Edie’s ignorance. “She was a trickster,
telling us what we wanted to hear.”

“
Well,” Edie said,
considering the facts, “she was just a child. She didn’t know what
she was doing. When she got older, why did she choose Adrian?” Edie
asked, even though the answer was crystal clear.

“
He was safe,” Tristan said.
That seemed completely true, given what Edie knew of Adrian
Lockhart. “You see, he was the perfect gentleman, and I was the
perfect rascal. When she was a child, she liked my devious nature;
it mirrored hers. However, as she grew older, she was persuaded—and
I use that term loosely—to behave in a more civilized manner. She
cared how she looked, wore pretty dresses, and fussed over her
hair. She wanted to stay indoors, drink tea, and dine with members
of high society. The Lockharts were high society, especially
Adrian, who’d been admitted to law school and desired a future in
politics.” Tristan wrinkled his noise, disgusted at the occupation.
“Well, in Mr. Worthington’s eyes, Adrian was the perfect husband
for his little girl, so he made sure the two were always in orbit,
while I was flung out across the universe, into the darkness of
space. I was Tristan the Troublemaker, while Adrian was the
‘Angel’.”

He gave a crooked smile, reminiscing. “Once,
at a dinner party, I rose from the table, and reminded everyone,
even angels could be devils, Lucifer being a prime example. And if
God were all-knowing, he would’ve known Lucifer would rebel against
him. He would’ve stopped his archangel, yet he didn’t. So it’s
God’s fault, not Satan’s, that there’s so much evil in the world.”
Tristan’s smile faded. “My father slapped my face in front of
everyone and called me a ‘blasphemer’. I was then sent to my room
without dinner. I thought it was over, but then…well, when the
guests had left, he barreled into my room and beat me, severely.
For three days, I couldn’t move without crying in pain. For three
days, my father made me read the entire Bible aloud from Genesis to
Revelation. At the end of those three days, he made me get on my
knees and pray to God, asking for forgiveness.”

He’d been looking down, but now he turned his
face up at Edie. She noticed that he’d been crying, but he looked
angry, not sad. “And did you know, during those three days, my
brother, the ‘Angel,’ never came to see me? Like I had the Mark of
the Beast etched into my forehead?” He reached up and angrily
scratched his forehead, as if the sign were really there and it
bothered him. “My mother never came to see me! The woman who gave
birth to me acted like she had a demon for a son! And Arianna, my
first love, the girl I thought of day and night, dreaming we’d be
together, refused to see me for an entire month! And when she did,
she said she was disgusted with my behavior! Of my blasphemy! When
I reminded her that she had voiced the same opinion when we’d been
children, she slapped my face.

“
She said she’d spoken out
of ignorance, not knowing any better, and now she’d changed,
realized the truth. I shot back I knew the truth too: she was a
harlot! I accused her of having premarital sex with Adrian, and
threatened to go to her father with the news. I was just bluffing,
I had no idea, but the look on her face told me I was right. She
looked as pale as death and asked what she could do to keep my
mouth shut. She begged me, saying she’d do anything. I took
advantage of her distress, of the scandal she so wished to avoid,
and that evening, she shared my bed; and the evening after that and
the evening after that, until we ended our affair a month later. It
wasn’t my choice. We couldn’t continue because we were dead,” he
said dryly.

“
I killed Adrian when I
found out he was going to ask Arianna for her hand in marriage. And
she killed me when she found out I’d killed my brother. All alone,
I was trapped in Lockhart Manor for many, many years, until of
course you arrived, Edie, and I saw my chance to escape this dusty,
old prison.” He paused, staring into her eyes, and then continued,
“And now…well, now I’m trapped again, and it’s all due to another
girl, a girl I fell in love with, who I’d thought was different,
but I should’ve known you’d betray me, just as Arianna did. It’s in
your sex, you women, scheming, lying, playing games with men’s
hearts, and cackling with glee like some witch, brewing up another
boiling batch of misery upon the male sex. You’re nothing more than
a modern Delilah.” His tone was sharp and it cut her to the
bone.

Edie stared into his hateful eyes. “How do
you expect me to love you when you say things like that?”

