Silence descended. I wanted nothing more than to deny what my heart knew was happening. Star was Dash’s girlfriend pre-apocalypse. And Dash, his name had been Dylan. Such an ordinary name—nothing like the guy I knew now.

“Am I dreaming?” Dash hadn’t moved from his spot on the ledge beside me. His feet seemed to be made of lead, rooted to the ground.

Star stepped forward, her eyes unable to pull away from Dash’s. They were locked onto each other and I was forgotten, suddenly an intruder in a hundred-year reunion. I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw something over the side of the cliff. A good person would be happy they had found each other. I wasn’t a good person.

“I’m asking myself the same question,” I mumbled under my breath. Neither of them seemed to hear me. I’d become invisible, and I hated the feeling.

“I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” Star said in her perfectly soft voice.

“I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” Dash no longer touched me. In fact, he had managed to put space between us, but it didn’t erase the fact that only moments ago our mouths had been attacking one another. “H-how is this possible?” he asked.

Fate was a cruel mistress; that was how. Just as my path had crossed with Dash’s once again, we were forced apart, and the wedge suddenly between us made me bitchy. “Which part? That Star is your girlfriend? Or how I found her?” I interjected.

Again no one heard me.

“You’re alive,” Dash choked out.

Star nodded, and she smiled, an emotional smile that held years of loss and grief. I knew the feeling, but it had been for family, not a boyfriend. She glided over the rocky platform and with a shaky hand touched Dash’s cheek. Tears filled her eyes, wetting her thick lashes.

“You’re really alive,” he whispered again, as if saying it multiple times would make it more real. Dash pulled her into his arms.

My back hit the side of the mountain as I stood there flabbergasted, unable to believe my shitty fortune. At least he wasn’t kissing her, I told myself, but it did nothing to lessen the blow of seeing another girl in his arms. It was brutal, and jealousy reared its ugly head.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally pulled apart, but my shock and pain was no less severe.

“You’ve been at the Institute this whole time?” Dash asked.

Star nodded. “Yes, I was found and brought straight to Diamond Towers.”

“You have abilities then?”

A shadow darkened her face. “No. I worked at the Towers. I never trained. Not like Charlotte has.”

The mention of my name brought Dash’s star-flecked eyes to me. I could feel them on me. Don’t look at him. Don’t do it, Charlotte.

My eyes betrayed me, glancing up from the ground. There were so many unspoken words between us in those few seconds our eyes connected. “He put you into the training program?” Dash asked.

I didn’t need him to clarify who he was. He was talking about my father. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re here.”

Dash’s gaze narrowed. “And just how did the two of you manage to get here?”

I shrugged. “You think you’re the only one who can escape from the Institute?”

“You escaped then? You weren’t banished?”

“Banished? No. Trust me, my father wasn’t about to let me walk out the front door. He very forcefully forbade me to have anything to do with a certain guy who went by the nickname of Slayer.”

His lips quirked. “I would have loved to have been a fly on that wall. This is insane.” He forked his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe this is real. You found her.”

Not intentionally, but I kept the thought to myself. “I couldn’t have gotten through the days without her.” That was the truth. No matter who Star was, she was still my friend, and I needed to remember that, regardless that jealousy consumed me. I didn’t want to share Dash’s affections or compete for him.

“So you’re Dash Darhk?” Star said, her eyes bouncing between Dash and me.

Warmth moved into my cheeks as I recalled all the nights I’d gushed about Dash. Star knew how I felt about him, about her boyfriend—awkward.

“Do us all a favor and pretend you’ve never heard of him. His ego is God-size.”

Dash snorted. “All the rumors you’ve heard …”A long pause ensued as if he was going for a dramatic effect.

I rolled my eyes.

“They’re true,” he finished.

Dash, you idiot. The last thing Star wanted to hear was that he had blood on his hands. That wasn’t the way to woo a girl you’d loved a century ago.

