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"Nina!"

I walked out of the bases felt like they were getting air I noticed another, newer,down the hal , and cal ed hihts in the file room need attention Cal maintenance and have the bulbs replaced or repaired immediately, and please help Sasha hatever she needs You’l find her at the end of the third aisle And do not, under any circumstances, leave her alone"

The intern froith confusion "Y-yes,across his face

"Wel ? Go"

He nodded, hastilyhis way down the hal to the file room, and I paused, disturbed by the distinct Cynthia-like tone in my voice just then

I rushed up the stairs, squinting froh the s of the lobby When I made it to the Escalade, Jared watched me warily

"Was there a problem?" he said

I took his hand "They were in there"

"Who?"

"They, Jared," I sighed I put ers "I could feel them" Jared was quiet, so I peeked up at him He seemed confused "You couldn’t feel them?"

"What makes you think they were there?"

"I was creeped out, for one I’ve been around theh to knohat it feels like when they’re around Sasha was down there crying; negative energy in the air; it was cold"

Jared’s mouth pul ed to one side "That doesn’t necessarily hed, irritated, "this one time, trust me I’m not a Hybrid, but they were in there Not many, but I could feel them"

"But… I couldn’t feel them It doesn’t make sense that you could and I couldn’t"

I shook ht for a moment "Could you sense me?"

"Yes You were just fine"

"I was not just fine I genuinely believed so was about to attack me You didn’t sense that?"

Jared shifted to face me, his face darkened with concern "You were afraid" His tone was more of a statement than a question

"My adrenaline was about to shoot through htened?"

Jared eyes bounced around the cab of the Escalade as his mind tried to work out the details of this new develop it welHe faced forward, and shoved the gear in drive

"Jared," I said,It didn’t work

He slaear back into park, and his hand flew to his head He hit the steering wheel "Just when I think I’ets thrown at ure it out" I reached to touch his ar wheel "How can I keep you safe fro your shadow if I can’t trust my senses? If I don’t have any to trust?" His eyes were desperate

"So be hed once, and then shook his head "I can’t go to class with you I can’t fol ow you around Titan, Nina"

"You can be within earshot You said it yourself You can hear h the crowd at the Superbowl"

Jared nodded, putting the gear into drive once otiated the one-way streets of don Providence without effort, and then pul ed next to the curb behind Andrews HalHe opened estured for ?"

"I’ot a feeeks left I’ll wait for you in the hal way"

"Do you real y think that’s necessary?"

"I’e in the few seconds it would takeable to sense when so closer than not"

I thought athat was safer for Bean had to be the right answer

The last feeeks of school came and ithout incident Jared stood in the hal way during my classes, and joined me, Beth and Chad for lunch Without Ryan around, Josh found another table, and Kiry with Jared to tolerate him

The crisp air was just a memory by the time my junior year at Brown ended The Main Green bustled with students whoclass h

Before the last stragglers ate, Beth, Chad, Jared and I walked to Col ege Hil to beat the rush Beth prattled on about her fa her and Chad to visit over the suested traffic She had become a true East Coast woman

Even her accent had diminished She sounded more like Ryan than her fa Beth’s arht ould revisit the place of our first date"

Beth slipped , I tossed it to Jared I loved throwing things at hiht them It had become our little inside joke

"What’s this?"

"Your birthday present"

"It’s my birthday?"

"It’s the ninth, isn’t it?" I said with a rin "I wanted to surprise you"

"Then I guess it is," he said He kissed my cheek, and then pul ed on the ribbon "A book?" He thues "A blank book?"

"A journal You were down to the pages of yours, and I thought it would be a good time to start a new one"

Jared’s eyes turned soft, and he took me into his arms "It is the perfect tihed "I rehts lost in the sweet, mysterious first days of my relationship with Jared

"Coin the at with the smel s of su faces of students more animated They would all embark on vacations, travel home, or spend their summer break on the beach or by the pool I wouldto land punches on brother-in-law, or watching Jared read over the Naissance de Demoniac The beach sounded much better

Jared stopped in his tracks

"Oh, no," Beth breathed, looking up at the building that was once Blaze

I glanced at her, and then fol owed her gaze "Shanghai? I thought you said you wanted to go to Blaze?"