Secrets Don't Stay Dead 2
I peered at her with squinted lids, my fists trembling at my sides. Anger surged through me but guilt trailed closely behind. She was part of this, part of the lie that had kept me in the dark. But I had murdered Khalid in cold blood. That fact loomed over me, a weight I couldn’t shake, no matter how much I wanted to rage at her.
Still, I couldn’t stop the venom in my voice as I hissed, “Sure you don't want to lock me up more for the kick of it?“
Abigail’s eyes flicked to mine, but she didn’t say anything. She simply turned on her heel and walked out of the den without another utterance.
My hands trembled as I pulled on the clothes she’d thrown at me. The hair on my skin was standing, and my heart was pumping faster than necessary. There was so much going on.
Was I really part Melbringer? How could that be possible? Why did my parents leave me with Ethan? What weren't they telling me? The secrets were everywhere, tangled and suffocating.
And to top it all off, the image of Khalid’s lifeless body wouldn’t leave me. I had done that and no amount of deceit could erase the blood on my hands.
I followed Abigail into the hallway, my bare feet brushing against the cold stone. My body felt oddly aware. It might be a consequence of my shifting but my ears were picking up sounds I didn't want to hear, whispers of movement, pieces of conversation, and the floor was too cold.
I caught the hum of voices in another room. My heart sparked in its place knowing I was about to face them.
The living room was full as expected. Abel, Tyler, Caleb, all of them were there, their expressions awfully stoic and unwelcoming. It was expected, I killed their friend.
I held on to my arm tightly as I stepped further into the living room. My gaze swept over them until it landed on Ethan, standing near the center of the room. I gritted my teeth. If he hadn't pushed me like I asked, perhaps I wouldn't be in this position in the first place. But then again, I wouldn't know the reality of his ongoing deceit.
His presence dominated the space, as commanding as ever, but all I could see was the man who I for some reason was learning to rely on.
My irritation boiled over. With a tight glare, I stepped forward to face him. “I hope you're satisfied.“ I huffed without filtering the irritation from my tone.
Ethan’s head snapped toward me, his brows furrowing in surprise. He strode meeting me halfway, a wave of his presence washing over the room like a tide. But I stood my ground, refusing to be washed away into submission by his authority. I curled my hands into fists at my sides.
“Harlyn,” he began with a low hum of his voice as though he could soothe the fury burning in me. “You shifted. It wasn’t without complications, but—”
“Say it,” I interrupted, my voice dropping in pitch. “Say what I did.”
He faltered, his confident façade cracking as he hesitated. He stepped back as his eyes flicked to the others in the room before settling back on me. “Harlyn, you should know—”
With my voice trembling, I uttered, “I killed Khalid.“
Ethan’s expression grew dark, his brows wrinkling more than I've ever seen him. He took steps forward this time, his hands moving to his back. “There’s more to this than you understand,” he said, his tone cautious. “That’s why I need to tell you something important. Something we’ve been waiting for the right moment to reveal.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in the tense room. Now they wanted to tell me the truth. “Oh, let me guess,” I spat. “You’re about to tell me I’m a Melbringer, aren’t you?”
The room fell deathly silent and impenetrably still. For a riveting second in the moment of satisfaction stealing their big, I could feel the collective shock ripple through the group. Abel’s sharp intake of breath, Tyler’s muttered curse, Caleb’s wide-eyed stare.
Ethan’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. “How did you come to find this information?” he demanded with a guttural growl.
I crossed my arms, meeting his gaze with all the defiance I could muster. “And that matters more than the truth of the matter, why?“
“Have we been compromised?“ Tyler suddenly interjected, rushing to his feet to where I stepped in from.
“That's quite impossible unless a dream trip was involved,” Abigail muttered stepping to follow him.
I scoffed running my hand through my hair. “This is ridiculous.“
The tension in the room was growing oppressive and I still wasn't being heard enough to be taken seriously. My heart thundered in my chest, the sound nearly drowning out the defensive chattering that followed my reveal.
“Would you all stop and just listen!“ The words escaped my mouth into an explosion. “There's no stupid compromise, there's no dream trip, whatever that is, there's just me! Here! I want to know why somehow everyone In this room knows what I am except me. And not one of you thought to tell me!“ I ranted.
“Because... it's not really our place to,” Caleb softly stated with a casual shrug.
“I understand you not telling me,” I shifted on my spot to face him before turning to face Tyler and Abigail where they stood, “and you and you,” I then turned to face Abel by a couch,” and you...but,” I turned back to face Ethan, “you?“
“I don't understand much about whatever bond you say we have but isn't there supposed to be some rule about lying to each other?“ My voice broke.
Ethan’s gaze burrowed into mine. I hoped he could read exactly how I was feeling to know I was thoroughly angry. My body trembled, rage and guilt warring within me as I waited for someone, anyone, to speak.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps, hesitant yet deliberate, the sound echoing faintly against the walls. I frowned, wondering who could be approaching us in the middle of that tension. I circled on the balls of my feet toward the sound.
My breath caught in my throat, my entire body going rigid as the figure stepped into the living room.
He stood there more awkwardly than I’d ever seen him since meeting him in my backyard. His beautiful blonde hair bounced atop his head as he walked. His hands were shoved into his pockets as his gaze darted nervously around the room. His face was stained with dirt. His clothes slightly wrinkled, but he was alive. Alive and standing right in front of me.
Khalid.
“That makes two secrets we’ll be revealing tonight,” Khalid said, his voice breaking the stunned silence. His tone was light, almost sheepish, but there was a weight to his words that made my stomach churn.
How is he alive?