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"So" My voice sounded hoarse "How do you like it here so far?"

There were probably a thousand other things I could have said--including spitting out the truth--but I didn’t kno to tell him I needed him to look at me, even if all he saas Lila

"It’s nice, thank you," he said When it becaathered e and sat on the couch near him I was teether inLila’s uppity accent so I sounded like myself He froze "Could you please look at me?"

When he did, his eyes were rimmed with red "I’m sorry, Miss Hart I don’t mean to be rude You reer I waited to tell hiry with me when I finally confessed He was obviously upset, and this wasn’t a game

"I reirlfriend, and she disappeared on her seventeenth birthday"

Benjy looked away "She didn’t disappear She was killed"

I set my hand on his arm "No, she wasn’t"

"Yes, she was," he said, but he didn’t move away from me

"No," I repeated softly "I wasn’t"

My heart hammered as I waited for him to react He was still for several seconds, and the silence overwhel if we both stayed quiet Maybe he hadn’t heard ht

"Benjy, please I know I look like Lila, but it’s me"

He jerked away as if I’d burned him "Don’t," he said sharply "I don’t kno you know about her, but if this is so my hands to myself "Listen to me--I don’t kno much time we’ll have before Knox comes back or someone else shows up, so please let id and his expression guarded Taking his silence as per that had happened since the night of ht me and offered me a VII, how they’d killed Tabs and Masked iven me, what Elsewhere was and how Daxton had forcedexcept the deal I’d made with Celia and what had happened at the club with Knox

By the ti at his hands

It took him several moments to speak, and when he did, it was in a shaky voice, as if he was struggling to keep hi the truth?" he said

"How do I know this isn’t some prank?"

I bit my lip The dozen different ways I’d come up with to prove who I was vanished, and all I could think about was that day at the market after I’d been ave me a present," I said "It was a purple flower fro perfuave up, like nition in his eyes, and I pushed on

"The first time you kissedto teach me how to read for the zillionth ti to show me how the patterns in the letters formed words You were so excited when I read it back to you that you kissed me" I smiled faintly at the memory "It wasn’t until you tried to shoith another book that you realized all I’d done was memorize the first one when you read it to me"

To my relief, Benjy srin Instead, like everything else about him, it was pained "That wasn’t the first time we kissed," he said

"No, but it was the first time you kissed me instead of the other way around"

He turned away and wiped his eyes with his sleeve I heard a strange choking sound, and when he finally faced

"Kitty," he whispered "This isn’t possible"

Everything inand never let go, but I didn’t Not yet "I’ everything I do, and--and I knew you’d see Lila instead of ize," he said, and he brushed his fingers against my cheekbone, an inch from my eye "I see you now"

I let out a soft sob "I’ve missed you"

Benjy wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest No one had heldbad that had happened in the pastwas all right again

I don’t knoho kissed who first, but even though they weren’t my lips anyer to his kiss that was new, but everything else about it was distinctly Benjy That moment of pretend in the club with Knox had been hot, but this--I was houiltily

Expecting Knox, I looked over Benjy’s shoulder, but when I saas standing there, I paled

Celia

"I see you’ve told hi a chill downto reassure him

"Knox said I could If you have a problem with it, take it up with hi inside and closing the door "In fact, I’hted to meet you, Benjy I’ve heard quite a lot about you frohtened

"It’s a pleasure, s"

"Of course," said Celia "I’s to tell I also hear you’re quite trustworthy--is that true?"

"Yes," I said flatly "He kno dangerous it’ll be if anyone finds out he knows"

"Good I’m pleased you both understand what’s at stake" She focused on ive you two another moment, and once you’re finished, you co I’d like to discuss with you"

I nodded weakly A discussion with Celia right now couldn’t be a good thing