by J. L. Weil
Star’s whimpers were starting to become a distraction none of us needed. If this jerk-face’s grubby hand wasn’t still covering my mouth, I would have told her to take a deep breath.
“And you’re willing to risk your own for what?” Dash demanded.
“For you. Or haven’t you figured out that your death is the ultimate prize here? We haven’t forgotten what you did. A debt must be paid.”
“Fine. Then take me. Let them both go, and you can have me. Life for a life, isn’t that what you want?”
Did he have to have enemies everywhere we went? I whipped my head up, breaking free from the rebel’s grasp. “Dash, don’t!” I wasn’t about to let him sacrifice himself. Hell-to-the-no, regardless that it was becoming clear he was the reason why some dude with dirty hands shoved his fingers into my hair.
The jerk behind me yanked on my hair, snapping my head back to expose my throat, and inched his blade closer to my skin.
I groaned.
“Nah,” my captor said with far too much enjoyment. “I want you to suffer first. Killing you would be too easy. I want you to feel the pain my brother and I have felt every day, to live knowing you couldn’t save one of them.”
“What makes you think I care about either?” It was a little too late to play that card, and we all knew it, but I gave him props for keeping the two idiots talking.
“I’ll admit, the plan was to kill this one here.” Twisting my head to the side, he slid the cool metal of his dagger across my cheek. Instinct made me want to yank away, but I forced myself to stay still. “Your eyes really are stunning,” he whispered into my ear. “I hope for your sake, Sweet Cheeks, he chooses the mouse and lets you live.”
“Bite me,” I hissed.
He threw his head back and laughed. “Don’t tempt me. I would like that.”
Dash looked directly at the rebel. “You touch her again, and this arrow will find your heart. That’s a fact.”
“Is that your answer then?”
Dash’s gaze clashed with mine, beseeching me.
I shook my head, silently begging him to trust me. The only people dying were the two dumbasses stupid enough to cross paths with the Slayer and me.
Panic eclipsed his eyes. “Star—”
“Dammit, Dash. Don’t be a fool. You must save Star. Do you hear—?” Thwack. That was the sound of me getting backhanded.
“Anyone tell you that you talk too much, Sweet Cheeks?” the rebel asked, once again claiming a firm grip on me. My gut reaction was to fry him from the inside out.
A low roar erupted from Dash. “Do you know who she is? She is the bloody daughter of a councilman.”
“Of course. That’s why we have this.” The bastard held up a needle. Crap. I was so getting drugged.
The one holding Star grinned. His arms were the size of pythons, thick and scary. “There is a bounty on both your heads.”
Dash’s fingers steadily held the arrow. “So what? You figured you’d kill two birds with one stone?”
“We’re opportunists. Either way, the Institute will get what it came for.” A pause lingered in the air. “Or you could do the stand-up thing and surrender.”
“Go screw yourself,” I growled.
The brothers laughed.
Dash’s gaze morphed into silver daggers. “What the lady said.”
“Have it your way. So, who will it be? Are you a blonde or a ginger kind of guy?” The slime-ball’s voice slithered like maggots over my skin, and when he ran his fingers through my hair, I wanted to vomit. “I’m looking forward to taking this one back to the Institute.”
The arrow in Dash’s bow flinched, my captor’s death shining in Dash’s eyes. Oh my God. He was going to kill the brother who held me hostage. I knew it. Dash knew it. Star knew it. And the rebel did too.
“Dash!” I screamed, snapping his focus back to me. “Trust me. You must choose Star.”
Reservation reflected in his expression, including flecks of unease. The Dash I knew never doubted himself or his gift. The fact that he was in this moment told me he was shaken. If all of us were going to get out of here alive, he had to snap out of it.
We needed the Slayer, not Dylan from a thousand years ago. He might have been hiding who he really was from Star, protecting her still, but that was all about to end.
