"They have some Movement holdouts as prisoners. They are going to… torture you, and kill you. To frighten them into changing sides." Bella sobbed openly now.

It made him feel a little better to know she was upset at the prospect of his imminent death, even if he couldn't be. He was, stupidly, more worried about her. "Well, I always did want to go out in a Braveheart kind of way. I'll just have to think of something cool to yell before they cut my head off."

His attempt at humor failed to lighten the mood, and he swore. "Come over here, Bella. If I'm gonna die, I at least want to spend my last hours with you."

She rolled her chair to his side. Groping blindly, he found her hand. Their fingers entwined as she lay her head on his chest.

"Don't count me out yet, baby," he murmured reassuringly. "We're all coming out of this one alive."

He just hoped it wasn't a lie.

When we turned in for the morning, all three of us agreed: I would go to the Soul Eater's mansion at dusk.

With all the nervous tension coiling in my stomach, I couldn't sleep. It didn't help that my bed was barely large enough to sleep one person comfortably, let alone both Cyrus and me.

"If you don't stop tossing around, I'm going to tie you down," he warned sleepily. "And not in a sexy way."

I burrowed my face against his cold chest. "I'm sorry. I can't sleep."

"Really? If you hadn't said so I might not have noticed." He pulled me closer and I wriggled to face away from him. His arm relaxed where it lay over my stomach, and I thought he'd fallen asleep again when he spoke. "Carrie, don't go."

"What?" I half sat up.

"Don't go," he repeated. "Let's pack up right now, steal the van and just drive."

"You know we can't." But my heart shouted, Go! I would listen to my mind this time, I decided firmly. So many decisions I'd made lately based on my feelings had turned out horribly wrong.

"We can! We won't have to face my father. We'll find someplace nice—well, maybe not nice, but a place to stay, nonetheless—and we'll hide until all of this nonsense is over," he insisted, his tone pleading.

I wanted to give in to him. The look of utter desperation on his face nearly overwhelmed me. Then I thought of Nathan in the next room. I imagined him waking to find I'd gone, and realizing he had to fight his sire alone.

"I can't lose you, Carrie. I just can't." Cyrus pulled me tight to him, his fingers digging into my back. Had he always been this fragile, even when he was a monster?