Page 47 of Lost in the Dark

“Well, as I said, I’m king of this court.”

She stops me. “No, that’s what you are. I want to knowwhoyou are. Your likes, your interests, your hobbies. Your family.”

I pause. I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that before. “I’m not certain there’s much to know. I’m eternal—I have existed as long humans have been alive to have nightmares, and I will exist until humans end. I like the parlor games the twins often put on. I’m interested in you.”

“Your family?”

“I don’t have one, at least not in the conventional human sense. No parents, no siblings. I suppose my demons are sort of like family. I cherish some of them like I would children.”

“I don’t have family either,” she says. “I mean, I must have had parents, but I never knew them. I grew up in foster care, and it wasn’t great. I ran away when I was seventeen.”

“Does this make you sad?” I ask.

She thinks for a moment. “Sort of. But it’s hard to grieve something you never had. It’s an abstract sadness, I guess. But I’m happy now. I love my life, my home, my friends. My job. I don’t want to lose those things.”

“Why would you?”

“There’s a man who wants to kill me,” she says.

Everything inside me stops, including my heart. I knew she’d been having nightmares, of course. I knew she’d spontaneously moved to that awful little cabin by the lake. But it never occurred to me to wonder why. I suppose I never wonder why humans do and think the things they do.

“What do you mean?” I ask slowly, careful not to let her see the rage that’s building inside of me at the idea of her in real danger.

“My ex-boyfriend, Evan. He just got out of prison, and I know he wants me dead. He’s coming for me.”

I’ve never felt the way I do right now. My entire body is hot, my teeth are grinding together, and something even more powerful than fury is taking hold of me, waiting to erupt like a volcano. That man won’t touch a hair on her beautiful head. He’ll die by my hand first.

I stroke her cheek. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you. You’re safe here.”

She gives me a sad smile. “I can’t stay in your palace forever. Eventually I’ll have to go back to the cabin at the lake and face reality. Which includes Evan.”

“Why?” I ask, genuinely curious. Why would she return to that grim cabin and a man who wants to kill her when I can give her all the pleasure in the world right here? “Why not stay here with me?”

“Because this isn’t my life. Staying means giving up the things I love too. And besides, I don’t even know you. Not really.”

I feel helpless, which is both strange and aggravating. It’s not a sensation I’m used to, and not one I particularly care for. How can I persuade her to stay? “I think you might know me better than anyone. As to your questions, I don’t know what else to tell you. I live on nightmares. I don’t have time for hobbies, really, beyond the occasional game with my demons.”

“There must be more to you than that,” she says.

I shrug. “I don’t think so.”

She waits, obviously hoping I’ll say more, but I don’t.

“Why have you brought me here?” she finally asks.

There are multiple reasons: I’m inexplicably attracted to her, I want to keep her safe, I like her company. But those aren’t reasons that will satisfy her, make her want to stay.

“I told you, I can protect you here. But there’s more. I also wanted to make your dream come true: I’m going to let you have revenge on the man who haunts your nightmares.”

“Evan? The one who wants me dead?”

I nod. “You’re about to becomehisnightmare.”

Libra

The air crackles with tension in the boxing ring. My muscles are warm and loose, my gloves are laced tight, and I’m bouncing lightly on my feet, ready to go. I lean down and a blue-eyed man who is familiar to me—but who I don’t quite recognize—slips my mouthguard in.

The cheers of the crowd fade to a dull roar as I stare across the ring to my opponent. Evan is also in his gear, looking menacing and tough. But I’ve been boxing for a decade now, and he has no idea how strong I am, both inside and out.

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