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"A friend’s His name is Marron"

"Why are you here, Scire? You think you can help ive hiht, Perry saw that Cinder had dropped his head into his hands His te cool and dark, until it was a blackness so coan to pound There was so familiar about it About a temper like this

"You should’ve just left me Didn’t you see what I am?" The boy’s voice broke, and then Perry heard soft whi in his throat, keeping still and quiet on the cot as salt mixed with all the scents in the room Slowly, he told himself This boy had a rip in him A wound that ran soul deep Perry knehat that was like This would take tiers?"

Perry looked down at his hand "Not oes down, I think"

Cinder let out a moan "I could have killed you"

"You didn’t"

"But I could have! It’s just in et hurt and die and I did it I don’t want to be like this" Cinder buried his face as he fell into harsh, raw sobs "Get out Please go"

Perry didn’t want to leave hi Cinder was filled with shame If he stayed there now, Cinder would never look hiain And he wanted that He needed to talk to this boy again Perry slid off the cot onto weary legs

He would go for now, but he would return

Chapter 23

ARIA

"Aria?"

Aria pushed herself out of the deepest sleep she’d ever been in She blinked until the blurriness cleared

Perry sat at the edge of the bed "I’m here Marronhe said to tell you"

She knew he’d gotten there safely She’d been with Marron when Slate caain by relief "You took so long I thought the Croven had gotten you"

His eyes glinted with a so well"

She smiled When Slate had shown her to the bedrooet off her feet until Perry’s hand was treated But she’d had no hope of staying ahen she saw the bed

"You’re all right?" she asked Mud crusted to the side of his jaw His lips were dry and cracked, but she didn’t see any new injuries "How’s your hand?"

He lifted his arers to his elbow "It’s soft inside and cool They gave me some pain medicine, too" He smiled "Works better than Luster"

"What about Cinder?"

Perry looked down at his cast, his grin fading "He’s in the medical ward"

"Do they think they can help hi about hio see hihed and rubbed tiredly at his eyes "I couldn’t leave him out there"

"I know," she said She couldn’t either But she also couldn’t deny the danger in bringing Cinder around other people He was a boy, but she’d seen what he did to Perry’s hand

Perry tipped his head to the side "I gave Marron the S it He’ll let us knohen there’s news"

"We made it, ally," she said

"We did" He srin she’d only seen a few ti, with a hint of shyness It showed a whole part of hi, she looked down and saw that they were on the same bed Alone

He tensed like he’d just noticed the saaze flicked to the door She didn’t want hirit of anger between them Without any help fro that cahtly "Downstairs I can go get him--"

"NoI just wondered if he’d made it back safe"

It was too late He’d already reached the door "Not a scratch on hio pass out somewhere," he said, and left

For a few moments, she stared at the spot where he’d been Why had he hesitated? What had he wanted to say?