Thorns between us

Eighteen:The summoning

Author’s POV

She woke before the dark did.

Drayk's arm was heavy across her stomach. Safe.

His breathing was slow. Finally.

Then the cold slid under the blanket.

_Dionne._

Her name. Not her voice.

`Up.`

Her body obeyed before her brain did.

She moved out from under him inch by inch. He reached in his sleep. Caught only air.

His brows pulled together.

"i'm sorry," she whispered to the dark.

She ran.

The forest was quieter without him. Wrong.

The pull in her chest dragged her to the stones.

They were already there. Three of them. Hoods down.

And her.

Same face. Same eyes.

"you're late," the other one said.

She didn't answer. Her wrists throbbed. Nothing was there.

But she could feel it.

The eldest stepped forward. "Well?"

"No," she said.

The sound of the slap cracked through the trees.

Her cheek stung. She tasted copper.

"You had one job," the second one said. "Full moon. His throat. Our power."

"I know."

"Then why is he alive?" the third asked. "Why are you?"

Because last night he looked at her like she wasn't broken.

The eldest grabbed her chin. Cold fingers. "We let you out for a reason. Don't make us put you back."

She shook her head. "I'm trying."

"Trying," the other one echoed. Soft. Cruel. "You have two nights. Then the moon is full. Or we take it all back."

"Take what back?"

"Her," all three said together. "Her name. Her face. You."

No one touched her. They didn't need to.

The memory did the work.

`Go,` the voice hissed in her head. `Smile. Lie. Finish it.`

They shoved her with nothing but air.

She stumbled back into the trees.

Last thing she heard:

`Don't get attached, sister. It makes the blade heavier.`

---

She got back as the sky turned gray.

Drayk was awake. Sitting up. Blanket in his lap.

He looked wrecked.

"Dionne," he said. Like he exhaled. "you're back."

"water," she said. The lie scraped her throat. "couldn't sleep."

He stood. Pulled her in. "don't do that to me again."

She hugged him. Too tight. Because `two nights` was ringing in her ears.

He pulled back. Looked at her. "you're shaking."

"I'm cold."

"Bullshit." But he said it soft. "what happened?"

"nothing." She stepped back. "I’m gonna wash up."

At the stream she stared at her hands in the water.

No marks.

But her skin remembered.

`kill him,` the voice whispered.

"what's wrong?"

Drayk. Behind her.

She didn't turn. "bad dream."

"about what?"

"about you," she said before she could stop herself.

Silence.

Drayk sat down next to her. Didn't touch. "then tell me about it."

"I can't."

"why not?"

"because," she said. "it doesn't matter."

Drayk nodded. Once. "okay."

He didn't believe her.

She could see it.

But he stayed.

Close.

Not touching.

And she let him.

Inside her head: `two nights.`

Outside: she watched the water run over her hands and pretended she wasn't drowning.

---