The Darkest Dream (The Darkest Trilogy) (23 page)

“You know I could never do that.”
 
Suddenly he was in front of me.
 
My pulse quickened, not out of fear, but out of longing.
 
I stepped backward, trying to create more space.
 
He reached forward and brushed a lock of hair from my face, as he so commonly did.
 
“You’re sleeping.”
 
I closed my eyes as he cupped my face in his hands, losing myself in his memory.
 

“Then I don’t want to wake up.”
 
In my dreams, Darren could be whoever I wanted him to be.
 

“Open your eyes, Lucinda.”
 
I did as I was told, his eyes immediately taking hold of mine.
 
“This is a dream,
”
 
he
repeated himself, urging me with his eyes to pay attention.
 
I gasped slightly as realization swept over me.
 

“Are you really here?”
 
He didn’t voice his response, but I saw the confirmation in his eyes.
 
His eyes—the eyes I had lost myself in so many times before—were the exact ones I remembered.
 

“There isn’t much time.”
 
Darren traced his thumb along my jaw.
 
“I’m so sorry, Lucinda.”

“Why?”
 
I wasn’t asking why he was sorry, but why he had done anything to be sorry for.

“It was the only way.
 
He knew.
 
He knew what I had planned, and I knew he would know.”
 
And again, realization swept over me.
 
He had spoken of doubt on the docks—trying to urge me to remember, to have faith.
 
Had he known all along that this would be how the events of tonight played out?
 
“I had to do it.”

“You didn’t kill me.”
 
He shook his head.

“You are my light, Lucinda.
 
My light in the darkness.”
 
I closed my eyes, melting into him.
 
“I could never.”

“What’s going to happen, Darren?”
 
His hands were tangled in my hair, breathing me in.
 

“I’m going to keep you safe.”
 

He pulled away then, reaching around me to pull open the curtain.
 
The sky was beginning to glow vividly with the beginnings of sunrise.
 
“I made you a promise.”

“What are you going to do?”
 
He was beginning to frighten me.
 

“What needs to be
done.
”
 
I reached forward once more, lifting my chin slightly so that he could lower his head and press a kiss to my lips.
 
“It’s time,”

“No—Darren—please wait,
”
 
he
shook his head softly.
 

“I can’t.”
 
And he was already backing away, his eyes locked on mine.
 
I wanted to rush forward and grab hold of him.
 
But I knew that this would do nothing.
 

He was already gone.
 

A feeling of dread was flooding through me—a feeling of expected grief, of a knowledge of an upcoming loss.

I remembered
Marleja’s
words.
 
“He’s willing to do anything—even die—to make certain you’re safe.”

And somehow I knew.
 
I knew his plan.
 
He intended to sacrifice himself for what he believed to be the greater good.

I couldn’t let him.

***

I struggled to open my eyes, fighting against everything in my body.
 
My head swam, my body ached.
 
I was parched, but I thought nothing of any of it.
 

I needed to get to him.
 

When I finally overcame the waves of muddled fog, I looked around, trying to figure out where I was.
 
It was only when I looked up that I was filled with a sudden undeniable urgency.
 

The sun was already rising.
 

I was sitting outside somewhere.
 
I realized the hard surface on which I was resting was a bench, and I was staring out at the ocean.

I was still on the docks.

Darren must be nearby, I realized.
 

Without any hesitation, I pulled myself to my feet and began to wander through the maze of buildings, pushing my body well beyond its limit.
 

But I didn’t care about myself.
 
I didn’t care about the pain coursing through
me, or about the waves of dizziness passing through my head—or
even about the incredible burning sensation in my chest.
 
All I cared about was getting to Darren.

If he went through with what I knew—knew without any confirmation—he was planning to do, then I might as well be dead.

But nothing was looking familiar.
 
Every building looked the same—I didn’t even know what the building I’d been in looked like from the outside.
 
I knew I would never be able to pick it out.

I came to such a sudden stop, I almost fell.
 
My body was screaming in agony, but I blocked it out.
 
I pushed everything out of my mind except for him.
 
I need to know where you are, Darren.
 
I need to find you.
 

And, miraculously, it worked.
 
In my mind, an image conjured.
 
He was in a room facing the sunrise—I could see the bright embers of the sun glowing vividly.
 
Outside the window, there was a large open view of the ocean—and a ship in the distance, red and black.
 
I could sense anger in the room—there was a struggle.
 
But the room was full of windows—an office of some sort.
 
And then a voice.
 
“You’re going to have to kill yourself in order to ensure my death, Darren.
 
You know that.”

“A sacrifice I’m willing to make.” Darren told him.

“I’m not the only danger she faces.
 
You know that.
 
Jared will come for her—others, too.”

“They’ll all meet the same end, even if not by my hand.”
 
Darren promised.
 
Demetrius sighed softly, turning to face the windows.
 
Already, the sun was creeping higher into the sky.
 

“What a pity.
 
The sun was within our grasp, old friend, and you let her slip away.”
 
Demetrius almost sounded sad.

