The Haunted (3 page)

Oh my God, I seriously hated this bitch.

“
Sure,” Kade said, right before someone from behind me said my name. I glanced over my shoulder, but there was just Milo, Richie and some of his buddies talking.

I turned back around, and immediately heard my name again. Now it was being repeated in my ear, over and over again, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. Except maybe for the way Dana stepped closer to Kade.

I saw Shane across the clearing, talking with Joni and some of her friends. My gaze shifted to the edge of the woods. Not twenty feet from where my brother stood, a man was watching us. He was tall, with brown, stringy hair, and dressed in old-fashioned clothing—a navy jacket, tight tan breeches, and white stockings and black buckled shoes. My insides twisted. Wasn’t that the same man I’d seen at Braemar castle when I’d passed Ian over? The guy who had taken Laria by the hand and led her away?

Just then, I felt fingers splay on the very top of my head and begin to move downward, through my hair, over the nape of my neck, and down my back, stopping at the waistband of my jeans.

My insides twisted. I hoped someone I knew stood behind me—like a friend from school, but when I glanced over my shoulder, there was no one even close to me.

Terrified, I wondered if I should ask for a ride home and get out of here before things went from bad to worse.

The figure in the woods started fading.

Riley.
My name was whispered in my ear.
Riley.
The last came in a growling tone that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

In the trees, close to where the ghostly man had been, I saw a figure manifest, and my breath left me in a rush.

Oh my God…it was Ian.

Cruel laughter vibrated in my ears, confirming my thoughts. When I blinked, Ian, or the spirit masquerading as Ian, was gone.

My nails dug into my palms. I needed to leave now. How I wished I had my license.

Dana laughed at something her friend said, and suddenly I felt a burning ache spread across my left arm. Seconds later I experienced the sensation of nails raking across my back, gouging deep into my skin.

I glanced behind me and there was no one there. Rubbing my arm, I rolled up my sleeve and was shocked to see a large, red welt running down the length of my arm.

What the hell?

“
What is that?” Dana asked, and everyone in the group, including Kade, looked at my arm.

The scratch was close to where I’d cut on my elbow—the scars’ tiny, silvery lines that were too symmetrical to be anything but intentional cuts.

“
Nothing,” I said, pulling my sleeve back down, but Dana wouldn’t have it.

“
Let me see.” She took a step toward me, grabbed my wrist and turned my arm to get a better look.

“
Back off, Dana,” Megan said in a not-so-nice tone.

I yanked my arm away.

Everyone turned to see what the commotion was about.

Dana’s eyes narrowed. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swore she looked surprised and triumphant at the same time.

Had she seen the scars? I wondered. And if she had—would she say anything about it to Kade?

I was horrified to think that my new friends would learn my secret.

By the time Megan announced we had to leave, I was more than ready to go home. Kade had asked me a few questions, mostly about my classes and school, but we couldn’t shake Dana who had listened intently to every word of our conversation.

Kade left, too…Dana on his heels.

I tried to ignore the jealousy I felt. It made no sense. I had only met Kade today, and yet I wanted to claw Dana’s eyes out. I knew for a fact she felt the same way about me. I could feel her animosity from a mile away.

Cassandra let out a belch from the backseat and then immediately rolled down the window. “I shouldn’t have had that last straight shot. I’m gonna blow chunks.”

“
Ew,” Megan said, looking at Cassandra in the rearview mirror. “Lean out the window. I don’t want to be scrubbing puke off my floor.”

I noticed Cassandra had drank a lot more than usual tonight. Maybe because Tom kept watching her like a lost puppy. Obviously he liked her, but it was just as obvious that Cassandra didn’t want anything to do with him after their last encounter.

“
You okay?” Megan asked, looking concerned.

“
Yeah, I’m just tired.”

“
I didn’t notice those scratches on your arms earlier,” she said barely above a whisper.

My heart sank to my toes. The last thing I needed was to explain scratches or cuts on my body. But I was caught, plain and simple. I’d put the jacket on at the glen, so she would have seen my arms before. “They were there. I got them yesterday. You know me—always running into something.”

Cassandra made a horrible hurling sound from the backseat, followed by a splatter.

Megan groaned. “Tell me you had your head out the window.”

“
Thanks for your concern,” Cassandra said under her breath. “Bitch.” She collapsed on the backseat. “Oh…my…God, someone shoot me.”

Megan pulled into Cassandra’s driveway and braked hard. “Do you need me to walk you to the door?”

Cassandra popped up from the backseat and looked in the opposite direction of the house. She frowned, and then turned in the right direction. “Nah, I got it. Plus, Bitchzilla is probably waiting for me at the front door. God, I hate my life.”

The iron gates opened.

“
Yep, Bitchzilla is up. At least you won’t have to walk up the driveway.” Megan reached across me and opened the glove compartment. There was a tube of toothpaste, three packs of gum, and a roll of breath mints. She handed the mints to Cassandra. “Here, pop one—or three, before you go.”

Cassandra promptly unrolled the silver wrapper and popped a few in her mouth.

“
Thanks,” she said around the mints.

Megan shifted the car into drive and drove up the driveway at a slow crawl.

“
How do I look?” Cassandra asked, brushing a hand down her face.

She had mascara smeared under her eyes and a few chunks of puke in her hair. “Wipe under your eyes,” I said, searching for a napkin or a tissue.

She used the hem of her shirt instead, flashing her lacy black bra.

