by J. L. Weil
I didn’t know how he managed to dodge the rain of fire at the same time he fought with a guard. For each hit the guard landed, Dash struck back harder. Fingers humming with electricity, I was just about to fling a multitude of light at the guards rushing Dash when the flash of a knife glinted. My wild eyes found his, but even as I was ready to release a flash of lightning, it was too late. I’d never make it in time.
“No!” I screamed, letting the lightning burst from my fingers. Heat flew across the courtyard, but it was a wasted effort.
Dash’s eyes went wide as the blade pierced his heart. He made a silent gasp of shock as he staggered backward, the dagger still in his chest and blood leaking out of the wound, soaking his shirt. “I’m sorry,” he wheezed, right before he collapsed.
A scream rang in my ears, and I only faintly realized it was coming from me.
I blinked, and the horror around me vanished.
My father stood before me, staring at me with unrecognizable eyes. Dash was poised on the cusp of the woods, bow in hand. It had all been a glimpse of what could happen. If I didn’t go with my father, go to the Institute, Dash would die.
I wasn’t going to let that happen.
With a heavy sigh, I glanced over my shoulder and prepared myself to go into the heart of Diamond Towers, a place feared by many.
I needed to go peacefully to avoid the mayhem—to avoid Dash’s death. Now that I’d seen my father and what he was capable of, the very last thing I wanted to do was go into Diamond Towers. But there was no other choice.
I would be brave.
I would be strong.
And I would be smart.
But most of all, Dash would be alive.
My knees shook as I stood there, my eyes clinging desperately to Dash’s face. A tear rolled down my cheek, pressure crushing my chest. “I love you,” I mouthed, finally admitting my feelings. I needed him to know, for I wasn’t certain I’d ever see him again.
“Don’t, Charlotte!” Dash cried. “I was wrong. Don’t go.”
Hearing his desperate plea, my whole body slumped, and my wobbly knees weren’t going to hold me upright for long. He had no idea how incredibly hard it was to turn my back on him, and as much as my heart was bleeding, I wanted him alive.
I tipped my chin, meeting my father’s stern gaze. “If you let him go, I’ll come with you, but you must promise me no harm will come to him.” Dash would sacrifice himself before he let the Institute take me, but it didn’t mean I had to sit back and do nothing. “Please,” I begged. “Don’t let them do this. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Dash. Let him go. He hasn’t done anything wrong.” No matter how hard I pleaded, it was like talking to a brick wall. Through blurry eyes, the man standing before me was a stranger.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. It has to be this way.”
Oh, God. What had I done?
A prick pierced the side of my neck, followed by a chill filling my veins, spreading throughout my body. I gasped, staring up at the man I’d thought would always protect me. How could I have been so wrong?
My father had injected me with a serum, but of what I didn’t know. It would make itself known soon enough. The effects of the drug were working their way through my system.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stole one last peek at Dash. “Oh, God,” I whispered.
A burst of cold encompassed every cell in my body, rendering me immobile. I couldn’t move. I could barely breathe. I couldn’t hear. I screamed, but nothing came out; there was no sound, except for the cry for help inside my head no one heard.
Dash went ballistic, fighting the guards, doing everything in his power to reach me. His mouth opened and screamed my name, fear lacing every inch of his face—fear for me.
But it no longer mattered. I was drowning in darkness.
Epilogue
Dash
Hands bound behind my back, I was guided to the not-so-nice part of the city. One of the guards gave me an unnecessary shove down the concrete steps. My feet stumbled, but I managed to keep upright, blood pumping as I thought about how sweet it would feel to exact my revenge on these assholes.
It was no surprise where they were taking me; Diamond Towers’ underground jail was a place I knew well. I’d had the unpleasant experience of being there before. It wasn’t like the ones from the twenty-first century; modifications had to be made for the alterations to the state of the world.
The silver metal cut into my skin, burning from the acidic oxides reacting to the change in the atmosphere. The farther underground we went, the worse it got. The entire place was made of the stuff to keep the prisoners in and the nasties out.
