AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Dash," I called out, my voice threaded with fear. Where did he go? He was just here two minutes ago.
"He's in his room," Quinton said quietly from the stairs.
I looked at him and reared back in shock at the look on his face. There was a naked vulnerability there that terrified me.
"What?" I asked in a quiet voice. "What's wrong now?"
"Be careful with him, Ariel," he cautioned me seriously.
I frowned at hearing him use my first name. Something was seriously wrong here and it had nothing to do with Rain's volatile behavior.
"Go," Quinton urged me gently, "but please, Ariel,pleasebe careful with him. Remember everything that the women in his life have put him through because he needs you to be different than them."
I started to shake uncontrollably as everything faded away except for the look on Quinton's face as his words and their meaning ran through my mind.
Had I triggered some bad memory for Dash with my violent, rash behavior toward Rain? Tears pricked my eyes at the thought that it could have been my callous actions this time that caused him harm.
I ran to Dash's room and slammed the door shut behind me.
"Did you see her?" Rain asked in awe, the pride ringing clear in his voice. "She used her magic defensively like I've been trying to teach her. I never thought I'd see the day where she actually did it. She was so against harming others that she found even the thought of it repulsive. But she did it. Isn't she incredible?"
"Shut up, Rain," Quinton grumbled, and for once we were on the same page with each other. "What are you even doing here and why in the hell do you have Dash's cat?"
Oh shit. That damn cat! I'd forgotten about him and left him at the store with Rain. Poor little Binx was probably so mad at me right now for leaving him behind.
"Did you know that Marcus joined the Council this morning?" Rain questioned in a haughty voice, which told me he knew Quinton had absolutely no clue about it, and Rain was just taunting him with his superior knowledge.
Oh shit, shit, shit. Quinton was going to lose his damn mind.
I placed both my palms against the door and whispered out a quick spell.
"Keep out anything with
malicious intent.
Shield this room.
Stand as guard.
Keep him safe.
So mote it be."
If that didn't keep them out then there was nothing else I could do for it. The door hummed quietly and I knew it was working.
I turned back to face the room and my breath caught in my throat, threatening to choke me as I took in Dash. He was curled up in a ball in the center of his bed, his eyes were staring vacantly up at the ceiling and he wasn't moving. He didn't even look like he was breathing.
It scared the ever loving piss right out of me. This was Dash and he was one of the strongest people I knew, but he didn't look very strong right now. In fact, he looked a lot younger than he really was, like a little boy almost and that broke my heart.
"Dash," I hesitantly said before approaching the bed. He didn't so much as twitch. I climbed into bed with him and pasted my body around his back. I wrapped my arms around him and held on for all I was worth.
I could wait this out with him and be here for however long this took. I'd wait forever for Dash if I had to. He was worth everything to me.
Chapter Six
It felt like it took hours for him to move, and when he did, it was slow going. My body was stiff from unmoving for so long and my arms hurt from holding onto him so tightly.
Eventually, his body relaxed and his breathing evened out. I still didn't relax behind him. I thought he'd fallen asleep when his hand moved. He placed it over mine and squeezed.