“
Nice,” Megan said, trying hard not to laugh. When she stopped the car, she reached back and picked the chunks from Cassandra’s hair. She tossed them out the window and then poured water from her bottle on her fingers.

Cassandra took a deep breath and released it. “Well, wish me luck.”

“
Good luck!” we said in unison.

The front door opened and the woman known as Bitchzilla stepped out, wearing a long, dark robe with a gold monogram P, arms crossed firmly over her chest.

We watched Cassandra weave her way up the brick pathway, toward the woman who didn’t move a muscle.

“
Poor Cassandra.” Megan shook her head. “She’s gonna feel like shit tomorrow.”

I had no doubt of that. “Definitely.”

Megan drove around the circular drive, out the iron gates that immediately shut behind us, and pulled back onto the main road. She glanced at me. “I had fun tonight.”

“
I did, too.”

“
Kade likes you…a bunch.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “I like him, too.”

She laughed under her breath. “I can tell. I’m happy for you, Ri. I am.”

“
Thanks.”

“
Oh, and just a word to the wise—watch out for Dana. That one’s not used to losing.”

“
I’m not worried about Dana.” Truth be told, I was more worried about what was waiting for me when I got home than my competition for Kade’s affection.

“
She dyes her hair, but tells everyone she’s a natural redhead. Who is she kidding—we all saw her hair turn from auburn to a mousy brown when we were thirteen.”

I noticed some hostility toward Dana, but I didn’t bite. I was tired of talking about her. Plus, I could see the inn up ahead, lights shining in several of the upstairs rooms.

Chapter
4

Miss A was already in bed, and I was relieved. I wasn’t in the mood to chat.

I went straight to my room where I immediately checked out the marks on my body. Four long, red welts covered my back and arms.

I was still shaken by what I saw at the glen. The cloaked figure, the man standing in the woods, and then what appeared to be Ian looking at me. But it wasn’t Ian. I knew that.

Changing into pajamas, I cleaned my makeup off my face and sat on the edge of my bed. I opened the drawer in the nightstand and took out the drawing of Ian. What I wouldn’t give to have that moment in time back. The way he had looked at me, the soft smile on his lips, the desire I had seen in his eyes.

I wouldn’t lie—I ached for the times we’d had this summer, for the love I felt for him and the hole in my heart that would never be filled. Falling back on my bed, I breathed in deeply and remembered when we’d come so close to making love. The touch of those long-fingered hands on my body, and the feel of his hard body against mine.

I wanted to believe that Ian and Kade were one in the same, and yet I couldn’t wrap my brain around the concept. I knew Ian said more than once that time on the other side wasn’t the same as time was here…but what did that mean exactly, and could it be possible that Ian and Kade were the same person—the same soul?

And what about Kade repeating the words I had said to Ian not so long ago…or the feeling of déjà vu that Kade experienced when he’d first seen me. I pulled the books out from under my bed and scoured them for anything on reincarnation. They all basically said the same thing—that reincarnation was the soul being reborn into another body, that we went around and around again with the same group of people, learning new lessons with each incarnation.

I walked to the window and stared out at the castle, remembering the pull I had felt when I’d first seen it. There were lights on in nearly every room.

What was Kade doing now? I wondered. Was he thinking about me?

Suddenly, the castle became obstructed, and for a second I thought that the castle’s power must have gone out. When I leaned closer to the window, I realized the obstruction was on my side. Strands of dark hair hid the castle from view.

A scream rose in my throat as I stared at Laria, who was upside down, and now watching me from the other side of the glass. Her dark eyes held a look of pure hatred, and her lips were curved in a sinister smile.

I yanked the drapes closed and ran for the door, only to find it locked tight.

Fear danced along my spine. How could it be locked from the hallway side?

I backed away from the door. I’d heard Shane come home minutes after me, and immediately he’d turned on his music.

Freezing cold air enveloped me, along with a feeling of impending doom.

Slowly, I turned to face the malevolent spirit.

“
You have no idea what I am capable of,” Laria said, in a creepy disembodied voice.

“
Shane!” I yelled.

I heard him lower the stereo volume.

“
Shane!” I yelled again, and I heard something hit the floor and then his footsteps running toward me.

He tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Riley?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Laria moved faster. Her hand clamped over my mouth.

“
Open the door, Riley!” Shane said, the knob rattling as he tried to open the door.

“
I’ll kick it down if you don’t open it in two seconds.”

Laria released me abruptly and walked straight through the door.

The doorknob immediately stopped turning.

“
Shane,” I said, my heart hammering in my chest when I received no reply.

“
Shane?” I tried the doorknob and it opened immediately.

Shane stood in the hallway, hands at his sides, frowning. “What the hell was that about?”

“
Sorry, I freaked out when I couldn’t open the door. I guess I just spooked myself.”

“
Why didn’t you say anything when I was talking to you? For fuck’s sake, you about gave me a heart attack.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him about Laria. I knew he’d felt her before and I wondered if he felt her around today. Then again, he was finally spending more time at home and the last thing he needed was to hear about a ghost who was haunting me.

His gaze shifted to my arm. “Where did the scratches come from?”

Did you scratch yourself?
I could see the unspoken question in his eyes.

I shook my head. “I didn’t do it.”

He watched me for a second and nodded, but the way his gaze lingered on my arm made me wonder if he believed me. “Well, it’s been a long night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“
Okay, goodnight.” I shut the door and walked to my bed, furious at Laria and terrified at the same time. She had said I had no idea what she was capable of…and yet I had a horrible feeling I was about to find out.