h silence and want, felt more int

shifted and I

. By somet

hing

scanning

lights, past the line of e

till and

th was

quietly, nodding

wing. His expression flickered - not in

it was

here," he s

ure was gone but I knew wh

ay?" he

probably popc

ased. But his shoulders didn't

, like something unspoken l

ike this with people I'

her d

why

oked

swer was to

e who remind us of who we really are

llowe

at would you do if th

sto

n the Fo

odd

What if they were here-right now-and

t answer

down my spine, he said, "Then I'd hope som

ce fo

shaking until he reached out

m, strong

et...

olden brown with flecks of some

ust one heartbeat o

you, Brys

t the edge o

he carnival now ju

said. "For wa

tight. Like he was bat

you agai

promise?

again, his fing

said. "It

red down the path, swallowed by shado

or a while with

er of the darkened ci

to make birds scatter from trees

me as soon as I step

like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to this reality. The city buzze

nding under tho

ghost of his fin

e echoing in the hollo

s fa

my spine-and it wa

h by the door. I didn't bother turning on the light. The room glowed faintly from the street lam

e couch and stare

you, Bryso

ething... not normal about him. Something that made my instincts wak

ified me more

arm of the couch. Claire's n

up with a si

said, v

already?" she asked, the sounds of carn

. I'm

id the popcorn betray you, or

ed my head to the sid

like the sec

sped. "Yo

a little too defensively. "We tal

r voice turned serious. "Evelyn.

gainst my chest, wh

e. Just.

ld hear the suspicion behind i

Sleep

u t

stared at the

ee

ed like a

beneath my blanket. The scent of carnival sugar still clung to

didn't c

ehind my eyelids. His voice. His heat. H

e you,

e meeting you rewrote

on's

scent of her long aft

something fa

d it. I moved through the alleyways like a shadow, every step perfectly silent. My bod

myself

was une

lyn was u

made her

oss from my flat and leapt effortlessly to the balc

ting for m

growled, arms folded across

n't a

like cedar and smoke, eyes as pale as winter.

charm her. And not bring her scent

rk her," I s

harply. "But

le

and dropped it across

too close, Bryson. You forget what

w cle

forgotten

looking at her lik

til

part of me f

art of me h