Every Dark Corner

But mostly the unusual eyes one blue and one brown staring up at her from a woman s face framed with bold white streaks that contrasted starkly with the rest of her inky black hair. Kate reached out a tentative hand to nudge Dani s shoulder, just to be sure she wasn t still dreaming. The shoulder was solid and real.

Kate exhaled sharply. Dani, she said, just to hear her own voice. It was raspy, like sandpaper. Like she d been screaming. Oh God, don t let me have been screaming.

Dr. Dani Novak spoke calmly, like one might speak to a feral animal. Or a wild-eyed woman just coming out of a nightmare. Yes. I m real. And yes, you re awake.

She was kneeling in front of Kate, holding the cord to her earbuds in one hand and her laptop in the other while Kate clutched the blanket she d been knitting to her chest like a shield.

You nearly lost your computer, Dani explained in that same calm voice. I came in as it was slipping off your lap. You were dreaming.

Kate let the knitting fall to her lap so that she could press her fingertips to her temples. Yeah, was all she could muster. She hated waking up from that dream. Hated feeling fuzzy and disoriented. Hated the pounding of her pulse in her ears. Hated that the last thing she d seen was a man s head exploding. Wish you d come in a few seconds earlier, she muttered.

Dani made a sympathetic noise. Me, too. You were . . . talking in your sleep.

Kate s eyes widened, a different kind of fear giving her a hard jolt that woke her right up. What did I say? Please don t let it have been too much.

Dani s voice dropped to a whisper. Just I m sorry, Jack. So sorry.

That s it?

A single nod set Kate s mind at ease, because even though she didn t know Dani all tha