“
Because I know you never
will,” he admitted softly. “If we’re going to spend eternity
together, we should speak the truth, shouldn’t we?” He didn’t wait
for a reply and continued, “So now it’s your turn to speak the
truth: how did you feel when I kissed you?”

If she were alive, her heart would be racing.
“I…liked it,” she confessed. He kept staring at her, as if more
were needed to be said. Ashamed, she continued, “It was the best
kiss I’ve ever had.” She lifted up one shoulder into a half shrug.
“Then again, I am dead, so kissing that light bulb would make me
hot all over,” she said dryly, gesturing at the lit lamp.

Instead of verbally responding to her remark,
Tristan just advanced, silent, until he halted a foot from her, and
then he stepped closer, so their faces were inches apart. She
retreated. He advanced. She retreated again, and he advanced again,
until they made their way across the room, dancing. She couldn’t
retreat any more, her back against the wall. She willed herself to
travel through it, but it seemed being a corporeal ghost had its
limitations. At least for her it did.

“
Don’t,” she pleaded,
placing her hands against his chest.

He took her hands and extended her arms,
wrapping them around his neck, before he brought his face closer to
hers. “Don’t what?” he challenged, brushing his hot lips against
hers.

Repulsed, she took her hands and grabbed a
fistful of his hair. “Don’t,” she warned through clenched teeth,
and then released him, to only push him away. He stared at her,
speechless. “Don’t,” she repeated more forcefully, pointing a
threatening finger at him. “I’m not Arianna. You can’t blackmail me
into sleeping with you, and I don’t care how hot you are, I’ll
never, ever give in to you.”

She expected a blowup, but he merely cocked
his head to the side like a dog, hearing something very far away.
He straightened his head and gave her a wicked smile. “Well, well,
well,” he said, knowing something that she didn’t. “You think you
have power of me? Well, you’re about to be tested, my sweet. Get
ready.”

In a flash, he was at the door, opening it
halfway, but then he stopped. Over his shoulder, he said, “I think
I’ll go after Madelyn this time. You know what they say: redheads
are wild in bed.”

Moving quickly again, he was out the room and
down the stairs. It wasn’t until Edie heard Madelyn’s voice did she
realize that her redheaded friend was inside the house. Edie rushed
out of his bedroom, took the steps two a time, and then skidded to
a halt in the middle of the foyer, behind Tristan. With all the
force that she could muster, she grabbed the back of his shirt,
forced him down on his knees, and then snaked her arm around his
neck in a chokehold. He struggled briefly, and then stilled,
defeated. She knew that it wasn’t her physical strength. It was her
spiritual strength keeping him down.

When he was subdued, Edie turned her
attention toward the crowd standing in the foyer. It wasn’t just
Madelyn. She was joined by Diana, Quinn, Jules, Russell, Uncle
Landon, and even Gunnar, Rory, Bree, and Amee.

Edie was overjoyed at their arrival, but
confused as to why they’d entered Lockhart Manor, and concerned
that they’d risked their lives by doing so.

“
What are y’all doing here?”
she asked anyone who would answer.

No one responded. No one looked her way. She
and Tristan were unseen. Ghosts.

“
They can’t hear you,” a
familiar voice said.

Still maintaining her hold on Tristan, Edie
turned her head to see Adrian and Arianna, transparent, standing
apart from the group.

It was Arianna who’d spoken. “What’s going
on?” Edie asked her.

“
It’s a rescue mission,”
Tristan spoke up, sounding displeased. “I’ve been hearing snippets
of their conspiracy for the past hour.”

Edie shook her head. “I didn’t hear
anything.”

“
That’s because you’re deaf
and dumb,” Tristan said, and then he shrugged. “You’re a blonde, so
I don’t hold it against you.”

Edie applied more pressure to his neck with
her arm.

He winced, and then said, “I’m dead, so you
can’t choke me to death.”

“
Yeah, but I can make you
feel miserable as hell.”

“
I’m always miserable,” he
said. “Now I’m just annoyed.”

Edie ignored him, and said to Arianna, “Why
is everyone here? What’s going on?”

