#Chapter 184: Desert Stars

Ella   “Open your eyes, Ella.”   I hadn’t even realized it, but at some point during my panic, I had squeezed my eyes shut.   Slowly, I cracked my eyes open one at a time. I was still sitting in the passenger seat with Logan beside me. The air still smelled like leather and gasoline, and the engine was gently rumbling as it idled beneath us.   And nothing had happened.   I blinked confusedly as I looked at the expanse around us. Logan had shut off the headlights, and I could now see the desert landscape stretching out in all directions.   And the stars.   Oh, the stars.   The sky was a brilliant canvas of white specks, each one sparkling down at me. The Milky Way was visible from where we sat, its white hue like a painter’s brush stroke across the midnight blue sky.   “Do you really think I would harm you, Ella?” Logan’s voice broke the silence, his words a soft, reassuring murmur in the dark.   I turned to look at him hesitantly, his features barely visible in the