“Oh,” Star said. “I guess we have a lot of catching up to do.”

And I, for one, wasn’t keen on sticking around while the two of them played the reminisce game. I picked my bag off the ground and threw it over my shoulder, intending to find somewhere quiet to rest and contemplate my next move.

And cry. Lots.

I didn’t know what would happen, but I did know that I wasn’t a third wheel. Star changed everything.

“Where are you going?” Dash demanded, hooking a finger through the strap on my bag.

I gave a jerk, but it was futile. He wouldn’t let go. “Well, I don’t plan on hanging out on the side of this cliff all night.”

“Come on. I know a place.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? It wouldn’t, by chance, happen to be a motel?”

He flicked the end of my nose. “You haven’t changed.”

Or I was really good at charades. “So how far away is this creepy cave?” Knowing Dash, it would be a cave.

Star shuddered beside me. “Not another cave.”

“Welcome to the Heights,” I grumbled.

“This way.” Dash nodded in the direction he had come. “It is probably wise we take shelter for the night and figure out what to do tomorrow.”

“Yes, oh wise one,” I mumbled, just short of bowing at his feet.

Star snickered.

As predicted, Dash shook his head, doing his best to hide the glimmer of a smirk working at his lips.

I wasn’t looking to be the entertainment in this trio, but sarcasm was my crutch. When I didn’t know how to handle something, I became saucy.

There was a very narrow path to the right of the uneven platform. Hugging the side of the mountain, the three of us scooted down the path away from the beast until it opened up onto another ledge. We came to a drop-off on the other side, the ground maybe five feet or so below us. Dash jumped first, and then turned around to help Star. I didn’t bother to wait my turn and hurtled over the side, landing with a soft thump on my feet.

Dash frowned at me as I dusted off my hands. “I would have given you a hand.”

I raised a brow. “Does it look like I need your help?”

“You said you escaped?” Dash’s voice hardened.

“Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?”

“It isn’t.” His demeanor shifted into a mode I recognized: eyes dark, his body tight, and a calculated gleam in his expression. “I’m just wondering if they’re using you, setting us up for a trap.”

I followed his line of thinking. “You mean by letting us go. My father would know that I would search for you, and I would lead them directly to you. Oh, my God.”

“It’s only a theory,” Dash rationalized.

“If it was only a hunch, then you wouldn’t be scouring the shadows for movement. I won’t be the reason you get caught again. We should split up.”

“No,” he replied without hesitation.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not saying forever. Just long enough to throw them off your scent. We could meet up again.”

“Charlotte, I’m not sure that is a good idea,” Star added.

Awesome. Now they were going to gang up on me. “Fine. Star you stay with Dash. It’s probably better that way.”

Dash grabbed my arm before I could walk off. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. We’re stronger together.”

He didn’t understand. How could he not see how much it would hurt me if they caught him again? It would be my fault. I wasn’t going to let that happen. “Do you know why they pursue you with such vigor and relentlessness?”

“I have a pretty good idea, Freckles.”

“They want your DNA. You specifically because of the ability you wield. The Institute…” I took a deep breath and started again. “My mom has found a way to harvest the DNA of those with special abilities, and replicate the strand that gives us these powers. With this DNA, she can alter a human’s genetic makeup, giving them our capabilities. And they especially want yours.”

“So Amelia has finally figured it out?”

My eyes widened. “You knew?”

He shifted his stance and crossed his arms. “That the Institute was looking to build an army? I’ve been telling you that since we met.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “But you failed to mention that they want to use you to do that.”

His fingers raked through his hair. “Yeah, well, why did you think I’ve been so reluctant to go back?”

My eyes shifted to his chest. I shook my head and laid my fingers over his heart, right where I knew the scars to be. “It wasn’t because they tortured you?”

His fingers covered mine. “Oh they did, Freckles, but that was never the reason. The pain wasn’t what scared me. I’ve dealt with pain my whole life. It was what they could do with a military of mutated humans who could kill with targeted precision just by wishing it.”

