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"That doesn’t give ht to break his daive you the right to try to make s to do, playinganyone" He hurried to catch up, and I refused to look at hi this for fun, Kate

You’re the one who invitedtime with you And because I wanted to help you see what you’d beif you decided to come back You can’t yell at me for that--I behaved No matter how badly I wanted to kiss you, I never did"

"Don’t say that" I spun around, and he ca intoto cheat on Henry no matter what season it is, and I don’t care how e"

"What if things never get better?" said James "What if Henry never loves you the way you deserve? What happened to Persephone…I don’t want to see you repeat her h that kind of pain--you or Henry both He’s set in his ways, and he’s never going to change There’s no sha--"

"Just because we have sohed "All I’ is that you have a choice, Kate Understand that, please, and don’t go running in the direction of Henry because you think you can f ix him"

"I’m not," I snarled "I’m with him because I love him"

"Then it shouldn’t be too hard for you to ht I was going to proh "Think about the possibility of living your own life instead of the life Henry and the rest of the council want you to live--and I don’t ine what it’ll be like if Henry never loves you like you love hi ho else than spend time with you Because like it or not, if you stay, that’s a possibility

And in return, I’ll stop badgering you" I openedcame out Instead my eyes welled up, and before I could stop led and thick and completely out of my control "You really think it’ll be like that? You think he doesn’t love me?" James pursed his lips and reached out to touch me, but I pulled back "He loves you, but yes, it’s a possibility he’ll never be there for you the way you want him to be There’s a risk that this time around, you’d be Henry and he would be Persephone"

So I would be the one left yearning for someone who didn’t wanthe was, that I had a pocketful of f lowers to prove it, but I couldn’t Henry could send h presents to f ill the Underworld a hundred times over, and it would never be a substitute for his touch For the feel of his arms wrapped around me like Adonis had wrapped his around Persephone

"All I’ is that you really think about whether or not this is the life you want," said James softly "If you decide you’d rather not, no one can force you And I’ that you spend your life with me, either I just don’t want you to be tied down to someone who doesn’t appreciate you the way you deserve to be You should be the one in control of your destiny, Kate, not any of us And especially not Henry"

I clutched my pile of sticks to my chest and said around the lu like that, okay? Please Not when Henry isn’t here to defend hih for ether and squared my shoulders Henry would have a fair shot He would have a chance to prove Jauht again

"Did you at least tell Henry nothing happened in Greece?" I said, pleased the edge in my voice was back I could break down another time

His silence was all I needed to hear With aof apologies Ja as Henry wanted me, I would reether was a chain to hi I could do was set him free At the same time, my mother’s expectations were a heavy burden fortile person; it was entirely possible that Henry had the same reservations that held him back And if he really did believe that Ja our trip to Greece, then that was the f irst thing I’d have to set right the moment I had a chance

Either way, I loved Henry Maybe one day he would believe that

When I reached camp, I dropped my sticks into the center and sat heavily down on a tree stued the kindling into another teepee, he started the f ire It would be impossible to sleep with the sounds of the carnival in the background, but Persephone didn’t see, I supposed

Ava and Persephone continued to bicker, but Ava at least see, and after another round of retorts, she quit Persephone tried to egg her on, but once it became clear Ava wasn’t in the mood, Persephone sat on the tree stump next to mine and sulked