Waken (The Woods of Everod Book 1) Read online

  Tristan ignored my question, opening the front door and following me inside. He went to the living room and parted the curtains, searching the yard for something.

  “Tristan, what is going on?” My breathing quickened as shivers of fear slithered down my back.

  “Nothing. It’s all right.” He turned and met my eyes then sighed deeply. He tried to smile but failed miserably. “I just never thought he’d come near you before...I should go,” he said. “I’m sorry, Janie.”

  “Sorry about what?”

  “I’m sorry that I can’t explain everything to you. I wish I could, but...not yet.” He shook his head and reached for me. Sliding his hands up my arms, he looped them around my neck, burying his fingers in the hair at my nape. “Just go with me on this, okay? Meet me in front of the cafe tomorrow, eleven o’clock.”

  He pressed a quick kiss to my lips and then left out the door before I could say anything else.

  Chapter 9

  I left the house by ten the next morning, refusing Justin’s offer of a ride. Knowing him, he’d decide to join us for lunch and I wanted to talk to Tristan alone. I needed some kind of explanation for his weird behavior the night before. The walk was shorter than I’d anticipated and I sat on a bench across the street from the diner. I pulled out a book from my bag and tried to focus but my eyes peeked over the top, searching the street then back to the words flowing across the page. They held no meaning. It was a page full of dots, floating absently in front of my eyes. I finally put the book away, refusing to pretend anymore.

  Shutting my eyes, I started my meditative breathing. A tingle crawled along my arms and I drew my arms around myself. I should have brought a sweater.

  “Hey, Thumper.”

  My eyes flew open and there he was, at the end of the bench. Tristan’s lips curved up and I smiled back involuntarily.

  “Thumper?” I asked.

  “Well, your leg is thumping away about a mile a minute, so I figured it was appropriate.”

  Looking down, I realized my leg was frantically bouncing up and down. A nervous habit, I hadn’t even noticed it was moving. I stood, knowing if I stayed seated the thumping would only escalate.

  “You’re early,” I said, trying to cover my nerves.

  “Maybe, but if I’m early then you’re really early.” He snagged my hand, pulling me towards Trail’s End.

  The lunch crowd hadn’t filed in yet. Only a couple of people mingled at a table near the back. The lack of people allowed me to actually take in the atmosphere of the diner. The place had an untouched feel about it, as though nothing had changed since the day it opened, which judging by the decor was sometime in the forties. The tables, covered with white and blue checkered cloths, wobbled with each nudge and sepia pictures covered the walls. I slid into a booth and Tristan settled across from me. It was unnerving the way he stared at me as if trying to read me.

  “Why did you go with me to the Grounds? And last night to the park?” he asked.

  Was this an attack? Elin had always started like this. Questioning me about something in a way I couldn’t understand. Inevitably, I gave the wrong answer. “What do you mean, why? You asked me. Why did you ask me?”

  “I asked you to the Grounds because you looked so lost, like you needed a friend. Rachel had already started to get her claws into you and I didn’t want to see her rip you apart.”

  Too late for that.

  “The park, well, once you loosened up a bit...” He shrugged his shoulders and dipped his eyes towards the knife he was fiddling with. “I noticed how pretty you looked.”

  Was he blushing? My heart clenched as I realized just how off base I’d been. He wasn’t trying to trick me. He was being honest. Could I do the same?

  “I went to the Grounds because I’d made a decision to stop being afraid of life.” I swallowed thickly. Say it. “And I went with you to the park, because you’re cute.”

  Now I was the one blushing. I grabbed the menu and lifted it to shield my face. Tristan reached over and pushed it down enough for our eyes to meet.

  “Well, I’m glad you came with me. Both times.”

  I lowered the menu back to the table, leaving it open. “Are you going to tell me what happened last night?”

  “Kas,” he sighed. “There’s some stuff that I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because other people are involved.”

  “Does this have something to do with Rachel telling me I should get out of town?”

