He moved his hand to the back of her head and tilted her mouth up so he had easy access. “Fine. I’ll have faith.” He graced her with a torrid kiss. “Something bad is going to happen on the glamping honeymoon, though. Mark it down because you’re going to have to acknowledge I’m the smartest man in the world — in public — when it happens, too.”
Ivy smirked. “You sound sure of yourself.”
“I am. I don’t want to talk about it for the rest of the night, though. I just want to talk about you ... and me ... and our bed.”
“We have to eat first.”
“Then you’d better start shoveling it in. I have very specific plans for you, honey, and I want to get to them as soon as possible.”
“I guess I can deal with that.”
“Somehow I thought we would be agreement.”
IVY AND JACK WERE A TANGLE OF arms and legs when they fell asleep, Ivy’s head resting against Jack’s shoulder. They hadn’t made plans to dream walk together — they both agreed it was important to live in the present versus constantly focusing on the imaginary worlds they created — so Ivy was confused when she landed in the spot where she’d been performing her community service.
“Oh, man.” She made a face as she glanced around, frustrated. “I can’t even get away from this place in my sleep.”
She was rueful as she studied the landscape. She couldn’t figure out why her subconscious had insisted she visit this place ... especially when there was nothing of note to pay attention to.
Then she saw it.
Out of the corner of her eye, a hint of black caught her attention and when she looked in that direction, she saw a shadow. It wasn’t a normal shadow, of course. It wasn’t a shady spot offered by a tree. It was something else entirely, and it caused her to shudder. The figure — because that’s what it was — was upright, and it looked like a woman.
“What the ... ?” Ivy licked her lips and searched the location for additional signs of movement. Finding none, she moved in the direction of the trees. That’s where the shadow disappeared. That’s where it was waiting for her. Dream logic was a terrifying thing, but Ivy recognized that one thing for certain. The shadow was an entity ... and it wanted to talk to her.
Once she crossed from the field to the trees, Ivy’s anxiety ratcheted up a notch. It was darker beneath the canopy, and even though she knew that didn’t necessarily mean she was in danger, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something monumental was about to happen.
“This is where I died,” a voice announced, causing Ivy to jerk her head to the left. “This is where I took my last breath.”
Ivy let loose a strangled cry when she realized the shadow was standing directly next to her and she could make out human features underneath all the shimmery black. The entire thing was freaky and she had no idea what to make of it. “Sasha.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even a revelation. In her heart, she knew who the shadow belonged to. She’d seen a similar phenomenon once before.
“Of course it’s me.” Sasha’s voice had somehow mutated, was more raspy than Ivy remembered. It sounded dark, and perhaps not from despair. “Who else do you know that died out here?”
“That’s a fair point.” Ivy hated how shaky her voice sounded. “I ... um ... don’t know what to say about any of this.”
Sasha cocked her head to the side. “I don’t want you to say anything. I want you to avenge me.”
“But ... that’s not really my job.” Even as she said the words, Ivy recognized they weren’t what Sasha wanted to hear. “I just mean ... I can’t help you. I have other things to focus on. Jack is going to help you, though. He’s going to figure out who did this.”
Wisps of annoyance rolled over Sasha’s face. “Are you kidding me? You already know who did this.”
Ivy shook her head, bewildered. “I don’t know who did this. Why do you think I know who did this?”
“Because I can see what’s in your mind. I know.”
Ivy didn’t believe that. In her heart, she recognized the dream for what it was. Her subconscious was desperate for her to figure out the answers. That way there was still a chance she and Jack would be able to enjoy the honeymoon of their dreams. She wanted that so badly her imagination was manifesting in ridiculous ways.
And then something occurred to her.
“Wait.” She slid her eyes to Sasha, her mind busy. “You’re the thing I saw outside of Jason’s house the night we went there to confront him.”
Sasha sent her a “well, duh” look and rolled her eyes. “How can it possibly have taken you this long to figure that out?”
Ivy wasn’t a fan of the woman’s tone, but it did beg a particular question. “You have a dark soul.”
“Excuse me?” Sasha arched an eyebrow. “Is that any way to address the dead? I was murdered. I think I deserve a little respect.”
“That very well may be,” Ivy conceded, her spine starting to stiffen. “You’re evil, though. I’ve seen this before. I mean ... not this exact thing. I’ve seen a corrupted soul, though. If you had one, that means you weren’t the innocent girl everyone believed.”
“Oh, now I know I’ve been insulted.” Sasha folded her arms over her chest, haughty. “I can’t believe you would dare say that to me.”
Ivy ignored her tone. “You were with Jason at the golf course that night.” She was trying to work things out in her head. If a dark version of Sasha remained, then there had to be a reason for it. Her subconscious believed she already knew that reason. Perhaps she did. “He said you wanted a bad boy but were upset when you found out what he did for a living. What if
