Tiny pinpricks of light glimmered through the branches as the black dot of Ryker faded off into the distance. I hadn’t slept and wouldn’t now that morning was on the horizon. According to Celeste, Dash should be waking soon, and I wanted to be there when he opened his eyes. I needed to see that he would truly be okay.

Moseying back inside to check on him, my heart ached at the sight of him still fast asleep. I leaned a shoulder on the wall, not trusting myself to support my weight, my knees suddenly unsteady and wobbly.

“He is still unconscious?” Celeste asked from the doorway leading into the kitchen.

I glanced up. “Yes.”

Her long silver hair was knotted at the nape of her neck, a red ribbon woven through it. She didn’t appear to have had as rough a night as I did. Gracefully, she walked across the room, laying a hand over Dash’s forehead. “He has slipped into a deep sleep, one further than my reach. There is nothing I can do for him. His body has healed and is free of the poison, but his mind isn’t ready to return.”

“A coma?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes, much like the slumber we all endured to wake up here a hundred years later.”

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’re saying he might never wake up? At least not during my lifetime? How?”

“It could be that some of the Ceraspan is still in our bodies even after we wake,” she mused. “Who knows what that could do to the body?”

“I can’t believe it. I won’t. He has to wake up.” I could hear the franticness in my voice, but I couldn’t stop it, not when I felt so powerless. The ground slipped out from underneath me as I slid down the wall. There was nothing. Only emptiness.

There is always hope, Ryker had said, but right now, hope was out of my grasp. It had never felt farther away. I took a deep breath, but the stupid tears I thought had run dry started falling and kept falling.

Celeste came to where I had sunk, her soft hands slipping under my elbows to help me to my feet. “You need to rest. You’ll do him no good if you’re dead on your feet.”

Choking back a sob, I started to refuse, but she wasn’t having it.

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Charlotte.”

My vision started to waver. “What did you do to me?” I asked, my hand catching on the wall.

“Giving your body what you deny it,” she said, but her voice sounded distant. My feet didn’t feel like they touched the ground as she led me to a small room in the back of the house. Before I could utter another protest, I was lying down, my eyes fluttering shut of their own accord.

I was so tired, but Dash, he needed me.

It was the last thought I had.

* * *

Sleep might have been what my body needed, but when I awoke hours later, I became increasingly restless. Ryker hadn’t come back yet and Dash was still out cold. Our time was running out, and I didn’t know what to do. I knew what Ryker would tell me and what Dash would want me to do, but there was no way on earth I could leave him here. It was one thing to be on the run with Star or Dash, but another thing entirely to survive in the Heights on my own.

I wandered into the kitchen after checking on Dash and found Celeste. Right at home surrounded by pots and vegetables, Celeste whipped up something that smelled divine, making my stomach growl.

When was the last time I ate?

I couldn’t remember, a sure sign it had been too long.

Celeste turned as I approached, a friendly smile curving her lips. “Good. You’re up and just in time for dinner.”

Dinner? How long had I been out for? I assumed it had only been a few hours, but it had to have been much longer, not that I should be complaining. I hadn’t slept so soundly since what seemed like forever. “Something smells amazing. He didn’t wake up while I was asleep?”

She shook her head. “Do you like pasta? I’m making spaghetti.”

“You can make spaghetti here? I figured that was a dish of the past.”

Celeste laughed, a husky, warm sound. “It’s definitely not as easy as before. I have to make the pasta from scratch, but it is oh so worth it.”

“Can I help?” I found myself asking. The simple task of cooking suddenly seemed like what my hands needed to keep busy.

“If you would like. Stir this while I boil the water for the pasta.” Handing me a wooden spoon, she sprinkled in some dried herbs to the sauce.

“I think I can handle that.” It was the most normal thing I’d done in weeks, sitting at the stove, simmering a red sauce. There had been a time when I had been eager to help my mom in the kitchen. No one in my family was much of a cook, but Celeste made it look inviting.

I hadn’t had homemade spaghetti for over a hundred years.

When everything was to Celeste’s liking, we sat down at the little table near the fireplace, and after the first bite I swore I died and went to Italian heaven. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” I asked, twirling a fork of pasta.

I kept watch over Dash as we enjoyed our meal. “My mother.”

Often a touchy subject, but I felt compelled to ask. “Did she survive the mist?”

Her pretty eyes grew sad. “No. She never made it to a safe house.”