  “When did she say that?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

  “Yesterday, in the library.”

  “What else did she say?”

  “Oh, you know, the usual jealous ex-girlfriend stuff. He’s mine, get out of town, you’re dangerous crap.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like Rach.” He dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back at me. “The people in Everod are really close knit. No one leaves, no one moves in. Well, except for a few rare cases.”

  “What does that have to do with you freaking over this wolf?”

  “Kas. He’s not…your typical wolf. I don’t know why he’s interested in you. Not that you aren’t interesting, but...”

  “I get it.” I laughed. “He’s a wolf. Maybe he was hungry and I looked tasty.”

  My attempt at making light of Kas’s appearance fell flat. Tristan shook his head, seriousness creasing his brow.

  “I wish it was that simple.”

  Before I could question him further, the waitress arrived. “You having the usual, Tristan?”

  “Yeah, but hold the onions.”

  She shot him a sly wink and turned to me grinning broadly. “What about you, sugar?”

  I glanced frantically at the menu, trying to decide. There weren’t many choices. “I’ll have the grilled ham and cheese with fries and some water.”

  She left with the order and I looked back at Tristan. I wanted to ask him what he’d meant about not being able to tell me yet. As the words formed on my lips, the bell over the door jingled and Seth, Bryce, and Kyle headed straight for our table. They squished in beside us, and I found myself pressed against the wall, with Bryce smushed alongside me.

  Bryce looked at me, all smiles. “Relax, Janie. I won’t bite.”

  Seth thought that was hilarious, nearly falling out of the booth with his hoots. I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

  “You sure about that, Bryce? You’ve got a nice set of chompers.” He laughed, nudging Tristan. Tristan rolled his eyes and gave him a shove back. Still chuckling, Seth righted himself on the bench.

  “Ignore Seth. He’s an idiot.” Kyle said, shaking his head and looked at the menu. Seth pulled himself together long enough to grab his menu and head for the counter, giving only the occasional chuckle.

  Our food arrived and I picked at my fries, listening to the conversation between the guys. They discussed the upcoming NFL season and heatedly debated which team had the better roster. Gradually my mind wandered as I replayed the kiss Tristan and I had shared.

  “So, Janie, you hooking up with my big brother here?”

  Tristan punched Seth awkwardly from his spot beside him. “Shut it,” he said before turning to me.

  “Brother?” I asked, my eyes darting between Seth and Tristan, searching for some resemblance.

  “Yeah.” Seth’s eyes narrowed questioningly. “He didn’t mention me?”

  “You’re not really a topic I want to bring up on a date,” Tristan replied before shoving the last bit of his burger into his mouth.

  “You never told me you had a brother,” I accused.

  “It wasn’t one of the questions,” he countered, wiping crumbs from his mouth. He at least had enough sense to look sheepish.

  “You still could have told me. Are there other siblings I don’t know about?”

  “No, just Seth. And really, there are times when I wish there wasn’t even him.” Tristan laughed. Seth smirked and snatched one of my fries to throw at him. It bou
nced off Tristan’s forehead and I ducked to the side as it rebounded towards me. He reached across to pick it up then tossed it back at Seth.

  I looked back and forth between them. They looked nothing alike. Where Tristan’s brown hair curled around his neck, Seth’s was pale and styled into a short faux-hawk. Tristan’s build was sleekly muscular, while Seth’s had that of a growing boy, skin and bones. Even their facial features held no resemblance. Only the blue of their eyes showed a connection.

  “Come on, let’s go before Seth decides to start an all-out food fight.” He tossed some cash on the table and the guys piled out for us then scooted back in, already back to their football debate before we’d even left the restaurant.

  Tristan held my hand as we walked through the maze of streets to a two story home. The white frame stood out against the trees in the yard and Tristan’s car sat in the drive.

  “Is this your house?”

