I caught Charlotte before she hit the ground.

She was light in my arms as I lifted her up, and I made a mental note to shove a steak down her throat when she awoke. For seconds, the world disappeared around me as I concentrated on the girl in my arms. It never failed to stop my heart each time she fainted, but for the time being, I had other concerns, like getting us to safety.

“Stay the hell away from her,” I growled as her father approached. “I’m not letting you have her.” The old man had another thing coming if he thought I was just going to hand her over. Not in this lifetime. I’d seen what he had done to her the last time I’d left her in his care. Never again.

Dr. Winston scowled at me. “I only want what is best for Charlotte, and you know that the Institute is the only place in the Heights that has the technology she needs if there is something wrong with her.”

I could see in his green eyes how much he hated that I was threatening to keep Charlotte from him. Too. Damn. Bad. And I didn’t want to admit that what he said was true. The Institute might be her best chance at figuring out why her powers cause the blackouts. “So you’re finally willing to believe she might be in danger?”

“I know that every day she stays out here with you she’s at risk. If there is something causing the blackouts, the medical staff at the Institute will do everything in their power to understand what it is and how we can help her.”

Ember moved forward, her eyes glued onto her older sister’s lifeless face. “Is she okay?”

Was that concern I heard in her voice? If I couldn’t have seen the expression in her eyes, I never would have believed it. I hadn’t been sure Ember was capable of such an emotion, but it was encouraging to see that there was still a glimmer of affection Ember carried for Charlotte. It would mean the world to Charlotte, and it was a shame she wasn’t awake to see it for herself.

“I think so. She usually wakes up, but she’s never out for the same amount of time.”

“We should go,” Ryker said behind me. “If there are any other Forsaken nearby, we don’t want to draw them from the mist.”

I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. Dash, you’re out of your mind. I turned back to Dr. Winston, taking a chance I prayed I wouldn’t later come to regret. “I have a few conditions. We’ll go with you back to the Institute, but I won’t leave your daughter’s side. You try to lock me up, and I will only break out time and time again. There is nothing, not a single place you can keep me, that would stop me from finding her.”

He paused. “Understood.”

“And I want to know more about what you’re doing with the DNA samples. No more experimenting on humans without their knowledge. I will voluntarily give you what you need, but not Charlotte. She must have nothing to do with it.”

He didn’t jump so fast on that request. His eyes flickered to his daughter before returning to meet mine with ice in them. “You have my word.”

“I also want to know everything about the Forsaken. If there are more of those things out there, then we have bigger problems than our mutual dislike for each other.”

“Agreed. And I have a condition of my own.”

A frown pulled at the corner of my lips. “I’m not in the mood to bargain.”

“I think you’ll find this one congenial. You must do everything in your power to keep her safe.” He nodded toward Charlotte. “Even if it means putting your life in danger.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing?”

“Then we understand each other.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever fully understand one another, but I agree to go back to Diamond Towers.”

* * *

Unable to help myself, I carefully brushed a stray curl off her face, letting the silky strands wrap around my finger. This girl made my heart stop and not always in a good way. I’d never cared about someone’s safety other than my own, since I’d awoken from the slumber. My heart hurt when I thought about seeing her pale and on the ground. Luckily, I’d been close, catching her before her head rammed into the pine-covered dirt.

I wanted more than anything to see her eyes flutter open and for her to smile up at me, to hear her musical laugh. It wouldn’t last long sadly, once she saw where we were. At least I wasn’t in a dungeon this time, and no one was more surprised by that than me. Maybe the doctor really had a heart after all. It seemed like he had finally taken what I had said about Charlotte’s abilities being more than her body could handle seriously. About damn time someone listened to me. I could only hope he finally understood and that where she was concerned, our motives were in line and they would continue to be so as long as it was about putting Charlotte’s safety first.

I didn’t know how much time had passed since she’d collapsed. But I hadn’t left her side—refusing to leave was a more accurate description.

Stretching my stiff muscles, I lay beside her, running my fingers through her hair, hoping it would soothe her. How many times would I stare down into her breathtaking face, wondering if I would be able to gaze into her mesmerizing eyes? It seemed as if more and more often she lost the battle over her powers, the darkness taking over. To say I was concerned was the understatement of the freaking year.

As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, I was back in the place I vowed to never step foot in again. It was amazing the things you would do for love. For Charlotte, I would walk through the gates of hell, which was precisely what it felt like returning to the Institute.

I leaned over and brushed my lips against hers. At one time, I had thought my kiss had pulled her from the Slumber. Silly, but hey, I had an ego the size of Diamond Towers. Come to find out, Charlotte had woken herself. It had only taken a kiss, but it had been my kiss. I could at least take credit for that.

