Entangled (Beauty Never Dies Chronicles Book 2)

by J. L. Weil

  Instead of counting sheep, I counted the little buttery glowing fireflies dancing over the lake. My eyes followed their glittering yellow trail of dust until my lids began to droop. Somehow I drifted off, but my sleep was troubled by images of the past and the future, the two blurring. But one image stuck with me: Dash getting shot with an arrow, my hands stained with his blood, and there was nothing I could do to save him. This wasn’t the first time I’d had this particular vision. It was always the same and always left me drenched in sweat, gasping for air.

  No matter what I did differently in the dream, I failed every single time. Dash would look at me with those roguish, starlit eyes and whisper my name.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Something woke me. A groan. A whimper. Whatever the noise, the person was in agony. I couldn’t decide if I still slept or if someone needed my help. The longer I tried to ignore the sounds, the more insistent they grew. Disregarding them wasn’t working.

  Sighing, I turned my head to the side and opened my eyes. The logs in the fire were low burning embers, which meant I’d only been asleep for a few hours, not nearly enough. The moan sounded again, drawing my gaze toward where Dash slept.

  I blinked, unsure what I was seeing.

  Star sat beside Dash, her hands on his cheeks, murmuring at him to go back to sleep. My first glance made my heart constrict painfully. As I looked closer, Dash’s head thrashed from side to side. Star’s eyes were huge as she tried to console him, but it seemed as if things were getting worse.

  Dash jerked up, his eyes out of focus. He was awake and yet not, his gaze staring off into the distance. He mumbled something that I couldn’t make sense of.

  I stood up, rushing over to see if I could help. “Is he okay?” I asked. “What happened?”

  Star shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she swiped at them with her hands. “He used to get these night terrors as a kid, but nothing seems to calm him, not like it used to.”

  Night terrors. I could deal with that. At least he wasn’t dying … or making out with Star in the middle of the night. My heart couldn’t handle either situation, but a night terror we could figure out. “What do we do? How do we get him to snap out of it?”

  “Waking someone up is bad when they’re in the midst of terror. It’s kind of like sleepwalking. We need to calm him down and get him back to sleep, but nothing I’ve done is working.”

  Dash’s arms were shaking. Whatever horror he relived in his dreams, it was bad. “Maybe I should shock him.”

  Star’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t think that is a good idea. Pain is the last thing Dash needs.”

  Okay, so maybe offering to electrocute him wasn’t the greatest suggestion, but seeing him shaking made me desperate.

  “He needs comfort. To feel secure,” Star said. “From you.”

  “Me?” I squeaked, my eyes connecting with hers.

  She nodded. “Yes, I think it might work. It’s at least worth a try.” She scooted back. “Wrap your arms around him and talk to him; let him know you’re here. The sound of your voice could help.”

  This had better work, or I might rethink shocking him. As I sat next to Dash, my chest squeezed. The sheer terror in his eyes was heartbreaking. Sweat beaded at his brow line, strands of hair clinging to his face. With a gentle hand, I brushed the pieces of dark hair aside. “Dash, can you hear me?”

  The shudders racking his body skipped for a second, and I took courage in that.

  “There is nothing here that can hurt you,” I murmured close to his ear, his body stilling. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a little push, encouraging him to lie back down. “You’re safe. Now close your eyes. Go back to sleep.” My hand migrated to his chest, feeling his heartbeat under my touch slow to a steady rhythm.

  His eyes fluttered shut, long lashes drifting over the tops of his cheeks, and his body relaxed, releasing the tension. I kept speaking softly to him as he lay down, slowly falling back into a calm sleep and leaving the nightmare.

  “It’s working,” Star whispered.

  I tried to inch away, but his arm looped around my waist as my name tumbled from his lips in a hushed sigh. “I’m here,” I whispered, resting my chin his shoulder. I settled in under his blanket, afraid to risk the terror starting all over again. It didn’t look like I would be going anywhere for a while.

  And I wasn’t complaining.

