Tears spilled down her face. “I should have listened to you,” she whispered, a hiccup breaking her voice. “I should have stayed behind and let you handle your mission. I could have stopped the dragons. If I leave now, they’ll follow me. If I leave, you’ll all be safe.”
My thumb brushed away her tears. “You’re just another conquest to them, Reagan, a piece of property. You think that by leaving, the injustices done to the Fae will disappear? That Mordecai will leave us alone? Because he won’t ease up when you’re gone. His terrorizing stems around us and the Genesis Crystal—he’s trying to figure something out. I don’t know what, but he isn’t finished. He won’t stop. Not until we make him. That’s what this mission is for: to put an end to his tyranny.”
I pulled back, needing to see her expression. “So if you want him to pay for what he’s done, join us.”
The invitation hung between us, and although I watched her closely, I couldn’t tell if my words had an effect or not. My heart rate climbed when I realized this might be the end. She might very well turn me down and leave this city behind—and everyone in it. A sinking sensation grew in my stomach.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do was help,” she said at last, a shuddering sob trembling through her small frame. “And I ruined things so completely. All those lives—their blood is on my hands. Their deaths are my fault.”
And there it was. Hearing the guilt was a spike through my heart. I knew the burden she carried. The burden that shouldn’t be borne.
“Reagan,” I breathed, sliding an arm around her shoulders. I pulled her in, tucking her head against my chest. “It’s not your fault. The world is a dangerous place full of dangerous people. Bad things happen and we can’t always stop them. A wise old man once told me: sometimes evil wins the day. But instead of giving up hope, we can fight for a better tomorrow. Fight back with me, Reagan. Come on the mission.”
She turned her face into my chest and inhaled deeply. I waited, refusing to breathe, worried that my words hadn’t been enough. That this was goodbye. But when she spoke, it was a whispered, “I’ll go with you.”
Relief almost bowled me over. I wrapped my other arm around her, locking her in tight. Breathed her in—apples and cinnamon. Perfect. Gaia, I’d missed this. She fisted my shirt, effectively scattering my thoughts and narrowing my focus to her. And me.
Us.
But the moment couldn’t last—we were behind schedule as it was. I took a quick steadying breath and let out a piercing whistle, pulling Reagan in closer when she startled.
Right on cue, several heads popped out from various locations down the street.
As they ambled toward us, I lightly tugged her hair, saying, “Look.”
She turned her head, cheek still pressed to my chest. A small sound left her lips, either surprise or horror. Hopefully the former.
“Kitty cat!” Caspar called, amber locs loose and swinging. Sebastian shushed him, aiming a fist at his shoulder, which the big Fae dodged.
Micah and Malachi came next, cooing and smooching at us.
“You’re dead,” I mouthed at them.
Nevaeh and Akeno were last, the latter staring a little too hard at the purple-haired rat shifter. Interesting.
When they gathered around, each in turn greeted Reagan, welcoming her to the “cool club.” I explained that they were joining us on the mission.
She raised her eyebrows. “What’s the mission?”
I chuckled. Explaining that to her was going to be fun. “Let’s walk and talk. You have a lot to catch up on.”
As we moved out, she reached down, lacing her fingers through mine. I raised our linked hands, staring at the sight. At the rightness.
She’s your girl.
Startled at my mind’s certainty, I almost tripped over a loose brick in the street. But then I grinned, so wide my cheeks throbbed.
“I know,” I whispered back.
Dear reader,
Thank you so much for joining Tarik and Reagan on
the first leg of what’s going to be an awesome adventure! We really hope you enjoyed the book and we look forward to sharing the rest of their journey with you soon! Until then, we would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a short review on Amazon for us—it doesn’t have to be fancy, but every single review makes a difference in helping other readers find our stories!
mybook.to/DawntillDusk
Thank you so much for reading!
xoxo,
Becky and Tyffany
Book two coming Sept 2020 . . .
Preorder now!
Acknowledgments
First of all, I want to thank my co-author Tyffany Hackett for approaching me two years ago with the idea of co-writing a series together. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I was in a dark place, and from that darkness, Tarik was born. We spent endless nights creating these characters who hold many of our inner demons. We let down our guards and let these characters tell pieces of our own stories, our scars and burdens laid bare. This experience has been challenging and eye-opening, filled with give and take. But most of all, it brought two people together who were more alike than they realized. It created a bond not so easily broken. And I will forever be grateful for that.
I also want to thank our beta readers for their contagious enthusiasm as they read this book. Grace’s special-sauce notes, Shiza’s love of the cute, Hannah’s consistency radar, Chelscey’s world building expertise, Marissa’s keen eye for error—you ladies helped shape this book into something incredible. To our early readers, Melissa, Becky, and Jessica, thank you for shipping our