“We can’t let that happen.”

“No, definitely not.”

“I’m so sorry. How could I be so stupid? I practically handed you over to the Institute myself. This is why you have to let me go.”

He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Don’t you blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. How could you have possibly known? Besides, they haven’t found me yet. Not all hope is lost. Together, we can get away. Maybe they didn’t factor in just how powerful Dr. Winston’s oldest daughter is.”

Through the tears that had begun to gather in my eyes, I smiled. “Fine. Have it your way. But I swear all hell will break loose if they manage to capture us.”

Dash wiped my damp cheeks with the pad of his thumbs. “I missed you, Freckles. It’s not the same roaming the Heights without you. Come to find out, I like living on the edge.”

A throaty laugh escaped my mouth. “Be prepared. The fun is about to begin.”

“Thank God. My life’s been so dull.”

* * *

Warm and blissfully content, I slowly awoke out of sleep, like drifting to the ground from a puffy white cloud. I wanted to cling to the sensation of feeling happy and safe, so I kept my eyes closed, giving myself a few more minutes to snuggle.

On a sigh, I rolled to my side, stretching out my legs.

And froze.

Unless I had grown an extra leg, I wasn’t sleeping alone.

My eyes popped open.

Dash was asleep and so close to me that his nose practically touched mine, but seeing his face, it all came back to me in a rush of memories.

This wasn’t a dream.

I had escaped from the Institute.

And by some miracle found Dash … or he’d found me. The specifics were fuzzy, a combination of dumb luck, a bird, and my visions. Story of my life. But here we were, and I’d thought finding Dash would simplify matters, not complicate them. However, Star was Dash’s old girlfriend. What a slap in the face. Where did that leave Dash and me?

It might have been completely stalker-ish, but I wanted to just lie here on the cool stone floor with one of his bunched up shirts under my head and stare at him. For the first time in weeks, the world seemed semi okay again, and that was saying something considering the current state of the world.

With tousled hair and stubble shadowing his cheeks, a grin crept over his lips. “Hi, Freckles,” he whispered.

I curled my hand under my makeshift pillow, trying not to smile. “Hi.”

His long, envy-worthy lashes blinked the last bits of sleep. God, how I’d missed those roguish eyes. “See anything you like?”

The scenery was breathtaking, and I didn’t mean the glittery shards of crystals embedded in the stone. “I’ll let you know when I do.”

His eyes grew serious. “Are you really okay?”

He wanted to know what happened to me in the Institute. If they had hurt me. The truth was, I had been hurt, but it was disappointment in finding out my parents weren’t who I’d believed them to be. All the bruises and achy muscles were nothing compared to finding out the people I cared most about thought of me as a weapon first and a daughter second. “No, not really. But I will be.”

His fingers grazed mine. “They don’t deserve you.”

I wanted to intertwine our hands, but Star stirred on the other side of Dash, and our personal interlude ended. “Doesn’t matter now,” I murmured. “I’m not going back there.”

Dash cursed. “So now what?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I didn’t think that far. One day at a time is all I got.”

“You can’t run forever.”

Says the guy who has been running for months. “I know. All I thought about was finding my family, but that didn’t really pan out so well. Things changed and I had to find you to warn you about their agenda.”

“That was very noble of you, but did you ever think it might have been safer for you to stay in the Institute?”

“So you think I made a mistake leaving?”

His lips pressed together. “I don’t know. I only know that you can’t keep living like this.”

“I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me. The future might be unknown, but based on what I can do, it will reveal itself soon enough, and in the meantime, you still have a brother and mother to find. Let me help you.”

Star’s head popped up behind Dash as she sat up. “Your mom and Logan are still out there?”

Dash’s head turned toward the sound of her voice. “I’ve been looking for them for months.”

Star’s eyes found mine on the other side of Dash. “It’s settled then. Charlotte and I will help you find them.”

