Page 176 of Dare To Fall

Oh god, what can I do? He’s going to kill me.

Evan doesn’t speak, just walks. Time crawls slowly by. Inside my head, I scream out for Eli.

I should never have gone to see Jace. Was he part of this plan? Did he get me there so Evan could snatch me? Miles told me not to trust him. I’m such an idiot.

Eli. Oh god. Eli! He’s lost two people he loves already. I can’t be the third.

No! I’m not going to die. Whatever it takes to get out of this, I’ll do it. I’ll claw, bite, and fight until I get myself free.

Evan stops, and metal groans. Light floods in from above. I get a glimpse of more stone steps leading up. He takes them slowly, carrying me back outside. We’re back in the woods, only this time, I can see the chapel to my left.

Is that where he is taking me? To put me on the altar like a sacrifice as he did with Kellan?

An image of Kellan flashes through my head.

His eyes are open and glassy. His body is awash with the hues of color streaming in through the stained-glass windows.

Evan kicks the trap door closed, then sets off in the opposite direction to the stone building.

“Don’t worry, no one will see us.” He pats my ass, and I can’t stop a whimper. “The groundskeeper is far on the other side of campus, and the security guards they left stick close to the school. We’re all alone out here.”

Feeling has returned to my arms and legs. Everything aches. My stomach heaves as I bounce on his shoulder. He weaves through the trees, taking me in a familiar direction. When the cemetery comes into view, dread tries to choke me.

I need to stay calm. Think straight. Don’t panic.

He hums softly to himself as he carries me through the gates and past the weathered gravestones. When we reach the door of the tomb, he pushes it open, and makes his way across the stone floor.

I’m dropped carefully onto something soft, and twist my head to look, I find it’s a sleeping bag. There are empty cans of beer to my right and discarded food tins. The rest of the space has been decorated with flowers. Lilies—their ghostly white petals bright against the gray of the stone walls.

Has he been using the tunnels to get around the school? How many more are there?

He closes the tomb doors, then turns back to me.

“Home sweet home. I got the lilies just for you. I remembered they were your favorite.”

Not mine. Zoey’s.

That’s who he thinks I am right now.

I watch him, wide-eyed and wary, as he joins me on the sleeping bag. When I try to wiggle away, he stops me with an arm over my waist.

He fists my hair with his free hand. “Don’t scream. If you do, I’ll have to hurt you. Do you understand?”

I nod jerkily.

Maybe if I pretend to be her, he’ll keep me alive long enough for someone to find me.

He peels the duct tape from my mouth. I give him a shaky smile.

“I’ll be good, I promise.”

He cups my chin and rubs his thumb along the side of my jaw. “Do you see now you belong with me and not Eli? He’s nothing but trouble.”

“Why do you hate him so much?” The question tumbles from me before I can stop it.

“He tried to take Jace from me.”

“Jace?”

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