Page 75 of Dawn of Hope
If I am not careful, Dane will charm me into trusting him, and I am scared of what it would mean for me if I do.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Dane clutches my hand as we weave through the paths shrouded with trees. The island looks so different in the dark, especially on a moonless night like tonight. Dane doesn’t seem to mind. He knows exactly where he is going and how to get there.
“Where are we going?” I say as he tugs me along.
“You’ll see,” he says. “But we have to hurry.”
“Is this safe to be doing at night? I thought you said we don’t go out at night because it’s too dangerous!”
“Generally, yes, but the island won’t harm me. I’m the Guardian. You’re safe, trust me.” He looks over his shoulder at me, his last words reverberating in the air between us. I told him I couldn’t trust him, not after he lied to me so much back in Dawnlin. He needed to earn that trust back, and since I’ve been here, he hasn’t given me any reason not to.
I grip his hand tighter, enjoying the feeling of his fingers woven through mine. “Okay,” I mutter back, blindly following and trying not to trip over rocks jutting out of the ground.
The trees finally open and the path continues into a field full of taller grass, and my body tenses. I look around at this new place and my stomach starts to churn.
This feels too familiar. Too fresh.
I pull back slightly on Dane’s hand, slowing us down.
“Are you okay?” Dane slows as well, looking back at me to see what was stopping me.
I clear my throat. “Yeah,” I say. My eyes dart around the field until they land on the cliff.
I’ve never been here before, so how did I know exactly where it would be? How was I just here, leaping to escape the attack of everyone on the island only moments ago in my sleep?
“Dane…” I stop walking. I don’t want to get any closer to that cliff, not after the dream. Not after the feelings from it.
He stops and comes toward me, his eyes scanning my face for some clue why I won’t go any further. “What’s wrong? Please tell me.”
“It’s just,” I start. I don’t want to admit what happened in the dream or relive the look on his face. I don’t want him to think I have even more reason not to trust him after a dream wasn’t real. But I can’t help but feel uneasy coming to this place so soon after I had just been there.
“I can’t swim,” I settle on.
He quirks his eyebrow and tilts his head. “What does that have to do with being here?” He gestures to the surrounding field.
I lean around him and point toward the cliff. “Can we stay away from the cliff? I’m afraid of falling into the water.”
He takes a step closer, closing both of his hands over mine. “I’d never let you fall, but we don’t have to go any closer if you don’t want to.”
I let out a sigh of relief, my shoulders releasing the tension they had been holding.
He isn’t about to push me off the side of a cliff to my death then.
“Thank you. What are we looking for?” I look around to see if someone is coming or if there is somewhere else we are going.
“Just wait. I think you’ll like it.” He steps behind me and grabs my shoulders, turning me to face the cliffs to look out over the sea. His hands fall away, but he stays close enough that I can feel his clothes brushing against mine.
The stars twinkle brightly above us as my eyes trace over the dark horizon.
I wait.
A few minutes pass while I try to focus on whatever it is I am supposed to be looking at instead of standing in the dark, alone, with Dane.
Suddenly, the sky bursts into color as a sun peeks above the horizon. Oranges and reds pierce the darkness as the first sun rises above the line of the sea. The second follows, off to the right, sending a brighter cascade of pinks, the light so bright I have to squint.
My face breaks into a grin as I watch my first ever sunrise. I lean back into Dane, my body moving of its own accord.