Page 109 of Paper Thin Love

Chapter 44

Dash

Heavy footsteps echo over the dirt, somehow repelling Jared’s dead body.

I did it.

I nearly lost. Jared came close to winning Mila.

I killed with my bare hands. I curl my fingers in. How will I ever touch Mila again? Would I dare rub this sin onto her flesh?

“Are you able to hear me?” Cillian says as he comes to my side with an urgency.

“I need to know you’re listening because I figured it all out, and we don’t have much time.” There is a panic in my big friend’s Irish voice. The only time I’ve heard him worried was when he thought the cafeteria ran out of truffle fries.“Can. You. Hear. Me?” He growls, nudging his shoulder into mine.

“Yes.” Is that me or Jared speaking because it sounded like someone void of life?

“Look away. It’s time to move on.”

I blink, then do as Cillian says. I feel an out-of-body experience like I’m a viewer in a funhouse mirror. One part of me is standing here over Jared’s dead body, another reflection is on the sidelines watching, somewhere far away, another part of me is crying, another sickened by what he did, another grateful and not regretful, another with Mila in my bed holding her as she sleeps making sure no night terrors plague her mind.

“To the left, up the hill, there are five men, another five behind us. I thought I saw one of them a week ago, but they have always haunted me. I should have trusted my gut. No! Don’t look. Don’t show any emotion. It’s too late for Dante and me; they know we care for you, but they don’t have to know you care for Mila.” Cillian stresses.

My fatigued spine straightens.

“But I won,” I mutter. This is over.

“It has nothing to do with The Cleansing but rather what the purpose of it was for.”

I glide my eyes over the fighting pit towards the left, but I keep them downcast. Cillian acts as if he is congratulating me, playfully slapping my back.“I realized what this was.” He says as I meet his eyes. He’s smiling like he’s happy, but those big green eyes show genuine worry.“It was an audition.”

My brows inch closer. Fuck, I’m tired. A part of me wants to crumple to the ground and lay dead still like Jared.

“They don’t waste time. It will happen tonight.”

Some of the students turn their backs and begin to leave. I use the motion as my chance to look up. I spot five figures unmoving along the tree line.

“What will happen tonight?”

“They came for him in the dead of night. I never saw him again.” Cillian’s voice strains, his skin turning ghostly.

“Who?”

His throat rolls.“My brother. They took him. He couldn’t survive.” He steps into my view.“If you care about Mila, you’ll let her go because honestly, brother, I don’t think we all will survive what fate has planned for us next.” His face pales.

“She’s bound to me. We have a marriage contract.”

Cillian leans closer,“Ifyou survive.” He hisses.“Think about it, Dash. Why did your dad tell you about Mila yet leave her in the dark? Why allow you, me, and Dante to all be friends when families this powerful usually are enemies? Why did we all get put together?” He doesn’t let me answer.“He wanted you to have a purpose, another reason to live. A motivation because where we are going, we will need multiple.”

In my peripheral I see a small little fox rushing towards me, her feet pointed as she tries to overstep the blood marring the dirt as if she were dancing a ballet and not running through a pit of death.

“But she’s mine,” I whisper to Cillian.

“They are going to take us the moment we leave this pit. This was a test and we all passed, Dash!” Cillian hisses. Fuck it looks like he’s on the verge of tears. “If you don’t come back, think about what it will do to Mila,” He slaps my back,“Set her free, and then if you live, catch her again.”

Chapter 45

Mila

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