Adam holds my shoulders and forces me back to the couch. His fingers stroke my hair from my face. “It’s okay. We know. We took care of Mark, okay? You’re never going to have to see him again.”
“And Lucas? Please tell me you got him out okay.”
Adam’s gaze darts between me and his dad’s. His dad nods and leaves the room, Vin following behind him. My skin burns and itches, and my blood is like a shaken can of soda.
“What? What’s going on?”
“Calm down.” He sits next to me and wraps his arms around me. “They’re going to go look for Lucas.”
“The woods.” My voice is hoarse and raspy and high. “I was in the woods. You were there. You told me to run. Why didn’t you get him?”
He shakes his head, and his eyes are as confused as my thoughts. Did I imagine all this?
I bite my lip and clench my fists and press them into the couch cushion. “I’m not crazy.”
Adam looks to the empty space left by his dad and Vin. “They’ll find him,” Adam says. “Wherever he is, they’ll find him. Now calm down.”
“But weren’t you there?”
“No.”
“I-I—Did I imagine you?”
“I went with my dad to find you. After we found only Mark, I came back here asking everybody I could if they’d seen you. Somebody told me you had gone back towards our beach, and that’s where I found you.”
“So you weren’t in the woods?”
“No. I’m sorry. Not those woods anyways.” He bows his head, dropping his face to my hands and kissing them. “I’ve never been more scared in my life. I thought I had lost you. I am so sorry for being so stupid these past few days.”
“I’m sorry for trusting Zane more than you. But I believe him…that he wants to help you. Please, I know you can’t trust him, but trust me at least.”
“No, he’s not trying to help. He is using you to get to the Nexus or my dad’s ring,” he says. “He’s been after it for a long time.”
“Ring?” I ask.
“Yeah, my dad has this ring. It's nowhere near as powerful as the Nexus, but it still has power. Or rather advanced technology—it’s made from materials from Perseida. Zane’s been after it for a long time. My dad lost it years ago.”
“But—” I blink my eyes and shake my head. Adam, the woods, the ring, my leg. Blue eyes, gray eyes. “What would happen if Zane got the ring?”
“I don’t know. Believe me though, he’ll never find it.” Adam says. “My dad lost it long before I was ever born.” His voice quiets, and there’s shadows in his eyes.
But I’m thinking of the woods. “Was the ring made of diamonds in the shape of a star?” I ask.
“Yeah…how did you know?”
“Zane had it.” My words tumble from my mouth. “He found the ring, and he looked like you in the woods. That’s why I thought it was you. Mark had the ring all along, but now Zane has it.”
Something bangs against Stella’s living room door, and we pull apart. Laris and Vin are back dragging…dragging a body. Limp, the head lolls from Vin’s arm. Unmistakable brown hair. A face I’ve known half my life. A river of blood trailing from his brown eyes. Their expressions are solemn and slow. Laris waves for Adam’s help, and he releases me, crossing the room, leaning into to share words I can’t hear.
Each moment they talk, my heart thumps heavier and heavier. Each breath is deeper, longer, and full of fear. I stand up. I need to walk over there. I need to see.
I need to see him.
When Adam looks at me, the light in his eyes is gone, replaced by a well of tears. My heart sinks into the carpet because I know what’s coming. I know what he’s going to say. And I’m not ready.
I reach Laris and Vin and Adam, and I press my fingers against the skin. Cold, lifeless, dead.
Lucas is dead.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Hope is worthless. It’s a dream, like the dreams I had when I was a little girl. When I could touch the sky from my father’s shoulders. When I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be my mom. It all fades. In the end, I always lose.
Adam holds me, our tears mixing together, our hearts beating together. Lucas was our friend. Our friend. I cling to him. Only he can truly understand. But when he pulls me away, his gaze searching mine, I see there’s more he has to tell me.