I was roughly maneuvered down a narrow hallway dimly lit by lanterns. It didn’t occur to me to fight, not when Charlotte was somewhere within the walls of the city. I couldn’t leave her, and if I was going to find her, I needed to be in a position to gather information.
What better way than in the dungeons?
You’d be surprised what knowledge comes and goes through the tunnels under the towers.
The chains at my wrists dangled as we moved past the occupied cells. “You’re not such a tough guy, now, are you?” the guard behind me sneered, feeling like a top shit now that they had me cuffed.
“When I get out of here, I’ll kill you,” I promised, and it was one I meant to keep.
The guard took a shot at me, hitting me squarely on the left side of my jaw. “You’re never getting out of here, Darhk. Get used to your homey quarters.” The fool laughed, as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever said. Then he shoved me in.
The door slammed closed with a clack, followed by the clicking of locks. I spit blood onto the floor and glanced up. “We’ll see about that.”
They had taken my weapons, but the rage I was feeling was as dangerous as any blade. They would never take away my will to save Charlotte and get the hell out of this craphole. I rested my head against the iron bars, berating myself for my error in judgment. I never should have let her within a mile of the Institute. Why did I possibly think her family would protect her? This was entirely my fault, and it was driving me fucking crazy not knowing where she was or what they were doing to her.
My hands gripped the cold, metal bars. “Charlotte!” I screamed.
The guard who’d brought me down smirked. “You can scream until your lungs bleed, but that sweet little piece of ass? You’ll never see her again.”
My silver eyes burned with hate. He was a dead man.
I moved so fast, I startled the guard. My hands shot through the bars, grabbing the front of his starched Institute uniform. To think I’d once been proud to wear it. “Do you honestly think you’ll be able to keep me in here?” I hissed.
“We can try,” he replied, losing a bit of his cocksureness.
I laughed, shoving the guard before I choked him with my bare hands. “That’s your plan? You better have a backup.”
He straightened up, daggers shooting from his eyes. “The commissioner is going to want to pay you a visit. Of all the people you picked to hijack, you choose his daughter. Classic.”
That wasn’t quite how it went down, but the less the Institute knew about my relationship with Charlotte, the safer she’d be. “If you let me go, I’ll spare your life, otherwise. …” I cracked my knuckles, my dark eyes slitting.
A shiver rolled through the guard. “Either way, I’m dead. I’ll take my chances this cell will hold you.”
Hold me? Please. “Suit yourself. It’s your deathbed.”
“Get comfortable, Darhk. You’re in here for the long haul.”
That was what he thought. I sunk down in the corner of the cell, dropping my head back against the wall. Above, on the ceiling, several marks had been carved into the cement from the previous occupant. I didn’t want to know how they’d managed to reach such heights or why they were no longer occupying this particular cell. Unconsciously, I rubbed the spot on my chest where my old scar was—a trophy of what happens when you cr
oss the Institute.
The depth of being underground, with the combination of the acidic oxides and alloys, neutralized most abilities, but not all. There was a special hell for those who couldn’t be contained deeper in the ground.
She was here, somewhere in the city. I could feel it in my bones—sense her fear, her sadness, and her desire for freedom. I would give her that, I vowed, or die trying.
“Freckles, I’m coming,” I whispered.
Charlotte and Dash’s journey continues in book two:
ENTANGLED
Coming 2017
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About the Author
Award-winning and best-selling author J. L. Weil writes Teen & New Adult Paranormal Romances about spunky, smart-mouthed girls who always wind up in dire situations. For every sassy girl, there is an equally mouthwatering, overprotective guy. Of course there is lots of kissing. And stuff.
Most of her books are for ages 16+. They usually have what she considers the good stuff: sexual content (oh yeah) and swearing. You have been warned. ;)
An admitted addict to Love Pink clothes, raspberry mochas from Starbucks (yum!), and Jensen Ackles (double yum!), she loves gushing about books and Supernatural with her readers.
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