Bear Exposure (Highland Brothers 3) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Page A

those eyes.
    “Neither.” He smiled.
    Oh shit. He had a gorgeous smile too. The kind that would melt the panties off any woman. She twisted her bottom lip under her teeth.
    “Then what could have possibly brought you out here?”
    Whitney waited for his answer.
    “Sam sent me.”
    Her eyes widened, and she reached for the column. But she wasn’t looking. Her eyes were fixed on the tall stranger, and she missed her mark, landing back in his arms.
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    T he mixture of cool rain and warm blood washed down my cheekbone. It was pointless, but I wiped the stream from my eyes and massaged my throbbing temple. Keep going, Ivy; keep going .
    As I hurdled each step, the pace of the footsteps tracking me seemed to cut the distance between us. My chest hurt as I tried to catch each breath and push myself into a faster pace. He was close and I didn’t know if I could make it to the seam before he stopped me. A quick diversion might help, but that was how I got into this mess. I had to do something. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make it back, and this was not the place I wanted to get stuck.
    The sidewalks and brownstone steps blurred past as I searched for a place to hide. I felt my body lunge forward and shudder with a thud. I hit the pavement, and my already scraped face smacked into the stones. My lungs froze from the impact. My throat clamped shut. I tried to pry myself up, clawing at the cracks in the sidewalk. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
    In that moment, I realized I could be caught. How could I have been so careless to jeopardize everything?
    I jumped forward in the bed, clutching the sheet to my chest. A dream. It was a dream.
    “Illuminate,” I whispered, holding my hand forward.
    The soft orb formed above my palm. It’s light bounced around the hotel room. I steadied my breath. It was only a dream. But it wasn’t the first time it had awakened me. I looked at the clock. It was nearly three.
    “Extinguish,” I called to the light, watching it fade to remnants of glitter. I sank into the pillow, pulling the sheet to my chin.
    I didn’t know what the dream meant. I didn’t know what triggered it or why I kept having it. I turned on my side, curling my knees upward.
    The room was cold, but the chill shaking me had rooted under my skin. Something or someone had been chasing me. I shuddered, knowing it would be nearly impossible to fall asleep after a nightmare.
    I tried to focus on tomorrow. I needed a distraction from the feel of rain on my face and the taste of blood on my lips. I reminded myself I was here for a story. I needed a glitzy set of Vegas characters I could take back for my next book.
    I walked through how I would travel, keeping my mind pointed on performing the spell I would need. How I would time spell . I pictured the Starlight Casino and Resort.
    The casino was a labyrinth, but I discovered a service corridor that didn’t have cameras. I would be able to start the spell and travel from there.
    My body began to feel heavy again. The shaking had stopped. I pictured the blackjack tables and the doorway where I would make the seam. My eyes relaxed.
    There was a reason I had chosen the Starlight. It was part of old Vegas. I would find my story here. I had to. My fingers let go of the sheet as sleep fell over me. Tomorrow I would find my story. Tonight I would forget the dream.

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