I rolled my eyes.
“They’re true,” he finished.
Dash, you idiot. The last thing Star wanted to hear was that he had blood on his hands. That wasn’t the way to woo a girl you’d loved a century ago.
“Oh,” Star said. “I guess we have a lot of catching up to do.”
And I, for one, wasn’t keen on sticking around while the two of them played the reminisce game. I picked my bag off the ground and threw it over my shoulder, intending to find somewhere quiet to rest and contemplate my next move.
And cry. Lots.
I didn’t know what would happen, but I did know that I wasn’t a third wheel. Star changed everything.
“Where are you going?” Dash demanded, hooking a finger through the strap on my bag.
I gave a jerk, but it was futile. He wouldn’t let go. “Well, I don’t plan on hanging out on the side of this cliff all night.”
“Come on. I know a place.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? It wouldn’t, by chance, happen to be a motel?”
He flicked the end of my nose. “You haven’t changed.”
Or I was really good at charades. “So how far away is this creepy cave?” Knowing Dash, it would be a cave.
Star shuddered beside me. “Not another cave.”
“Welcome to the Heights,” I grumbled.
“This way.” Dash nodded in the direction he had come. “It is probably wise we take shelter for the night and figure out what to do tomorrow.”
“Yes, oh wise one,” I mumbled, just short of bowing at his feet.
Star snickered.
As predicted, Dash shook his head, doing his best to hide the glimmer of a smirk working at his lips.
I wasn’t looking to be the entertainment in this trio, but sarcasm was my crutch. When I didn’t know how to handle something, I became saucy.
There was a very narrow path to the right of the uneven platform. Hugging the side of the mountain, the three of us scooted down the path away from the beast until it opened up onto another ledge. We came to a drop-off on the other side, the ground maybe five feet or so below us. Dash jumped first, and then turned around to help Star. I didn’t bother to wait my turn and hurtled over the side, landing with a soft thump on my feet.
Dash frowned at me as I dusted off my hands. “I would have given you a hand.”
I raised a brow. “Does it look like I need your help?”
“You said you escaped?” Dash’s voice hardened.
“Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?”
“It isn’t.” His demeanor shifted into a mode I recognized: eyes dark, his body tight, and a calculated gleam in his expression. “I’m just wondering if they’re using you, setting us up for a trap.”
I followed his line of thinking. “You mean by letting us go. My father would know that I would search for you, and I would lead them directly to you. Oh, my God.”
“It’s only a theory,” Dash rationalized.
“If it was only a hunch, then you wouldn’t be scouring the shadows for movement. I won’t be the reason you get caught again. We should split up.”
“No,” he replied without hesitation.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not saying forever. Just long enough to throw them off your scent. We could meet up again.”
“Charlotte, I’m not sure that is a good idea,” Star added.
Awesome. Now they were going to gang up on me. “Fine. Star you stay with Dash. It’s probably better that way.”
Dash grabbed my arm before I could walk off. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. We’re stronger together.”
He didn’t understand. How could he not see how much it would hurt me if they caught him again? It would be my fault. I wasn’t going to let that happen. “Do you know why they pursue you with such vigor and relentlessness?”
“I have a pretty good idea, Freckles.”
“They want your DNA. You specifically because of the ability you wield. The Institute…” I took a deep breath and started again. “My mom has found a way to harvest the DNA of those with special abilities, and replicate the strand that gives us these powers. With this DNA, she can alter a human’s genetic makeup, giving them our capabilities. And they especially want yours.”
“So Amelia has finally figured it out?”
My eyes widened. “You knew?”
He shifted his stance and crossed his arms. “That the Institute was looking to build an army? I’ve been telling you that since we met.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “But you failed to mention that they want to use you to do that.”
His fingers raked through his hair. “Yeah, well, why did you think I’ve been so reluctant to go back?”
My eyes shifted to his chest. I shook my head and laid my fingers over his heart, right where I knew the scars to be. “It wasn’t because they tortured you?”
His fingers covered mine. “Oh they did, Freckles, but that was never the reason. The pain wasn’t what scared me. I’ve dealt with pain my whole life. It was what they could do with a military of mutated humans who could kill with targeted precision just by wishing it.”
“We can’t let that happen.”
“No, definitely not.”
“I’m so sorry. How could I be so stupid? I practically handed you over to the Institute myself. This is why you have to let me go.”
He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Don’t you blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. How could you have possibly known? Besides, they haven’t found me yet. Not all hope is lost. Together, we can get away. Maybe they didn’t factor in just how powerful Dr. Winston’s oldest daughter is.”
Through the tears that had begun to gather in my eyes, I smiled. “Fine. Have it your way. But I swear all hell will break loose if they manage to capture us.”
Dash wiped my damp cheeks with the pad of his thumbs. “I missed you, Freckles. It’s not the same roaming the Heights without you. Come to find out, I like living on the edge.”
A throaty laugh escaped my mouth. “Be prepared. The fun is about to begin.”
“Thank God. My life’s been so dull.”
Warm and blissfully content, I slowly awoke out of sleep, like drifting to the ground from a puffy white cloud. I wanted to cling to the sensation of feeling happy and safe, so I kept my eyes closed, giving myself a few more minutes to snuggle.
On a sigh, I rolled to my side, stretching out my legs.
And froze.
Unless I had grown an extra leg, I wasn’t sleeping alone.
My eyes popped open.
Dash was asleep and so close to me that his nose practically touched mine, but seeing his face, it all came back to me in a rush of memories.
This wasn’t a dream.
I had escaped from the Institute.