Page 14 (1/2)

I’d never met anyone who’d been in a relationship like this

He tilted his head at h spilled fro?"

"Good, pequeña," he said "Do you believe a heart can be big enough to love two?"

"I know for a fact that it can" The Lovers--for all their disgusting faults--could detect as in a person’s heart Mine was divided evenly "I’ht now, of course I was crazed to bring hiued orry about Aric too Though his arhed so little, it would have to hinder hi back in tiht be pulling his leg "Truly?"

I nodded "Jack and Aric"

"So now you will be with Aric?"

"It’s complicated" One of azed into the fire "I loved the his face, he said, "Beatrice was this warel with a backbone of steel She volunteered at the hospital each Monday, reading to kids with cancer She was brave and helped theainstscary movies" His eyes watered He didn’t see his chest, as if he could still feel her "Joe was an ex-linebacker, law student He planned to be a big-shot lawyer--but he couldn’t knot his tie I had to do it for his for the past ot themhurt"

Chills tripped up my back "I don’t understand"

"It happened on Day Zero The three of us, business partners as well, were in a base up for a rave I neededtheo" His expression was stark "I sent them outside of a perfect shelter--just in tier cage Oh, dear God, those creatures were his girlfriend and boyfriend Joe, the law student, and Bea, the hospital volunteer They stared at nothing, cracked lipssoundlessly

I’d threatened them No wonder Sol had freaked out In hismy mom’s injury But I’d rarely stopped to think that they’d once been people

Maybe Sol wasn’t evil Yes, he delighted in blood-sport contests But if I lost Jack and Aric, I would do far, far worse

Sol’s troubled gaze rested on Bea and Joe "While I was alone down in the base, and passed out for whattheir way back inside They attacked ine how horrific that must have been To see loved ones turned?

"Understand me: I would have died before I hurt them I resisted, but I couldn’t hit them Then, as I told you, they obeyed an to suspect that the Flash had created countless legions like theed, and I saw all the world was broken"

I recalled my first look around after the apocalypse If I hadn’t had lanced at the Baggers again No--not in his mind

"Empress," Sol murmured, his brows drawn "Do you think Bea and Joe could ever turn back?"

Never Their bodies were too daone But I said, "Maybe none of this is permanent, Sol Maybe they’ll co right now"