  Content to lie beside him, I found myself staring at the strong and stunning features of his face. Creepy? Maybe. But I couldn’t help myself.

  For the second time, I awoke unexpectedly, but this time there was a flutter of heat in my belly. As my eyes blinked open, my cheeks flushed. I lay more or less on top of Dash, our legs woven together, my head resting inches from his and my hand still over his heart.

  Glancing upward, I found myself caught prey to a pair of bright silver eyes. His earthy scent and warmth swirled around my senses, screwing with my common sense. Please don’t let this be a dream. Fire could have rained from the sky and I still wouldn’t have been able to pull my gaze away from Dash. I smiled. “Hey.”

  One side of his full lips tipped up. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to wait for you to wake up.”

  It felt good to rouse in his arms again. I missed him, missed this. But I was afraid the moment of happiness wouldn’t last. “Did you kiss me awake or is this a dream?”

  His fingers tightened around me. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

  He was referring to my awakening in the safe house. According to Dash, he had kissed me awake. I’d like to think it was true. “Your lips definitely have magical powers.”

  He chuckled lowly. “That’s what I’ve been telling you.” His eyes shifted to my lips, and I stopped breathing. “It’s why you couldn’t stay away.”

  My heart started jumping in my chest. “Not exactly.”

  Lifting a hand, he ran his fingers through the soft waves of my hair. My breath caught. If he kept touching me, looking at me, I was going to do something I couldn’t take back.

  I wasn’t the only one who had that thought. “Just one more kiss,” he whispered, his breath tickling my lips. “I need to know if you taste as sweet as I remember, for the wondering is driving me crazy. I can’t look at you without thinking about your lips.” His mouth grazed my throat, my jaw, and my cheeks. It was a seductive exploration, and I soaked it up.

  We suffered from the same condition. “What are you waiting for?” I murmured, trailing the tip of my nail down the side of his face. The stubble under his chin pricked my skin.

  His eyes went hazy, and when I pressed my lips to his, my world exploded. In seconds, his tongue tangled with mine as my fingers dived into his hair. The feeling that flowed inside me was exhilarating and frightening. I was in love with him, and more than anything I wanted his love in return. His hand slipped up under my shirt, his fingers grazing over my stomach causing my muscles to jump, and every part of me wanted time to stop, to live in this moment over and over again.

  We moved in perfect sync, and it would have been so easy to lose myself in him—forget the world, forget everything.

  But we weren’t alone.

  I slowly broke off the kiss, reality returning even when I’d rather it didn’t. “We need to stop.” I exhaled.

  “I’m so glad you decided to join me,” he murmured against my throat before placing a kiss on the sensitive spot behind my ear.

  My fingers pushed slightly on his chest. “Dash, you can’t keep doing this: turning me inside out. I don’t know where we stand … what you feel for me.”

  “You know that I care for you. I can’t explain it, but what you make me feel is nothing I’ve ever felt before. You drive me crazy, and yet I would give my life to protect you. And I don’t know why.”

  For me it was simple: I knew why. He loved me, but how long would it take for him to figure it out? How long was I willing to wait? I swallowed. “I’m going to make you ch
oose soon. I know you want to get Star to safety, and I will help you get her there, but once we’re in Hurst, you must make a choice. I won’t be a toy in this game between Star and me. She is my friend, Dash. I can’t lose you both.”

  “You would never lose me, Freckles.” The low growl in his voice sent shivers through me.

  “Good. Then in case you’re uncertain of how I feel about you, let me make it clear.” I kissed him, needing that one last brush of physical connection with him before we returned to the real world. “We might not have a past, but I know who you are, Dash Darhk. I don’t want who you used to be. I want the guy you are now. Who do you want to be?”

  He blinked and watched me stand up and walk away.

  I needed a few moments to myself. As I tiptoed past Star, I leaned over to see if she still slept. She lay on her side, her hands gently under her chin, sleeping peacefully.

  It was still very early. I took a deep breath of dawn air as the sun crested the horizon, the last of the stars winking out of the sky. It seemed as if nothing stirred, but I knew the Heights never slept, even as night passed the torch to day.

