Free Find Me If You Dare (Dreamcatcher Book 2) by Vicki Leigh

shoulder and pulled her close, resting my hands on her lower back. To the right and left I rocked, spinning us in a slow circle.
    “Better?” I asked.
    “Yeah. I’m not graceful, remember?” She blushed.
    I smiled and stared deep into Kayla’s hazel eyes. Trishna
was
wise for throwing this ball. This moment of calm and bliss was intoxicating, as was the girl in my arms. With her, I felt whole. Never did I want this moment to end.
    I leaned in and kissed her softly, and as I pulled my lips off hers, I dipped her. Kayla squealed, holding my arms like a vise grip, tipped her head back, and laughed. Unable to wipe a silly grin off my face, I righted her.
    Someone tapped my shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?” Nolan asked.
    I glared at him. Did he really have to ruin this moment?
    Kayla replied before I had a chance to speak. “Yeah, sure.”
    Nolan eyed me with trepidation. But like a gentleman, I stepped out of the way. He grinned, and Kayla’s face lit up like a street lamp in a storm the moment Nolan took her hand in his. Already, she’d become attached to the dark-haired bloke. How much happier would she be if she knew he was her brother? God, her eyes would sparkle so bright I’d go blind.
    I moved to the side of the room, crossed my arms, and frowned. The urge to tell her the truth was overwhelming.
But you promised, Daniel
, I told myself
.
I snickered, picturing two loons battling for my sanity, one on each shoulder, like in those ridiculous cartoons. Shaking my head, I stalked to the back of the room for a drink to silence my thoughts.

    The whiskey burned going down, and I pushed my shot glass toward Bartholomew for another. How he’d ended up playing bartender, I didn’t know. But he definitely knew his alcohol. I’d asked for the strongest whiskey he had, and damn—my throat was still on fire.
    “My spidey senses are tellin’ me there’s something wrong in that crazy ass head of yours,” Seth said, appearing out of nowhere.
    “Why aren’t you dancing?” I asked, pounding the next shot and pushing the glass toward Bartholomew for another.
    “All the girls are turnin’ me down, man. I don’t get it.”
    “Ever think maybe they like to be treated like human beings?” Again, I swallowed the whiskey and flung the glass down the bar, nodding at a wide-eyed Bartholomew. He raised a black, bushy eyebrow before taking the glass.
    “Think you maybe wanna slow down?” Seth asked.
    “Unless you want a headache, I’d listen to Seth,” Bartholomew interjected, sliding a shot to me.
    “Thanks for the warning.” I threw back the alcohol, wincing as it went down.
    Seth snatched the glass from my hand before I could ask for another. “I’ve never seen you drink whiskey, let alone four shots of it.”
    “Six, actually.”
    “
Six?
Wow. Okay. Why?”
    “Just having fun.” I tried to grin, but my lips barely moved.
    Seth shook his head, then set the glass on the bar. I didn’t hand it to Bartholomew this time. Six shots of top shelf whiskey—back to back—after years of a beer here and there probably
hadn’t
been a clever idea. Already, my throat roasted with what was bound to be vomit later.
    “Something happen with Kayla?” Seth asked.
    “Other than the fact that she’s the number one target of the most powerful, vicious warlock in history and possibly the key to ending this whole war?”
And she’s going to kill me when she finds out I knew about Nolan’s secret?
“No.”
    “All righty, then. Sorry I asked.”
    I leaned against the bar, watching Nolan and Kayla dance. Again, bats swarmed in my stomach. For all my many flaws, one thing I had never been was untrustworthy. No matter what, I couldn’t reveal the truth about Nolan. With a sigh, I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, a pounding forming between my eyes. Damn whiskey.
    The slow songs ended, and Kayla stepped away from Nolan, who returned to Samantha’s side. Her arms crossed, Kayla surveyed the room. Spotting me