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"Like I said, I don't knohat happened," I said softly, frustration getting the best of me I didn't want to explain my actions to them, I didn't want to admit aloud that I couldn't kill him, and worst of all I couldn't even bear to watch him suffer

"I need to know exactly what happened," Jericho said coolly

"Ok, it wasn't as easy as we thought it was going to be First of all," I lied, but pushed through the guilt, "there were Titans everywhere and Talbott was inside the room with him and Amelia was there And I didn't expect her to be there And I made a promise to Sebastian that I would kill her and then I was confused and then ic healed him and I couldn't stop it and then I had to just run and that's basically, the whole story," I ra cohesive sentences or even convincing lies I was a ht We will find another opportunity," Gabriel said soothingly and his words helped bring e of breakdown

"We have to; we have to find another opportunity I can't go on living with hiht’s failure onto Kiran

"Eden, have you ever killed a man before?" Gabriel asked, and his question felt unwarranted and unnecessary

"No, not co more was said the entire way ho protective spirit, but soered his quietude He was jealous His hope for the fall of the Crowned Prince went deeper than starting the monarchy over He hoped for the death of the despised bond that tied Kiran and I together I wondered for a moment if he kne hard it would be for me

"When e need to leave?" I asked as Gabriel parked in the underground parking lot hidden from the street and connected to the London flat

"Eden, you tell us," Jericho snapped "You're the one running this show"

"Damn it Jericho, what the hell is your proble out of the car after him

"My proble his sentence, he grunted and threw his hands up in the air "I was just hoping for a different outcoht We all were"

"Yes, we all were, including ht now Too many other emotions competed for odforsaken night back Believehere, if I hadn’t been so eager to be the one to kill Kiran, he would in all likelihood be dead by now I couldn't say that out loud, but the thought alone made me sick to my stomach, both because I wanted him completely out of my life and because a small part of me, a very small part of me, was thankful he wasn't

"And it'sonto be the leader of this rebellion, you have to act like it You can't justinto the London palace alone and then let so next You can't just pick and choose what suits you best whenever you want to! You have to be a leader all of the time, or none of the time, and you have to make up your ?" I was beyond angry by now "This ood guy, bad guy, covert ops, Jaht how to travel the world covertly, how to fly jets or even how to speak f-ing French fluently No, I was hidden away, and left in the dark, and now I' what the hell I'!"

We were to the apart either of us I had had enough, tonight wasworse I forced open the apartrily passed Titus and Sebastian sitting on the couch, watching TV calmly

I found a bedrooht never coo as you hoped they would?" I heard Sebastian ask and I forced myself to suppress a scream

I threw myself onto the soft double bed and pulled a pillow overout the sobbing hysteria caused by co face to face with Kiran

Nobody bothered me, nobody tried to knock on the door to see if I was Ok and that was how I preferred it Eventually, I found sleep I found the dark abyss of unconsciousness and hoped for the rest that had been beyond

----

I woke up screa I clutched at my throat; I was drenched in sweat and my pillows and blankets had all been tossed on the floor I couldn't stop the screa, I couldn't make my mouth close The dream felt so real, the es dian to disappear thewith sweat, rasped at the drea it into my consciousness but the pictures and scenes darkened and blurred Nothing substantial reh my door, in athletic shorts and disoriented He was rubbed at his eyes but his ht of me, alone and in my pajamas he relaxed a little

"Are you Ok?" he asked softly, walking over to the bed

"Yes, I think I a an askew pillow and putting it over s

"Was it a bad drea I still wanted to be iveness was not even in question

"I think so, I can't really reh," I ad his head againstcloser to his warize for ht pushing past the curtains and lighting the rooize for the twisted and distorted feelings I still felt for Kiran Asto destroy theht that Jericho had to suffer because of them