I bent to gather my gear that had fallen during the attack. A droplet of blood plopped onto my arm.

What the—?

Another drop followed, and my hand flew to my face. Strange… my nose was bleeding. The rebel must have hit me a whole lot harder than I remembered. I’d grown accustomed to pain and didn’t think much of it. Nosebleeds were common. Why should I be worried? But Dash noticed and was suddenly in front of me.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes drifted over my face, catching my chin in between his fingers and tipping my head back.

I tried to jerk my chin out of his grasp, but failed. “Nothing. It is just a nosebleed. I’m fine.” But no sooner were the words out when I was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell, my head growing heavy. Okay, so maybe there was something wrong. Could I possibly have a concussion? My skin was flushed, yet I felt cold, freezing actually. Tremors took over my body.

Oh no!

“Dash,” I whispered.

His eyes darkened as he ran a thumb along my jaw. “What is it?”

“I’m going to pass out.”

Confusion crossed his expression. “What?”

I struggled to focus on his face. “Like now.”

“I got you,” he murmured, his warm breath fanning my forehead. Both of his hands were on my face, holding me steady. “Freckles, don’t you—”

Too late.

My legs gave out and there was only darkness. No thoughts. No Dash. No nothing.

* * *

My mind was hazy and disjointed. Strong arms held me; my head lay on a warm shoulder. We were moving, but I found the rhythmic motions relaxing and was content to stay here indefinitely.

Keeping my eyes closed, I drank in the scent of him, the scent of safety and the woods that made me want to burrow my face into his neck. It had been too long since Dash had held me. Who knew when I’d ever get the chance to be in his arms again?

Unable to stop myself, I weaved my fingers through his dark, silky hair. Dash turned his face slightly toward me, bringing our faces close together. He didn’t miss a beat and kept walking, not making any indication that he would put me down, making me think he also didn’t want to let go.

I sighed, looping both my arms around his neck.

We continued walking like that, torturing each other with little whispers of breaths and inconspicuous touches until I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave in, pressing my lips to his neck, and felt the muscles in his body quiver. It should have stopped there, but I couldn’t seem to find the willpower. There was something incredibly hot about seducing him in the dark with Star so close. She walked a few feet in front of him, her shadow falling to the ground at Dash’s feet.

It probably made me a wicked person, but Dash had a way of bringing out a different side of me.

He moaned, and I smiled against the side of his neck, loving how a flick of my tongue could make him tremble. I’d completely forgotten how I came to be in his arms. It didn’t matter.

Dash cleared his throat. “We should rest,” he said to Star.

“How is she?” Star asked about my well-being. What a friend. If she only knew …

“Heavy.”

I bit the vein in his neck—not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make my displeasure known.

“Ouch,” he mumbled, jostling me in his arms.

I held tight onto his neck in case he got any ideas about dropping me to the ground.

“Are you okay?” Star asked.

“Fine. It was only a cramp.”

I smothered a giggle against his throat, until I felt his hand move over my backside.

Sly devil.

“I’ll gather some firewood,” she offered, stepping up to be quite the helper bee.

“Don’t wander far,” Dash advised in a too husky voice.

I listened to Star’s footsteps as she walked off into the woods followed by the crinkling of leaves and the cracking of twigs. Dash slowly set me on my feet, my body sliding down his. He kept his hands on either side of my hips, preventing me from going anywhere, not that the thought had crossed my mind.

I lifted my eyes, getting hung up on the storm churning in his gaze. He really had beautiful eyes; the silver surrounding them shifted with his moods. His ridiculously long lashes formed a canopy over his sharp cheekbones.

In a spin that left me breathless, Dash pinned me up against a tree, capturing me with his firm body. “What is it about you?” he murmured right before he kissed me.

Fireworks exploded. Weeks of suppressed feelings burst forth, coming to the surface in desperate need. It felt as if it had been years since his lips pressed to mine, and he still had the ability to turn my brain to mush.

There was nothing soft about the kiss. My lips parted, and I tasted something sweet on his tongue: berries and mint. His fingers spread over my sides, inching under my shirt as I coiled my arms around his neck, swooping my tongue against his.

Everything inside me felt raw and hungry. My lips were hot as they moved over his, and all that mattered was his possessive mouth, the ache inside me for more, and the glow he made me feel inside.

I never wanted it to stop.

But all things must come to an end.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Dash and I broke apart like a gunshot had been fired, both of us breathless and flushed with guilt. Star had returned with an armful of logs that she had dumped on the ground, giving Dash and me a heart attack. She stood eyeing us humorously, trying to hide the grin pulling at the corners of her lips. “How long are you guys going to pretend there is nothing between you?”

Dash rubbed at the back of his neck, and I skittered my gaze to the ground, avoiding all eye contact. “Things are complicated,” Dash said.

“Meaning you’re trying not to hurt my feelings.” She dusted off her hands on the sides of her pants. “Look, before things get any weirder around here, we should probably talk.”

Crimson swept across my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Star. I never meant to be that girl who came between her friend and a guy.”

“Is that what you think? I cared about Dylan. I loved him, but Dash is not Dylan. There are definitely still pieces of him that I recognize when I look at him.” Her eyes floated to Dash. “And although your outward appearance might be the same, you’re not,” she finished, speaking directly to him. “I can see that now.” She faced me again. “I can also see how much Dash cares about you. If anyone is in the way, it is me.”

