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"Was it bad?" I whisper, ihthtmare I’ve ever had Even worse than after hten I spread h his sweat-daers

"Did I tear your beating heart fro not to cry

He lifts his head to look down at me "What?"

"In your dream Did I kill you and eat your heart?"

His head falls back onto the h "You tearing out htainst his chest His hand h it "Fiona Look atin his voice--I knohat he’s about to say is monumental I braceyou to the lab" His ar off the bed

"You’re not?" I ask, sitting, wondering if I heard hiether But you have to pro in un with you And you always keep one bullet in the ht, you use it On yourself Can you agree to that?"

I stare at his black silhouette "Yes," I whisper

"I’un" Heand zipping the backpacks And then he is beside the bed His hand finds lows, showing that it is 2:08 a his watch

"Put your shoes on and leave them on, even if you sleep If you have to run, you won’t have ti theo If I’hly twenty-nine hours froet you to the lab"

His words jolthappens to you and you die?"

"Yeah, soht shining in through theand pulls off his shirt Taking the Kevlar vest from the floor, he zips it around his chest, and then puts his shirt back on Next, he places so on the bed beside me I reach out and feel dense, heavyyour rifle? But what if--"

His fingers cover my lips "Fo Keep yourself safe I have my Taser I’ll be fine," he whispers

I back away from his hand "But what if you’re not?" I cry

He turns and walks away, and I can practically see the dark shadow of deathon his heels Before he can open the hotel roomy arainst his shoulder His arms encircle me and squeeze

"Fo, I’ll coainst hio His hand findsover my wet cheek "Tears? For me?" he whispers

I can’t speak--just stare at his shadowed face

"Fiona, I …" His fingers slide to the nape of my neck Our noses bu his sentence better than any words could have His hands pullon top of mine My mouth ainst his My salty tears otten

I push my hands under his backpack and run the Kevlar vest, up to his shoulders, and slip theroans, and his hands pull against the small of my back Beneath his sleeves, I trace his muscles, find the teeth-mark scar and freshly scabbed bullet wound, and Bowen pulls his asps He rests his forehead on mine and frames my face with his hands They s crea unspoken I find his lips with mine, as if I’ve kno to kiss le in my butchered hair I taste Bowen and fresh tears, yet I’ I take my hands from his shoulders and press the over his cheeks, down to our ainst ainstover his hair

"It’s okay, Dreyden," I whisper "It’s going to be okay" My words make his body shake

He pulls away and peers down atmore than a silhouette in the darkness "No, it’s not okay," he says, voice ragged "In ht, you were captured by raiders And nomyself to kill you They …" He takes a deep breath and pulls ht fro body I would rather die a thousand times at your hands than see you captured Even if you eat my heart Because you already own it"