“I-it doesn’t matter who I choose. They aren’t going to kill you, not when they will benefit from bringing you back.” He more or less rationalized the situation out loud—not the approach I would have taken, but I also wasn’t faced with watching two people I cared about held at knifepoint.
“Let’s not take the chance. Trust me and save Star,” I pleaded. “You’re the only person in the Heights who knows me.”
Finally, a glint of hope passed into his eyes. Time seemed to speed up at that point. I wasn’t even clear as to what transpired, but the instant he released his arrow, I summoned my power, letting it encompass me completely. Sparks flew off my skin, hissing and popping.
“What the—” The chump tried to slice me with his dagger but met an invisible wall: my shield, but I wasn’t done with him yet. I sent a charge of electricity in the air, hitting him the chest, not too close to the heart. The surge laid him flat out on his back, knocking the blade out of his hand.
Wielding two of my abilities was a surprise. I had hoped it would work, but I hadn’t known for sure, a gamble I’d been willing to take. “I’d start running if I were you, before he catches you.” I tried not to be utterly freaked out by the unusual sound of my voice. It had this omnipotent tone to it that had to come from the volume of electricity pumping through my body.
The asshat scrambled to his feet and took off running.
Star trembled from head to toe, blood staining the material of her pants. Not her blood, but Star didn’t seem too relieved by this. The dead body lying beside her with an arrow sticking out of his heart had her on the verge of passing out.
“Charlotte.” Dash was at my side. “Are you okay?”
I lifted my brow. “Are you going to let him get away?”
In long strides, he stalked to where the body had fallen, ripping the arrow from its chest and letting it soar through the woods straight into the back of the rebel who had shaved ten years off my life.
I had wanted to warn them, but it was finally over, and I exhaled, releasing the energy humming inside me.
Dash bent to help Star to her feet, but the look on her face gave him pause. “Are you hurt?” he asked softly.
Star shook her head, her hands quivering in her lap. “They’re dead?”
“Yes.” Dash didn’t bother to sugarcoat it.
I pushed to my feet, dusting off the dirt from my clothes, waiting to see if Star was going to have a meltdown. It sort of looked that way. I sympathized with her, knowing how scary my first hostage situation had been, but I’d trusted Dash. If she was going to survive the rest of the journey, she needed to form a backbone. And quickly.
Star’s eyes bounced from Dash to me, looking at us as if we were insane. “What is wrong with you two? We could have died. He was going to kill me!”
“How the hell did it happen anyway?” I asked, waiting for someone to answer me.
“You went all pink-eyes on us, that’s how,” Dash informed me. “I hope the vision was worth it.”
“Not really,” I mumbled. “It was a warning of the attack.”
“We’ve got to work on your timing.”
I rolled my eyes.
Dash moved a hand under Star’s elbow to help her stand up, but the second he touched her, she jerked away. “I can’t do this. You’re a killer.”
Uh-oh.
Dash flinched.
Where was this coming from? He’d saved her life. My heart went out to him. I had to refrain from grabbing Star by the ear and dragging her to the woods to give her a much needed scolding. “That’s not fair! Do you think I’m a killer?” I challenged her.
She nibbled on her lip.
“Ye
s, things are vastly different. Yes, none of us are who we used to be. But I think you owe it to Dash to get to know who he is today before you pass judgment on him. I trust him, Star. With my life. You would be dead if Dash and I didn’t trust each other.”
Her shoulders dropped, shame moving into her soft brown eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
Dash shrugged it off. “Don’t worry about it. You were scared, and what you said, it’s true. I have killed before and probably will do so in the future. You should know the truth.”
Bullshit.
Well, not the part about him killing, but he did what he had to survive, not because it was a game or fun.
“Maybe you should have left me at the Institute,” she whispered.
“I understand you’re upset, but if I’d left you there, you’d already be dead. Dash won’t let anything happen to you. And neither will I. But you’re right; it isn’t safe for you to be with us, not while the Institute is hunting us, which is why we’re taking you someplace safe.”