“That isn’t true,” Dash argued.

Star lifted a slim blonde eyebrow. “Which part? That you’re different? Or that you’re in love with Charlotte?”

I folded my arms and turned toward Dash, a grin on my lips. Star was my girl. “Yeah, Dash. Which is it?” I asked, putting the spotlight on him.

Those lips that I could still taste on my mine turned down. He wasn’t enjoying our joined forces. “Can we just get to Hurst without creating a soap opera?”

I poked a finger in his chest. “You’re not getting out of this.”

He smiled smugly, taking on that arrogant stance he was famous for. “You want to hear me say it, don’t you?”

What girl didn’t? Yes, I wanted to hear him tell me that he loved me. “Only if you mean it. I’m not going to ever force you to say something that isn’t true.”

“Who said it isn’t true?”

My heart skipped a beat. Was that an admission of love? Not good enough. I wanted those three little words on his lips.

“I swear the two of you like to bicker for the sake of getting a rise out of each other,” Star complained. “There is so much tension between you that I feel like I am drowning in it.” She turned to Dash, shooting him a stern look. Someone had just slapped on her big girl bossy pants. I’d never seen Star so bold. “You’d be a fool to let Charlotte slip away. If you haven’t noticed, everywhere we go guys are tripping over themselves to talk to her. You wait too long, and some lucky guy is going to snatch her from right under your nose.”

I stood smiling smugly at Dash. And then Star turned to me.

“And you, Charlotte. You’re my only friend, but you’ve been avoiding me since you found out who I am. I want you to be happy, and if Dash makes you happy, then that’s what matters. I don’t want to lose the only friend I have.”

Holy cow. She was going to make me cry, but what she said was true. I should have said something instead of wallowing in my own pity party. I gave her a hug because I couldn’t help myself. “I’ve been a crappy friend.”

She shook her head. “Distant, but not crappy. You kept me alive. Besides, guys make us do crazy things.”

Dash cleared his throat. “Um, the guy in question can hear you.”

Star and I giggled. It felt like old times with us sitting in my pink room, wishing I could see Dash’s face. And here we were, the three of us together.

I sighed, feeling my heart lighten.

“Tell me about this place we are going,” Star said, taking a seat on a discarded log.

“Wait until you met Cyan’s daughter Harper. She has a thing for Dash, and I’m pretty sure she wants to strangle me in my sleep.”

Dash groaned. “I’ll go find us something to eat.”

Star’s eyes sparkled. “Ooo. Do tell.”

I plopped down beside her, ready to dish out all the inner workings of Hurst, including the unbalanced Harper.

* * *

Hurst looked just as I remembered.

Truth be told, when I had left the last time, I never thought I would return, and yet here I was.

The market bustled with vendors selling goods and people browsing the little stands and shops that lined both sides of the dirt path. It reminded me of the farmers’ markets and craft fairs I sometimes had gone to as a child with my grandma.

“Welcome to Hurst,” I whispered to Star.

She took it all in. “Wow. Just wow. It is so different than Diamond Towers.”

I snorted. “You mean it is so primitive.”

Her gaze slid to mine, her eyes wide. “I was being optimistic.”

“Good. Keep your spirits up.” I watched Star stride around admiring the shops and the little town of Hurst. The air smelled of sizzling meat and something sweet and tangy like barbeque. I ran my hand over the wooden table of a lady selling silk scarves. Star ogled a pretty soft pink one with a faint white design. I could see that she longed for the days when shopping at the mall was normal. I wished that I had the coin to buy it for her.

“How is it that each time you walk through those gates you have another pretty lady in your company?” a booming voice asked behind us as a hand landed on Dash’s shoulder.

A grin split over Dash’s lips, and the Slayer turned around to greet Cyan. Dash’s eyes flashed with a naughty gleam. “What can I say? I’m a chick magnet.”

I stepped on his foot, not sure if I felt more offended about being called a chick or that he enjoyed being seen as a ladies’ man.

Cyan laughed, a full, deep belly sound that echoed through the woods. “Welcome back, Slayer. I see you haven’t been able to get rid of the fiery redhead with rainbow eyes.”

“Trust me, I tried. She is like a lost puppy that keeps finding its way home.”

I was going to neuter him. “It’s nice to see you too.”

Cyan hadn’t changed a bit: bronze skin, obsidian hair pulled into a messy bun, larger than life personality, and in dire need of a shave. His mahogany eyes wandered to Star, who stood next to me. “Is this going to be a thing? You bringing me strays?” He crossed his arms over his expansive chest, his feet situated equally apart. “So tell me, does the little lady have a name?”

No one said anything at first. How did we explain this awkward triangle we found ourselves in? Oh, this is Star. She used to be Dash’s girlfriend before the world went belly up, but now we’re all just friends… or trying to be.

I could only imagine the look of amusement that would spring into Cyan’s expression. The man struck me as someone who found humor in his friend’s predicaments.

“This is Star,” I introduced her. “She helped me escape from Diamond Towers.”

Cyan squinted. “I don’t even want to know how you ended up there, or how the Slayer let you out of his sight,” he said, facing Dash.

“You haven’t traveled with Charlotte. Trust me. It is not easy keeping her out of trouble.”

Cyan cracked a grin. “I suppose it isn’t, not from what I’ve been hearing.”

The cocksure glint in Dash’s eyes fell. “What have you heard?”

“Nothing good, my friend.”