“Zane’s gone, Sage. From here, from Star Harbor. He’s gone and he took the ring with him. We’ll never find him in time.” He rubs a shaky palm along his chin and chews his cheek. “And with Lucas’s death now on my hands, I—”
“You’re leaving,” is the only words I can say. Adam looks at me like he knows everything. Like he can tell what I’m thinking and feeling and needing.
“I don’t want to. With everything that is in me, I don’t want to go,” he says. I look away. I can’t look at him. I wish he’d stop. Don’t explain. Just let it be what it is.
“It’s okay,” I lie.
“No, no it’s not.” He pulls me to him. “It will never be okay. I will never be okay. But if I don’t go, you won’t be okay either.”
“Who says I will be if you do?” I ask.
“There isn’t a way out of this. There never was. I just didn’t want to believe it,” he says. There’s resignation in his eyes, and every word punches my heart over and over. We’re not touching anymore, and I want to reach out, to wrap myself in him. To hold on and never let go.
But I can’t.
I’m losing him. Like I knew I would. Like I knew over and over again I would. Since the night he told me, I knew it.
“You’ll be safe this way,” he says. “You’ll be safe and happy.” He pulls me into his arms. “I was being selfish trying to stay. I couldn't see the bigger picture, and now Lucas’s dead because of me.”
“No.” I sit up. “No. The Nexians killed Lucas.”
“Exactly. And they’ll keep killing as long as I’m here.”
“But if you stay here, you’ll be safe. If you just wait, Zane says you’ll be fine.”
“No, it’s not safe here. Lucas died in Star Harbor, Sage. As long as I'm here—as long as I'm around they'll keep coming for me. I'm a threat because I can use the Nexus. And they’ll do anything—kill anybody to get to me. And I can’t take losing any more people—strangers or friends—because of me.”
“I don’t get it,” I shake my head. “How did they get into Star Harbor? I thought you said it was safe from the Nexians “
“My dad thinks they're getting stronger,” he says. There’s a bitter edge to his words. “They’ve been in control of Perseida so long, they've grown bigger and stronger. If we don't stop them soon, they may even grow stronger than the Nexus. And if that happens, well, nowhere will be safe. But if I go and stop them, you'll be safe. Star Harbor will be safe. Earth will be safe. I see that now.”
“Can't I come with you—to Perseida?”
“It’s not possible,” he says. “I had thought of that—even hoped. But my dad says there's no guarantee you could survive Perseida’s atmosphere. They're not even sure I can, however, part Perseidians have survived in the past. I won't risk that with you. I'm not going to bring you across the universe unless I'm certain you're safe.”
“I don't care if I'm safe or not. I want to be with you.”
He shakes his head, and I want to cry and cry and cry.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “But it’s not worth it. To stay and lose you like Lucas. To take you and lose you. I can’t risk that. I can’t.”
I can’t hear this.
I’m on my feet running for the woods. Running past Laris and Vin. Running past the kids from school still partying on the beach, oblivious that the world is crashing down around us and that everything that matters will be gone tomorrow. When I reach the trees, I begin to search for Lucas. I call his name and wait for an answer.
But there is none. There never will be. He’s among the stars now, and it’s just me and the trees. I run until the branches tear into my arms
. I run until I lose my breath. I run until I stumble and fall onto the forest floor.
My ear presses to the ground as if I’m listening to the earth’s heartbeat. But it’s mine I listen for. My heart has been shattered so many times, I wonder if it even works anymore. A twig breaks and a shadow crosses over me. My breath catches and my throat closes. For a moment, it’s Lucas I see.
It’s Adam who reaches out his hand and pulls me to my feet. He draws me into his arms and I bury my face in his shirt until I hear his heartbeat.
“You’re shaking.” He wraps a blanket around my shoulders.
“How much time do you have?” I whisper the words half hoping he won’t hear them. I don’t want to hear the answer.
But he does. His response is in his sigh, low and sad. “About six hours.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
Six hours to say goodbye.
He’ll be gone before another sunrise, before the morning news, before the timer on Stella’s coffee pot goes off. That’s not enough time. But there never will be enough time. Not to say what I want to say. What I need to say.
