“Thank you,” I told her sincerely.
“I owed you.”
“No, you didn’t. I was wrong for the way I treated you, Cara.”
She made a face. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my real name in a long time. I like Careless better,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.
“You really are, you know, but in a good way. You don’t care what anyone thinks. You do what you want to do because it’s what you want. So stay careless, baby sister.”
Running to me, she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight, “I love you, Ryland.”
“I love you too, Careless.”
She pulled away and pulled something out of her back pocket. “Give this to Araya for me, okay?”
She handed me an envelope with Araya’s name on the front. Taking it, I put it in my pocket.
“I will.”
“Thanks.” Walking backward, she made her way over to her car. It was packed full of boxes.
“Be careful, okay?”
Careless had decided she was going to travel before she started school in the fall. She’d been captive in the Dare house as long as she could, and now it was time to see the world.
“Always. Thank you for being a good brother, Ryland.”
She got into the car and I waited until I couldn’t see her anymore before I slid into mine, and I realized how much I was going to miss her.
“Are you sure you really want to do this, Araya?” Elisa asked, standing just inside my nearly packed and empty apartment. “Students don’t just leave Madison Academy,” she whispered as if the very mention of it would cause a scandal.
I smiled. “Yes, I’m sure, Elisa, but I will miss you and you too, Emily.”
Emily had been silent the entire time, her disapproval so thick I could cut it with a knife. “I think you’re making a HUGE mistake,” she said as if it wasn’t already apparent how she felt about my decision.
“I know what you really meant to say is that you’re going to miss me too.”
“Oh, yeah, she is going to miss you, Araya.”
“Whatever. I’m not good with good-byes so let’s get this over with.”
I laughed as we did a very awkward, very clumsy group hug between the three of us. Elisa sniffled a teary good-bye, and I listened as they walked away. It wasn’t until I couldn’t hear them anymore that I realized how much I really was going to miss them. And if it was this hard to say good-bye to them, how would I ever survive saying good-bye to Makayla and Pierce?
“You have way to much shit, Araya.” Mak complained as she brought another box to the door to be taken down.
“I know your surly attitude is only because I’m leaving, and therefore, I’m going to ignore that.”
She set down the box and leaned against the kitchen counter, putting her hands in the pockets of her orange jacket. It was meant to be bright, but through my eyes, it was very dull, almost brown. Colors weren’t very bright, and I couldn’t see anything any clearer than before, but still, it was something.
Makayla wasn’t upset that I was leaving MA because she, too, was leaving. She’d told me her mom had gotten sick and she’d decided to go back home to take care of her for a while. I was heartbroken that we were both going to be so far away from each other. I hated losing her.
“What’s next?” Pierce asked, coming through the door.
He’d graciously offered to help load up the moving truck while Ryland was gone. He was upset that I was leaving, but he understood why I had to go.
“I think just these last few boxes in the entryway, but you can leave those for Ryland. There aren’t too many left. Thank you so much for helping, Pierce.”
“No problem. I needed to say good-bye before you left anyway. I guess if you don’t need my help, I should be going.” Walking over to me, he slipped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me hard.
“Thank you for everything, Pierce. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“You would have survived. Like you survive everything, Araya.”
I realized then that surviving wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Not living when you had a life to live was. Not everyone was given second chances, so when you got them, you made the most out of them. And that’s why I was leaving Madison. Ryland had figured out a way for us not to be under J.D.’s thumb anymore, and since his money paid and supplied my care here at Madison Academy, I no longer wanted to go to this school.
Ryland told me I didn’t have to leave, that I could stay here and he would pay for it, but everything about this place reminded me of J.D. and his slimy ways, and I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
“I’m going to miss you.”
“Don’t stop dancing, okay? It’s who you are.”
“I won’t,” I whispered.
“Good-bye, Araya.”
He made his way toward Mak, telling her good-bye too. I expected Pierce to melt her cold attitude, but she wasn’t budging, and I frowned. She’d been so different lately, but whenever I asked her about it, she told me she was worried about her mom and I had no other reason to believe otherwise.
“Ryland should be here soon. He wanted to talk to you... Will you stay?”
“Am I going to get yelled at again?”
“I don’t think so.” I smiled, hoping she’d soften up a little.
She playfully pushed against my shoulder, and just like that, I was flooded with a sense of relief. She helped me pack up the last of the boxes while we waited. She made me laugh as she talked a mile a minute about nothing in particular.
She was in the restroom twenty minutes later when Ryland came rushing through the door and pulled me into his arms. He wasted no time capturing my lips with his and leaving me breathless.
“We’re free, Hummingbird,” he whispered against my lips when he released them. “We’re free.”
“How did it go?”
“It was perfect. The look on his face...”
“I almost wish I could have seen it.”
“He isn’t worth seeing, Hummingbird.”
“Sounds like everything went according to plan,” Makayla said from behind us. I turned in Ryland’s arms and smiled at her.
