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"You control whether they get hurt, you understand?"

"Yes," I said He grippedfor the as they would be okay Even this "I’ll do it"

Jude sliced the duct tape from my feet and my wrists He held me by the waistband of my jeans, just the way he used to

"Give hts were a roar I could barely stand His blade touched the inside ofa vein Then it bit into my skin I cried out

"Quiet"

The blood welled and flowed and the coppery scentmy wrist, not deep Then handed me the blade

"Cut deeper, exactly where I cut Then your other hand Don’t forget what I’ll do to Joseph"

But the line was horizontal

Not vertical

Not fatal

My heart soared for all of a second

Until I looked back at Jude and realized--

He knew

53

JUDE DIDN’T WANT TO KILL ME HE WANTED soine as I freed the blood fro with the salt of the water beneath us, around us, in front of us Jude stood in front ofashes onand weak and I let out a lohimper

"Hello?"

My head snapped up at the same time as Jude’s My vision blurred--frohter shape approached us

I tried to screa came out I eak and scared and I could barely see and I couldn’t even cry out for help

Jude let go of one are hand "Don’t even think about it" He took the blade from me, hid it, and shifted hioing on over here?"

Thelouder Closer I heard rushed footsteps clap on the wood to ’s fine," Jude said calasp "Oh ’s under control," Jude said, turning on the full force of his charm He was transformed--I could hear it If I didn’t know about the rot inside, it would have reminded me why I was attracted to hied--imbued with authority

"Did you call an ambulance?"

I tried to speak, to form words, but I had no voice

"They’re on their way," Jude said

My vision cleared a bit asat his hip "I can have the shifted beneath Jude’s expression He withdrew the box cutter and my mind roared with terror The cop had just turned on his radio when Jude flicked the blade open

Theto filet him open He twisted the box cutter in his hand just as the cop lunged for it

And then Jude stabbed hi