  I trotted down to the small pond that was starting to disappear as the sun continued to rise. In an hour or so, this area would be dry until nightfall. There were so many wonders in the Heights, and this definitely was high up on my list of unimaginable places.

  Kneeling, I splashed cool water on my face and over my arms. My reflection stared back at me, slightly distorted by the rippling of the pool. Sometimes I still didn’t recognize myself. It wasn’t just physical traits, like my eyes, but little things that I couldn’t put my finger on.

  “You thinking about taking a dip?”

  His voice made my belly flutter. “Not in a million years.”

  Dash planted his butt down in the grass beside me, his shoulder touching mine. “Thank God. I wasn’t really looking forward to fishing you out of Moonshadow Falls.”

  “Something scares Dash Darhk? I didn’t think anything got to you.”

  “You in danger doesn’t sit well with me.”

  I cleared my throat and moved to a safer topic. “The water looks so clear and inviting. Not going to lie, I would love to jump in, and the thought did cross my mind. I bet I smell like day-old funk.”

  Silver sparkles leapt into the depth of his eyes. We were so close I could count his individual eyelashes. “It wouldn’t matter. Your funk still smells good.”

  I grinned. “And that shows how weird you are.”

  He arched a single brow. “If I’m weird, what does that make you?”

  “Out of my mind.” I folded my legs underneath me and stared at the water inching farther and farther away. “You know what I miss the most?”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “My cell phone.”

  He chuckled softly. “I miss M&M’s … and Cheez-Its.”

  “Oh my God, yes. Sweet and salty. I would die for a bucket of movie theater popcorn and Sno-Caps.” It was the most natural of things to fall back into an old routine with Dash. I found him easy to be around, even when half the time he made my blood pressure rise.

  “Okay, this is becoming torture.” His bone-melting smile made my insides gooey.

  “Me or the food?” Shit. I immediately regretted my spontaneous reply. Flirting with the Slayer had not been on my agenda. The words had just popped out. I winced, covering my face with my hands. “That came out wrong.”

  Dash gave me an appraising look. “Since it is obvious you want to know, I was talking about the food.” He winked, contradicting what he’d just said.

  I rolled my eyes. He was hot. I mean drool-worthy, lip-smacking hot. But until he told me I was the only girl he wanted to be with, I was going on a Dash hiatus. “We should probably wake Star and get moving.” I pushed to my feet and pivoted away from him.

  “Freckles, wait.”

  I stopped only two feet from where I’d been, but I didn’t turn around immediately. I was afraid of what I might do. Being close to him this morning had unlocked the feelings I had so foolishly thought I could bury. Regardless that I told myself to keep walking, I found my heels slowly spinning back to face him.

  “You were right about what you said earlier, about you and me.” He regarded me with dazzling eyes, the expression on his face unreadable. “Things are different. I’d thought about finding Ash and my family for so long, I hadn’t figured out anything past that. Or what it would be like seeing her. Or having feelings for someone else. I’m trying to deal with it all and keep you both alive.”

  I chewed on my lip. “You’re exceptionally good at it. I’m still here.”

  “Don’t give up on me just yet … on us.”

  My heart swelled. “I’m trying not to.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  A vision whisked me from the present, tossing me I wasn’t sure where, but it couldn’t possibly be good. My skin prickled with tiny bumps of alarm. I’d been walking side by side with Star and Dash, winding through an overgrown path of the Misty Grove when my vision suddenly went black for a few seconds. Then the darkness cleared, and I expected something to be different, to be transported somewhere new. Visions often took me to unanticipated locations.

  I stood alone, surrounded by trees much like the ones we’d been traipsing through for the last few days. Ivy and moss dangled overhead from the branches, and as my eyes circled the woods, a dark shadow came up behind me, snapping a twig. Not alone after all.