“Yes,” I said happily. “He’s out of our lives for good.”
“I’m happy for you guys.”
“I owe you an apology, Makayla,” Ryland said, leaving my side. “I never should have talked to you the way I did. The things I said—”
“Were partly true. So let’s just forget it, okay? I know you were just looking out for Araya. I can’t be pissed at you for that.”
“Truce.” Ryland agreed.
It took Ryland an hour to load up the rest of the boxes into the truck, and then it came time to say good-bye to Mak and I almost didn’t make it through it.
“What am I going to do without you?”
“I think I should be the one asking you that question. I’m not worried about you in the slightest.”
“You’re stronger than you realize, Makayla.”
“If I am, it’s because of you, A.”
“You know this isn’t good-bye for forever. It’s just good-bye for now.”
“Well, duh!”
We laughed through our tears and hugged each other. I climbed into the truck and watched her shadow as Ryland drove away. When I settled back into my seat, he took my hand and linked our fingers together. I looked down at the shape of our hands, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like everything was going to be okay.
Four months later...
“Have I told you yet how good orange looks on you? Don’t let any of these guys tell you otherwise.” I joked the minute I picked up the phone.
“I’m just glad no one else in here has figured that out yet. I’m hoping to get out of here soon, on good behavior.”
“Sebastian Dare and good behavior?”
“Prison changes people.”
I barked a laugh. “Prison? Don’t you
mean county jail?”
He shrugged. “It’s all the same thing.”
“How are you holding up?” I said seriously.
“It’s not so bad. I’ve made friends with some of the guards. Careless came to see me before she left. She looked good. Happy. Free.”
“She sent Araya and me a post card from Arizona. She says we’d love the Grand Canyon.”
“I got one too. I’m glad she’s seeing the world.”
“She deserves it.”
“Man, I wish I’d gotten to be there when you dropped the bomb on J.D. Tell me, did he completely self-destruct?”
“Like a nuclear explosion.”
“You’re a lucky bastard, little brother.” Sebastian had been in the county jail for four months, and I wasn’t giving up hope that he’d be out of here sooner rather than later. He was no longer involved in Craze’s murder, and the police had found no new evidence or suspects, and they never would. It would have been pointless trying to turn J.D. in. Nobody would have believed us.
“Has Nick been by to see you?”
“Like clockwork, every week. I like him. He seems to think I have a chance to get out of here within the year. You did good, little brother.”
“I hate that you’re in here at all. I told you I would get you out.”
Sebastian picked at a dent on the counter in front of him. “Have you talked to J.D.?”
“Not since the police station. You?”
“He came by to see me, but I told him to fuck off and never come back here. How’s Araya?”
And just like that, J.D. was no longer a part of our lives and we wouldn’t give him a second thought.
“She’s good. She worries about you a lot. She keeps Nick on his toes, making sure he’s doing everything possible.”
“She’s a hell of a women, baby brother. Make her happy.”
“I plan to.”
“How is she dealing with the other thing?”
“She’s handling it. It’s starting to fade, colors aren’t as bright anymore, but her tests are coming back consistent.”
“Is she real upset?”
“Surprisingly, no.”
“That’s good.”
“Five minutes, Dare,” the guard called from his post.
“You better get going. You have a long drive to the new place.”
“I’ll be back on Saturday. I’ll probably bring Araya with me. She wanted to come and see you, but…” I looked around.
“I agree. She doesn’t need to be here. I’ll see you both soon enough anyway.”
We said our good-byes and in twenty minutes I was on the road. I called Araya to let her know I was on my way home and made sure to remind her how much I loved her. The commute was long, but I didn’t complain about it. It could be worse. It took me a little under three hours to get home, and it was already getting dark out when I pulled into the driveway.
Araya was standing outside, waiting for me, when I parked the car and got out. I wrapped her in my arms the minute I stepped on the porch and devoured her with a warm, breathless kiss.
“I missed you,” I said against her mouth.
“I missed you more. How was your visit?”
“It went good. Sebastian’s doing good.”
“I talked to Nick today,” she said excitedly. “He thinks Sebastian will only have to get spend a total of ten months there. I don’t know how, but he’s working his magic. I’m so glad we found him.”
“You found him. Kiss me again, Hummingbird, because once wasn’t nearly enough.”
“Happy to.” She extended up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing our lips together.
She left me breathless as her tongue moved boldly over mine and pushed against me. I’d thought she’d transformed before, but she was truly my free hummingbird.
“Want to go skinny dipping?”
“Ryland!” I could feel her blush against my neck, and I was happy she hadn’t lost that.
“Come on, no one will see us.” I begged, lifting her into my arms and running my lips over her pounding pulse. “I dare you.”
She smiled and sighed, dropping her head back. “You promise no one can see.”
“Promise. Come on, I’ll race you.”
I pulled her into the house, laughing with her as we went through the back and down the porch stairs. There was a small dock behind our house that led to a lake.
