Page 57 of Stardusted

His fingers brushed the bruises on my upper arm, though, as he released me, and I barely checked my flinch. Recovering, I scoffed.

“If I was abducted, they probably would’ve dropped me back off out of sheer annoyance. Too many questions,” I said wryly.

Not a lie at all.

“You’ve got that right,” Dustin said, trying to ruffle my hair. I dodged his hand and sent him a glare. Sometimes I thought he’d missed the part where I was no longer thirteen.

“Did you go to the hospital, at least?” Lisa asked, twisting her hands together.

Sobering, I straightened. “No...”

Dustin and I exchanged a look. I wasn’t the only one who’d developed a dislike of all things hospital related. It was a testament of his love for Lisa their birth plan involved Willow Hospital.

“I didn’t need to,” I said, summoning a smile that felt more than a little stilted. “I really am fine. I promise.”

Lisa opened her mouth—but thankfully, Mom’s voice rang out, calling us to dinner. With one, final worried look my way, Lisa dropped it and let Dustin guide her from the room. I released a quiet breath, tucking my marked hand into my pocket. My brother chattered about the storm and the lake as I followed them from the nursery.

But not before casting one last glance over my shoulder at the constellation.

Was that actually what I’d seen in my dreams?Stars?Or was this some kind of message from them?

Or was I just losing my whole damn mind?

My hand tingled. I’d told Lisa I was fine, but even I was starting to wonder.

There was a chance I was far from fine.

Chapter 16

I CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE BASS AND BETRAYAL

“Youlookfine, girl,” some stranger yelled in my ear.

My stomach soured as the half-shouted, dubious compliment slashed through my enjoyment like a laser strike.The Crescent Club’s bass thumped as I aimed a flat look at the interloper.

Flashing lights revealed attractive-ish features. Surfer-blond, a square jaw, and the kind of smile that probably worked on girls who were into that cocky type.

I wasn’t.

In other circumstances, if I hadn’t spent my week knee-deep in alien bullshit, maybe I’d have laughed and played it off. Tonight, though, I felt too tense and frayed for this. Setting my teeth, I started to turn back around—not fast enough to miss the guy giving me a blatant once-over.

My annoyance ticked up another notch. I stopped dancing. Somehow, he took that as an invitation.

“So what’s your name, babe?” he shouted over the music, leaning in too close. The biting scent of whiskey and too much cologne filled my nostrils.

Babe?Really?I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw last week. He made a grab for my arm, and I pulled it close to my side, edging away from him. “Sorry. Thanks, but no thanks.”

“What?” he yelled, stumbling closer.

Ugh. I knew people came to clubs like Crescent to meet someone. For the night—or hey, maybe even longer. I’d been there.

Tonight, though, I was here to dance. To dance and forget.

Maybe that made me lame. It’d been a while since I’d cuddled with anything that didn’t have chapter headings and a title page. But that wasn’t what I was looking for.

I just wanted to dance.

Preferablywithoutthe groping.