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"I love you, Lilac" His voice is soft, intent "I love you, and I should’ve told you before you--"

I listen to the way his voice catches, feeling the break in it deep in my own chest I close my eyes

"You’re my Lilac"

I shake my head, find my voice "I don’t knohat I am or why I’m here, but until I do, I’ll do what she would’ve wanted Which is to get past that door, power the signal, and get you ho without you"

"My father is a powerful h to bury an entire planet Hehere, and if someone else is the one to discover what’s happened here--you think they can’t bury us? I was dead…you think they’re going to just let me walk back into a normal life?"

Tarver’s jaw clenches "They’ll never find out what happened here We’ll lie"

I stare at hi "Tarver," I breathe "You can’t lie They’ll know They’ll run tests on me and find out They’ll court-"

He watches me calmly Now that he’s made up his h nothing else matters He looks so tired If only he would sleep

"She loved you so"I wish you could have heard it froed for bed and he’s cleaned up the few dishes froain He stands in the dooratching ht

"Do you really i here if they come for me?" he asks

"No But I know I’ ht et past that door and do what they’ve been trying to get us to do all along Without you here there’s no reason for theht outside, trying not to let hiine ine o, Tarver You can’t…"

"I can’t what?" His voice is lower, tightly controlled I’ve never heard hi the door frarip white-knuckled, every host"

For long moments he’s quiet and still, the silence drawn between us as tightly as a wire At any moment it will pull me from my spot at theand draw me toward him at last

I can’t keep this up

But he breaks first, and vanishes frory and quick, crunching over the debris in the ht The tension drains and I findforce, ile and paper-thin now I can barely su myself to the bed