“You’ll see one more sunrise, Demetrius.
 
Together, like we always dreamt.”

That was enough.
 
I was running again, this time with purpose and direction.
 
My eyes were trained to the west, looking for the ship.
 
Once I found it, I shifted my attention to the array of buildings.
 

Only one had floor to ceiling windows.

I was several feet away when I heard the screams.
 
The sun had almost completely risen—the building was flooded with light.

No.

I didn’t even think as I threw myself through the glass of the window.
 
My heart was pumping ferociously, my adrenaline the only thing keeping me alert.
 

And there he was, back to the wall, staring at me with wide eyes.
 
His hands were already burned, as if he had been holding them in direct sunlight.
 

I took a moment to look down and realize that he must have done exactly that—because there, on the floor, lay a flaming corpse.
 

The sun continued to filter through the room and I jumped as I heard him hiss in pain.
 
It only took a moment for me to rush to the door.

“It’s jammed.”
 
Darren warned, and I found that it was.
 
I began kicking at the door, needing it to break.
 
I
needed
to get him out of here.

“It’s too late, Lucinda.”

“No it
isn’t
!”
 
I screamed, ignoring the way it tore at my throat.
 
The room was growing brighter and brighter.
 
Please.
 
I begged.
 
Please, please, let him live.
 

The door wouldn’t budge, and it was in direct view of the sun.
 
There was no way he would be able to help.
 

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a smaller door hidden behind a heavy bookshelf and wasted no time crossing the room and tossing the few dust-coated books from the shelf.
 
Then, with the last bit of strength I could muster, I shoved at the bookshelf.
 
At first, it refused to budge.
 

But then, it did.
 
It slid, slowly and with great protest—but it moved just enough that I could open the door.

A closet.
 
Small, dank—abandoned.
 

I turned to Darren, who had fallen to the floor to shield himself from the rays.
 
Pain overwhelmed me, both physical and emotional.
 

It only took a moment to rush to his side.
 
I pulled him to his feet, shielding him from the sun as best I could as I directed him to the closet.
 
As soon as he was inside, I threw myself in with him, closing the door swiftly behind me.
 
I could smell his burning flesh.

“You’ll be alright now,
”
 
I
whispered hoarsely, settling in beside him.
 
“We’ll be alright.”

“You shouldn’t have come back.”
 

“You shouldn’t have expected me not to.”
 
My breathing was labored.
 
“How badly are you hurt?”
 

“I’ll live.”
 

“That’s all that matters.”
 
My adrenaline rush had ended, and I was now becoming fully aware of the pain and anguish my body was going through.
 

“No, it isn’t.”
 
He was angry.
 
“You’re hurt.
 
There’s nothing I can do for you like this—”

“I’ll be fine.”
 
It did not, however, feel that way.
 
Not only were my muscles aching from abuse, but I was now becoming aware of several cuts and scrapes from crashing through a window.
 
“I just need to sleep.”

“You need to go to a hospital.”
 

“
No
.”
 
I said firmly.
 
“I just need to sleep.”
 
I collapsed against him, resting my head on his chest.
 
I hissed as a sharp pain stabbed through my neck—but I quickly readjusted until it hurt less.
 
“Promise me you’ll be here when I wake.”

“I can’t go anywhere.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
 
I began to drift, pain coursing in waves through my body.
 
“Is this warehouse abandoned?”
 
A question I perhaps should have thought to ask first.

“It was being used by Demetrius.”

“Well, none of those guys will be coming in here either then.”
 
I was certain they’d be able to at least sense the sun, much like Darren—and this was a very important factor.
 
The pain was becoming unbearable as the adrenaline wore off, and neither of us would be in any condition to defend ourselves.

“You need to sleep.”

“You always say that.”
 
My eyes were already closed, though, knowing that sleep was really the only option I had.
 
“Your hands—”

“I’ll heal quickly.”
 
I flinched at his harsh tone and he sighed softly, shifting to make more room for me.
 
“Just sleep, Lucinda.
 
You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine…
I
…”
 
He sighed.
 
“Fresh blood is very powerful.”
 

“Oh.”
 
I said nothing more, not wanting to remind him about what had happened earlier.
 
I
didn’t want to remember it either.
 
It seemed in my mind as though it was something that had happened long ago rather than just a few short hours.
 
My body, however…

“Sleep, Lucinda.”
 

And I did.

***

When I woke, I was immediately overwhelmed by pain.
 
My muscles ached, my head throbbed, my neck burned with even the slightest movement.
 
But he was still there, and the joy of this realization trumped any physical agony my body may have been in.
 

“The sun will be going down soon.”
 
Of course he would know I was awake.
 
“How did you sleep?”

“No interruptions,
”
 
I
told him.
 
We remained silent for several long moments.
 
“Darren?”
 
I finally questioned, shifting slightly and clenching my teeth so that I wouldn’t cry out.
 

“Yes?”
 

“
Marleja
—
”
 
I
began, concern for the woman who had been trying to protect me weighing heavy on my conscience.