Page 68 of Catching My Dreams

She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “I was more worried about your family not liking me, but I think I made a good impression.”

“You didn’t run out of that travesty of a dinner screaming, so I’d say you did alright.”

Ella chewed on her bottom lip. “I feel bad for her.”

“I do, too.” He started the car and put it in reverse. “I’ll come over tomorrow and see how she’s doing.”

“You’re a good brother.”

He scoffed. “I don’t feel like one.”

“Trust me,” she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You are.”

“You’re just trying to butter me up so I’ll massage your neck and shoulders,” he teased as he pulled out onto the road.

“Damn. You foiled my masterful plan.” She clicked her tongue. “Now I’ll just have to resort to begging.”

“How about this? I’ll give you a massage if you agree to go out on a date with me tomorrow night.”

He caught her smile out of the corner of his eye. “Hmm, I suppose I could agree to those conditions.”

“You really know how to make a man feel good about himself,” he told her dryly.

She hummed in agreement. “It’s a skill. Now, about this massage…I’m thinking an hour session should cut it.”

Noah laughed. “Wow, Montgomery.”

“Fine,” she said with a sigh of feigned annoyance. “I’ll settle for half an hour.”

“How magnanimous of you.” He reached over and linked their hands together, lifting them to place a kiss on the back of her hand. “But I really want that date, so I’ll meet your demands.”

“I would have agreed without the massage, you know.”

Noah smiled. “I know.”

19

Ella was in a hallway she didn’t recognize. The lights above her flickered, and when she looked up, she saw shadows stretching across the ceiling. Long, clawed fingers reached out, stretching towards her despite the cold and harsh white light that should have sent them scattering and retreating into the dark corners where they belonged.

When the fingers crept over the panel light above her, the light dimmed before going out. Ella started backing away, drawn like a moth to a flame to the patch of light behind her. But that light went out, too, when the tendrils of shadow reached it. Ella spun around and began running.

She could feel the shadows pursuing her, their presence like a cold shiver running down her back. Terror urged her to run faster, to escape, but the more desperate she became, the slower she seemed to be able to move. Her breaths were ragged, too loud in the oppressive silence of the deserted hallway.

She risked looking over her shoulder. A whimper escaped her throat when she saw the wall of darkness behind her.

She knew it would swallow her whole if it reached her, but it was as though she were running through wet cement, her feet and legs struggling to carry her forward. Something touched her hair, gently at first as though it were curious, but soon whatever was behind her was pulling and yanking at the loose strands. Clawed fingers ripped through the sleeve of her sweater and raked cuts into her skin.

Two hands grabbed her shoulders and began pulling her back. Ella screamed, struggling against the punishing grip, but all she earned from her resistance was the piercing pain of claws sinking into her flesh.

A hand made of shadows grabbed her ankle and pulled, sending Ella falling to the ground. She barely had time to fling her hands forward to cushion her fall before she was being dragged backward. Her hands clutched uselessly at the floor, her nails scratching against smooth tile without finding purchase.

“Ella!”

A hand reached out and clutched her wrist, but when she looked up, there was no hero standing above her. Brett pulled at her arm with a panicked expression, and she knew she’d rather let the shadows have her.

“I’ve got you,” he promised, the muscles in his arms straining as he used Ella to play tug of war with the darkness.

“Let me go,” she screamed, sure her shoulder was seconds from popping out of its socket.

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