Dash groaned. “Don’t tell me this is how it is going to be with the two of you ganging up on me.”

My heart fluttered in my chest as my lips lifted. “Don’t pretend you wouldn’t enjoy that.”

Star frowned.

His grin said it all. “I’m not saying that I am agreeing to this harebrained idea, but until we figure out what to do, let the adventure begin. God knows anything can happen.”

* * *

Leaving the cave with Dash and Star, I was uncannily reminded of my quest to find my family. It seemed strange to be out in the Heights again. I suddenly felt like an orphan and the future still uncertain. Leaving the Institute had been a rash decision based on an ability I knew little about. The visions were unpredictable. And I had a fourth power I knew nothing about—not even what it was.

I pushed aside thoughts of my parents and the clone DNA and focused on my next move. Helping Dash search for his family was only a temporary task. Yet, it might take years, and I wasn’t sure I had years in me to dedicate, especially with the Night’s Guard hot on our heels and being near Dash and Star. It was awkward enough. This whole thing might be an impossible mission. My emotions for the Slayer were probably a driving factor, yet I didn’t want to admit it. With Star back in the picture, I needed to protect myself—guard my heart—and the first step to doing that was keeping my mind occupied.

I refused to let myself think about the girl from his past and the choice Dash would have to make. I could make it easy for him: take myself out of the equation.

The thought crushed my heart.

What a mess. I was that girl caught in a love triangle. How cliché.

Jagged mountains rose up behind us until they vanished into the clouds. Somber Mountain wasn’t an easy terrain to maneuver. We made our way through a forest of thorn trees that bordered the edge of the land, bristling and nasty. The leaves were pointed and barbed, making it vital we watched where we stepped. There was a reason we went through the forest instead of around it. The gnarly branches made it difficult for us to be followed.

After dodging several thorny limbs and being nicked on the arm more than once, I grew tired of the game and drew out my blade. Bad idea.

It was as if the trees sensed danger and went into battle mode. My only intention was to make the path in front of me easier instead of having to constantly duck and dodge. But the branches surrounding me came alive, swinging and swaying in a wild dance. Whoosh. A prickly limb whipped at my face. I jumped out of the way, but not before it caught me in the arm.

“Damn it,” I hissed, my whole shoulder stinging with fire.

Dash spun around and stood at my side before I had a chance to get lightheaded from the sight of my own blood. “Are you okay?” His warm hands moved over my skin, turning my arm from side to side.

My flesh was bright red and oozing blood in several spots where the thorns had pierced. “It’s nothing but a few scratches.”

His dark brows furrowed. “You drew your dagger after I told you no weapons.”

“Well, you failed to tell me the trees would attack me.” Gah. He was too close. My body instantly became aware of his, and it didn’t help that he was touching me.

His breath tickled my ear, tying my stomach into a thousand knots. “Would it have mattered if I did? Danger loves you.”

Sizzling sparks ignited in the air between us, an unstoppable pull. My breath hitched, and I turned my head so our lips were a mere inch away. I wanted to kiss him.

And then I remembered.

Star.

My gaze shifted slightly to the left. She stood behind Dash, watching us as he moved to lean in. I slapped a hand on his chest and gave it a little shove. “Don’t,” I whispered.

He blinked and blinked again before clarity of the situation slowly formed in his eyes. “Sorry. I—” He shoved a hand in his hair. “We need to talk.”

“Later,” I ground out. “I’m not in the mood.”

I took a few steps through the trees, feeling the dried leaves crunch under my feet. Diamond Towers shone in the distance, mocking me, its pristine white bricks glittering under the brilliant moonlight. My skin prickled as a gentle breeze blew over my skin, rustling the twigs over my head.

I glanced up, seeing something sparkling in the tree branches. What was that?

Taking another step closer, I heard a hiss.

What the—

“Freckles!” Dash screamed my name.

Shit.