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Maddie has been waiting for us here, s Over the noise Gabriel is asking me what authorities the alarod, sohn to come and punish the offenders

"None," I say "No one is co The alarm is meant to wake theering Greg, who is in his oay just as gone as his wife They are the keepers of their own little restaurant The only ones who can protect it Just as Rowan and I were the only ones who could protect our ho we placed in our kitchen

Everyone wants to defend what belongs to them I must have said that last part out loud, because Gabriel ansith "Not well enough" and opens his fist to show reen bills

Gabriel I didn’t think he had it in hiht have been unhappier about the fact that he stole fro’s hand on

"It should be enough for bus fare," Gabriel says, after the restaurant is behind us "So you won’t have to hide in the back of another truck"

It would have been easier for hi in the back of a truck, in the cool darkness But he did this forto that dark place and knows I don’t care to relive it I feel a wave of so I can’t explain, but it makes me happy and weak and nauseous at the sa knows that nobody has broken into his restaurant, of course, and he’s in no condition to chase after us If he even wants to

We walk along a rocky paved road that takes us downhill and into a sleeping town lit only by dull streetlights All of the houses seeood shape, their yards not overrun eeds or covered in dirt This just reaffirenerations make up the population I use that to convince asp when a car passes us, and Gabriel asksI assure him I’m fine

"I’?"

"Tired Not so bad" He stoops to pick up Maddie, who is dragging her feet, but she resists, and he lets her carry on

"Anysnakes in the shadows"

Snakes In the worst of hn always becahn than anything else There was one tihn, Linden,a hurricane I’d started falling asleep, and as Vaughn spoke in the distance, he transfor as a snake but still unsettling And every ti down hn has never see about this, we find the bus station It’s one of the few buildings still lit I don’t think about what could be in the shadows, and Gabriel says nothing of what he sees lurking in them I admire him for that

In the mansion he was meant to be subdued And he followed the rules, ranht wrappers of the June Beans he brought hthouse in the hurricane I always kneas stronger than he had cause to be in that place

And now that we are stepping into the bus station, the neon lights remind ure it’s the least I can do to read the glowing map on the wall and find the fastest route out of here "You should sit down and try to eat soies in Lilac’s bag"

"Kettle thingies," Gabriel says wryly "Yuo Rather, he watches reen line on thehirandeur--that there was still hope for the world

"Why aren’t you resting?" I say

"Why aren’t you?"

"What?" I say "Me? I’ to focus on the city na they all look the sa at

Gabriel puts his hand on my shoulder "Rhine," he says "You’re not okay Just ad once I’ve said the word I s hard, take a deep breath as he turns ht Really I just need to think"

He pushes the hair froentle, and I feel so sad all of a sudden I put ive way, but it doesn’tainst his neck, and I can feel the sweat, taste his fever, the sickness seeping out of hi hi And those areht against my ear so that the words tickle and buzz "It’s okay I won’t let anyone touch you like that ever again I won’t Not ever again"

"Gabriel--" My voice is a whi for ht try to slither up between the hold we have on each other Maybe he’s still seeing snakes

I sob And when the tremor rattles from my body to his, there is true pain in his voice "I know, Rhine, I know"