Page 108 of Paper Thin Love

Mila

My exhale clogs my throat as I see Jared’s face turn a terrible shade of cranberry.

“Close your eyes,” Dante whispers to me.

I shake my head, feeling like I’m the one being choked. Breathing is impossible.

Dante turns me, cradling my face in his chest. I want to fight, to turn and bear witness to what the man I love is capable of. I only push my cheek harder into Dante’s chest.

I run.

After all, it seems to be my nature.

I try to escape my reality.

The crowd erupts in a shattering gasp. Dante’s heart skips a beat, then picks up pace.I pivot out of his arms, confusion startling me. Jared’s awake now, his eyes wild with fury. His hands latch onto Dash’s face, fingers digging into his eyes.

“No!” I scream, my voice breaking, panic surging through me.

Dash’s body jerks as he’s forced to let go, rolling backward in a desperate escape. He scrambles to his feet, rubbing his eyes with frantic swipes, trying to clear his vision.

Jared coughs, a ragged sound that morphs into a chilling laugh, his amusement only fueling the chaos.“You thought you won. Try harder.” Jared mocks.

Dash blinks rapidly, still blinded, but there’s no time to recover. Jared’s a blur as he charges at him. They collide with a sickening thud, both flying backward as Jared tackles him to the ground. Dust kicks up around them, and Dash skids across the dirt. His body dragged beneath Jared’s weight.

Jared doesn’t waste a second—his fists rain down, savage and relentless. Dash grunts under the assault, but when Jared’s hands clamp around his neck, it becomes a fight for breath.

The tables have turned.

“Jared! Jared, please!” I scream at the top of my lungs. My eyes find the white chalk line. One step over it, and it’s my death.“If Dash dies, I’ll take that step.”

“No, you won’t,” Dante hisses.

Did I say that out loud?

Dante grunts, tugging us both back a few more feet. I can barely see what’s happening. I get flashes of the scene; Dash’s face grows red, Jared snickers and laughs, then grunts. I struggle in Dante’s hold until he jerks me higher, giving me a clear opening to witness the fight.

Desperation and instinct take over Dash. He twists his body, flipping Jared off of him in one smooth, practiced motion. Still on the dirt, Dash grabs Jared by the shoulders, heaving him up onto his chest, and then his hands grasp the sides of Jared’s head.

Snap.

Dash swiftly jerks Jared's neck, but this time, as we all wait in suspense for the rise of a chest, nothing comes. Dash coldly shoves Jared off him, and then he stands. I know there must be a turmoil rumbling inside of him as his eyes stay cast down on the now-dead body.

“Dash King, you are the winner for now.”

Dash doesn’t react. The words haunt me.“What does that mean?” I ask Dante.“For now?”

None of us missed that. Who could?

“That’s what Cillian and I have been trying to figure out,” Dante replies. His hands soften, finally freeing me.

Cillian enters the pit, walking towards Dash. He goes to his side and begins to talk to him as he looks at Jared’s dead body, too.

I take a step, but Dante grasps my wrist.“Now isn’t the time, Mila.” His light brown eyes cradle me like the hands of a mother.“Give him space. When he’s ready, he will come to you.”

I glance over my shoulder, looking at Dash, at the dirt and blood staining him.

“No. Time doesn’t heal, Dante.” I jerk my wrist free and look him dead in the eyes.“It erodes.” I stride towards the center, my breath catching when my feet cross the chalk line; only now that death has happened, I can cross it. I refuse to let a chasm widen in Dash’s mind. He needs me.

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