  “Yeah, well, kind of. It’s my parent’s place, but Lisa rents it and Seth and I stay in town with her sometimes. My parents built a cabin outside of town a couple summers ago. The first year we were out there Seth and I ended up missing a lot of school because of the weather. With all the snow we were getting we couldn’t get through. Mom finally told Dad we were gonna have to move back to town if he didn’t figure something out. The next week Lisa and my dad came up with the idea of Seth and me staying with her part time. So no more excuses for missing school and I’ve chosen to ignore the fact that my dad mentioned private time to my mom.”

  “Your parents trust you guys to live on your own?” I didn’t think even Tim would consider that.

  “Well, it’s not like there’s a lot of trouble we can get into. Beside Lisa would rat us out even if the rest of the town didn’t. They still call every day, multiple times, and then there’s all the spot checks. We go home pretty much every weekend. This summer they’re letting us stay in town more just so we have something to do.” He pulled his keys from his pocket and opened the door, motioning for me to go ahead.

  The place was definitely not what I would have thought of for two guys, or even for Lisa. With her pink hair and unusual style, I’d expected something funky and eclectic. Instead, there was a flowered couch, bookshelves lined to the ceiling with books, a china cabinet and, in the far corner, an upright piano. It was like walking into some grandmother’s house.

  “Wow, interesting,” I said.

  “Not what you expected?”

  “From the two of you and Lisa, no. Nowhere even close.”

  “Yeah, Lisa has unusual tastes. Seth and I tried to burn the couch a few months ago, but she managed to put it out.” He pointed at a bright green patch on the armrest that must have covered the burn mark.

  “I’m kind of surprised it’s not covered with plastic.”

  “It was until Seth asked if that meant it was urine proof. Come on,” he said, guiding me towards a set of stairs leading to the basement.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something.”

  I stopped and he looked back at me. “You do know that despite Tim’s lack of standard parenting skills, he did teach me not to fall for that line, right?”

  Tristan laughed and tugged me behind him and down the stairs. At the bottom, he flicked on the light, illuminating the space with a red glow.

  “What is this?”

  “Just wait. You’ll see.” He led me to the center of the room then went to the far wall and fiddled with some switches. The room went black. Panic stiffened my muscles. Elin liked to come at me in the dark. I closed my eyes, swallowing the acrid taste that flooded my mouth.

  A hand gripped mine and I opened my eyes. There was a faint light and Tristan was right there smiling.

  “Look up.”

  I tilted my head back. The ceiling twinkled with stars.

  “What is it?”

  “Something Lisa rigged up a few years back. Here, it’s easier to see if you sit down.” He sank onto the floor and I followed.

  “How did she do it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s some kind of lighting system that lets the lights flicker on and off.”

  It was hypnotic and I found myself laying back, gazing at the endless night, so much better than the popcorn ceiling stars I had at home. For a long time we lay there, starring up at the twinkling lights, a comfortable silence enveloping us.

  “Tell me about your family,” I said. He’d managed to avoid any talk of them, with my introduction to Seth being the sole exception. “Is Lisa a cousin or something?”

  “Nope, just an old family friend and you already met Seth.” As if that should be enough.

  “What about your parents? What do they do? Do you have any other siblings? Tell me something.”

  “My dad owns his own business as a carpenter and my mom has officially become a ‘Domestic Goddess’. Her words not mine. She used to teach science at the school.”

  I took a deep meditative breath. “What are they like?”

  He closed his eyes, as if summoning an internal vision of them. “My mom is tall and blonde, like Seth. She’s from Sweden and it shows.” He paused, shifting his position so his arms were folded behind his head. I rolled over to lie beside him on my stomach, watching his expressions. “My father looks like me. Not the stereotypical Swede, but he’s got the heart. When I was little, I wanted to be just like him. He wants me to take over the business.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe travel a bit and see the world before I’m stuck here for the rest of my life.”

  “You could leave and not come back. Who cares if no one else does it?”

