Page 139 of Dare To Live

I was supposed to fall? To die?

I cover my mouth with my hand at his words. “Oh my god.”

Garrett shakes his head, warning me to keep quiet.

Miles crumples weakly sideways into his fiancé’s chest, who comforts him with soft, crooning words.

“I’m here. I know how hard this is for you, Luchik. I am so proud of you. Let me be your anchor.”

Miles smiles through the tears pouring down his face. “You have been my anchor for longer than you know.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink fast to hold them back. The love I can see between them makes my chest ache.

“I don’t think Kellan realized Evan had a knife. He shoved Evan away, and then they were wrestling with each other. Fighting to get the upper hand … and then Kellan just … he just staggered back and touched his chest. He looked at me and frowned. His hands were red … so red … and then he fell …” He swallows. “Kellan…he was looking at me the whole time.” Miles’ voice breaks with a sob. “While…. while he was bleeding out.”

Eli closes his eyes, but he’s not quick enough to hide the torment swirling in the green depths. This is ripping him apart all over again.

“I kept fighting to get free, but the ro-rope cut my wrists.” Miles’ hand moves to touch his left one. “I couldn’t hel-help him. I couldn’t stop Evan. Kel-Kellan kept telling me that it w-was okay. That ev-everything was going to be okay. His last words were to tell me that you would come.” His gaze lifts to Eli. “That you wouldn’t let him get away with it. I watched him d-die. I watched the light of life fade out of the eyes of the boy I loved, and it’s haunted me every night since.”

Chapter 78

Eli

Miles falls silent, the only sound in the room that of his sniffs as he cries quietly against Ivan’s shoulder. Arabella touches my arm, and my gaze snaps to her.

“We should go,” she says. “We can come and collect our food when it arrives.”

I shake my head. As much as Miles is upset, we’re not done. He hasn’t told me everything.

“You said they argued. What about?” A detached part of me notes how emotionless I sound.

“Eli!” Arabella gasps my name.

Miles sniffs and lifts his head. “I don’t know. Kellan was telling Evan that he’d gone too far, and then the next thing I knew Evan was screaming about a fallen knight. He launched himself at Kellan. I don’t even remember seeing a knife.”

“How did he end up on the altar? He wasn’t on the floor when I arrived.”

“Evan put him on there.”

“Was Kellan alive when Evan moved him?”

Miles pauses to think. “Yes. He ... Kellan turned to look at me once he was on the altar and that’s when he kept telling me everything would be okay.”

I shake my head. “That doesn’t make sense.” There’s something wrong with how Miles is describing things. “Are you sure Evan put him on the altar?”

“Yes. How else would he get there?”

“Evan and Kellan were similar sizes. There’s no way Evan could get him up there without a struggle, not if Kellan was conscious. Are you sure Evan was alone?”

Miles doesn’t reply.

“Miles!” I snap his name and he flinches. “Answer the question. Are you sure?”

He shakes his head. I stand and cross over to him. “Miles, answer the fucking question.”

“I don’t … I don’t know.”

“You fucking do know. Think!” I reach out and shake him.

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