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Chapter 1

I wasn’t sure okewind froht and my room was quiet Peaceful I rolled onto my side and blinked

Eyes the color of dew-covered leaves stared into mine Eyes eerily familiar but lackluster compared to the ones I loved

Dawson

Clenching the blanket to led hair out of my face Maybe I was still asleep, because I really had no idea why Dawson, the twin brother of the boy I was madly, deeply, and quite possibly insanely in love as perched on the edge ofokay?" I clearedto sound sexy and, inI’d done while Mr Michaels, e in the warehouse was still reflected in aze Thick, sooty lashes fanned the tips of high, angular cheeks that were paler than they should be If I’d learned anything, Daas dalanced at the clock It was close to six in the et in here?"

"I let myself in Your mom’s not home"

With anyone else, that would’ve creeped the hell out of me, but I wasn’t afraid of Dawson "She’s snowed in at Winchester"

He nodded "I couldn’t sleep I haven’t slept"

"At all?"

"No And Dee and Dae me to understand what he couldn’t put into words

The triplets--hell, everyone--was coiled tight, waiting for the Department of Defense to show up as the days ticked by since Dawson escaped their Lux prison Dee was still trying to process her boyfriend Adam’s death and her beloved brother’s reappearance Dae to be there for his brother and to keep an eye on theh storm troopers hadn’t busted up in our houses yet, none of us were relaxed

Everything was too easy, which usually didn’t bode well

Soalloped right into it

"What have you been doing?" I asked

"Walking," he said, glancing out the"I never thought I’d be back here"

The stuff that Dawson had been put through and made to do was too horrific to even think about A deep ache filled my chest I tried not to think about it, because when I did, I thought of Dae in that same position, and I couldn’t bear it

But Dawson… He needed soers around the faht of the obsidian necklace "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head again, shaggy wisps of hair partially obscuring his eyes It was longer than Daemon’s--curlier--and probably needed a triht now, they looked nothing alike, and it was more than the hair "You remind me of her--Beth"

I had no idea what to say to that If he loved her half as much as I loved Daemon… "You know she’s alive I’ve seen her"

Dawson’s gaze met mine A wealth of sadness and secrets were held in its depths "I know, but she’s not the sa his head The same section of hair that always fell on Daemon’s forehead toppled onto his "You…love my brother?"

My chest hurt at the desolation in his voice, as if he never expected to love again, couldn’t really even believe in it anymore "Yes"

"I’rip on the blanket as it fell lower "Why would you apologize?"

Dawson lifted his head, letting out a weary sigh Then, ers brushed over my skin--over the faint pink ainst the manacles

I hated those blemishes, prayed for the day when they completely faded Every time I saw them, I remembered the pain the onyx had caused as it pressed into h to explain to my mom, not to mention Dawson’s sudden reappearance The look on her face when she’d seen Daith Daeh she seemed happy that the "runaway brother" had returned ho-sleeved shirts That worked during the colder months, but I had no idea how I’d hide these in the summer

"Beth had those kinds ofhis hand back "She got really good at escaping, but they always caught her, and she always had these h"

Nausea rose, and I sed Around her neck? I couldn’t… "Did…did you get to see Beth often?" I knew they’d allowed at least one visit between them while imprisoned in the DOD facility

"I don’t know Ti the huht to me I’d heal them and usually if they…lived, I could count the days until everything fell apart Four days" He went back to staring out theThrough curtains that had been drawn back, all I could see was the night sky and snow-covered branches "They hated when everything fell apart"

I could iroup supposedly within the DOD--had made it their mission to use Luxens to successfully mutate humans Sometimes it worked

So to remember what Daemon and Dee had said about hi--thelike his brother

But this Daas different:to his brother, from what I knew, he hadn’t said a word to anyone about what had been done to hiht it was best no one pushed for more

Dawson hadn’t even told anyone how he escaped I suspected Dr Michaels--that lying rat bastard--had led us on a wild goose chase to find Dawson to give hie and had then "released" Dawson It was the only thing that uess was lanced down at his hands "Daeht back to the present "Yes I think so"