“I-I wanted to tell you, but there wasn’t time. We’ve been running ever since.”
Suddenly, I was engulfed in a hug. Strands of her blonde hair got tangled in my eyelashes. I wrapped my arms around Star. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“I promised to protect you, and I meant it.”
She sniffed, taking a step back. “I know I shouldn’t be happy you came to the Institute, but I am.”
I smiled, blinking back the water from my eyes. “Me too.”
“Where are we going?” I asked. It had finally occurred to me that we were walking deeper into the Dying Labyrinth when logically we should be going farther away. A light mist had started to fall from the clouds.
“To Hurst.”
My feet faltered. “What for? Isn’t that the opposite direction of where we should be looking for your family?”
“Yes.”
“Okaaay, then what gives?”
Dash gave me a pointed look. “We’re making a detour.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious. “We don’t have time for diversions.”
“All we have is time, Freckles.”
Anxiousness bloomed inside me. He was up to something, and I wouldn’t stop badgering him until he fessed up. “Bull crap. You’re planning something, and I will tell you right now, you’re not going to try and ditch me in Hurst again.”
“He tried to leave you?” Star asked. She was so darn quiet it was sometimes easy to forget she traveled with us.
I nodded. “He did.”
His lips twitched. “I wouldn’t dream of making the mistake again. I’m low on supplies, and Hurst is the closest city that has what I need.”
I lifted a brow. “And that’s all?”
He shrugged and threw me a grin. “So you learned to fight?”
It was obvious what he was doing—avoiding the subject—but I would get it out of him eventually. “I didn’t have much of a choice.”
Did he just flinch?
“No, you wouldn’t. Not even being their daughter.”
I let out a pathetic laugh. “You got that right.”
“They hurt you. I’m sorry for it. I never should have let you near the place, regardless of your relationship to the council.”
It wasn’t like Dash to apologize. He must carry a huge chunk of guilt. “You don’t owe me an apology. I needed to find out for myself what they were really about.”
He nodded, but the glint of regret never left his eyes.
He turned to walk away, but I couldn’t let him continue to torture himself by thinking that he had somehow let me down. I put a hand on his arm. “Dash, wait.” He spun back around a little too quickly. I wasn’t able to stop my forward motion fast enough, and I found myself pressed up against him, our hands captured between us.
Oh dear God. He is too close.
His eyes roamed over my face slowly, and the guilt I’d seen morphed into heat. When he looked at me like that, my heart gave one hard thud in my chest, sending a low tingle into my belly.
Like a stampede of wild horses, my heart beat wildly, an excited feeling of anticipation. I wanted him to kiss me. Inhaling the smell of rain and wet skin, I savored the feeling of the strong band of his arms around me.
He shifted the angle of his body, his hand running up my spine.
The edges of my mind blurred. “What happened to me is not your fault, and I won’t let you blame yourself. They’re my parents, Dash. I thought I could trust them; I still want to believe I can.”
“If I hadn’t left you there or took you anywhere near the Institute, then—”
I pressed my finger to his lips, silencing him. “I am only going to tell you this once more, so listen up, and this time, I want you to let it sink in.”
He looked at me as if he doubted my IQ, but at least I had his attention.
“If you hadn’t escaped from the Institute, I never would have forgiven you or myself. And I don’t want that amount of guilt. I have enough. You want someone to blame? Then I’m your gal. If it weren’t for me, you never would have been anywhere near Diamond Towers. Did you forget that? I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
His eyes darkened as he ran his thumb along my jaw. “I didn’t wish this for you.”
“I know. You tried to keep me out of the Institute’s hands from the moment I woke up, but there is nothing either of us can do about the past. Can we move forward?” I gave him a smile. “No guilt. No blame.”
Dash nodded. “There’s nothing I would like more.”
Was he going to seal it with a kiss?
God, I really hoped so.
I inched just a fraction onto my toes, but his lips brushed the underside of my jaw. “I’m glad you escaped.”
My eyes twinkled, regardless that I wanted to be alone with him and that I very much wanted to pull his lips up to meet mine. “I missed you too.”
We started walking again, catching up to Star who wrestled with a branch that had snagged her shirt. “Now are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you?” I asked.
Dash chuckled. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Nope. Being relentless is my superpower.”
He snorted. “That is one way of looking at it. Should we help her?”
Star had on her serious face as she played tug-of-war with a tree.
I snuffed out a laugh. “Nah. She needs to learn how to handle herself. The girl has been sheltered and scares far too easily.”
He dropped his voice so Star couldn’t overhear. The snapping twigs and brush under his feet grew louder. “She wasn’t always like this. She is different, but aren’t we all? I think it would be safer if Star stayed in Hurst.”
I agreed, but telling her would be difficult. “Do you think she’ll stay? She won’t know anyone, and I promised I would protect her.” Couldn’t very well do that if we weren’t together.
“It is the safest place for her. You and me, Freckles, we have big lethal targets on our back. Anyone close to us will get caught in the crossfire. If she stays with either of us, she will get hurt.”
I blinked. “Then what?”
Dash glanced at me sideways. “We stop running.”
Heavy silence followed. What he suggested was practical, and my decision to go along with it had nothing to do with removing my competition. Or so I told myself. No matter who Star was, she was my friend. I didn’t want anything to happen to her.
This plan sounded like a suicide mission.
And I was in.
In the dim light of the forest, a cold wind rattled the branches, showering us with petals. The evening was remarkably clear, making it feel as if the stars hung on top of us. A fairytale ambiance lingered in the air, making me think of castles, princes, and kissing frogs. The wooded grove reminded me of The Wisps, a magical but dangerous part of the Heights.
As I took in the awe-inspiring view, my eyes clashed with Dash’s, and the phenomenon of the hidden meadow disappeared. His lustrous gaze sent a giddy rush through me.
“What is this place?” Star asked in wonder, breaking the spell between Dash and me. Her head tilted back as she spun around, letting the soft petals fall on her cheeks.
“Moonshadow Falls,” Dash replied, his irises deepening in hue.