Page 64 of Dance With Death

“Out? From where?”

Dashiell shuffles backwards and manages to sit. “Look, I came to check on Holly because I had to know that she’s okay. But I can’t hang around. I didn’t expect you to come here a second time today.”

“How unfortunate because you’re going nowhere else today,” I say. “Apart from to see my father.”

“Fuck. No. I wasn’t involved, I swear.” He darts a look to Holly. “Tell them.”

“I can’t remember everything, Dash,” she says in a small voice. “But I know he helped me, Violet.”

“This shifter knew the person who tried to kill you!” I protest. “Dashiell is involved in your captivity, or he knows who took you. Dorian will want answers.”

“I’ll die!” he protests.

“Dorian doesn’t arbitrarily kill any longer,” I reply. “Especially not shifters.”

“No! He’ll kill me. He kills others, I swear.” Dashiell edges to the wall.

“He? Viktor?”

“I don’t know his name.”

“If Viktor has touched you at all, he’ll know exactly where you are, Dashiell.”

Dashiell’s throat bobs. “I never did anything to Holly. I swear. I thought about talking to you this afternoon and asking you to keep an eye on her.”

“But you ran,” I reply.

“Yeah, I realized what a stupid idea that was.” He swipes a hand down his face. “That you’d blame me.”

“I don’t want to be here,” whispers Holly. “Listen to you all. I’m in danger. What if someone comes to take or hurt me again?”

“Like Dashiell?” I say and advance on him.

“No. The man.”

Holly’s half out of the bed, supporting herself on the edge as she drags the medical attachments from herself.

“Holly!” says Grayson in alarm. “Violet, stop her.”

“Take me away. Please.”

“Stop!” I rush over and take hold of Holly before she collapses. “You’re not physically able.”

Dashiell lurches for a red button close to Holly’s bed, slams it, and turns to the door. Before I register what said button does, the door opens. “Are you okay, Holly…?” A male nurse halts to stare at us all. “What the hell is happening here?”

As the nurse advances on a protesting Holly, Dash lives up to his name, and disappears through the open door.

23

GRAYSON

I should’ve restrained the bastard the moment he walked into the room and I smelled a shifter. The guy matched Violet’s description and coincidentally arrived at Holly’s hospital bedside. What if Holly’s abductor sent Dashiell to finish the job? We may’ve just prevented her death.

“Stay with Holly!” I call and blur from the room, barely touching the nurse in the doorway as I sprint after Dashiell. The shifter’s insane if he believes he’ll escape a Petrescu.

Momentarily, I pause, vaguely aware of someone yelling for security. The other way—Dashiell wouldn’t head for the elevators. Pissed that the smell of cleaning fluids and sickness interferes with his trail, I run along the hallway and through double doors at the end. I catch sight of Dashiell’s head as the guy knocks into people, dodging a guy being pushed in a wheelchair, as the shifter barrels along another hallway, not pausing once.

The hallway ends with a large window.

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