The Hidden - Jessica Verday [100]
“I’m lots of things, but I’m no coward,” Vincent replied. “I have balls of solid rock.” Then he turned his attention to me. “You know that friend of yours? The dead one? It was supposed to be you.”
I tried to keep my face blank. “You already told me that. You thought she was Caspian’s other half and wanted to get her out of the way so they could never find each other.”
He shook his head, but grinned gleefully. “It was only a mistake on my part to get involved with her. If I’d been more patient, I could have avoided that. When she died”—he looked over at the Crane River—“right over there, I believe, you were supposed to be here. It was your death day. Not hers. Before I interfered, you would have met Caspian, and then who knows where we’d all be? I just got tired of having a loose end, so I decided to take care of it on my own. Now you’re unwritten and none of us know when it’s gonna happen.”
Shock hit me. I glanced over at Uri. “Is that true?” I asked. “Tell me. Is that true?”
Nikolas got down from his horse. “Abbey,” he said, “you have been given a chance—”
“Been given a chance!” I said hysterically. “I haven’t been given a chance! My life was spared because my best friend’s was taken in its place.”
Vincent grinned. “I was hoping that she’d bring you along with her. Then I would have had a two-for-one.”
Suddenly Cyn started whispering something. I thought I caught the word “veil,” but she was talking faster and faster and I couldn’t hear what she was saying. Her eyes closed and her head slumped forward.
She jerked once, then stood upright. When her eyes opened again, they had changed.
“Abbey,” she said, “it’s okay.”
Blinking rapidly, I tried to clear my vision. Cyn was doing whatever she’d done at the séance. Her smile, her eyes, her expression … Except for the longer hair, everything about her was Kristen. She’s really here.
“Kristen?” I said in a whisper.
Vincent must have been seeing it too, because he looked just as stunned.
Cyn put her hand on my arm. “I’ve missed you so much.” She put her other hand on my face. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him. For almost a whole year I kept his secret because I was so ashamed. I didn’t want you to think any less of me. I just wanted to get him out of my life without you ever finding out. That’s why I didn’t ask you to go with me. To the bridge.”
My vision blurred again. Stupid tears. “I could never think less of you, Kris,” I said. “I miss you so much. There’s so much I want to tell you.”
She smiled. “I know about everything now. I know when you come to visit me in the cemetery. I knew when your boy was keeping watch for you, and tending my grave.” She glanced back at Caspian. “He’s good for you. Very good for you. Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “More than anything.”
Vincent interrupted us. “I don’t know what’s going on, but this—”
“You know what you need to do.” The voice that interrupted came from behind Vincent. Monty was standing there. “Grifyth, you know what you need to do. Let them be together. Let this be over with.”
“My name is Vincent!” he said. Rage turned his face purple, and Cyn/Kristen grabbed for my hand. “And you should know that!”
He pulled the knife away from Cyn for a split second to point it at Monty, and I pulled Cyn’s hand as hard as I could to jerk her away from him. She must have been thinking the same thing, because she propelled herself at me.
Vincent reached out to grab her, but he only got a handful of her hair and it slithered out of his grasp. Uri and Caspian launched themselves at him, and all three of them went down in a tangled heap.
I could hear punches flying and grunts of pain as fists hit flesh, but I couldn’t see what was happening.
When the dust finally settled, Uri was sitting on Vincent’s chest, pinning his arms down on either side, with Caspian holding his feet. Monty stood by, looking unsure of himself.
He glanced at me, and I could see guilt written all over his face. Guilt that he hadn’t done anything to stop his partner.
“Make it right,” I told him.