Read Online A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies - Free Book Online Page A

I’d only ever had one boyfriend. And that had been a disaster.
    I wended my way through the trees until I reached my favorite thinking spot. I felt like I was standing at the edge of the world. Below me was a vast expanse of white dotted with evergreens.
    I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the sharp scent of pine. I was obviously searching for connections where none existed. The boiler had been defective. The thermostat, old. Devin and Asher were doing that whole cousin-rivalry thing. I doubted that I meant anything to either of them—I was just another thing to fight over. Ian and I had always hung out together so I should expect him to feel protective of me. My eyes—I couldn’t explain them away so easily. It was more than the way light hit them. They were a molten silver color that scared me.
    I was sure now that I’d even blown the floating incident out of proportion. It was common for people to dream about flying. It symbolized breaking free from something that was holding you back. I was seventeen now. I was getting ready to apply to colleges. To leave Aunt Jo and River Springs. I was ready to be out on my own. That was all.
    I spread my arms out. Felt the wind rushing past from the gorge below. This was a great place for flying kites in the summer because of the updraft. I tilted my head toward the sky, closed my eyes, and did what I’d done since I was six: I imagined myself soaring to wherever my parents were, being reunited with them once again.
    Suddenly my foot hit an icy patch on the ledge, and my legs flew out from under me. My eyes flew open. I screamed, felt myself drop . . . and stop.
    Standing on solid ground again, my heart thundering, I stared into familiar blue eyes.
    Devin’s arms were wrapped tightly around me. I couldn’t feel his warmth through our coats, but for a minute, I imagined I could. It was an icy heat, like the combination I felt whenever I ate a mint. Sharp but sweet. Cool and hot at the same time.
    “You shouldn’t stand so close to the edge when it’s so icy.”
    His voice was incredibly calm. He could have been commenting on my selection of a coat, not saving my life. Where had he come from? How had he gotten here? And what were the odds that he’d be right where I needed him to be when I needed him to be there?
    “What are you doing here?” I asked. I was breathless, not certain any longer if it was my nearly plummeting to my death or his nearness that was making it so hard to draw in air.
    “Protecting you. What does it look like I’m doing?”
    “No, I mean why are you here ? You just happen to be at the same place I am? The girl who believes in coincidence always ends up dead, Devin.”
    “What?” His voice faltered. “I was exploring the trails. It was . . . fate.”
    “So you’re saying it was your destiny to find me here?”
    “Is that so hard to believe?” He released his hold on me and stepped back. “I’ve explored a lot of the trails in this area since moving here, but this one is my favorite. It’s so calm here. So different from the halls at school.” Devin looked up at the gray sky, thick with clouds.
    Maybe we were more similar than I’d imagined. “I know what you mean.”
    He smiled, and his eyes seemed to change color. From crystal clear shallows to the depths of the ocean.
    We looked at each other, neither of us speaking. I was struck again by how easy it was to be with Devin. With Asher, our connection was quick, immediate—a fire flashing through my veins. When I was with Devin, the burn was a slow one. I almost didn’t realize it was happening until I felt the heat reach my cheeks.
    “How do you do that?” I asked, swallowing hard.
    “Do what?”
    “Give the impression that you’re in some sort of zenlike place. My heart is still racing, but you look like nothing happened.”
    “Nothing did happen. You’re fine, right?”
    Nothing catastrophic, but something was definitely happening.
    I walked over to a boulder