“That’s it?”
He squeezes my hand and looks down at me. Don’t say it. Don’t say you’re sorry. The apology flickers in his eyes and dies out.
“What do you want to do?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Do?”
“Yeah, if you could go anywhere in the world?” There’s a hint of a teasing grin on his lips, but it’s bittersweet. In six hours, I’ll never see that grin again. In six hours…
I tear my gaze from his and swallow back tears. “Is this really the time to be thinking about that? I mean…Lucas’s dead and you’re leaving.”
His hand cups my chin and lifts my face to his. “Sage, I don’t have much time, but what I do have, I want to spend making as many happy memories as we possibly can. So, where to?”
“Back in time,” I say. Every emotion flickers across his face. Sadness, guilt, grief.
“I wish I could, more than anything. I wish I could have every moment back with you. I wish I could save Lucas.”
Lucas’s name smolders between us. I bite my lip and look away. This moment is so unreal, not possible, not happening. Six hours. Six hours. Six hours.
I can’t breathe when I think.
“Sage,” he says quietly. “I know I owe you a lifetime of explanations and apologies. I know I owe Lucas my life. But I don’t have either of those to give. All I’ve got is tonight.”
His words hurt. I shake my head and tears burn my eyes. Stop, stop, I can’t hear anymore. I can’t breathe. Six hours.
“Please,” he says. “Can you give me tonight? Can we not waste one more second?” I look away, I look back at him, I look away.
Six hours. There is no time for choices. No time for regrets. I look up at him and swallow. “Okay.”
He smiles. Not a teasing smile or a joyful smile. Just a small smile of acceptance and relief. “Thank you,” he says. “Now where to?”
“You already know.”
He nods and his arms tighten around me. Blue light mixed with white explodes, sweeping us from the forest. It fades on our beach, where there is no bonfire or Brianna or party goers. And all the sounds are drowned out by the roaring lake.
Here, it’s just Adam and me.
He leans closer and lifts my face to his. His fingers trace my lips, and I gaze up at him. I think of how fleeting this moment is and inside the pain grows. I’m still wrapped in the blanket from the woods, and it falls to the beach as I wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“What are you thinking?” His hands drift across my chin and neck. He takes mine into his and laces our fingers.
"I was trying to imagine," I say as I look up at the clouds clearing in the sky. "How it will be? Knowing you're up there—out there somewhere. Living, breathing, experiencing. I’m jealous, so very jealous. Of every girl you’ll someday meet and know."
"It won’t be like that. Not at all." Adam says.
"Sure, you’re going to be a hero. Like a king in Perseida. You’re going to forget all about me."
Adam tightens his grip on my hand and leans closer, his eyes dark and demanding. "I will never forget you," he says in a forceful voice. "I can promise you that no matter how far I go or who I meet or what I do, I will be reliving every moment of this night with you. Always.”
My heart floods with heat, painful, thrilling, exhilarating heat. His hands slide up my arms, and I gasp as his touch spirals through me. I’m shivering, reaching for him, my fingers grazing the back of his neck, weaving through wisps of black hair. He’s closer, his lips gently touching mine and I’m inhaling him. He’s the soothing breeze off the lake, sand warmed from the sun, water the color of the clearest sky.
Time slows, but my heart beats faster.
My skin tingles with electricity, and my hands grow tighter around him. There is a storm brewing in me, fueled by my racing heart and my shallow lungs. My lips press deeper into him, and my tongue chases his. I’m drinking him in, with a thirst and need I’ve never known. He’s a storm rising on the lake, the waves ravishing the shore, the wind battering the trees.
Breathless, he pulls away, his eyes questioning. And I nod, pulling him closer to me, folding into him and the storm swirling between us.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
We curl in blankets and each other, and my eyes grow heavy. I try to pry them open, try to fight the sleep. Our hours together are waning, and I don’t want to lose a single precious moment.
But the waves of drowsiness are too strong. And my eyes close.
