Page 70 of Stardusted

Disappointed that this tiny slice of a dream was over. That cold, harsh reality had come crashing back in. The reality in which I was somehow smack dab in the middle of an alien infiltration.

And meanwhile, Sky…watched. Assessing.

Instincts stirred, prickled. Sunk claws deep.

I backed away from him until I reached the edge of the dance floor.

He didn’t chase me. He stood there, still and observant in the blur of moving bodies and strobing light. Only his eyes followed. Sharp enough to pierce right through my pounding chest. Full of awareness of a different kind now.

If I’d suspected it before, if my gut had been hinting at it…now I was certain.

Sky knew something. More than he was letting on. I was sure. He knew more about what happened on the road the other night, the university—allof it.Thealiens.

Me.

And I didn’t know what to do with that.

It didn’t help that all I could think about was kissing him senseless.

So I spun on my heel and ran.

Chapter 19

DECODING CAGEY BARTENDERS AND OTHER COSMIC MYSTERIES

Myrideshare app said ten minutes, but it felt like an hour.

I waited outside Crescent, arms folded tight, glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling.

Amelia hadn’t answered my text about leaving. She’d see it eventually, probably once she came up for air from Emerick. Whenever that was.

Sky hadn’t come out, either. He hadn’t chased after me. I told myself that was a good thing.

My buzz was gone, effectively doused by the reminder of everything wrong with my life right now. All I felt now was tired and cold.

The storm had moved on, but the air was still damp, and the sidewalks slick and gleaming orange beneath the streetlights. Nearby, a knot of clubgoers vaped and chain-smoked, their breath clouds forming a chemical fog.

I shivered harder.

Then, finally…salvation. A dark red sedan pulled up, dashboard sign glowing. I half-jogged to the passenger door and climbed in, flashing the driver a muted smile. After confirmingmy address, he pulled away, and I slumped against the seat, watching One Willow blur past the windows.

The heater hummed, but the chill inside me didn’t budge.

Something about Sky Acosta wasnotsitting right.

We’d danced tonight. The object of my fantasies had finally noticed me, flirted with me, touched me, held me. It should’ve been great. Like, birthday-wish, mall-fountain-coin level great.

So why did I feel so…grossabout it?

I knew why. It was the timing.

Why now? Why the sudden interest? Why all the questions?

“I think you’d be surprised at how…open-minded I am, Raven.”

Right. Not much was going to surprise me after all this. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find my worst fears were true and Sky’s entire performance had been strategic.

Iwantedto believe running into him the night of my car accident had been a coincidence. Technically, it was plausible. One Willow wasn’t that big, and there weren’t many roads leading out of town. Maybe he hated highways. Maybe long drives on back roads while brooding to weird synth playlists were his thing.