Dead of Summer - Page 130

And Kayde could very well believe him.

“I can’t believe Shawn tried to drown me,” I mutter, though the shock isn’t as strong as perhaps it should be. My feet scrape against the dirt of the small clearing, and I drag my legs up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I’m exhausted and worn out, but this is nothing compared to how much it had hurt back in the river.

Clearly, I’m never going near water again. At least, not outside of a mug of tea or a shower. “What happened to Shawn?” I ask, realizing a bit late that it’s probably important. “Did you kill him?” I wouldn’t be upset if he had, but Grey shakes his head.

“No. Sorry, Summer.” It still makes me feel weird that he knows my name, even though I’d never told him. “I figured I needed to choose between killing him and saving you, and saving you seemed better for me in the long run.” He picks up a large stick to poke at the fire, making it pop and crackle between us.

But I’m too tired to say anything. With my head on my knees, I watch the flames, hating that I’m so close to dozing back off again. Not that I can really fight it. Drowsiness drags at me, pulling my eyelids down until I can feel myself slipping back into a light sleep.

“So, what are you going to do?” Grey’s voice pulls me out of it, and I manage to shake off some of the sleepiness to hum in confusion at his question. “You very clearly have a problem.” He runs the stick between his hands, eyes finding mine over the fire. “A pretty violent one. He took my stuff out of your cabin, you know,” Grey adds, surprising me.

“How did—” I break off, unsure of what to ask. “How do you know that?”

But Grey just grins slyly at me. “I watch him when he’s in the woods. You know he pushed her, right?”

The words chill me to the bone, but I stare at him, refusing to let my mind continue with that thought. “Pushed who?” The words come out of numb lips, because I already know what he’s going to say.

“That little girl yesterday. He showed her where the trail was and followed her. She didn’t realize it, and when she got to the cliff, he pushed her.” Grey’s eyes glitter, and he watches my face as horror courses through me. “You’ve got a killer on your hands. Or at least, someone who wants to become one. He’s not like your Kayde, and he isn’t like me, either. He’s fucked up.”

“As if other serial killers aren’t?” I can’t help but quip, eyes narrowed. “You certainly seem like a shining example of positive mental health.”

Grey giggles at that. “Maybe I’m not, but I’m also not setting traps for kids and counselors so I can kill them,” he reminds me. And, okay, he definitely has a point.

“He really tried to kill me,” I mutter, the silence between us breaking. “Like, he tried to kill me.”

“He did,” Grey agrees. “So what are you going to do about it?”

I open my mouth to answer, though my brain isn’t exactly sure of what’s going to come out of my mouth when Grey’s face changes. He rises to his feet, looking somewhere over my shoulder, and lifts his hands to show that they’re empty.

“I’d definitely prefer you talk to her and have her tell you I did not try to drown her, Kayde,” Grey states, looking serious for the first time since I’ve met him.

Kayde? I whirl around on my knees, mouth falling when I see Kayde standing behind me, at the edge of the clearing, with his head cocked and a blade in his hand. He doesn’t spare a look for me, however. His shrewd, predatory gaze is all for Grey.

“Funny,” Kayde murmurs, his grip on the knife white-knuckled. “That’s not what Shawn said. According to him, Summer was pushed into the river by some maniac and held under. According to him…” He looks down at me, and for just a moment, his eyes widen and he looks so vulnerable.

“You’re dead.”

“Well, I’m sure he wants me to be.” I get to my feet, my legs trembling as I slowly work my way up. “Since he was the one who—” All I see is a flurry of movement before I’m wrapped up in Kayde’s arms, his muscles like bands of iron around my body.

“Fuck,” Kayde exhales, and takes a breath against my still-damp hair. “I really thought…” There’s a shaky note in his voice, and I glance up at him in surprise to find a mix of rage and relief on his face. “I’m so sorry, Summer,” Kayde murmurs, reaching up to tuck my hair back from my face. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you go.”

“Are you satisfied I haven’t done anything?” Grey asks, a little snappy. “Can I sit now without fear of you pushing my face into the fire”

Kayde turns his cold gaze on Grey, lips twitching. “Sure,” he invites flatly. “So long as you stay on your side of the fire.” When I shift my weight uncomfortably, Kayde pulls me back down to the ground, sitting with me in his lap and my back pressed to his chest.

He’s so warm. I can’t help but lean back against him, my eyes closing once again. They talk over me, with Grey explaining what happened and what he’d done about it.

But I can’t stop thinking about the question Grey’d asked me

What am I going to do about it?

My fingers clench in the fabric of Kayde’s shirt, and a buzzing anger sets my bones to shivering under my skin. Some of the ache is chased away by the rage, and when I open my eyes, it’s to watch embers shoot frenetically into the darkening sky.

“So what are you still doing here?” My words cut Grey off, and he looks at me quizzically, like I’ve just asked a stupid as hell question. “I’m grateful,” I assure him. “But you told me you’re not here to do anything that will have Kayde breathing down your neck. So what are you doing here?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” He unsheathes a knife and runs his finger along the blade absently, eyes fixed on the dull grey sheen of the metal. “I’m just here to watch. As soon as I realized the problem you’re having, I thought it would be interesting to see how it ended up. Too bad you two were so busy chasing me you didn’t see what he was doing, don’t you think? He’s gone into town for hunting supplies twice now, first of all. And he walks the woods at night. He’s tried following you.” His gaze slides to Kayde. “But he’s never succeeded.”

Kayde’s eyes narrow in surprise, and a flicker of confusion crosses his face. “Following me?” he repeats. “No, I don’t think that’s true. I would’ve noticed if he was.”