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"I’ve never been in the Garden of Strategy before," I said, strolling over the squares of rass, patterned like a chessboard

"Elysium has one just like it," Jason said

"Did anyone ever hold a ga ruins of stone pawns and knights, their cracks bleeding vines and aze ahead of us We strolled along, quiet then, until we reached the end of the manor, just below his room and, above that, htly to the side to catch his thoughtful gaze

"What is it, Jase?"

"Can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure We could go to the Garden of Lilith," I suggested "The guards aren’t allowed in there"

He looked over his shoulder to Blade, standing in the shadows, playing with his phone, not too concerned about ere doing or saying "I’d rather go soo"

"Where?"

"Up" He grabbedme with him I felt his arms wrap my waist and barely had tih the openand into his room

"Jerk!" I shoved him when he released hed and wandered over to light a lantern The rooolden fla the lantern on his blanket box "Coht on his hand; he

"I’et in trouble now, you know You should have told onna do that," I said

"Why? Then Blade could’ve stopped us"

"Exactly" I folded my arms

"Don’t do that" He shoved his hand between the fold and pushed them down "You know damn well you would have come anyway, if I asked you"

I smirked at his smirk "Okay Fine I would But, just tellto hoist " He laid back on the bed, his hands behind his head

I could s up from the heat under his shirt, and I wanted to lay on his chest and sniff hieously human

"You like human?" he said

"Stay out ofht by his ribs In truth, I didn’t really want him to stay out of my head; I liked it I s had becohts and emotions to him now

"So, he can’t read youron projecting thoughts, and I could so sex, "--but I can’t really control it yet"

"Maybe I can help you" He rubbed the side ofup a little "I’m kind of an expert"

"It’s not really that ied one shoulder, looking around his rooathered things frolove and ball on his drawer top, his wallet on his nightstand, a gold-tri of what I assumed was Arietta, and a pair of jeans, a shirt and two socks on the floor by the foot of his bed It seelanced over at the stack of books on the wooden table by the fireplace, sitting under his Yankees cap, but couldn’t make out the titles on the spine I wondered if he sat up late reading theht?"

"Sure Anything"

"What are your night but that," he said dis at the bedpost

"Why?"

"I…" He shut his uess I don’t really want to let you in to that part of myself, Ara"

"What part? And why?"

"I’m not really sure how to describe it"

"Well, what, like, the deeper part of you--your ehed "No, you’re already in there"

"Well, can you try to explain it to me?" I touched his hand "I actually just want to help"

"You can’t help"

"Why?"

"Because unless you can cure guilt, then I just have to let this run its course"

"Guilt?" I closedback to that cell, where he beat s I had scars fros on that list, Jase, that--"

"Ara, please?" He shut his eyes tight

"No I want to know"

"To knohat?"

"Did you erase anything--of what you--"

"Ara" He held his hand up "Don’t ask me that"

"Why?"

"Because, if I lie, you’ll know, and if I tell you the truth, you’ll pester ive in And I can’t, sweet girl I can’t tell you, and I find it really hard to resist you when you bug s?"

He shook his head to hi the shadow of his nose, down the underside of his arhts flashed to the scar I had on the base ofabout but would never tell me, and with that, caht

"How did you see that?" he asked, startling me with the sudden panic in his tone

"See what?"

He sat up and grabbed my face "That dreaht?"

"Yes"

"I…I dreauess," I said sarcastically