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“What? I’ry,” I said

He shook his head atbeneath the table so I shifted my body until our knees were in contact Aleks actually let out a little gasp before he caught himself

In all seriousness, I murmured, “Some choices you have to live with But others,” – I e your mind on as many times as you want” I waited until I was sure he’d heard ether, take five minutes or five hours to choose – you’ve ain, then pulledback so I wouldn’t overwhelm him

He was quiet for a long tiht I’d royally fucked up – that I’d somehow undermined him But when the waitress passed us, he softly called out to her If that h to shock me into silence, his next words did the trick

“Excuse me, I saw that you have chocolate lass of that?” Aleks’s gaze shifted to me as he quietly added, “It’s my favorite”

The waitress nodded and left, and I quickly turned my attention to scan the other patrons of the diner so I wouldn’tman across from me uncoe to keep lass in a few large gulps And when he hesitantly asked the waitress for another, I barely suppressed a smile

It was a tiny step forward, but what a great fucking step

No the hell did I make sure he had a ether? And how the fuck was I going to keep hih tomore?

Chapter 6

Aleks

It was the ical question on the planet

Where are we going?

But I was afraid to ask it And not only becausequestions was forbidden – but also because I didn’t want to know the answer

It was the coward’s way out, to just remain silent But it hat it was

I was a coward Always had been

Even when I’d been little and long before I’d been taken, I’d hidden away fros my father had said to Dante, for all the names he’d called him, I’d never once spoken up forDante that Papa rong in other ways, but I’d never stood in front of my father and told him not to talk to Dante that way On the rare occasions Papa had yelled or Mama had been disappointed into be okay If the shadows ontook on the form of monsters or I heard a noise in the darkened house in the ht or one of the boys in my class called me a nah one to Dante No , he’d either made room for me in his bed or he’d taken me by the hand to check all the corners and closets in the apartment or warned my tormenters to leave me alone