“Do you like Sasha?” Dare asked Benny.
“Sure. Why?”
Dare set a hand on Benny’s shoulder and looked into his past just a little. As suspected, he saw only honor and willingness to help his friends. Loneliness, too, but that could be solved with the right person. “She’s free to date, if you want.”
Benny scoffed and pulled away from Dare’s hand. “Are you insane? Have you marked her?”
Dare’s guilty silence spoke for him.
Benny looked aghast. “But you would let me have her?”
Dare let out an aggrieved sigh. “It’s hard to explain, but I’m not what you think I am. I can’t really… have a mate. Not like you and the others can. Well, I guess you’ll probably know all of it tomorrow night, if we meet the oracle. But I don’t want Sasha to be there. I… Things might go bad. And we weren’t supposed to be more anyway.”
But if Sasha wasn’t there, he might change without a human by his side.
“Do you think Harley could be there?” Dare asked.
Benny rubbed his chin. “I don’t see why not. But if it’s not safe for Sasha, is it safe for Harley?”
“Harley understands shifter things,” Dare said. “Besides, I’m not so worried about Sasha’s safety so much as what she will think about me.”
“Going to have a reckoning with this oracle person?”
“Yes,” Dare said.
Benny let out a long breath of exasperation. “I just… All I can recommend is forgiveness, but I’m guessing you’re far past that.”
“It’s not about forgiveness. It’s about the truth. What she did to my life.”
Benny frowned. “Life is about love. And if I’m not wrong, you have it. And you’re going to toss it aside to chase shadows. You’re going to give up light for the dark.”
Dare didn’t know how Benny had gotten it so accurate, but he nodded. “I am.”
Benny pushed himself to his feet heavily. “Then there’s nothing I can do to change your mind, though I think you’re being stupid. Sasha would want to be there. I’ve seen the way she wants to support you.”
Dare was tempted to tell Benny that he should have a look at Harley, who appeared to be pining as well, but he decided he didn’t have the right to give anyone advice on their problems. “I’ve made my choice.”
“Harley will be there,” Benny said. “She’s always at my right hand.”
“Then we’ll be fine. Can she sit by me?”
Benny looked taken aback. “I guess so. But can I ask why?”
“I can’t explain it,” Dare said. “Not yet.”
Benny sighed and stopped at the doorway, putting a hand on the handle with a sigh. “I just don’t get it. Why you’ve suddenly changed your mind about Sasha.”
“I haven’t,” Dare said quietly, mostly to himself. “But being with her was dreaming, and I finally woke up.”
Chapter 19
Sasha had an uneventful day with Lillian and didn’t feel much like talking about what was going on with Dare.
Instead, they watched chick flicks, hung out in the mansion, and just focused on having a good time.
Sasha checked her phone for what felt like the thousandth time, seeing if there was anything from Dare, but saw nothing.
“So you’re headed back to the club after dinner?” Lillian asked. “Any idea if Dare is making any headway there?”
“I mean… I don’t know. But there is a meeting tonight, and unless I hear from him, I’m planning to go.”
“Nathan and I can drive you,” Lillian said. “I’d like to see this club.”
Sasha shook her head. “I appreciate the ride, but don’t come in with me. It’s not the kind of place Nathan would approve of at all.”
She didn’t know how much to say more than that. She didn’t want to keep things from her best friend, but what Dare was doing was his business alone.
Nathan seemed interested in knowing what had happened to him and his brothers, but not as interested as he was in spending time with his new mate.
Dare’s words about not accepting Nate’s decision to mate Lillian came back to haunt her and stayed on her mind until Lillian dropped her off at Club Crimson later that night.
“I just… Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Lillian asked. “Just going in there alone?”
It was dark out, and Sasha could see lights flashing inside the club in the darkness. “I’m fine. Dare’s in there.”
“You like him, don’t you?” Lillian asked quietly.
“Yes,” Sasha replied, still looking at the club.
“You know Nathan and I are here to help you. Or Dare.”
But how could Sasha tell Lillian that Dare thought her mating with Nathan was impossible? And how was she to explain how stupid she’d been by openly letting her heart fall for a man who was sure he was a monster?
“I’ll be fine. Dare is probably close to finding out what he needs to, and then I’ll go back to my regular life.”
“Is he still going to help you find someone?”
Sasha gave her friend a bittersweet smile. “Nah. I’m sure he would, but I think I’m just going to go back to being single. I don’t think I’m ready to date.”
Plus, after Dare, she didn’t think anyone could measure up to him. She didn’t know how long it would be until her heart could move on.
She gave Lillian a hug over the center console, then got out of the car and walked up the steps to the club.
She was surprised when a huge figure stepped out in front of her just as she came through the front entrance.
She recognized the wide shoulders, shoulder-length hair, and smoldering eyes instantly.
Dare.
Why did her body have to always respond to his closeness? Why did her heart want her to go closer and run from him at the same time?
She could still feel the tension from earlier, still hurt from everything he said, though she knew it was partially her fault for getting her hopes up.
