I died loving Him. Now I'm back

ne's

that tree trying not to breathe, and the next I was in my room with th

remembers

that knew exactly what

next to him my whole life, basically, close enough t

ade him loyal. Now I d

lling Mara yet. Two, I wasn't going anywhere alone

ys until

d kept talking about treat

," he said, not loo

t ti

that yeste

en a tir

"Is this about the wedding, o

s funny, but because he had no idea

ing," I said, which

the way he does when he decides pushing won't get him anywhe

weeks," Theo said aro

my whole life,

s is 'my sister is planning som

nning anythi

said. "You always clench your jaw like that

til he said it. I forced my jaw to rela

ing it and stop, his grin got even bigger, because now I'd bas

w it," T

prove anythi

ht off my plate, not even a little bothered by the look I gave him. "You've got a tell. Everybo

about that, for his o

kept showing up in weird spots. Boundary deals. Trade stuff that moved things away fro

as

thing I remembered, and that scared me more than a name I recognized w

ask around. She came back that night look

keeping her voice low even though nobody else was

do the

se. That Damon found the body, and he was alr

"When exactly did

ted mate." Mara looked at me funn

I said. "It just

that when you ac

ar

ping it." She held he

nk y

ow. Don't get

ing out where I'm weak. "You know I'd help you with whatever this actually is, right

kno

ou, t

either, and she sighed li

oved the dinner up wasn't sent by Kellan. His advis

en find stuff

l it had cost her something to get that answer. "People tell you a lot if you

urpose. I sat with that thought a

on my door, way past midnight. Too la

nding there, pale, holding out a folded not

id. "The guy who dropped i

d he loo

he weird part. I couldn't even tell you his hair

myself, and he gave me a look like he agreed

ke your fath

ster than I meant it to. "

ft, and I stood there in the doorway a moment longer than I needed to,

out that. But my hands were alread

t know, were six words that fe

you rememb

in, and again, like the sixth time might make it m

over, and my whol

nce crest wax. Not the plain kind couriers use. The expensive kind. The kind that's kept locked in a cabinet ins

pped somewhere

ng outside the walls I was about to mar

der my mattress and

ard it. The door

whoever was doing it was t

nder my pillow and pressed

handle fini

e door

ven raise the blade. Quiet. Almost gentle. Cl

supposed to