Page 23 of Find My Way Down to You

In the distance, beyond the endless water, something glints. The shape is hard to make out. It’s tall and sharp. A blade puncturing the sky, spilling all its colors like blood.

I want to inch closer for a better view.

My feet don’t make it far.

A hand grabs my shoulder. Harsh fingers pinch into tendons. I stumble back, sand flying from beneath my shoes. Fear and adrenaline spike through my body. Another hand grips my shirt, whipping me around.

I’m met with a snarling mouth and dark eyes fringed with gold.

“Howdid you get here?”

It’s Cary, teeth fully bared. He pulls carelessly at my collar, almost tearing the soft cotton.

“Where—” My throat tightens. “Wheream I?”

“Answer my question.”

His breath is hot against my face. In this strange light, his beauty almost equals his wrath. My attempt to wrestle away is useless. He’s stronger. With ease, he drags me back.

“Answer me,” he says again, his voice a low growl.

“Where the fuck am I, Cary?” I spit back.

The margins of his face jump. He’s shocked by my own angry sneer. The way I call him by his name. His hold on me loosens a bit. I take advantage.

I latch a hand onto his narrow hip. The other grasps a fistful of his black shirt. I plant my feet, twisting to throw him off me, but he’s agile and more coordinated.

We tumble into the sandy shore. I land half on top of him. Instinct tells me to flee, but my limbs are still heavy.

Cary kicks and rolls. Within a second, I’m on my back, Cary scowling over me. His hands pin my wrists against soft sand, knees bracketing my thrashing hips.

“Get…off,” I huff.

“Tell me,” he barks. “How did you get here?”

“Where ishere?”

Through the slits of his eyes, the gold expands, nearly swallowing every inch of rich blackness I can see.

He repeats, darkly, hands gripping tighter, “Tell me now, and no harm will come to you.”

My arms ache from exertion. From fighting to escape. It’s useless. His body is pressed against mine. I manage to choke out a response before the pain gets any worse.

“I followed you,” I gasp, breathless, confused. “On campus. There was a fountain and I saw you with—” A surge of panic electrifies me. “Where’s the girl?”

“Girl…”

“The girl! From SB State. She was with you.”

Again, surprise smooths the cold edges from his expression. “It is not possible,” he says quietly. “You could not…”

“Well, I did!”

I flail harder, but that doesn’t work either. Even stunned, Cary is in control. Exhaustion holds me beneath him. A prisoner. His next victim.

“Are you going to kill me?” I ask, a tremor in my throat. “Like you did Hal.”

He blinks, thick eyelashes beating. “Who?”