Page 57

No, those monsters were reserved solely for novels, not reality.

With one last glance down the empty hall, I shut my bedroom door. My heart was in my throat, choking me, but I refused to suffocate. Not this time.

With more determination than I felt, I grabbed a notebook out of my desk drawer and wrote down what I knew.

Masked, murderous professors.

Sacrificial offerings to some monster…god?

Asshole men.

No escape.

Between.

I circled the final word multiple times. Between what? I knew once I deciphered that definition, the rest would fall into place. I would have to be smart about how I went about it. My usual method of confrontation wouldn’t work with Kelly’s delicate mental state.

With one last glance at the paper, I placed it on my nightstand and slipped under the heavy blankets. At least in my room, I was safe.

Right?

Right?

Unbidden, my eyes snapped shut.

* * *

Morning dew gracedthe green grass. The air was cold, near freezing, but the sun hung high in the sky, belying the frigid day. I moved stiffly, weakly, unable to formulate any thought besides “run.”

Run away. Run from him.

I dared a glance at a puddle of water and gasped at my reflection. My clothes were in tatters, my hair wildly disheveled, and fresh bruises darkened my pasty skin. I didn’t look like the girl I once was. This person, this female with sunken skin and haunted eyes, was a stranger.

Still, I kept walking. Houses blurred, a combination of whites, browns, and grays. There was a noticeable lack of clouds in the sky, so despite the wind, the sun glared down on me. It did little to unthaw my frigid body.

My dead one.

Beau was exactly where I had told him to meet me. His golden hair glinted in the sunlight, and his hands were shoved into his jacket pockets. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I took the opportunity to study him unobserved. He looked beautiful and radiant standing beside the park bench. A knight in shining armor brought to life. His lips were pulled back into an easy grin as he tilted his face upward toward the sun. He looked so serene, enjoying life and everything it had to offer. I hated to pop his happy bubble.

He glanced in my direction, as if feeling my eyes grazing his back, and the content expression disappeared to be replaced by something darker. In three long strides, he was in front of me, gently placing his hands on my shoulders.

And that was when I exploded. Sobs shook me, tears cascading down my cheeks. I desperately clung to Beau as if he was a life preserver and I was a sailor lost at sea. His hand cupped the back of my head as he crushed me to him. Despite the gentleness of his embrace, his body was as taut as a violin. Tension seeped from every pore in his body, waiting with bated breath for a target.

Finally, he pulled me away from him and met my eyes. His were dark with promise. Promise of pain and vengeance and death. In his gaze, one word reverberated.

Who.

“Dylan,” I sobbed, wrapping my arms around my body. “Dylan.”

Dylan.

Dylan.

Dylan.

* * *

I wokeup with Dylan’s name a scream on my lips.