But then Dare pulled her into a hug, his arms warm and strong around her, his head practically resting atop hers. God, he was so tall compared to her.
She’d made some stupid, risky decisions in her life, but agreeing to work with this man might have been the worst of them.
Or the best, if she could just take the good in this and let the rest go.
She felt him take a deep breath and cocked her head in confusion as he stood up again. Had he been smelling her?
His gaze was warm as he looked at her as if trying to memorize her, and that gave her an uneasy feeling.
“It’s good to see you, Sasha. Want a drink?”
She grabbed his arm as he turned to go to the bar, and he looked down at her, a hint of unease showing in his dark-blue eyes. “I just… Are we good?”
He nodded. “We’re good. I’m sorry if I was… mean to you. Earlier.”
“It’s fine,” she said, sighing in relief. “I just didn’t know if I’d done something wrong.”
“No,” he said quietly. “Everything you’ve done is very right. I’m the wrong one.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, knowing anything she did say would start an argument, so she just took the drink Benny handed her and tried not to think about how Dare’s hands had felt on her last night.
“I thought it was an officer meeting, but there are still quite a few people there,” she said, swiveling on her stool to look out at the club.
“Yeah,” Dare said. “They’re here for dancing, and the officer meeting was cancelled. We’re probably going to meet tomorrow.”
“Why?”
He frowned. “Just a change in developments. Still nothing for sure.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “Hey, aren’t we working together on this? Shouldn’t you be telling me what’s up? Has Benny had any info for you?”
His lips firmed into a straight line. “Don’t worry about it.”
But that was really weird for him to say now. He’d plowed into her life, disrupted
it, made her care for him, made her help him… and now he just wanted to back out?
Someone walked by, and Dare’s arm shot out to grab him. “Hey, Max, want to dance with Sasha?”
The lion shifter’s lip curled as he looked between them. “You must be joking. She’s already marked.”
“That doesn’t mean things are permanent.”
Max simply looked at Dare as if he’d grown two heads, ugly ones, and pushed his way back into the crowd.
“Well, that went over well,” Sasha muttered. She folded her arms. “Guess that means I’m out of the shifter dating pool.”
Dare frowned at the implication but was distracted when his phone rang. He looked down at it and then held it up. “It’s Benny.” He showed her. “I gotta take this. You try to have fun.”
Sasha sighed and kept her place at the bar, wondering what was going on. Dare was trying to act as if nothing had happened between them. Like they were just friends, though they never had been.
They’d been adversaries, bitter partners, and then lovers. But they had never really been friends.
She put her untouched drink on the counter, not feeling like tasting it.
She looked up to see Max was back. The lion shifter leaned forward, sniffing the air around her. “I knew it. You stink like him.”
“That’s rude.”
Max looked around, trying to spot Dare and not seeing him. Probably because he’d gone into some corner to talk to Benny. “What’s wrong with him? What is he doing right now?”
“I don’t know,” Sasha said flatly.
“Well, are you into him?” Max cocked his head at her.
She sighed, watching the swaying bodies on the dance floor. “Probably, unfortunately.”
Max nodded wisely. “I can tell. It’s too bad he’s going to be stupid about it. He asked me to dance with you earlier. Is he trying to set you up?”
“That was the whole deal with him.”
“He should not have marked you, then.” Max shook his head solemnly.
“He wanted to keep me safe.”
“There were other ways. A mate marking is sacred.” Max seemed offended down to his core.
“Not all of us feel that way,” a smooth voice said as a shadow appeared in front of them. Sasha looked up to see Lock, looking handsome and rakish as always. He cut in between her and Max, leaning on the bar. “Hey, sexy.”
He wasn’t as big as Dare, but he was still big enough to make Sasha feel small. Right now, he had a smile on his face and his outstretched hand was just what she needed.
She took it and let him pull her out onto the dance floor, bringing her in close.
There was nothing wrong with this, after all. Dare wanted her to be with other people.
Speaking of Dare, she scanned the room for him and spotted him at the door to a back room, talking with a lowered head to Benny.
He looked her way and their eyes met, and for a second she saw that fire in him, saw his tense posture that said he wanted to go to her side.
But then he forced himself to turn back to Benny, trying to act as if he hadn’t even seen.
Maybe he really didn’t care anymore.
She really shouldn’t be hurt by it.
Lock looked in the same direction and seemed to pick up on what was wrong. “Such a Greek tragedy. You two want to fuck each other. What’s the problem?”
Sasha sighed. “The problem is he doesn’t want to do anything more than fuck.”
Lock laughed. “I wish. That would work better for me. No, right there is a man trying to tell himself he’s doing the right thing when he’s doing it all wrong.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Doesn’t make it any easier for you.”
She sighed, pushing at his hands. “I’m not really in the mood.” She looked at Dare again. Would he be jealous?
But he just gave her a nod and sat at the bar again, talking to Benny.
He didn’t even care.