Not the pleasantest of dinner conversations, but getting to know Celeste a bit more was comforting. “I’m sorry. So you’re alone?”

“It’s not as lonely as it sounds. I enjoy the solitude, and the visits from people needing my help keeps me busy.”

She was like the local doctor in a way. I glanced down at my half-eaten plate, wondering if I would ever get the chance to eat a home-cooked meal in a kitchen again.

“Tell me about your awakening and how you came to cross paths with the Slayer,” Celeste said.

A smile tickled the corners of my lips. “Dash found me in a holding house. He claims he kissed me awake.” It was an ongoing joke between us, and he liked to remind me of it often—the magical powers of his lips.

Celeste’s lips pursed. “Interesting.”

“He’s joking of course. It’s all about timing. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time to save me.”

“Possibly. Or you were destined to find each other.”

I scrunched my nose.

Celeste laughed. “A skeptic. Don’t believe in destiny, do you, Charlotte?”

I swallowed a forkful of pasta. “I also didn’t believe in shape shifters or trees that can strangle you. Fate should be a whole lot easier to digest.” But I didn’t buy it, and my thoughts turned to my future. “It’s not safe for me to stay here, not for you or Dash.”

“But you can’t bring yourself to leave?” Celeste guessed, reading my mind.

“No. We’ve been apart before, but it’s different now.”

Sipping from a chipped teacup, she looked at me from over the brim. “You love him, that’s evident.”

Was it? My gaze was drawn across the room to where Dash lay. “I care for him very much.”

“Sometimes it is hard to remember that this isn’t all a dream.”

No truer words could have been spoken. “You’re telling me. I still get that hazy feeling each time I wake up.” I had managed to polish off my plate. “Thank you for dinner. It was amazing.”

She gave me a soft smile. “The pleasure was all mine. It was nice having actual dinner conversation with someone other than myself.”

“I don’t know how entertaining I’ve been. It still doesn’t seem real seeing him lying there. People keep saying we have a calling, but how can that be if he never wakes up?”

She laid a hand over mine on the table. “Give him a reason to. You have extraordinary gifts, powers many can’t fathom, but through all that, you need to keep hope and the will to stay strong.”

I squeezed her hand. “You’re right.”

* * *

I chewed my lip and wrung my hands, wondering where Ryker was. Worry began to set in. As time stretched on, I cast anxious glances at the door, expecting a horde of guards to come bursting through.

“Maybe we should go for a walk. Get some air,” Celeste suggested, laying a hand on my shoulder.

It took me a few seconds to realize she was talking to me, but then again, who else would she be talking to? “I don’t want to leave him.”

“We won’t wander far. Come on. I insist.”

I didn’t want to leave his side, but I hadn’t stepped foot outside for days. “Okay. For a few minutes.”

The trees thickened around the marsh. Earthy scents of pine and cedar warmed the autumn night as we moved with unhurried grace. “Do you dream often of the future?” Celeste asked.

I shrugged. “The future, the past, they come in glimpses when I least want them. Lately, they seem to be getting stronger, more frequent.”

“I can’t imagine how you wield your gifts. It is hard enough with the one I’ve been given, but four…”

We wound around the marsh, branches clapping in the breeze. “It has proven to be troublesome for sure. My body has yet to sustain the use of more than one in a short time period without consequences.”

“And this worries you, as I imagine it should.”

“I really haven’t had much time to think on it, and frankly, I’d rather not dwell on it. I don’t think my brain has the capacity for any more problems.”

Celeste plucked the fluffy white cotton off the top of a plant. She held it up, letting the wind carry the seeds away like a dandelion. “You don’t strike me as someone who runs away when things get complicated.”

She was good at reading people or at least reading me. My gaze locked onto a rock across the marsh, and I tripped over my feet as a vision hit me. It was quick, just a snippet, but in it I saw hunger. Rage. Shame. Remorse. Fear. And then it was gone.

“What’s wrong?” Celeste asked. She had a hand on my shoulder, staring at me with worry.

I blinked. Ahead through the mist, a shadow moved, and I frowned. “There is something out there.” I was sure of it. “Can you feel it?”

“The mist?” she whispered.

A shiver rolled through me. “Yes and more.”

An animal that slightly resembled a deer stepped onto the murky path, its antlers a crown of silver in the moonlight. Still as a statue he stood, ears alert as if he felt the same sense of foreboding as I did. Then he turned and galloped regally through the swirl of the mist.

Celeste’s hand fell quietly to her side. “The air is full of enchantments, both dark and light.”