That got her full attention. “You’re leaving me?”
I nodded. “It’s the only way to keep you out of danger. You deserve a life, Star, and running from the Institute, sleeping in caves, and constantly fighting to stay alive, that isn’t your life.”
Her glossy brown eyes moved to the dead body before she stood up. “Maybe you’re right.”
Chapter Sixteen
I bent to gather my gear that had fallen during the attack. A droplet of blood plopped onto my arm.
What the—?
Another drop followed, and my hand flew to my face. Strange… my nose was bleeding. The rebel must have hit me a whole lot harder than I remembered. I’d grown accustomed to pain and didn’t think much of it. Nosebleeds were common. Why should I be worried? But Dash noticed and was suddenly in front of me.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes drifted over my face, catching my chin in between his fingers and tipping my head back.
I tried to jerk my chin out of his grasp, but failed. “Nothing. It is just a nosebleed. I’m fine.” But no sooner were the words out when I was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell, my head growing heavy. Okay, so maybe there was something wrong. Could I possibly have a concussion? My skin was flushed, yet I felt cold, freezing actually. Tremors took over my body.
Oh no!
“Dash,” I whispered.
His eyes darkened as he ran a thumb along my jaw. “What is it?”
“I’m going to pass out.”
Confusion crossed his expression. “What?”
I struggled to focus on his face. “Like now.”
“I got you,” he murmured, his warm breath fanning my forehead. Both of his hands were on my face, holding me steady. “Freckles, don’t you—”
Too late.
My legs gave out and there was only darkness. No thoughts. No Dash. No nothing.
My mind was hazy and disjointed. Strong arms held me; my head lay on a warm shoulder. We were moving, but I found the rhythmic motions relaxing and was content to stay here indefinitely.
Keeping my eyes closed, I drank in the scent of him, the scent of safety and the woods that made me want to burrow my face into his neck. It had been too long since Dash had held me. Who knew when I’d ever get the chance to be in his arms again?
Unable to stop myself, I weaved my fingers through his dark, silky hair. Dash turned his face slightly toward me, bringing our faces close together. He didn’t miss a beat and kept walking, not making any indication that he would put me down, making me think he also didn’t want to let go.
I sighed, looping both my arms around his neck.
We continued walking like that, torturing each other with little whispers of breaths and inconspicuous touches until I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave in, pressing my lips to his neck, and felt the muscles in his body quiver. It should have stopped there, but I couldn’t seem to find the willpower. There was something incredibly hot about seducing him in the dark with Star so close. She walked a few feet in front of him, her shadow falling to the ground at Dash’s feet.
It probably made me a wicked person, but Dash had a way of bringing out a different side of me.
He moaned, and I smiled against the side of his neck, loving how a flick of my tongue could make him tremble. I’d completely forgotten how I came to be in his arms. It didn’t matter.
Dash cleared his throat. “We should rest,” he said to Star.
“How is she?” Star asked about my well-being. What a friend. If she only knew …
“Heavy.”
I bit the vein in his neck—not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make my displeasure known.
“Ouch,” he mumbled, jostling me in his arms.
I held tight onto his neck in case he got any ideas about dropping me to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Star asked.
“Fine. It was only a cramp.”
I smothered a giggle against his throat, until I felt his hand move over my backside.
Sly devil.
“I’ll gather some firewood,” she offered, stepping up to be quite the helper bee.
“Don’t wander far,” Dash advised in a too husky voice.
I listened to Star’s footsteps as she walked off into the woods followed by the crinkling of leaves and the cracking of twigs. Dash slowly set me on my feet, my body sliding down his. He kept his hands on either side of my hips, preventing me from going anywhere, not that the thought had crossed my mind.
I lifted my eyes, getting hung up on the storm churning in his gaze. He really had beautiful eyes; the silver surrounding them shifted with his moods. His ridiculously long lashes formed a canopy over his sharp cheekbones.
