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"Just for a rabbedto casual y weather another contraction

Ryan touched Jared’s arh an entire city of shel s If she wants to breathe some fresh air after nearly sixty days in a cave, I say let her"

"You don’t have a say, so shut up," Jared said through his teeth

"I don’t either?" I said I hobbled toward the entrance slowly, but Jared matched every step

"Of course you do," he said "Justjust let ht They twitched every tiround "That’s the problem I can’t think in here I can’t breathe I can’t sleep I feel like I’an

"Shut the hel up!"

"Maybe we all need some fresh air," Bex said

With wide eyes, both Jared and Claire craned their necks at their little brother

Jared’s jaorked under his skin, and he struggled to relax enough to speak to me in a calm voice "Nina, for all we know the devil is up there

They wil stop at nothing now"

Ryan shrugged "Soet out of Hel "

The further we got to the entrance, the darker it becaht stands around the periht that at first, when they were all lit, it felt like day Now the shadows they cast were just another reminder of our prison

I rabbed my wrist "Maybe we should sedate her?"

I yankedainst my wil ! I know I sound crazy! I feel crazy! This place isme crazy! I don’t want to leave forever I justI just want a couple of ain"

Ryan appeared in front ofyourself all worked up," he said He spoke through nervous laughter, trying to lighten the mood "You need to take ayou stay, but maybe if you think about this a little more, you’l reconsider"

Jared looked to ht you were on h I’ve always been on your side"

"No one’s on my side No one hears me"

Ryan relaxed a bit "Just try to clear your head and think about it You’re not a prisoner here You’re here to keep the baby safe until it’s born"

I nodded "Okay, I’ve thought about it I can’t stand it anymore Who wants to have their baby in a too I have to go"

I made my way to the entrance that led to the stairs, but Jared stood ininto o upstairs, they’l kill you"

"But, weyouyou need to get me out of here, okay? I don’t want to be here any more"

Jared nodded, his voice low and calm "I understand As soon as the baby comes, We’ll leave I pro down my cheeks I took a step back "No No, I don’t want to have the baby here I can’t stay here another night Not another second"

"That’s a prize-winning freakout, right there," Kiri his attention toNot o to the bathroom alone or take a walk It was too much Too much

"You can’t make me stay here I can leave when I want"

"You’re right You can leave when you want, butI want you to stay The second you’re aboveground, Nina, you’l regret your choice Justtrust er Can you stay with er?"

Tiny twin rivers dripped from my jaw onto my dirty shirt I closedThe da It wouldn’t stop

"No," I whispered I ran for the door, and Claire and Jared grabbed th, I took one step after another, slowly but surely ainst s, grabbing both ofhis feet around them I could have broken free, but I didn’t want to hurt him I didn’t want to hurt any of theround, to breathe fresh air and feel the sun on my skin To hear my voice--just one time-- without an echo behind it

"Nina, look athis face in front of et yourself kill ed, and the baby wil die Do you hear , and ainst my husband My focus on survival, irrational or not, had become a monster

Claire and Bex took a step back with labored breath I’d given all three of them a run for their money

Jared stood and pul edhim walk into the toion

I bolted for the top of the stairs, shoving the altar out of the way I crawled out of the hole, squinting against the bright sun filtering in through the rotunda

I took a deep breath, letting the war in every bit before Jared dragged round After a few seconds, the war of the tomb surrounded me Jared had barely let me take an entire breath before he’d forced me to return