  Spinning around, my hair flared out in the air, and my first inkling was the Night’s Guard had found us, but the man who materialized didn’t wear the standard blue uniform. There was nothing familiar about his face; he was no one I’d ever seen or met before, and yet a horrible feeling sunk inside me. My gaze moved past him to a disturbing scene. I couldn’t believe what I saw, didn’t want to believe it.

  My stomach pitched as I stared at Dash, a look of pure horror on his chiseled face. He was standing, bow drawn. I couldn’t see what lay beyond him, so I bolted forward, but the shadow man intercepted. He wasn’t quick enough.

  My world shifted as I shook my head from side to side, my brain rejecting what I had seen. If this was Dash’s, Star’s, and my future, I had to find a way to prevent it from ever coming to pass.

  “You have two choices, Slayer. Who will it be?” posed a voice of pure evil to Dash.

  No! I screamed inside my head. As visions went, this one brought exceptional gloom and doom.

  One of us would die? Star or me?

  I was sucked back into the present, and my first thought was to warn Dash, but fate had other plans. I expected to be lying on the ground with Dash and Star hovering over me, asking me if I was okay. This tended to happen when I dropped dead into a vision. Nope. Not this time. I wasn’t on my back staring at the blue sky, but still on two feet. I didn’t know how long I’d blacked out for during the premonition. It could have only been seconds or minutes. Turned out, it was long enough for us to have been ambushed.

  “Welcome back, Sweetcakes,” a strangled whisper came from behind me a moment before a hand covered my mouth.

  I screamed, but the pressure of his grip intensified, and then his foot kicked the backs of my knees, forcing me to the ground. Something cool pressed on the side of my neck. I didn’t need to be a psychic to know it was a blade. The images from my vision flashed through my mind, all too fresh and real.

  A whimper pierced through the roaring in my head, except it wasn’t mine. My eyes shifted to the right, the fear I felt inside me doubling. Star. She was on her knees about ten feet from me in the same position I was. Tears tracked down her pale cheeks, her eyes so big they could have popped out.

  With horror, my eyes went to where I was certain I would find Dash, regardless that with every fiber of my being I wanted to be wrong.

  I wasn’t.

  Dash stood in front of Star and me, poised to murder, bow drawn back in his hand. Two rebels held Star and me hostage, and Dash had only one arrow. How could that possibly
save us both? And that was what they were counting on. There was no denying Dash had superior killing skills, but I could tell by the fright in his expression even he wasn’t positive he could strike both rebels before they had a chance to slit one of our throats. If Dash had a plan, I would have loved to know what it was.

  I didn’t know how he kept a steady hand on his bow. I was quaking inside. “Oh good, more visitors,” Dash said with boredom, but anyone who knew the Slayer could see it was an act. Dash wanted to go King Kong on the rebels who dared to threaten those in his protection. “I was getting bored out here, waiting for the Institute’s monkeys to finally catch up to me.”

  My teeth ground together. Why did he always insist on baiting the enemy? If I weren’t being held at knifepoint, I would have kicked him.

  Racked with fear, Star’s body shuddered.

  “You have two choices, Slayer. Who will it be?” The rebel echoed the question from my vision.

  I squeezed my eyes closed.

  This darn gift sure had a way with timing. Couldn’t I have gotten a few more minutes warning that trouble was coming? I had been yanked straight from the vision and thrown right into the hornet’s nest. There were only two rebels that I could physically see, but how many more stood waiting? We’d dealt with numbers far greater, but not knowing what we were up against didn’t bode well for us, and to think I never got the chance to tell Dash we were in danger.

  The muscle in Dash’s jaw ticked, the one that said he was going to do something foolish. His eyes volleyed from Star to me, the hand on his bow never wavering. He only had to move it a fraction of an inch to decide which one of us to save.

  “You’ve gotten yourself into quite the predicament, wouldn’t you say, Slayer?” the rebel who chose me as his target taunted.

  “I will kill you for this.” Dash growled his promise of retribution.

  “Ah, but not before one of them gets their throat slit. Are you willing to take the chance? Either way, one will die. You can be sure of it. Your skill set might be impressive, but even you have your limitations. Care to test them?”