by J. L. Weil
“I think so.”
“‘I think so’ isn’t very high on my reassurance scale,” Dash retorted wryly.
“I know you don’t trust my father, or anyone for that matter, but I need to do this. What good am I to anyone if I can’t control my powers? And look, I haven’t passed out yet. I’d say that’s progress.” I had probably spoken too soon. My head started to throb, but I refused to acknowledge the dull ache that had taken up residency in my temples.
Dash placed his hands on my hips, invading my space. A part of me wondered if it was a precautionary measure in case I passed out. Smart move. “Why would you ask Ryker and not me?”
I swallowed, realizing I had unintentionally hurt him. “You’re jealous?” My eyes softened.
“Me? Jealous of Ryker?” He snorted. “That’s laughable.”
I slipped my arms around his neck. “The truth is, I knew you would be against it, and in order for these tests to work, I need someone who won’t go easy on me. Face it, Dash, when it came down to it, you wouldn’t do something that could potentially hurt me.”
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked, tilting his head.
A dizzying zing flooded my veins. “It’s not.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Look, a part of me wants to snatch you up and run as far from here as possible. It would be easy, but it would solve nothing. I understand this is important to you, and I won’t stand in the way, but I’ll be damned if I turn a blind eye. I will be watching the tests every step of the way.”
My fingers teased the strands of hair at the back of his neck as I smiled. “I can live with that.”
“Good, because I can’t live without you.”
My heart did a series of cartwheels, and then the dark cloud I’d been trying so hard to pretend wasn’t descending, materialized.
“Dash.” I murmured his name, knowing he would understand.
No hesitation. He caught me, as I knew he would, swearing under his breath.
I awoke to the sounds of arguing. It didn’t take long to identify the voices or what they were fighting about.
Me.
Someone was pacing across the room, their footsteps long and heavy. “How many times are you going to allow her to put herself through these tests? Until she doesn’t wake up?” It was Dash, and the frigid ice in his voice was cold enough to freeze a tropical island.
“At least here she can be monitored. She can be taken care of,” my father countered.
Dash snorted. “You’re doing a bang-up job.”
I pried my lids open before blood was shed. “Don’t fight,” I rasped, blinking rapidly as my eyes adjusted and focused.
“Charlotte,” Mom greeted as Dash and my father remained silent.
The air was so tense, it hurt my chest, but that could have also been from blacking out. “I’m okay,” I assured her, slowly sitting up to stare at the faces in the room, Mom, Dad, and a very hostile boyfriend. Waves of fury rolled off his body as he glared with hate at my parents.
Dad stepped back and drew in a breath. “Of course you are. You’re strong.” It was obvious he was speaking for Dash’s benefit, to reestablish his argument.
“I can handle this,” I told Dash, feeling in control of my emotions, unlike him.
His silver eyes were like steel, cold and hard. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
I didn’t know what had happened while I was out of it, but it seemed like nothing short of World War III between my parents and my boyfriend. The vibes I was getting off Dash were red hot like chili peppers.
Dad stood beside Mom as if they were a united front against Dash. I didn’t like it one bit. “We’re her parents. We know what is best for our daughter,” Dad stated, using his I’m-putting-my-foot-down tone.
My mouth dropped open. “Like hell you do,” I hissed. “I can’t believe you’d try to pull the parent card. This is my choice.” And of course, not telling Dash was a bad decision I would have to live with. Keeping secrets from him was not my thing. I wouldn’t do it again. But I seemed to be in the habit of making one bad decision after another.
The arguing continued, one barb after another to the point that I didn’t even know who was insulting whom, but things suddenly came to a grinding halt.
“Charlotte, let’s go,” Dash snapped.
I blinked, trying to give my brain time to catch up.
Dad moved closer to the table I was sitting on. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“Stop!” I yelled, feeling the vibrations rattle in my head. “Just stop fighting over me,” I added, in a voice at a more reasonable volume. “And stop telling me what to do.” Being put in the middle sucked. I didn’t want to choose between the guy I loved and my family, even a family as messed up as mine. But it felt as if that was what I was doing.
Streaks of hurt flashed across Dash’s face but were swiftly masked. “Whatever,” he snapped and then turned to walk out and slammed the door behind him with enough force to shake the room.
A splinter pierced my heart. I winced, closing my eyes briefly, and blinking back tears. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Dash, and yet, somehow I had managed to do just that. This better not have been for nothing. I turned to look at my parents, ignoring the triumphant expression on Dad’s face.
“Did you find anything?” I asked, getting straight to the point and not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.
Mom nodded, taking my hand, and I let her. “You’re not going to like it. As expected, your abilities are overwhelming you. They’re too powerful for your mind and body to handle. When it gets overloaded, your body activates a coping mechanism by shutting down.”
“Fantastic,” I said dryly. “Any meds to fix that?”
She released my hand, her blue eyes consoling me. “I wish it were that simple. The stress on your internal systems worries me. If you continue to push your limits, there is a chance that your organs will fail.”
My heart plummeted. All hope had been lost. It felt as if I’d just been told I was terminally ill and only had months to live. The sound in the room drowned out, leaving only a persistent buzzing in my ears.