Arianna opened her mouth to speak, but was
cut off by Russell. “Edie?!” he called out, his eyes searching for
her in vain. “Edie, show yourself!”

“
Oh, there’s your lover,”
Tristan said. “Scratch Madelyn. I think I’ll get reacquainted with
my descendant.” Edie could hear his maniacal grin. “More fun that
way.”

Edie opened her mouth to protest, but she was
cut off by Jules, who’d broken away from the group, and was now
holding up a piece of jewelry. It was Edie’s necklace.

“
Edie?” Jules called out, as
the necklace swung like a pendulum, back and forth. “We found a way
to release you. It’s through this,” she added, raising the necklace
higher. “It’s a trigger object. It belonged to you, and if you
touch it, there’s a chance you’ll be pulled out of the spirit
world, and back to the living world, back to us.”

Edie was shaking her head in disbelief. It
was too good to be true.

“
Edie?” Quinn called out.
“Edie, we miss you, baby girl. Please find us. Please grab the
necklace. You have to try.”

A chorus of support rose from everyone else,
cheering her on, persuading her to do one simple act: let go of
Tristan and take hold of the necklace.

“
Edie?” her uncle called out
next, when she’d failed to quickly make her choice. “Edie, I heard
about Mason and thought you’d run away, upset, but then…well, your
friends brought me here, when they’d made contact with Adrian and
Arianna. You know, before, I never believed in ghosts, but then I
heard them, Edie. When Adrian took over Russell, and told me what
you’d done, the sacrifice you’d made, I refused to let you go. And
so did your friends. And now we’re here. We’re here to release your
spirit. Come back, Edie. Come back home.”

Edie turned toward Adrian and Arianna. “Can
it be done?” she asked the pair of transparent ghosts.

Adrian nodded and took a step forward.
“Arianna and I will exchange places with you. We’ll keep Tristan
imprisoned here inside the house with us. Don’t worry, Edie.”

“
Take your freedom,” Arianna
said, joining Adrian’s side. “I’m sorry you had to die in order for
this to happen, but if you leave now, you can be with your loved
ones again.” She approached and laid a hand on Edie’s shoulder;
Arianna felt cold, but it didn’t bother Edie. “You’re corporeal,”
Arianna said, and then gestured at Edie’s family and friends.
“They’ll have you back, as you were, but…you’ll still be dead, I’m
sorry. We can give you your freedom, but we can’t bring you back to
life.” She let go of Edie’s shoulder. “Take it, Edie, and never
come back here!”

As Edie loosened her hold, Tristan cursed,
and latched onto her sweater, pulling her back to him. “No, no!” he
yelled in anguish and anger. “You can’t leave me! You can’t leave
me!” He was starting to cry, his fingers digging into her sweater,
refusing to let her go. “I love you! I love you! Don’t leave
me!”

He kept pulling on her sweater, and she kept
trying to yank it back, but then she gave up, and threw it off her,
freeing herself, grateful to be wearing a T-shirt over her bra. He
held onto her sweater, looking down at it in his hands, wondering
where she’d gone.

She loved that sweater, but it was a small
price to pay to earn her freedom.

Tristan balled it up and smashed it against
his face, crying into it, as Arianna and Adrian held him down, one
hand placed on each shoulder.

“
Hurry,” Adrian urged.
“We’re attached to him now. We can restrain him, but we’re not as
powerful as you are. It takes our combined strength to hold him.
Hurry, Edie, and leave! Once you’re gone, Arianna and I will seal
off Lockhart Manor. No one will ever enter again. And no one will
ever leave again,” he added, tightening his grip on Tristan’s
shoulder. Adrian’s confidence then faltered, slightly, as he
continued, “But I’m not taking any chances. Russell, as a Lockhart
descendent, has agreed to buy the property, ensuring its care in
knowledgeable hands against curious trespassers.”

At this, Tristan lifted up his face (he’d
stopped crying) and cursed. Not at Edie, but at his brother.
“You’ll never keep your hold on me for long. I’ll overpower you and
your harlot,” he vowed and insulted, looking over his shoulder at
Arianna. “What does Adrian think of your betrayal, hmm?” Tristan
smiled crookedly. “I know he heard me talking earlier.”