“Take it off, Hummingbird.” I taunted, pulling my shirt over my head.
By the time I got to the edge of the deck, I was completely naked and jumping into the lake. The cool water felt good, and I pushed my way up until I broke through the surface.
“Come on, Hummingbird. Don’t make me come out and get you.”
She stopped at the edge of the deck, her shirt gone, leaving only her bra, shorts, and bare feet. She looked fucking adorable. She put her hands on her hips and watched me.
“Is it cold?”
“No, it feels amazing. Come on in and find out.”
She bit her lip, debating, and then unbuttoned her shorts and shimmied out of them. Next went her bra and then her panties, and I was practically salivating.
“I don’t think a lack of heat is something you’re going to have to worry about, Hummingbird. You’ve got me pretty damn hot right now.”
She laughed. “Doesn’t the moon look beautiful on top of the water? It’s like a million dancing diamonds.”
“I think you’re, beautiful.”
She was completely naked and bathing in the soft glow of the moonlight as it illuminated her pale skin. Her hair was piled up into a loose bun on the top of her head.
“Take down your hair,” I commanded softly.
With a small smile on her lips, she lifted her arms, pulling the pins from her hair and trapping them in her palm. She shook her hair and it fell down her back in messy waves. She shivered as the ends caressed the curve of her of her lower back. She stole every bit of my self-control.
“Get your sexy little ass in here, Hummingbird.” I growled, pushing myself back through the water. “Just jump.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
I laughed. “Yes. I’m right here. Now get in.”
She lifted on her tiptoes and then squealed, jumping up and down. “Okay, I can do this.” She pep talked herself, taking a deep breath and stretching her hands out in front of her.
She took a few steps back before running forward on a scream and cannonballing into the water. I waited until she surfaced before swimming over to her.
“I did it.” She panted as I pulled her to me.
I licked the water from her smiling lips and kissed her.
“Yes, you did.”
“I bet it was almost like flying.” She dropped her head back and her hair swirled and pooled around her.
The water kissed her shoulders, slowly driving me crazy with teasing glimpses of her breasts. Our legs tangled beneath the water and my hands supported her back as she arched over, staring into the sky.
“Are there a lot of stars out?”
Looking up, I gazed upward and wished Araya could see how amazing the night sky looked right now.
“Yes. Every inch is covered in them.”
“What if I came back as a star?”
I smiled. “Then I’d come back as the moon.”
“What if I wanted to come back as part of the ocean?”
“Then I’ll be the sand you crash your waves against.”
“What if I wanted to come back as a fish?” She lifted her head, sucked in her cheeks, and puckered her lips at me.
“Then I’d be the current you swim in. I told you. I don’t exist unless you do.”
She ran her fingers through my hair, gripping the strands and pulling my head back. She ran her tongue up my neck and I groaned, pulling her hips against me.
“Forever, right?” she asked, wrapping her legs around my hips and pushing me inside her with the pressure of her locked ankles.
“Forever.” It ended on a sigh as she rocked her hips and the water moved around us in rhythm.
We spent the next hour in the water, and I had to practically drag Araya out all but kicking and screaming. I had a feeling this was going to be a nightly routine. I pulled her up the shore, and the night air chilled our bodies. She dropped onto the grass and pulled me down with her.
“It’s so peaceful out here. I love it.”
I plucked a blade of grass from the ground and twirled it between my fingers. “It reminds me of the first day I met you,” I told her. “Do you remember?”
She smiled and turned her head toward me. “How could I forget? It’s the day I declared my hatred for football.” She pretended to scowl at me.
Laughing, I leaned over and kissed the tiny frown between her eyebrows. Using the tip of the grass, I ran it over the curves of her body. “I can’t find it in me to regret that football game, Hummingbird. Forgive me?”
Her palm was warm against my cheek. “Yes, because I wouldn’t change it either. It’s the day you changed my life.”
I tossed the blade and covered her body with mine. I braced my arms along the sides of her head and took her face between my hands.
“You knocked me to my knees, Hummingbird. You gave everything reason that day.”
“I never expected you, Ryland.”
“Are you stealing my words?”
“More like borrowing.”
“Keep them. I plan on giving you more.”
Leaning over, I kissed her.
Six months later...
I leaned against the doorframe of our bedroom, watching quietly as Araya got ready. She wore a black lacey dress. It was one of my favorites... Actually, everything she wore was my favorite. She kept having to fix the straps on her shoulders because it wasn’t zipped up yet. Her hair was as wild as ever, and she had it over her shoulder.
She hardly ever wore makeup, but tonight was an exception, and it was flawless. She slipped into her heels and my attention was immediately drawn to her legs. I’d made her a new necklace and it hung around her neck.
“Don’t you know it’s not polite to stare, Mr. Dare?” she asked, turning her head to the side to look at me.
The Grace In Darkness Page 22
