Page 22 (1/1)

I wasn’t sure ere going to do with him now, if we couldn’t cure hi We had to stay opti that e Make the best of what you have, and never let your circuive that kind of advice froh the mill unlike anyone else I knew in The Shade, and that was really saying soiven the history of this island

Once bedtih not without taking one last look at our new gyut twisted as I made my way to the hospital the next day I felt nervous about seeing hi outside his door, I pressedcautiously I heard the faainst porcelain I knocked three ti up in bed, eating breakfast It was so He did not see the day, and breakfasts appeared to be the only meal that he wanted to eat Perhaps his body just did not burn enough energy for hi bue around hi Shayla had been able to cure

Our eyes lanced away But not so quickly that I did not notice the slight flush in his cheeks

As I approached his bed, he sed and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I… I’m sorry for my behavior yesterday I did not wish to upset you"

"It’s okay," I said

An aard pause followed I foundit

"Does your head feel coht… Enough beating around the bush "After you’ve eaten, I have a surprise for you"

His eyes htly "Surprise?" he asked "What do you mean?"

"It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you," I replied

He finished the last of his soup, and when he confirmed that he was full, I helped hi him with blankets, I pushed him out of the hospital I pushed hih it er to arrive at our destination

I sensed his wonderment as we reached the borders of the Residences, and he let out a breath as he realized that I was approaching the elevator leading up to one

"You’re going to take aze up at the treetops

"Yup This is where I live" I felt a sense of pride as I said the words Even though I had lived in this penthouse since birth, I hadn’t lost sight of the fact that ed My parents hadstandards that most of the world was subjected to

I wondered where Josh had been brought up I wished that I knehere he had been plucked froland, but that seemed kind of an odd place to kidnap someone from when there were far closer countries to the portal IBSI had located that led to The Woodlands Why not just find someone from the Philippines? If they had wanted to experiment on a half-blood, they could’ve easily created one from scratch We knew for a fact that they had a stock of imprisoned supernaturals in their custody--va trouble for humans, or so they claimed My own mother had once been taken by them to one of their research centers She had witnessed firsthand themyself back to the present, I pushed the button in the elevator We ascended to the veranda that lined our apart my surprise, since he seeive him a little tour of our apart roo hi inside, I realized that, apart from Benedict and ht a boy in here Now that I had, I felt painfully aware of how girly it was and frankly… juvenile My shelves were still filled with keepsakes from my childhood, silly trinkets and plastic toys, but mostly fluffy animals I used to collect them… when I was nine

I was about to clarify thata much-needed clear-out when Josh’s lips curved in a sey, a stuffed elephant almost the size of my desk chair, sluhed "Uh… How old are you?"

Oh, man Here comes the humiliation…

"I’

At least his mood had lifted, even if it was at ripped the handles of his chair and backed him out of the room, even as my cheeks heated to a rosy red "Well, while we are on the subject of age," I said, "you really have no idea how old you are?"

There was a pause, then he said, "Eighteen" As my eyes widened, he clarified, "I’hteenth birthday It’s just a feeling"