What had changed with him? When he’d gotten up this morning, something hadn’t been the same. Did he not care for her anymore? Or maybe he had never cared for her at all.
“Don’t look like that.” Lock turned her in, pulling her against his chest. “Don’t let him see your pain. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“It’s not his fault… He thinks he’s some kind of monster.”
“And maybe he is,” Lock said, looking down at her. “What then?”
“Then I don’t care because I think I love him.”
“I’m guessing he’s not the only monster you’ve loved.”
“No. I have a habit of falling for the damaged ones.”
“Damaged is okay, as long as they want to get better. As long as they are doing the work for it.”
She looked over at Dare. “Well, obviously not.”
Lock rubbed his hand over her back, and she was surprised to find it comforting. “Plenty of other fish in the sea.”
She looked up at him, suddenly curious. “What do you want, Lock?”
His amber eyes took on a faraway look, suddenly serious, which she guessed was rare for him. “A lot of things, most of which I’ll never have, but that doesn’t stop me. I guess I’m the same as your man in that way.” He slowly released her, looking like he was no longer in the mood to flirt. “Anyway, I have to head out now, but take it easy, Sasha. You’re one of the good ones.”
Then he disappeared into the crowd, fading into the darkness.
Sasha didn’t know if she’d said something to bother him, but she guessed he was the type to want to deal with it on his own.
And she had other things to deal with.
Like Dare, who was now sitting at the bar, hunched over and not looking well.
He might not want to see her, but she had to go to him, find out what had changed, find out what was wrong.
At this point, she just had to know.
Chapter 20
Dare gripped the bar top with his hands, resisting the urge to tear it apart as he avoided going over and beating up Lock and carrying off Sasha.
He’d already made his decision, and he had no reason to still feel this way.
Benny had just called him, having heard from Lead, and they were set up to meet the next night at Club Crimson.
And Dare wouldn’t be needing Sasha for that.
He jerked when someone tapped his shoulder, and he turned, ready to clock someone in the face, but stopped when he saw Sasha.
God, she looked beautiful tonight in a knee-length white sundress and red heels, her blond curls clipped back, curves beautifully displayed.
He had to remind himself to breathe at the sight of her.
“How’s it going out there? Are you having a good time?” He tried to sound casual.
Don’t think about Lock’s hands on her hips. We’re too close to what we’ve been searching for to get in a fight right now.
She gripped her clutch with tense fingers. “I think I’d just like to go home.”
Dare gave a jerk of his head, knowing they needed to talk anyway, and home would be a good place.
He put out an arm and was surprised when she took it, letting him lead her out.
He tried not to be pleased by the feel of her soft hand on his bicep, by the way she walked quietly with him to the car, as if just enjoying his company.
He tried not to imagine a full life of this, so wonderful and full of love.
But it wasn’t easy.
When they reached her apartment, it seemed simple habit to go in and lock the door behind him.
She set her purse on a side table and sat down on the couch beside it, flopping into the cushions. Then she looked up at him, pinning him with a glare. “Just what’s wrong with you today? Why are you trying to push me on other people?”
He gave her a tired stare as he settled into one of the other cushioned chairs and turned it to face her. “That was the whole point of this, remember?”
“No, you were supposed to help me find someone unlike anyone in my p
ast, and that was only after I’d helped you.”
“I just… I might not have that much more time.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, failing to look intimidating because of how beautiful she was. How much he… loved her.
If love was something a nightmare like him could feel.
“You aren’t telling me what’s happening with the club either.”
“That’s because I… might not need you around.”
She gaped at him, bottom jaw falling open. When she composed herself, she looked pissed. “What do you mean? Won’t you transform?”
He leaned back in the chair and ran both hands through his hair, massaging his scalp and trying to push away the tension that was building inside him. He’d never expected any of this to happen so fast.
“I… I met with a dragon today. At the club, while you were at Lillian’s. He thinks he can put me in touch with the woman who made me what I am.”
“I see,” Sasha said quietly, not moving much at all.
Dare pressed onward. “Benny called to confirm, and we’re meeting tomorrow night. The thing is… I won’t need a human there. Harley is coming.”
Sasha’s eyes narrowed to deadly slits, and this time Dare managed to feel just a little afraid of her. “I see. So another human helping you is better than me.”
There was no human better than her, but if he told her that, told her the feelings he’d been stupid enough to have about her, that would only make things more difficult.
He thought of his ledger, of the oracle he now had to confront. Maybe things would go badly. Maybe he’d always hoped that the oracle was dead, because the other side of things meant they were truly discarded, and maybe she would try to destroy them now as well.
But at least he would have closure, at least be able to confront the person responsible for a hundred years of lonely hell.
Made worse by the fact that he had finally found something to love and couldn’t keep her because of the monster he was.
Sasha deserved a better mouth to kiss than one that had fed on countless humans. Someone kind, uncomplicated, like Benny, could be a better match.
Or someone else, if she wasn’t into it.
He wouldn’t give up on helping her yet.
Nightfall (Nightmare Dragons Book 2) Page 14