I left the little cottage and took off around the marsh, running toward the mist. The green glow was on the move, coming toward me. At this pace we would meet right at the point where the mist tapered off into the Heights.
Glancing over my shoulder, I kept the cottage in sight. I didn’t want to wander too far and lose my way—trying to be smart. When I got to the threshold of the marsh, close enough that I could touch the mist if I reached out, I stopped. I felt like I stood on the edge of the world.
Do or die.
I don’t know why I had the urge to test out the boundary, but I did. It somehow became important to me. I moved closer, putting one foot in front of the other when a sense of vertigo struck me so strongly that I had to catch myself on a nearby tree.
Okay. Let’s not do that again.
Once the wave moved through me, the green glow caught my attention again. It was close, but the thick mist made it impossible to see clearly. Yet I was positive the two dots I could make out were eyes.
I wished Dash were with me, that I had woken him up before coming out here alone. I was getting all kinds of bad vibes and berated myself. But it was too late. I was here and that thing was dancing toward me.
I held my breath as it got nearer, and a sound like a moan carried in the wind. A figure slowly surfaced and took the shape of a human. Reeling inside, I gasped. It wasn’t just the eyes that glowed green, but its skin as well. I couldn’t decipher if the figure was male or female. Heck, at this point, I would have sworn what stood in front of me was an alien.
The glowing creature stared at me, its eyes sunken, its clothes ripped and dirty, barely hanging together by a thread. It swiped out an arm, as if reaching for me.
Scrambling backward, I tripped and landed on my butt. The impact rattled my brain, and I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t comprehend what I thought I saw. A monster? I wasn’t ready to give up on the alien theory, which had a series of visions running through my head including being abducted and never seeing Dash again.
This had to be a joke or a nightmare.
I was still sleeping.
In either case, my theories needed work.
It was second nature to defend myself, and before I thought about it, lightning cracked across the dark sky.
“Charlotte!” Someone called my name from the shadows.
I twisted my head to see Celeste coming around the marsh. She was barefoot, wearing only a long white nightgown. When I turned back to the mist, the creature had gone.
Pushing myself to my feet, I dusted off my backside and met Celeste as she emerged from the path. “Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I fell. It’s no big deal.”
“Are you normally a fan of strolling in the moonlight?”
I exhaled a little, my nerves still on high alert. “How did you know I was out here?”
“I couldn’t sleep and went to make some tea. I saw you through the window and got this horrible feeling something bad was going to happen to you.”
We shared a long quiet pause. Celeste had probably saved me from something awful. “I’m okay. Just on edge. I thought a walk might help. Dumb, I know.”
“Hmm, depends on who you ask. I have a feeling you can take care of yourself, plus I’ve been known to take a few midnight walks myself,” she said, giving me a faint smile.
I twined my fingers together. “Do you mind if we keep this between us? I don’t want Dash to worry.”
She started walking back the way she’d come, and I followed, anxious to get inside to Dash. “Probably a good idea,” she agreed, surprising me. “I don’t know the Slayer well, but he is fiercely protective of you. Wandering off on your own so close to the border would definitely send him into a tizzy.”
I snickered, conjuring up an image of Dash in a tizzy. “Thanks, Celeste. For everything. I don’t know what we would have done without you.” Look at me, making friends left and right.
We trudged back to the cottage together in silence, and all I could wonder was: Will anything ordinary ever happen to me?
A shift of light woke me hours later, and my eyes fluttered open to the pink-streaked sunrise streaming in through the little window. The warm glow highlighted Dash’s face beside me, making him appear peaceful and innocent. My heart softened at the sight of him sleeping, and I leaned in, brushing my lips over his.
The night was over and the uncertainty of our future lay before us, but I wanted just a few more stolen moments in his arms. I snuggled against his chest, and my lips curled as his arms secured around me. My love for him made me feel stronger.
“Is this a dream?” I muttered, stretching like a lazy kitten.
“I’ve been told I’m dreamy.”
I whacked him softly on the chest. “I meant the bed and us together.”
He gave me a fake offended look. “No you didn’t.”
“Tell me we don’t have to leave, that we can stay here forever.”
“If I could, I would give you just that,” he said quietly.
This might be the last time I woke up in a bed for some time, and I wanted to prolong the feeling for as long as possible, but Dash had other ideas.
Propping his head up on an elbow, he studied me, and I recognized the expression on his face. The honeymoon was over. “We need to say goodbye.”
“Already? It isn’t even sundown.”
“Which you know is my favorite time to travel.”
“That and midnight,” I grumbled, reluctant to leave this little room.
He kissed me and rolled out of bed. I wasn’t so quick to follow, taking a moment to appreciate the fine male specimen that was all mine.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked, slipping a shirt over his head.
“I’d like it more if you were still in bed with me.”
He strutted to the edge of the mattress, placed his palms on it, and kissed me. “So would I, Freckles. Someday, just not today.”
“If we don’t die.”
That got me a reluctant smile in return.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Night was at its peak—the sun completely gone, the moon having taken its place. A dark cluster of clouds moved in front of the moon. We would have to rely on the stars to illuminate our way and hope we didn’t get too close to the mist. I remembered how it had felt over a hundred years ago—the way my eyes had burned and watered, a hazard I wanted to avoid at all costs.
The chill in the air was more pronounced than what I’d become accustomed to in the Misty Marsh. Dash wrapped his arms around me, sharing his warmth, before we headed out. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
We passed over Celeste’s property line, Dash’s eyes darting east and west. He hustled us through the marsh, weaving around a bundle of trees.
With each step, I became uneasy. “I have a bad feeling,” I whispered, grabbing his forearm with my free hand. My stomach was tied in knots.
Dash sported a major scowl on his face. “Did you get a vision?”