Mom’s voice got lower as she continued. “The only advice I can give you is to limit the use of your abilities to one in a period, whether that is hours or days, I’m uncertain.”
My world had just been turned upside down, and the one person I wanted wasn’t here. Defeated, I scooted to the edge of the table, needing to get far away from this room. “Thanks for trying.”
Dad cleared his throat. “We’re not giving up. There is still so much for us to consider and analyze.”
I nodded, his words meaningless as I moved to the door.
Dad walked up beside me, reaching for the door handle. “I’ll walk you to your room. You need to take it easy, and I’ll have some food sent to you. Then we can discuss further options.”
Seriously? I should have known this would turn into a lecture or a chance at a science experiment. Never failed. “Is it too much to ask you to just be my dad for five freaking minutes?”
Silence.
So be it. “I need to be alone,” I told him and stepped into the hall. I needed to think. How was I going to tell Dash?
It took me a moment or two to realize I wasn’t alone. Dad had followed me. “I’ve been informed of your little visit to the dungeons.”
I kept my face blank. If he wanted a reaction out of me, now was not the time, and it wasn’t lost on me that he had waited until we were alone to bring it up. “And? You wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t have more to say.”
His legs were longer than mine, but he matched my pace. “It’s important for you to understand that the Forsaken prey on the weak. It’s their nature. They will try to tear you apart, physically and emotionally, and I won’t always be there to protect you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Is that what you think you’re doing? Protecting me? How can you be so sure they’re evil?”
“It’s normal
to question the behavior of a species, but from everything we know about the Forsaken, Charlotte, there isn’t a shred of their humanity that remains.”
The urge to argue rose up inside because I wasn’t sure I agreed. I’d been targeted three times but never once actually hurt by them. What did that mean? “Is it possible they can be cured?”
He hit the call button on the elevator. “It is highly unlikely, and if a cure was possible, the damage from the mist to their body and brain would make them less than human. I want you to stay away from the dungeons.”
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin, the desire to rebel rising within me, but what was the point? I wouldn’t change his mind. The door opened, and I went in alone. I slumped against the wall as the elevator started ascending. My body felt as if an asteroid had hit it, and to make matters worse, my mind kept rewinding back to the same thought. What was I going to tell Dash? When I thought about it, the knot in my stomach climbed upward.
He would be on edge all the time.
He would never let me use my powers again.
He would basically become a bigger thorn in my ass.
But I loved that he cared so much for me. He would stop at nothing to keep me safe, including protecting me from myself. I didn’t know what I would do or say. Torn in two, I weighed my options. To tell Dash? Or not to tell Dash?
Only a short while ago, I had promised no more secrets, no more lies. And here I was contemplating both.
Dash wasn’t in the room when I got back, and my heart dropped. I climbed into bed, feeling defeated, lost, and alone. Hours later the door to my room softly opened and shut, but even then, he didn’t come to bed. I wanted to roll over and apologize, to tell him everything, but for some reason, I stayed silent.
Which became the biggest mistake of my life.
Chapter Fourteen
“Trouble in paradise?” Ember asked sarcastically. She stood outside the locker room by the training area, screwing around with her dagger—sharpening it probably.
I had barely slept last night and knew I looked like shit, but that was the least of my worries. Dash had been gone from the room when I woke up, and I didn’t need Ember meddling in my relationship. “Have you seen him?”
“Who? The Slayer?” she prompted.
I gave her the stink eye. She knew darn well whom I was referring to right now. We’d been nearly inseparable since arriving at the Institute. “I thought he might be down here blowing off steam.”
The sound of metal scraping against metal shrilled in the air. “Nope. He left.”
My gaze narrowed. “What do you mean he left?” He wouldn’t leave me. Unless you count that time he planned to abandon you in Hurst, my mind reminded me. But that was before he fell for me, I argued with myself. It was exhausting holding both sides of the conversation.
She sheathed her dagger in a holster on the side of her leg. “I’m not his keeper.”
“Ember,” I groaned, dragging out her name. “If you know something, just tell me. I’m not in the mood for guessing games.”
Her lips formed a perfect pout. It was still hard for me to accept her as my baby sister. “Fine, but I don’t give information out for free.”
“What do you want?” I kept my voice uninterested when I really wanted to choke it out of her. Apparently, I had developed a bit of a violent streak.
Her emerald eyes met mine. “You come with me today on a run.”
“Why would you want me to do that?”
“Because, Sis, I need backup, and you’re the only person available.”
Glancing around the empty locker room, I wondered where everyone was. “Way to make me feel special. And where will you be dragging me?” I had learned to never commit to anything when the Institute was involved without getting the details first.
Ember shrugged as if it was no big deal—a total red flag. “Just an errand for Daddy dearest. I’m sure he would be thrilled to know you’re coming along.”
I snorted. I couldn’t care less about pleasing my father at the moment. “Is Dash where we’re going?”
Irritation flickered over Ember’s face. “You have a one-track mind, you know that?”
“I prefer tenacious.”
