EY'S

my nose. It was so strong th

. Only one opened. My l

blinding pain tore through my ribs. I choked back a scream.

ing. My hands trembled. I looked down

blo

The dirt in my mouth. The sound of the crowd

ted to hurt me. He

, idiot," a

metal tray. He was wipin

I asked. My voi

r tossed the bloodied cloth into the bin. "And a deep cut b

sc

face. My fingers brushed aga

bered h

e eye.

red. He had wan

to let them fall. I wasn't going to cry ove

he?" I w

cleaning his instruments as though I were another broken piece of furniture he had to fix. "Th

fr

man

voice. A girl stepping out from between the trees. She called hi

r. Nobody spoke to Asher

he wa

dead?"

tear her apart. He looked ready to. But he stopped." He handed me a small bott

rld st

ma

he monster. A pure and innocent bond h

a dark, twisted thought beg

ma

fe had a

I asked. The gears in my

e forced me to swallow the bitter liquid. "Dri

medicine pulled me under.

I couldn't defeat him in a fight. I couldn't kill h

t

ma

ected. She was the one thing

if I could turn her against h

brea

lpha's heart, just as h

sed m

told myself as da

e

ll become a monster worse