Read Online Jaden (St. Sebastians Quartet #1) by Heather Elizabeth King - Free Book Online
Authors: Heather Elizabeth King
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could feel the heat again, feel the sensation of falling. "Damn it." She exhaled and tried to keep her hands from shaking.
"It's okay," Hayley said. "You're safe now."
Jaden could feel the prick of tears threatening to fall, so she rushed on. "There was a river of—it sounds ridiculous, but there was a river of fire at the bottom of the cliffs. He was throwing me into it. And I could feel the heat of those flames." She hugged herself. "I could feel it. And then when I woke up I saw my face was bruised where he had grabbed me."
"What's going on?"
They all turned toward the foyer where four men were standing. One stood out in front of the rest, tall and dark, with the same coloring as the woman on the sofa. This must be Nico, the woman's brother.
He rushed forward, toward his sister. "Don't listen to them, Bria."
"I'm not crazy!" she exclaimed. "I told you I didn't imagine him."
He sat beside her on the sofa and bundled her into his arms. "I never said you imagined him."
"But you never believed me. You still don't believe me. Even when two perfect strangers have seen the same man." When Nico didn't respond, she shouted, "Hayley painted him. Did you see? Did you see he looks just like I told you?"
"Where's your purse?"
"I didn't bring one."
"Come on." He rose, lifting his sister with him, but she struggled against him.
"No. I'm staying."
"You need to get in bed and rest."
"I'm not crazy. They see him too."
"Stop, Bria. Just stop." He released her and stepped away from the sofa. "Just stop. You have lost everything because of your illusions about this Man in White."
"I know what I've lost. That man—no, he is not a man—he is a thing. And that thing has tormented me my entire life. Maybe now I can understand why. And if I understand, I can deal with him maybe."
"This is crazy talk, Bria. It's all happening in your head."
"You know he's real, Nico. You may not have seen him, but you have to know he's real. How could a child invent such a thing? And we're all having the same nightmares, the Red World and the White World, and the suffering in each. The three of us, Nico. I'm not crazy."
She stopped talking then, and the only sound in the room was Nico's breathing, until he finally said, "Okay. Okay. I'm willing to admit that maybe something is going on. Hayley's paintings do seem unexplainable."
"I gave you the explanation, Nico. She's seen him, too. She's had the same nightmares. Just like Edna's niece."
"Hayley." Another man came from the foyer, this one with long blond hair. Instead of walking to the living room with the rest of them, he went toward the kitchen. "I think we need drinks."
Hayley had been poised in front of the wall of windows, unmoving. When the blond spoke she seemed to return to earth. "Drinks. Yes. I can do that." She went to the kitchen and started getting glasses down from the cabinets. Her movements were too fast and jerky, but she looked better than she had when she'd been standing at the window.
Kenda was in the foyer with another man who looked remarkably similar to the blond in the kitchen, but instead of long blond hair he had short, dark, spiky hair.
With Nico there, the area around the woman was feeling crowded. Jaden rose and went to the windows and stared down at the boardwalk below. On another night, she would have enjoyed the view and complimented the loft. It was bright, airy, and pretty uptown chic for a beach town.
Below, there was a lot of foot traffic on the boardwalk, and people going in and out of the gallery.
"Should you be up here?" Jaden called out to Hayley. "People are still coming in to see your show."
"Yeah. My staff can handle things," she said.
Kenda was approaching, which made Jaden want to hide somewhere. She finally meets an attractive man with an actual personality on the day she has a public meltdown. How much had he heard? And how certifiable did he think she was?
"I know it sounds crazy," she said as soon as he was standing beside her.
"Crazy
"It's okay," Hayley said. "You're safe now."
Jaden could feel the prick of tears threatening to fall, so she rushed on. "There was a river of—it sounds ridiculous, but there was a river of fire at the bottom of the cliffs. He was throwing me into it. And I could feel the heat of those flames." She hugged herself. "I could feel it. And then when I woke up I saw my face was bruised where he had grabbed me."
"What's going on?"
They all turned toward the foyer where four men were standing. One stood out in front of the rest, tall and dark, with the same coloring as the woman on the sofa. This must be Nico, the woman's brother.
He rushed forward, toward his sister. "Don't listen to them, Bria."
"I'm not crazy!" she exclaimed. "I told you I didn't imagine him."
He sat beside her on the sofa and bundled her into his arms. "I never said you imagined him."
"But you never believed me. You still don't believe me. Even when two perfect strangers have seen the same man." When Nico didn't respond, she shouted, "Hayley painted him. Did you see? Did you see he looks just like I told you?"
"Where's your purse?"
"I didn't bring one."
"Come on." He rose, lifting his sister with him, but she struggled against him.
"No. I'm staying."
"You need to get in bed and rest."
"I'm not crazy. They see him too."
"Stop, Bria. Just stop." He released her and stepped away from the sofa. "Just stop. You have lost everything because of your illusions about this Man in White."
"I know what I've lost. That man—no, he is not a man—he is a thing. And that thing has tormented me my entire life. Maybe now I can understand why. And if I understand, I can deal with him maybe."
"This is crazy talk, Bria. It's all happening in your head."
"You know he's real, Nico. You may not have seen him, but you have to know he's real. How could a child invent such a thing? And we're all having the same nightmares, the Red World and the White World, and the suffering in each. The three of us, Nico. I'm not crazy."
She stopped talking then, and the only sound in the room was Nico's breathing, until he finally said, "Okay. Okay. I'm willing to admit that maybe something is going on. Hayley's paintings do seem unexplainable."
"I gave you the explanation, Nico. She's seen him, too. She's had the same nightmares. Just like Edna's niece."
"Hayley." Another man came from the foyer, this one with long blond hair. Instead of walking to the living room with the rest of them, he went toward the kitchen. "I think we need drinks."
Hayley had been poised in front of the wall of windows, unmoving. When the blond spoke she seemed to return to earth. "Drinks. Yes. I can do that." She went to the kitchen and started getting glasses down from the cabinets. Her movements were too fast and jerky, but she looked better than she had when she'd been standing at the window.
Kenda was in the foyer with another man who looked remarkably similar to the blond in the kitchen, but instead of long blond hair he had short, dark, spiky hair.
With Nico there, the area around the woman was feeling crowded. Jaden rose and went to the windows and stared down at the boardwalk below. On another night, she would have enjoyed the view and complimented the loft. It was bright, airy, and pretty uptown chic for a beach town.
Below, there was a lot of foot traffic on the boardwalk, and people going in and out of the gallery.
"Should you be up here?" Jaden called out to Hayley. "People are still coming in to see your show."
"Yeah. My staff can handle things," she said.
Kenda was approaching, which made Jaden want to hide somewhere. She finally meets an attractive man with an actual personality on the day she has a public meltdown. How much had he heard? And how certifiable did he think she was?
"I know it sounds crazy," she said as soon as he was standing beside her.
"Crazy
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