“No, Ryker and Dash are out on a zombie patrol near the northern border.”
“Oh.” My shoulders slumped, giving away my clear disappointment.
Her face scrunched in disgust. “God, you look like someone just drop-kicked your kitten. It’s unhealthy to spend every waking moment with a guy. You become too dependent on them, and it makes you weak. No guy will ever consume me.”
Ember would think loving someone else made you frail and vulnerable. “Tell me that after you’ve fallen in love.” Dash made me feel powerful, like there was nothing I couldn’t do with him by my side. I hated the strain between us.
She winked. “Who says I haven’t?” Ember sidled past me. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.” She walked off, leaving me to make up mind.
I didn’t want to be left out of the loop, so that meant I would tag along whether I liked it or not. What else did I have to do while Dash was gone?
Shaking my head, I caught up with Ember. I wasn’t crazy about going on missions for the Institute, but gaining the trust of my sister might be important. As we stepped out of the training room into the garage space, I quickly took stock and noticed the ranger was gone.
My heart ached.
He was out there somewhere with Ryker—upset with me and angry at my parents. I vowed when we both returned, we were going to talk this out. Time was too precious to hold onto a grudge. If anything happened to him out there…
Refocusing my attention on the task at hand, I refused to let my mind travel that dark path. This was Dash Darhk. Stuff didn’t happen to him. He made stuff happen. “Do you have a magic wand to whisk us to our destination?” I asked. The idea of traveling out in the Heights on foot with my slightly unstable and hotheaded sister was on the verge of giving me hives. I began second-guessing my decision to accompany her on the Institute’s errand.
The wicked gleam that spread in her eyes had my stomach fluttering with nervousness. “You’re in for a treat. Ryker might like his rusty machines, but I prefer a more natural mode of transportation.” She pushed through the door that took us outside and paused, sticking her pinkie and index finger into her mouth. Then she blew, sending a high-pitched whistle that echoed over Diamond Towers.
A minute passed of us just standing there. I shifted my feet. “What are we wai—”
Hooves trampling the ground cut off my words. A cloud of dust kicked up in the distance as something ran toward us. I held my breath, uncertain if I should dart for cover or stare in anticipation.
I chose to stay put, my curiosity overcoming my common sense.
Through the dust emerged a magnificent creature I’d never seen before and could never have imagined. White as pure snow, the beautiful and sleek animal had the body of a champion horse with a long, wild mane that blew in the wind. Each of his four furry hooves pranced as he came to a stop in front of Ember, dipping his slender neck in a graceful greeting. Three horns of varying lengths grew out of the crown of his head, reminding me of a unicorn.
As I moved closer, I could see faint traces of a pattern covering the creature’s coat around the eyes, mouth, and down his neck. Ember slowly rested her hands over the nose of the animal, stroking him while murmuring something softly near his ears. They perked up at the sound of her voice, and he blew out a puff of air through his nostrils, digging one of his front hooves into the ground in response. Under her touch, the creature of undeniable beauty began to shimmer a hue of iridescent purple in the sun.
“What is he?” I inquired in awe, my fingers itching to run through his silky mane.
My sister had an aura about her I hadn’t seen for a very long time. Love. “Our ride. Charlotte, meet Daylight. He’s an Opalient.”
I had bumped into some interesting creatures in the Heights, but most
of them had tried to kill me. Looking into Daylight’s glimmering violet eyes, I felt as if I had just met a friend. “Is he tame?”
Ember glided her hand down the side of his neck, moving to stand beside the Opalient. “Nothing here is tame, but Daylight and I have an understanding. He won’t hurt you, not unless you give him a reason. They can be fiercely loyal, but just as deadly.”
Sounded about right.
Like she had been born to ride bareback, Ember hoisted herself up on Daylight with an ease that made it seem simple. She situated herself as Daylight shifted his feet, adjusting to the weight of her. Then she held out a hand to me. “You coming, Sis?”
Placing my hand in hers, I lifted myself up behind her with the most awkward jump. Her heels tapped the side of Daylight, urging him to move. I was unprepared for his speed, and my arms scrambled around Ember’s waist before I fell on my ass.
The wind whipped over my face as the Opalient galloped effortlessly over the rough terrain, leading us into the land between the Temple of Fog and the Wintery Bluffs. In the distance, I could just make out the peaks of Somber Mountain. The air turned crisp, heightening the color in my cheeks, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable cold, not yet at least. When the sun went down, that would be another story.
As the hours went by and my butt went numb, I realized I should have asked if this would be an overnight adventure. The thought had never occurred to me, but the farther we traveled away from the Institute, the more anxious I grew.
“We’ve got company.” Ember stated then.
“I’m sorry, what?” My head swung from left to right, looking to see whom she was referring to, but I saw no one.
“We’re being followed,” she informed me, slowing Daylight’s gait as her eyes panned the mountainous area.
My blood suddenly ran cold, and I shuddered. “Something is after us?” I whispered.
“Isn’t there always?” Ember grumbled. “My day just isn’t complete without something or someone trying to kill me.”
My fingers dug into her waist. “Remind me never to go out with you again.”