I scanned the white blanket draping the air, searching for a sign, but found nothing that could—

Wait. A streak of green in the center of the mist, like a tiny Christmas light bulb had been dropped. I blinked, and it was gone. “Whatever is out there, it makes my skin crawl.”

“I never much paid attention, but now that you’ve mentioned it, the air does seem different today,” she said after a few moments.

My brows drew together, and I wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between the mist and us as I could. “We should head back, check on Dash. Ryker might have returned.” And if Ryker wasn’t back yet, I would make the shifty bird wish he had never laid eyes on me.

Celeste and I quickened our pace, whisking ourselves forward to the little cottage.

* * *

I had spent the last thirty minutes wearing out the floor of Celeste’s house and finally sat on the edge of the couch. Did I leave? Did I stay? Did I wait around for Ryker to show up? The questions spun like a tilt-a-whirl in my head. It didn’t take long to make myself sick.

Ryker still hadn’t shown up, and I was starting to think he never would. Had the Institute found out he was a double agent? Had Ryker lied? Was he truly working for the Institute? Would an army of guards storm Celeste’s home and take us all?

I was furious. I was scared. I was pulling my hair out. But most of all, I was worried about Dash.

I studied him, seeing dark circles under his eyes, gaunt cheekbones, and a washed out complexion. He needed to wake up now before he withered away in front of my very eyes. I couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t stand to see him so lifeless when he was anything but in my eyes.

It tore me in half, trying to decide what to do. I knew what Dash would want, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. The pressure inside me amplified, climbing and building. Unable to keep a hold of the raw emotions shredding my soul, my power coiled inside me, wrapping around my very core. With a cry of hurt and fear, I let it go.

The cord on my control snapped, lighting up the ceiling with whitish blue lightning. My power recoiled, rushing over my skin, but there was something foreign about the feeling. A green haze misted my eyes, and I was sinking.

“You’re not going to die. I won’t let you.” I lowered my head, resting my forehead to his, and then I kissed him, needing to feel close to him, for if he didn’t wake soon, I would have to decide whether to leave or risk both our lives. The moment my lips touched his, a tingle radiated between us, warmth spreading from me to him. It filled me with such a glorious heat. “Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you,” I whispered against his lips, swimming in the intoxicating feeling that inundated me.

I rested my head on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beats of his heart. Please. Please. Open your eyes.

Do you love me? I could have sworn I heard him say in my mind.

Wishful thinking. I squeezed my arms around him, not wanting to ever let go. Of course I love you.

Gentle fingers brushed over my hair, and my eyes popped open. I stared in amazement into luminous eyes of silver. “Freckles,” rasped a voice that sent a shiver down my spine.

I blinked. “Dash?”

“Don’t cry.” He caught a tear on my cheek with this thumb.

I shoved back a bout of fresh tears that threatened to spill at seeing him awake. “You’re okay.”

“I am now. What did you do?” he asked hoarsely.

I shook my head. “Nothing. It was Celeste who healed you.”

“Then why are your eyes green?”

My cheek brushed against his. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. I thought you were lost to me.”

He buried his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. “You brought me back.”

“I don’t know what happened.” Maybe I did have something to do with Dash waking up, or maybe it was coincidence, or maybe I willed him awake. I didn’t care how. All I cared about was that he was alive. “How do you feel?” I asked.

He took a deep breath as if taking stock of his body. “Okay. Better than I should be after being stabbed. How long have I been out?”

I studied his face, needing to make sure he was as truly okay as he claimed. “A few days.”

He struggled to sit up and teetered a bit. “Water,” he croaked.

I rushed out of the room and returned with a glass in my hand. He drank like a camel, and I took that as a good sign.

“Did I imagine Ryker shifting from a bird?” he asked, memories of the events coming back to him.

My lips twitched. “No, that happened.”

“I was afraid so.” His arms wrapped around me, drawing me closer. “So I guess this means I am not going to die.”

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” I held onto him until I was certain I could keep it together. He didn’t seem to mind.

“Did I really get stabbed?”

“You fainted too,” I added.

“I didn’t faint,” Dash rebutted, insulted. “Falling unconscious from a mortal injury is entirely different.”

I grinned. “You ever scare me like that again and I’ll stab you myself.”

His lips curled against my hair. “You know, you could just tell me you love me.”

I pulled back to stare into his face. “What makes you think that I’m in love with you?”

His grin said it all.