de-sac hallway, both sides packed with the same curtained alcoves as ours. The butchered doorways were all evenly spaced and it loo

two stories high, and long enough to leave the fittest man breathless. Unlike the first massive

e's the

see a smooth white ceilin

hat question was utterly pointless, "bu

a lot of work too. Turning tunnels into hallways, adding new roo

the w

gged. "

lace it's blue glow," I said, the pieces clicking into place as I

Don't you guys do t

they can they're hard to find. The majority of us just use normal bulbs for

sat flush against the mountains of the Diarna, and had been t

ut there," he said, stopping outside a red curt

guys don't hav

our other nests. The toxicity keeps the populatio

re you doing here? I tho

e and swallowed his word

dn't know which you'd rather," Aaron's

ot you Burney. Y

ar

ed on me at the sound

my fault I'm

nd

made him do! Let him get some food or somethi

eeth, but at least he'd agreed. Burney gave me a fleeting loo

side and let me

wo are re

gave it

another

oth

'd planned on saying had fled my brain and nothing else seemed to matter besides the f

room, stopping beside a hand carved table. He pushed in one of the two chairs and

ventured, not knowing

N

se i

moth

“Where

ea

s the first one I'd seen off the floor and the first one big enough to f

y are yo

s. "Why didn't you tell

ne of your

ver going t

N

y n

"Because it was none

ours, but you still

make you d

have you leave us! What

n't have

id you

as a

always

t killed

ond to gather myself and cool my frustration before

es

he'

ng lik

id of my next question. "

oves

mean he's no

lf before he eve

s? Use us as a bargaining tool for whate

ow I wo

hat! I don’t know a

I’ll keep

g us to your lunatic friends who can l

your

ut his tone screa

told them everything!" I snapped

I hav

wait to get us here

t why I br

en

p and this was the only

means that

rt and it wa

I'm

that then! No

ing its momentum. "One minute you’re running to

e, do

hest tighte

won't like wh

y m

y head, completely frustrated with him. Did he se

t you move

with his arm wrapped around me would b

want to

hy

on't sleep whe

en why did you put it t

ed, springing the last o

s of his right hand. I didn't move, I didn't even flinch. If he'd wanted to crus

I want you and it makes me sick. I have

s mess the entire time you're gone and hating myself for it? I should be focused on Lill

tubble that clawed my face. His fingertips slid across my jaw to the base of my neck, and then he was

s, stunned that kissed me, sha

I’m go

yle

im off. He could keep his