In a spin that left me breathless, Dash pinned me up against a tree, capturing me with his firm body. “What is it about you?” he murmured right before he kissed me.
Fireworks exploded. Weeks of suppressed feelings burst forth, coming to the surface in desperate need. It felt as if it had been years since his lips pressed to mine, and he still had the ability to turn my brain to mush.
There was nothing soft about the kiss. My lips parted, and I tasted something sweet on his tongue: berries and mint. His fingers spread over my sides, inching under my shirt as I coiled my arms around his neck, swooping my tongue against his.
Everything inside me felt raw and hungry. My lips were hot as they moved over his, and all that mattered was his possessive mouth, the ache inside me for more, and the glow he made me feel inside.
I never wanted it to stop.
But all things must come to an end.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Dash and I broke apart like a gunshot had been fired, both of us breathless and flushed with guilt. Star had returned with an armful of logs that she had dumped on the ground, giving Dash and me a heart attack. She stood eyeing us humorously, trying to hide the grin pulling at the corners of her lips. “How long are you guys going to pretend there is nothing between you?”
Dash rubbed at the back of his neck, and I skittered my gaze to the ground, avoiding all eye contact. “Things are complicated,” Dash said.
“Meaning you’re trying not to hurt my feelings.” She dusted off her hands on the sides of her pants. “Look, before things get any weirder around here, we should probably talk.”
Crimson swept across my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Star. I never meant to be that girl who came between her friend and a guy.”
“Is that what you think? I cared about Dylan. I loved him, but Dash is not Dylan. There are definitely still pieces of him that I recognize when I look at him.” Her eyes floated to Dash. “And although your outward appearance might be the same, you’re not,” she finished, speaking directly to him. “I can see that now.” She faced me again. “I can also see how much Dash cares about you. If anyone is in the way, it is me.”
“That isn’t true,” Dash argued.
Star lifted a slim blonde eyebrow. “Which part? That you’re different?
Or that you’re in love with Charlotte?”
I folded my arms and turned toward Dash, a grin on my lips. Star was my girl. “Yeah, Dash. Which is it?” I asked, putting the spotlight on him.
Those lips that I could still taste on my mine turned down. He wasn’t enjoying our joined forces. “Can we just get to Hurst without creating a soap opera?”
I poked a finger in his chest. “You’re not getting out of this.”
He smiled smugly, taking on that arrogant stance he was famous for. “You want to hear me say it, don’t you?”
What girl didn’t? Yes, I wanted to hear him tell me that he loved me. “Only if you mean it. I’m not going to ever force you to say something that isn’t true.”
“Who said it isn’t true?”
My heart skipped a beat. Was that an admission of love? Not good enough. I wanted those three little words on his lips.
“I swear the two of you like to bicker for the sake of getting a rise out of each other,” Star complained. “There is so much tension between you that I feel like I am drowning in it.” She turned to Dash, shooting him a stern look. Someone had just slapped on her big girl bossy pants. I’d never seen Star so bold. “You’d be a fool to let Charlotte slip away. If you haven’t noticed, everywhere we go guys are tripping over themselves to talk to her. You wait too long, and some lucky guy is going to snatch her from right under your nose.”
I stood smiling smugly at Dash. And then Star turned to me.
“And you, Charlotte. You’re my only friend, but you’ve been avoiding me since you found out who I am. I want you to be happy, and if Dash makes you happy, then that’s what matters. I don’t want to lose the only friend I have.”
Holy cow. She was going to make me cry, but what she said was true. I should have said something instead of wallowing in my own pity party. I gave her a hug because I couldn’t help myself. “I’ve been a crappy friend.”
She shook her head. “Distant, but not crappy. You kept me alive. Besides, guys make us do crazy things.”
Dash cleared his throat. “Um, the guy in question can hear you.”