Page 77 of Autumn Secrets

“I…I can’t explain right now, maybe later?” I tried. How did I explain something like this to him? Did he know anything about the world I was involved in? Was he one of them? Or was Adrian oblivious to it all? I stole a quick glance at him. He just looked…like Adrian.

“Okay, whenever you’re ready. I’m here for you.” He smiled reassuringly and squeezed my hand.

I decided I could trust him. He hadn’t given me any reasons not to, and I was running out of time. When we finally made it to his house, I noticed Adrian’s parents weren’t home, just like the last time I’d been there. The house was dark.

“Where are your parents?”

“Dinner with some friends. Elijah is probably still at the party or in some poor girl’s bed.” He grinned and stepped out of the car. I followed him. He gestured towards the house. “After you.”

I was once again alone with Adrian in his house. He turned the light on and ticked his head towards the table. “My phone is over there.”

“Thanks.” Luckily, I had learned my lesson from our weekend away, and memorised Mum’s number. I walked over to the table Adrian had pointed to and grabbed his phone. I needed to get in touch with her as soon as possible.

“The battery must be flat on yours too,” I said and tried any of the buttons to lighten the screen.

“Oh, okay. I have a charger upstairs in my room, just give me a sec,” he said and turned some more lights on.

“Do you have a landline? Sorry, I really need to call my mum.”

“We don’t have a landline.” He came up to me and I handed him the phone. “Come on, let’s go upstairs so you can call her.”

He held out his hand and I placed mine in his and followed him upstairs, my mind racing. Who the hell was Luca referring to when he saidwe? How many were there? Were we all in danger? Was Angel Falls surrounded by Lilith’s dark bearers?

“Okay, after you.” Adrian grinned and opened the door for me. We stepped into his bedroom. Adrian walked over to his desk and pulled a charger out and plugged it into the wall. After a few seconds, his phone lit up. “Here you go; it should work now.”

I quickly dialled Mum’s number, but she didn’t pick up. Her number was the only one I knew, so I tried again. Still, nothing. She was probably still driving or sleeping.

“She isn’t answering,” I mumbled and turned to Adrian.

He was still standing by the door, leaning causally against it with his arms crossed over his well-defined chest. His pale, turquoise-blue eyes were watching me intently. “No luck, huh?”

I shook my head and pressed my lips together as I walked up to him. “Would you mind taking me home? I really need to get hold of someone. Sorry…” I wasn’t sure how to explain Mr and Mrs Peters right now. I forced myself to meet his gaze and he grinned and caressed my cheek. I let my eyes close for a brief second, just to feel the warmth of his touch pierce through to the very core of my being. He planted a soft kiss on my lips, slowly pulling me into his world again.

A world I didn’t have time to be in right now, no matter how much I wanted to hide in there. “I’m sorry, Adrian. I can’t do this right now. I really need to go home,” I whispered against his lips with my eyes closed.

He pulled his face away and I felt him stare down at me. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Aurora. Because, I can’t let you go home yet.”

My eyes instinctively looked up at the sound of his voice, and I immediately detected the shift in his eyes.

“Adrian?” I whispered in confusion and started to walk backwards, away from him. I wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Don’t take it personally, angel. It’s just that you have something that I want, and you’ll have to give it to me before I can let you go,” he said, still with a soft tone to his voice, and took a few steps closer to erase the distance I’d created between us.

I shook my head and swallowed hard, in an attempt to take away the growing ache in my throat. “What is it that you want?” I whispered.

“Aurora, let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be. I think you know what I am talking about. Just give me the amulet.”

He knew. He was a part of this. He was working with Luca. Was I the only one who had been left in the dark? As if my heart hadn’t already been crushed enough this evening, I could feel it shatter into a million pieces. I closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to stop the tears that were threatening to break free. I shook my head and wished that this was just a bad dream.

“I don’t have the amulet.” I let my eyes sweep across the room, looking for a way out. The only way out was through the door we came in. I wouldn’t have time to open any windows to try and escape.

“Angel, don’t lie to me. I can see it. You can’t hide it from me.”

“You’ve seen the amulet?”

“No, I can see it inyou. You are connected to the amulet; I can sense it. Now, be a good girl and hand it over.”

I shook my head. “Like I said, I don’t have it.”