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Now Ava sat in Noelle’s car at the other end of the parking garage Shadows enveloped her The sun shone through the open pockets of concrete, lighting up the area behind and beside her, but even if a stray ray of light ed to sneak all the way to the car, the ere co UVA as curtains Which was necessary As the books stated, vampires possessed very sensitive skin, and blistered easily

After busting Noelle out of the hospital, Ava had refused to leave her side, keeping guard, ensuring Noelle re deal She was on the mend and steady on her feet For the most part And the cut in her side? Whatever Had worse

Where are you, Hector?

The conversation she and Ava had had just before she’d exited played through her mind

"Sure you want to do this?" Ava had asked "Because if you want to break up with hiot a wicked cool speech, only six words, and he’ll leave you alone forever"

Breaking up wasn’t on the uaranteed relationship ender "Tell ehter "I don’t want to be without him He’s mine My McKell I have to try and win hied together No ged hi He s

"I’d like to say I’m dismayed that you picked a human torch," Ava had said, "but honestly? I expected worse"

Yeah, Noelle had spilled about Hector’s ability He’d kinda let the rabbit out of the hat on that one, anyway Although things really were contained, the truth buried

"So what do you think your likelihood of success is?" Ava had asked next

"Darling, this is in the bag" Bravado, pure and simple She’d never been so unsure With his spine of iron, Hector rarely backed down froe’s only elevator, the one that led to and frohtened He stopped short when he spotted her, then squared his shoulders, pasted a scowl on his face, and kicked back intoyou You should feel proud I’ve never done this for anyone else, but you’ve ain"

"You should have stayed in bed, damn it"

Her heart drunored her confession Well, she’d just have to up the stakes "I came here to tell you that I want you I love you, and you need to deal with it" There Out in the open

She loved him All that he was, all that he would be Every obstinate, protective inch of him His power, his passion, his drive She loved him

Stunned disbelief, then a furious shake of his head "No I don’t need to deal with anything I quit AIR I’ you"

A move she hadn’t predicted Sickness churned in her stomach "I don’t care about the house I don’t care about as in it Don’t do this because you feel guilty Don’t do this because you’re scared"

He gave a bitter laugh as he scrubbed an ungloved hand over his face He’d taken the tilossy "Scared doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel, Noelle If you had been near me, you would have died Do you understand that?"

"We’ve been over this You could have, but you didn’t I could have, but I didn’t"

"That’s not good enough forfor him, for them, and he oh, so casually dismissed her She reached out to flatten her pal contact with him, any kind of contact, but he stepped away, out of reach

"Hector," she shouted, sto her foot in frustration "Don’t do this"

"I could feed you soh for you, say I’m still concerned about e about you," he said, broken, "but I won’t Even though I know you’d haul ass and never look back Thing is, I love you I love you so godda will change that Nothing Do you hear e beat through her dread and rallied her "Don’t do this, Hector Give us a chance Please"

You’re begging? Yes, and she didn’t care She just wanted hi with the need to accept "Go back to the hospital, Noelle There’s nothing more for us to say to each other"

"Hector, please--"

"Stop!" he shouted, at last killing the distance and getting in her face "Just stop Do I need to feed you the bullshit? Is that what it’s going to take? We are done Do you understand? Done"

In and out she breathed, the air like fire in her lungs, scorching As she’d feared, he wouldn’t back down He was ending things, and that was that He wasn’t going to try, wasn’t going to give her a chance Even though he loved her

"All right," she said, tears falling freely "Okay"

He’d never lookedher vertebrae, vibrating through the rest of her "I’ood I’ her strength

"Good," he croaked "That’s good"

Her chin lifted Don’t cry any cry anymore "If you learn to control your ability, don’t come back for me"

"I … won’t"

Bastard! "You should have wanted ht for you I mean, I convinced myself you were different than everyone else, that you really saw h, was it" A stateh"

He took a step closer to her now, as if her pain had reached hi else could have "Noelle, don’t say that about yourself You are--"