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"Is he paying theives a subtle nod I consider the dilemma for a moment, but there isn’t much to consider "Fine, I’ll keepelse out, before they actually arrest ratefully and lowers her hands to her lap "And I’ets up and wraps her arms around me

My eyes widen as I prepare myself, but her death never announces itself

She retreats for the doorway, telling Cao lay down, Cam I’m really tired"

She disappears out the doorway and I turn to Cameron

"So it still doesn’t explain how the cops found out where my car was," I say

"That’s a question I can’t answer for you" He rests his ar I can say is that there has to be someone else who knehere your car was"

Asher And perhaps the person as tailgating ht

"Did someone save you?" he wonders with accusation in his eyes "Or did you swim out of the car on your own?"

"I have excellent panic reaction skills" I get to et home It’s late"

He walks me to the door, but pushes it closed when I start to open it "Can I show you souy act is back, like e first met and had that briefly decent o upstairs with hie bed in the middle of the room, a tall dresser in the corner, and a door that extends to a s chair on it The walls are black and bare except for a white accent ith lines and lines of poetry scribbled on it

"Are they your words?" I ask, amazed, and he nods I walk up to the wall and read the poem that centers them all "In separate fields of black feathers, the birds fly Four wings, two hearts, but only one soul They connect in the middle, but are separated by a thin line of ash It’s what brings theether, yet rips their feathers apart They can never truly be together as light and dark Unless one makes the ultimate sacrifice, blows out their candle, and joins the other in the dark"

Cameron watches me with interest "So what do you think it ether," I say, runningthe words "Unless one died? But why? What makes the other one fly in the land of the dead?"

"That’s soure out on your own" He chips a flake of blood off my shirt "You should know that a poet doesn’t like to explain the ernail "Yeah, I understand that completely But you should know that, as a poet, I have a desire to understand words"

"You know," he steps closer, "we never got to go to that poetry sla back

"You’re the one that ran away" He places a hand on my wrist and tenderly traces it up toto make you jealous"

"Ca at the wall "You didn’t happen to see a black car with really tinted s up at the lake, did you?"

His fingers discover my collarbone and he traces circles overhappen with this car?"

A soundless sensation nu to him as his hand travels doard toward my chest But Asher’s face enters h his touch "I should get going "

His fingers drift down the front of my body as I turn to leave and he hitches the bottom of my shirt "You can stay here, if you want You can sleep in my bed" He raises his hand innocently "I promise not to touch you, unless you ask"

"Is that the sa you told Mackenzie?" I ask with an arc of rins, intentionally grazing his knuckles across my stomach "But I like that you care"

I waver back and forth between him and the door

"Come on, Ember," he coaxes in that voice that’s hard to resist as he yanks on my shirt and pulls me closer

I let hi what it would be like for him to thrust inside me Would it feel the same as with Asher? Or would he be different?

"Please stay with s and back away for the door "I’m sorry, Cameron, but I think you’re a little too irls say," he jokes, but there is a vast sea of pain in his eyes as he releases my shirt "Hold on I’ll walk you to the door"

Chapter 18