Cursed to love you

ed him, I screamed so lou

time-I reac

r. But out of

ng

-

dy slams in

aphorically. Literally-its form is made of smoke and

ws again, silve

do

girl with fire in her palms and blood on her lips-is w

ngers

lit a match u

en-the

at Lucien turns. It

ries

Too many teeth

st," it says. "That's go

ht, blood trailing from hi

It grins. "You should know b

again-but this tim

his hand came from nowhere. One swing and the th

growls at

n't move

I know t

ature's

is life. Fr

all o

-

er and it dissipates into dust-we sit in the ruins of the chape

uised and br

shak

reme

thing. Ju

er it. The smoke-creature. T

sper. "In dreams. In fire. I

a Shade. They're not fully alive

smoke and mu

h wo

h his hair. Silver st

stop the

n't. No

Why show me this if I'm

e snaps. Then softer: "

arms aro

you," I sa

s very

o you r

n a tower during a thunderstorm. Carrying me when

eyes like it physi

u always fai

once.

-

n start

e edge of Greyhaven. Luc

s flicker for no reason. Even when the win

or, I tu

going to c

es

p showing up like a d

me a tiny s

waiting for them to kill me and sta

like I've said som

"You sound li

er

he original. The

the rain, vanishing

-

n't

re

again. And this time, I

ime, I

centur

rp enough to slice. A girl who burned down a

e he

r

orig

the one wh

ster. Not

wo

Smiling like she already

nd whispers somethin

h

the sound of

om the

ide my a

ne's

ave time

one Lucien gave me. The one that somehow

ip i

world.

loods m

es through

oor to my bedr

ot af

e I re

er how t

se my

r steps int

s not a

s h

man in

who cu

sm

e back,