d, like it can stop whatever Eric is. Whatever I mi

I'm already late. Greg doesn't say an

ng a little in his hand. Like he's s

asked not expe

idn't g

CHOO

school. I slip through the noise, head d

id. But I feel him before I see him, a

he belongs here. Like he's not s

is slow, like he knows I'm trying

y, nearly cra

, grabbing my shoul

ut I nod, swallowing

Just the two of us, cold wind and open sky. He stares out at the f

in middle school when yo

ah. I was gon

ferent," he says,

art skipping a beat

our scent. Something

im, confused

His gaze drops to the ground, and for a sec

y, "you're not li

fists, his knuckles white. He doesn't

ot the only one hiding

sn't d

ind howling through the trees, carrying with it my mother's voice "Run, Aria.

And then there's something outside. I sit up fast, my breath catchi

is dark shape clear against the

. Why is he here? How long has he been standing there?

seems to vibrate around me, like it's trying to tell

't focus. I feel like I'm drowning in noise. Jace won't

o the window. I can feel the heat of his presence like it's pressing agai

n't you?" His voice is low, almost too q

that?" I spin in my seat, h

ne of you," I snap, my voice tight with the frustration I've been carrying all day. "You keep

ot twist in

.What does

ere in particular. I need space. I need to think

y memory. Something pulls me forward. It's not fear. It's not curiosity. It's

napping. Breathing. Foo

d, my heart

manage to

ar dis

e..

e wide, his body tense, as if he's waiting for something.

" he says, his voi

?" I challenge, but the wo

mething dark, something not natural, something t

the sky. Deep.

rabs my arm, his grip like i

ve. "What

eyes scanning the trees,

through the brush. Then someth

eatu

Teeth. And glow

. It doesn't look like a

of me, his body strong and firm with

low, and before I