Like that first time, she stirred.

The power of her lips was incredible and troublesome. I feared what the Institute would do to her, using her as their secret weapon as they had me. I never wanted that for Charlotte, but after what I’d seen today with my own eyes, I couldn’t deny that we had to do something to ensure the existence of the world we’d started to build here.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.”

She blinked, shielding the eyes I longed to see for a second before they focused on my face. “Dash,” she whispered and then smiled. “We’re okay.”

The grin on my face wavered just a fraction, but it was enough for her to stiffen, alarm trickling through her rainbow eyes. “Yeah. We’re safe.” I didn’t want to worry her right off the bat. We had plenty of time for that later.

“What is it?” She dragged her eyes away from mine and glanced around the room. Her cheeks turned red, but any color was better than none. “Crap,” she muttered.

“My sentiments exactly.”

“Holy, pink floral.” She groaned. “Ugh. I had hoped to never see this condemned room again. I can’t stay in here.” Scooting up, she flipped the blanket off her.

“You’re telling me. Pink is not my color. Who decorated this place anyway?” My antics to distract her didn’t work. “Hey there, what’s the rush?” I slipped an arm around her and tugged her close.

Her lips twitched. “You planning to be my roomy?”

“I plan on not letting you out of my sight for even a split second, so you better get used to looking at this handsome face.”

“I could do that.”

“You say that now. Give it a few weeks.”

She wiggled out from under my arm and sat up on the bed. “So, we’re back at the Institute.”

I followed suit, leaning against the headboard. “Your father didn’t give us much of a choice.”

Her pretty lips frowned. “He is good at that.”

“Hey, at least this time I’m not in the dungeon,” I replied, rubbing our noses together.

“For the moment.”

“I hate to say it, but I think this time is different.”

“I wish I had your enthusiasm.”

I tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “How are you feeling?”

She nibbled on her lip, fidgeting with the ends of her hair. “Okay, considering. I’m just not sure being here is the right move. It makes me edgy.”

I exhaled slowly. “Me too,” I admitted. “But I promise you, I won’t let them separate us. And for the first time, we know why the Institute has been building a supernatural army. There are more of those things out there and it has them scared.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be afraid. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t too.”

She rose onto her knees, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and placing a soft kiss on my lips.

I blinked. “What was that for?”

“For catching me when I fall.” Her eyes were like sherbet melting on a sultry summer night. How was I supposed to resist the temptation she offered? My willpower dissolved. Why should I?

Why indeed?

She rested her forehead against mine. “I can’t believe you agreed to come back to Diamond Towers. Most guys would have run for the hills considering who my family is.”

“It crossed my mind,” I teased, earning a playful punch in the arm. “I’m not like most guys. Haven’t you figured that out?”

“Oh, I already knew that. I’m just glad you’re stuck with me.”

I clasped my hands onto her hips and tugged her over so she sat in my lap. My lips touched hers in a soft, tentative kiss, brushing across them in a sweet test of wills. “Freckles,” I whispered.

“Dash.”

The low growl of my name sent a series of shivers through me. I pulled her roughly against me. “I’m looking forward to the day when I can stop worrying about you.”

She snorted. “Shut up and kiss me again.”

I complied, and she nipped my lower lip. “Did you just bite me?”

Her hands buried into my hair. “Maybe.”

She was like fire in my veins, pure ecstasy. “God, you drive me crazy.”

She laughed. “I know the feeling.”

I traced the line of her jaw. “I love the sound of your laugh. You’re beautiful, Freckles. So beautiful. I can’t believe you’re mine.” I brought my lips down to hers.

“I am. Always and forever,” she murmured between kisses. “Tell me,” she whispered, burying her head in the space between my neck and shoulder.

I wrapped my arms around the small of her back, breathing in the scent of her hair. “Tell you what?”

“Don’t play coy with me. You know.”

I did, but it was far too much fun to tease her. “Maybe you should give me a hint.”

She angled her head to the side, fire leaping into her eyes. “Here’s a hint for you, say it or I’ll—”

I laughed. “I love you,” I said gruffly against her soft lips.

She sighed, her body relaxing into mine. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that.”

My fingers brushed aside her mess of tangled curls. “Good, because I plan on telling you every day for the rest of my life.”

“If we have the rest of our lives, you mean.”

“I’m going to make sure we do. One day, when this place is safe, I promise you’ll have a real home, a family.”

“Family. Love. A home. I have all those things. I have them with you,” she said.

My lips curved into the stupidest grin known to man. “I love you, Freckles. Let’s show them what we can do. Together.”

* * *