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His heart’s been torn out

A pair of headlights illu in our direction It looks like the Sentry guard has already been called to the scene

"Go It’s not safe here," I say to Ash

Ash takes one last lingering look at me, then disappears into the shadows

Back in sa pillow

"It’s my fault I told him to wait there If I hadn’t" My sentence is cut off by s in my ear Part ofhere with ates her motherly duties to the staff That’s all I am to her, another chore to be dealt with

"What’s worse is I’m almost relieved," I admit "That could’ve been Sebastian Is that terrible of me?"

She shakes her head "You care for hione on between you both"

There’s a knock at the door and Sebastian strides in, worry etched over his handsoht embrace and kisses my forehead

"I’ve spoken to your ht; we’ve agreed that I’ll be the only person protecting you from now on," he says

I expected as ht of that Darkling still out there, huntingI know Sebastian will never let it hurtus earlier"

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asks

"Yes, Malcolm sensed it I’m certain now it’s the same one who killed Truffles and stalked o out tonight? I should’ve turned back the instant Malcol I don’t understand what’s happening Why is that Darkling afterout its victims’ hearts?

"I want to be alone," I say

The instant they’re gone, I grab Ash’s jacket off the floor and wraphe were here with me I breathe in the scent of his jacket and my heart flutters

Blood Mate I’m his Blood Mate

The door opens, and Polly slips into the roos of scars down her face look stark in thehow she used to coot hurt

"I’veI don’t knohat to do Mother would kill me if she found out, and after what happened with FatherI just feel like I’ to be with Ash"

"You’re not betraying Father--you’re honoring his and humans to live as equals It’s what he died for," she whispers back

"But they’re so dangerous," I reply

"Is this boy dangerous?" she asks

"He’s my Blood Mate He’d never hurt me" I tell her about Ash’s heart and how I activated it "He’s not like those other Darklings He’s kind and generous, and he cares about me"

"It sounds like you knohat you want to do," she replies

"I’m scared," I admit

Polly squeezes my hand "Don’t live your life in fear If you want to be with hi around my head Be brave I’ll do ht for hiet our happily ever after Polly wraps her arm around me, and I’m soon asleep

I’m inside the red cave The walls around me pulse, and I finally understand why they feel so warm and sticky to the touch This cave isn’t h me Where am I?

The shaved-haired child stands in the center of the cave wearing nothing but a green sheet around his waist Lying by his feet are the corpses of Malcolm and Truffles Blood continuously seeps out of their bodies, filling the room until it sloshes around s his hands up to his face and starts crying, a horrific, chilling sound He slowly turns, his hands still obscuring his face So

I scream when I realize what it is

There’s a hole in his chest where his heart is meant to be

18

ASH

THE NEXT DAY IS TENSE I didn’t pick Beetle up on the way to school like nors, looking ht last night

He walks over to Day’s desk

"What are you doing?" she spits

"Sitting down?" he says

"Not next to ht, we kis--"

"Sshhh," she says, placing a finger to her lips "Nothing’s changed I can’t be with you Go away"

There go Beetle’s ears again, turning bright pink He scans the classroom for another place to sit There are only two other spaces available: one at the table beside irl named Annabelle, who looks at him like she’d rather vomit than have him sit next to her, and one next to me

He opts for?

I overhear Annabelle chatting to two girls in front of her

"I can get my hands on some of that Golden Haze for the party," she says quietly "You can buy it fros throb at the mention of Mr Tubs’s name He runs a Haze den in Chantilly Lane, and Linus used to work for him I’m surprised anyone would buy Golden Haze after Linus died, but then again, Hazers don’t really care about the risk; they just want to get high Besides, it’s not like everyone who takes the drug dies Otherwise, it wouldn’t have become so popular with the Hazers Linus was just unlucky

At that moment, Sebastian enters the classroom, followed by Natalie My heart somersaults Her lips flicker into a smile, but she quickly hides it Sebastian leads her toward Day’s desk