had
shielded me from the stone with his body instinctively, but as the adrenaline of the moment cleared,
he turned to face me, realizing he had me pinned against the wall. His eyes found my face, but he
didn’t move. Only our breathing disturbed the silence. I knew I should say something to break the
moment, but I couldn’t. Lucas brushed fingertips along my cheek, leaving a warm glow lingering at
his touch. I looked up, finding his eyes. Somehow, even in the dim light of the mission, they gleamed.
“Tell me what you want,” he said. I saw him struggling for self-control.
“What I want,” I breathed. “What I want.” My eyes flickered to his lips. “There’s a caveat,” I said
at last. “To becoming human.”
Lucas drew back a little to get a better look at my face. “What do you mean? What caveat?”
“I can’t lose control,” I said. “Every time I slip and let the Lilitu part of me steal energy from
someone, it destroys another tiny bit of my humanity. If I lose too much, there’ll be no changing what
I am. No chance of becoming human for real. So when you ask me what I want—”
“It’s hard,” Lucas said. “I know. It’s hard for me, too.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave me.”
“Don’t joke about that,” Lucas said.
“Right, you’re the guy who flirts with danger.” I smiled, but I could hear the edge in my voice.
“Why not date it, too? What’s the worst that could happen? I slip up, you die, I get executed by the
Guard.” Lucas’s expression looked pained.
“Don’t,” he said again. “Don’t manufacture a reason for us to break up.”
“Fine,” I said. I pushed against his arm and Lucas let me go. “We should get home.”
“I’m with you to the end, Braedyn. Or until you don’t want me anymore.”
Something in his voice stopped me before I could walk away. He offered his hands to me. After a
moment, I took them. Lucas pulled me close and this time I sank into him. He wrapped his arms
around my back, holding me tight.
“There’s something you’re forgetting,” Lucas whispered into my hair. “You’ve kissed me without
hurting me before.”
He was right. There had been one kiss after my Lilitu powers had blossomed. One kiss in his room,
where I’d successfully battled down the Lilitu storm and kept it from siphoning off the essence that
made Lucas who he was.
“I trust you,” Lucas breathed. “If you tell me we have to stay at arm’s length when we’re awake,
that’s what we’ll do. But if you ever want to try again...”
Tears seared the corners of my eyes as a swell of emotion threatened to break over me. Lucas,
seeing this, started to pull back. I caught his hand, stopping him. I didn’t need to speak. I tilted my
head up, slipping a shaking hand up to Lucas’s cheek. He let me guide him forward, lips parting.
Someone coughed pointedly behind us.
Lucas and I jerked back as if scalded. Adrenaline jolted my system, my heart wrenching painfully
in my chest. The intruder was a slight boy about my age, with thin wire-frame glasses and fair, close-
cropped hair.
“Assuming that’s your car parked out front, you two could probably spring for a cheap motel. So,
if you don’t mind, some of us are actually here for the history of this place.”
Without waiting for a response, the blond boy turned to a wooden panel and carefully placed a
sheet of almost-transparent paper over it. He fished a bit of charcoal out of his pocket and started
rubbing it lightly over the paper. With every stroke, the image of the panel beneath took shape on the
page.
I turned back to Lucas, brushing my hair back from my face, embarrassed. “Come on. We should
tell the others what we found.”
Lucas nodded and we headed together toward the door.
Without looking up, the boy said something under his breath.
“What was that?” Lucas asked, stopping.
“I’m almost done here.” The boy glanced over his shoulder at Lucas.
shielded me from the stone with his body instinctively, but as the adrenaline of the moment cleared,
he turned to face me, realizing he had me pinned against the wall. His eyes found my face, but he
didn’t move. Only our breathing disturbed the silence. I knew I should say something to break the
moment, but I couldn’t. Lucas brushed fingertips along my cheek, leaving a warm glow lingering at
his touch. I looked up, finding his eyes. Somehow, even in the dim light of the mission, they gleamed.
“Tell me what you want,” he said. I saw him struggling for self-control.
“What I want,” I breathed. “What I want.” My eyes flickered to his lips. “There’s a caveat,” I said
at last. “To becoming human.”
Lucas drew back a little to get a better look at my face. “What do you mean? What caveat?”
“I can’t lose control,” I said. “Every time I slip and let the Lilitu part of me steal energy from
someone, it destroys another tiny bit of my humanity. If I lose too much, there’ll be no changing what
I am. No chance of becoming human for real. So when you ask me what I want—”
“It’s hard,” Lucas said. “I know. It’s hard for me, too.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave me.”
“Don’t joke about that,” Lucas said.
“Right, you’re the guy who flirts with danger.” I smiled, but I could hear the edge in my voice.
“Why not date it, too? What’s the worst that could happen? I slip up, you die, I get executed by the
Guard.” Lucas’s expression looked pained.
“Don’t,” he said again. “Don’t manufacture a reason for us to break up.”
“Fine,” I said. I pushed against his arm and Lucas let me go. “We should get home.”
“I’m with you to the end, Braedyn. Or until you don’t want me anymore.”
Something in his voice stopped me before I could walk away. He offered his hands to me. After a
moment, I took them. Lucas pulled me close and this time I sank into him. He wrapped his arms
around my back, holding me tight.
“There’s something you’re forgetting,” Lucas whispered into my hair. “You’ve kissed me without
hurting me before.”
He was right. There had been one kiss after my Lilitu powers had blossomed. One kiss in his room,
where I’d successfully battled down the Lilitu storm and kept it from siphoning off the essence that
made Lucas who he was.
“I trust you,” Lucas breathed. “If you tell me we have to stay at arm’s length when we’re awake,
that’s what we’ll do. But if you ever want to try again...”
Tears seared the corners of my eyes as a swell of emotion threatened to break over me. Lucas,
seeing this, started to pull back. I caught his hand, stopping him. I didn’t need to speak. I tilted my
head up, slipping a shaking hand up to Lucas’s cheek. He let me guide him forward, lips parting.
Someone coughed pointedly behind us.
Lucas and I jerked back as if scalded. Adrenaline jolted my system, my heart wrenching painfully
in my chest. The intruder was a slight boy about my age, with thin wire-frame glasses and fair, close-
cropped hair.
“Assuming that’s your car parked out front, you two could probably spring for a cheap motel. So,
if you don’t mind, some of us are actually here for the history of this place.”
Without waiting for a response, the blond boy turned to a wooden panel and carefully placed a
sheet of almost-transparent paper over it. He fished a bit of charcoal out of his pocket and started
rubbing it lightly over the paper. With every stroke, the image of the panel beneath took shape on the
page.
I turned back to Lucas, brushing my hair back from my face, embarrassed. “Come on. We should
tell the others what we found.”
Lucas nodded and we headed together toward the door.
Without looking up, the boy said something under his breath.
“What was that?” Lucas asked, stopping.
“I’m almost done here.” The boy glanced over his shoulder at Lucas.
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