I awake to daylight and a blue sky. My heart jumps, and I jump with it, turning until I see Adam, his back to me. His white shirt blows loose in the breeze giving me peeks of his tan, smooth chest. His jeans fall casually, the hem brushing the top of his bare feet. He stares out over the lake as if he’s waiting for something, but when I rise from the blankets, he turns to me.
“Hey.” He reaches for my hand. I wear a yellow sundress with tiny white flowers and a flared skirt that I don’t remember ever owning. I look down at my bare feet and wiggle my toes. The sun feels warm, perfect.
“It’s morning. I thought you’d be gone,” I say.
He wiggles his lips between a frown and a smile. “It’s not morning yet. Not for another hour. This is just a dream.”
My eyes take in the beach and the lake. The glittering sunlight. “If I’m dreaming, then I want to wake up. I don’t want to spend our last hour sleeping.”
“We’re dreaming together, Sage.” He strokes his thumb across the back of my hand. “This…us touching. I feel it. You feel it. Please, stay with me. Stay in the dream.” He trembles and his eyes search mine.
I nod.
He smiles before dropping to his knees and taking both my hands into his.
“For this last hour, even if it’s just a dream, will you spend it as my wife?” There’s a ring in his fingers, sparkling and glistening in the sun. My heart bursts, blood roars through my veins, tears spill from my cheeks.
“Yes,” I say through my tears. “Yes.” I nod, and he slips the ring on my finger and pulls me into his arms.
“I love you,” he whispers. I close my eyes as tears sticks to my eyelashes. He’s warm and safe. My Adam. My everything.
There’s an explosion of light behind my eyelids and Adam’s arms slip from mine. “Adam….Adam?”
I open my eyes to the main street on Mackinac Island. I’m alone. I turn in circles looking for Adam. There is the flag hanging from the window above our favorite fudge shop, several bikes parked next to the sidewalk, red flowers bursting from pots on the street lamps. It’s exactly like the day we were here, except for one thing.
There are no other people.
I turn again, looking for Adam, looking for anybody, and then I notice my clothes. Silk and lace and a veil.
I’m a bride.
The sound of horses’ hooves clattering along the pavement draws my attention back to the main stre
et. A black horse-drawn carriage approaches, driven by a graying man in a black suit and top hat. The open carriage stops in front of me, and a man emerges from the buggy, wearing a black tux and a smile I see in every dream.
He climbs out and walks towards me, every step stirring the very depths of my heart. When he reaches me, he holds out his hand. But I’m shaking too hard to take it. Shaking too hard to move. Shaking too hard to breathe.
“Dad?” Tears fall from my face, creating puddles on the ground beneath me. His smile widens, crinkling in the corners of his cheeks and his eyes.
“Don’t cry,” he says, running a finger on my cheek. “You’ll ruin your makeup.”
“I don’t care.” I say and throw myself into his arms. He’s flesh and blood and real, and I don’t care if this is a dream. I’m never waking up. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I know,” he says. He cradles my head in one hand and pats my shoulder with the other. “I know. We don’t want to be late.” He kisses my head before pulling away to help me into the carriage. My dress swirls around me, and I clutch material in my fists as he squeezes in beside me. He drapes an arm across the back of the seat and smiles.
My dad is smiling at me.
The carriage begins to move, bumping along the street. We pass the rows of spotless white buildings and colorful signs advertising candy and fudge and gifts and books. The sky is a deep blue, the sun the perfect blend of gold and white.
A soft breeze mixes with the vibrant color. I smell the fudge and the flowers and the lake. The island is alive and gorgeous, but the sight before me trumps every bit of the beautiful scenery. My dad’s eyes, a sparkling mix of light brown and green. The tiny wrinkles in his forehead and surrounding his smile. The love shining from his face. His warm hand in mine. I rest my head on his shoulder listening to his steady heartbeat. His fingers caress my face, and I close my eyes.
One Starry Knight: A Scifi Alien Love Story (The Starry Knight Saga Book 1) Page 25