  He didn’t respond immediately, thinking about his words. “No, that’s not an option for me.” He rolled over onto his stomach beside me, and laced his fingers through mine. “Tell me about your father. Not Tim, but your real father.”

  I looked down at our entwined fingers and debated what to say. “I don’t know a whole lot. I stopped trying to remember him a long time ago.” His hold tightened gently. “I was five when he left. That’s the only memory I have of him – his back as he walked to his truck. He was tall and his hair was as black as midnight.”

  “Like yours.” He fingered a strand of hair that hung in front of my face, twisting it around his long slender finger.

  “Yeah, I don’t look anything like my mom, so I guess I do look like him.” I thought of the countless times I’d stood in front of the mirror and never considered that I was looking at a reflection of him. My eyes narrowed as I struggled to recall a clearer image him. “His hair was long, well past his shoulders and it covered a large tattoo on his back.”

  “Where did he go when he left?”

  “I don’t know. He may have come back here. He may even be here now.”

  “He lived in Everod?”

  “Yeah. I’m not sure how long he was here. I don’t think he was born here. I don’t even know his name. Elin never talked about him and my birth certificate has a blank for father. I might have passed him a dozen times around town and not known.” I stood up and paced the room, refusing to look at him. I struggled to keep my voice sounding normal. “I really don’t want to talk about him anymore. He walked out and left me with an abusive mother. He never gave a crap about me, why should I care about him? Why would I want to give him another chance to walk out on me again?”

  Tristan’s arms came from behind, tugging me into his embrace. He buried his face in my hair and his hands rested on my arms. Instant calm swept over me, emanating from where his palms and chest pressed against me.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” His woodsy scent filled my senses, further relaxing me. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “I know. He’s just a touchy subject for me.”

  He loosened his arms and we went back to our spot in the middle of the room. He lay down on his side and I laid on my back looking at the stars.

  “What’s your favorite story?
” he asked.

  “Not twenty questions again.” I laughed.

  “Just this one. I forgot to ask.”

  “Why would you want to know that?”

  “The stories we like tell a lot about us as a person. How we think, what we believe, and what we dream.” His fingers ran softly down my arm, coaxing me.

  “When you say story, are you talking about a book or fairy tale?”

  “No, just any sort of story.”

  “Echo.” It was the first to pop into my head.

  “What?”

  “The story of Echo and Narcissus. She loves him so completely yet has no way of telling him and he doesn’t ever truly see her. She dies loving him and in the end he never even realizes what he’s lost.”

  “That seems pretty depressing. Why do you like it?”

  I thought for a moment, because honestly I didn’t know why. “I suppose because it shows how painful love is.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “I don’t know.” I hated the slight quiver in my voice. “Your turn.”

  “It’s the story of the Wolf. The one Samara told you at the Grounds.”

  I stared at him a moment. I could remember some of the story, but it definitely wasn’t one I expected from a guy who’d professed his love for vampire movies. “Why is it your favorite?”

  “Because it reminds me that nothing is impossible.” Abruptly he stood up. “Time to go, Lisa will be home soon and if she finds us down here, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  He reached down with his hand and I let my hand wrap around his wrist. I glanced at where we were connected and saw his tattoo peek through my fingers. Burning pain ripped through my fingers and up my arm. I gasped in shook, and as the air filled my lungs, the room went black then brilliant with the light of the sun.

  I am at the tree line near a lake. She approaches me quickly, the smooth gliding of my past dreams replaced with a jerky, erratic gait. I stare at her, seeing the lines that scored her normally flawless face. Like the last time, the man walks two paces behind her. His frenzied green eyes focus on me.

  I spin away, heading into the woods. They follow, closing the distance. Panic sets in. They aren’t following. They’re hunting. Quickening into a run, I dart between trees until I burst into a clearing. I stumbled in the bright light that engulfs the empty space. A cabin sits at the opposite end and I push toward it. The man is behind me. I can feel him there. My chest aches. His acrid smell fills my lungs, his fingers twist in my hair, yanking me back.