CHAPTER 4
"What's that?" Iris asked nervously, eyes searching the darkness beyond the firelight. Aden glanced back at the uneasy horses before following Iris' gaze into the depths of the cave. He heard nothing, but if nothing else, Aden trusted the horses' senses.
"Is someone back there?" Aden called. When no reply came, Aden relaxed minutely. Still, something had upset the horses.
Something emerged from the shadows.
Someone.
"Hello Aden, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard truly great things." A man in his mid thirties with eyes beyond his years smiled toward Aden. He dipped his head. "And miss Anderson." He shot Iris a grin. "Pleasure."
Aden stood, squeezing Iris hand before letting it slip from his grasp. "And you are?" It wasn't a simple question of surname, but a demand encompassing so many of the questions racing through Aden's head in that moment. He held his head higher and stretched his torso taller. He was at least as tall as this mystery man, if not taller.
The man raised an eyebrow and smiled lopsidedly, as if Aden's posture only amused him. "I am Brett." He held out an arm and Aden cautiously grasped Brett's forearm. Despite his confidence, Brett's build was nothing to be marvel at. And there was no hidden weapon beneath the sleeve. Aden felt his confidence rise at the back of his mind. He'd be able to protect his Iris if the need arose. Aden stepped back with his head high but kept his silence so Brett could expand.
Brett smirked. "I've come to fulfill your dreams." He put his hands behind his back and locked them. "I can give you a land all your own with powers beyond your current comprehension. Powers beyond anything on this plane."
Aden's eyebrows furrowed. This man was talking nonsense. However, Aden hadn't noticed Iris stand, her interests peaked. He had also missed her steps toward Brett, her expression of curiosity and hope
"You're lying." She said, testing Brett. She could tell he wasn't lying - there was something truthful in his eyes, something that seemed too confident to be lying, to sure he could prove himself. But she was still terribly skeptical.
"You know I'm not." Brett said matter-of-factly, looking only at Iris. Brett dropped his grin, choosing only to wear an expression of patience.
Iris had to admit that this all seemed too orchestrated to be a coincidence. A wild storm forces her into a cave where a mysterious man emerges from the shadows offering an impossible solution to her problems? She had to believe in something bigger than coincidence. Besides, this mysterious shadows man's offer would allow her and Aden to escape the world. They could go together. But...that little twang of insecurity doubted Aden would leave his family for her.
Brett stared into Iris' eyes and, with a voice that seemed a little too loud in her ears, said, "You can always come back." There was cunning in his eyes, but before Iris could react, she spoke.
It was as if the "Show me." has forced its way past any of her inhibitions and tendencies toward caution.
Aden chose that moment to step forward. "Iris, dear. That can't be a good idea. You should at least consider this. Let us wait, let us talk about this." He places his palm on Iris forearm, silently pleading for her not to jump at this apparent miracle. He shifted his gaze to Brett, filling it with something drastically less soft. "You should go back into whatever shadow you crawled from.
YOU ARE READING
Something Bigger Part 1
Teen Fiction"We could run away." He'd suggested. But that was before the offer came. The offer that changed Iris's life and sealed the fate of more than a few. Aden should have pulled her away, he should have broken free of the hold. But maybe this was fate.
