Page 23 of Dead By Dusk

“Look, Silene, let’s talk this out,” I say as I try to dodge every swing she throws my way, but she’s fast.

And not only is she fast, but she’s pissed off. I know when she’s like this,she needs to release as much steam as possible before she begins to see even a smidge of reason, which doesn’t bode well for me considering it’s my head she wants on a platter. The only other person that I briefly remember keeping up with her is sitting next to the fire, leaning against a tree with a smirk on his face, watching in amusement.

Not a very good best friend if you ask me, but I guess we’ll have to talk about that later.

“Light of my life, I need you to—” I narrowly avoid a roundhouse kick to the face, “—please stop for just a minute. You know who I am, Killer.” I catch her wrist before her knuckles connect with my face in her next swing. “You know who I reallyam.” This doesn’t result in her stopping anything other than scowling before pulling her wrist back.

The scowl is soon replaced with a laugh that shakes the ground I stand on and makes my knees buckle enough to forget my dire situation. Her laugh is cold and unforgiving, yet it still somehow manages to tear my focus away from what it should be on. Makes me forget why we’re here long enough for her to trip me and throw her body over my own, bringing one of the blades back out to rest against the skin of my throat.

“We both know I’m nobody’s light. Now tell the group what you did and why.” Her head is cocked to the side and several strands of hair have fallen out of the makeshift tie, now framing her face in dark tangled ebony waves.

“A knife to my throat? Are you flirting with me right now?”

The words seem to impress her very little as the murderous glint in her eyes sparks brighter.

“I loathe that I ever found any ounce of appeal in you,” she says as she brings her free hand to the base of my throat and starts to squeeze while thoroughly observing me, but I refuse to let the small smile leave my face while she does so. Not in an attempt to mock her—though I know she’ll see it like that—but because I like when her eyes are on me. I like when she studies me as if I’m a puzzle that she can’t quite figure out. I love that the indifference and hatred has left her eyes because that means that she might feelsomethingother than contentment at this moment.

“Why did you sell us out?” Her words are a low, disbelieving whisper against my ear and my body stills completely at the implication of her words. I attempt to turn my head toward the others, but she uses her grip on my neck to force my head back. She pulls away from my ear and meets my gaze with a fierceness that would have me kneeling before her if I were standing.

“I remember, Ronan. I remember that day and the weeks leading to it. Tell me why, and don’t lie.” The words leave her mouth, still hushed as if to keep this exchange a secret from the others and I wish I knew why. I wish I knew what she remembered and I wish I knew why she was asking me in a way that doesn’t make me look like a traitorous bastard in front of the rest of the group. Then again, if I remember anything correctly, she’s always been somewhat reasonable and has never sent anyone on a witch hunt without knowing all the facts first.

Which means she might not be completely sure of what she remembers.

“Tell me,” I whisper back. A deep cough rings out near us, and we both whip our heads towards the sound.

“If you two are done with your lover’s quarrel, can I go to sleep?” Naturally, the question was from Adonis, the Princess himself. Nate’s face warps from one of worry to one of amusement as he attempts to stifle his laugh with a cough.

Carmen is the only one that still looks truly worried for her friend and doesn’t mask the questions lingering in her gaze until Silene dips her head to her. Our onlookers get situated for sleep near the fire, Adonis and Nate facing away while she faces towards it. Si loosens her grip on my neck and sits up, but keeps the tip of her blade at my neck.

“Is this necessary?” I ask, but her answering smirk tells me I’m not getting out of this until I answer her question. Unfortunately for me, that means I could be here all night given I have no idea what she’s talking about.

“You have yet to answer any of my questions, why should I give you the pleasure of comfort?” Her eyebrow raises, indicating she requires an answer I can’t give.

“I have no answers to give you,” I tell her earnestly, but she just lets out a small, breathy laugh before leaning back down, hernose almost flush against my own, and whispering one word to me.

“Bullshit.”

Her breath fans against my lips, and I worry that if I breathe too deeply, she’ll pull away so I hold my breath for as long as I can. “I don’t remember anything you’re talking about, Silene. I swear on my life.”

“Your life isn’t worth much to you, is it?” Curiosity laces her tone as she pulls back from me and briefly glances at the three sleeping forms no more than ten feet from us before turning back to me. “It’s not worth much to me either. Your life, I mean. You swore it to me once before and look where I ended up now.”

Lifting herself off me, she stretches her body out before leaning against the nearest tree.

“Sleep. You’ll live long enough to remember what you did.” She pauses long enough to take a deep breath before saying, “But not a second longer. If your life is mine, then I’ll be the one to slit your throat for the lies and betrayal. No one else should have to be burdened with the task. I’ll take the first watch.”

Then she stalks away from me and checks every area where the light falls before taking a seat on the other side of the camping area, and cleans her nails with the knife she just used to threaten my life.

For the next several hours I truly did try to do as she said. Tried to get closer to the heat but found myself tossing and turning under the light of the flame. It wasn’t until I was further away and closer to the dark that I found myself settling a bit easier, but not easily enough I suppose, since I was acutely aware of every breath she took behind me. Too aware of every movement she made and the sound the tip of the blade made against her fingernails as it scraped away any remnants of dirt or blood.

I really only start drifting off when she kicks one of the other men awake and tells them she needs her beauty sleep. I hear Adonis’ deep grunt. A muffled curse word to her, or maybe even about her, before I faintly hear her lay down with an amused huff beside her friend.

The minutes drag on and on as I hear her toss and turn just as I had done for the past couple hours. What’s leaving her so restless? Is it the sleep she’d fallen into earlier that keeps her awake now? Is it the answers she found or the questions that still linger plaguing her now from them? Is it because she doesn’t feel safe with me around? These thoughts torment me longer than they should, and when sleep finally starts to take over, I send a quickthank youto God for the mercy he’s granted me from the all-consuming thoughts of the woman.

“So what do you say? Drinks at Labyrinth’s? It’s always a good time and the job took a lot longer than all of us anticipated. It’ll be good for us to get out for a bit.” I snap out of the daze I’m in just in time to hear the question from William, but don’t fully process it until his elbow slams into my arm. “What are you looking at, anyway?” he questions, and I peer down at him in the hopes that he wasn’t able to follow the direction that had stolen my attention.

But it’s too late.

“Ahh, new hire, do you think?” he asks, as one of his overly confident smiles lifts his lips. “Probably for the interior work Mr. Delgado wants done around the place, right?” His voice is hopeful as he lightly hits my shoulder before heading in her direction.

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