"I know it to be true." Bella looked up, eyes blazing. It was a comforting sight. She appeared more like herself than she had before. "And I see horrible things. If I do not live, there will be things left to take care of. Promise me you will do what needs to be done."

"Fine. You want me to notify your next of kin, I will." He tried to laugh it off. "But I'm telling you, you'll be fine." He nearly bit his tongue to stop himself from adding, "Because I won't let anything happen to you."

She didn't argue, but he could see she wanted badly to tell him he was wrong.

He didn't want to hear it. "You're tired. You were sick. You're probably dehydrated. Go drink some water and get some sleep."

"I do not want water." She lifted one of his hands to her lips. "Sleep with me?"

"No offense, but watching you gag up two days' worth of chow isn't a big turn-on for me." He pulled his hand back. "Another time, maybe."

She smiled. "No. I meant, sleep beside me. Hold me."

"I can't tell you no." He pointed to the window and the dubious sun protection provided by the blanket. "But if that doesn't hold, I could be fried in a few hours."

"Then get up in a few hours and move." She clasped his hand as she rose, and tried to bodily haul him onto the bed, where they collapsed in a laughing heap. The playful moment didn't last nearly long enough for Max.

Later, when he thought she was asleep, and took the chance to wind a lock of her hair around his finger, she whispered, "I am afraid to die."

His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. There was no way he was letting her die, but a part of him warned he should stop this reckless closing of the gap between them, just in case.

But he was tired of constantly living on the defensive. He couldn't do it anymore, not where Bella was concerned. He pulled her tighter to his side, hoping he wasn't just making the most of the time they had left.

I tried not to make it obvious to Nathan, but I was climbing the walls as the time to meet Cyrus drew nearer. What would I say to him? What would he say to me? Would we fight? Would I pity him? Would I do something stupid, like I had the last time?

Would I find the place?

It hadn't occurred to me until then that I didn't know where Cyrus lived.

As soon as we'd crawled from bed, Nathan had gone right back to the books. I'd had to politely remind him to dress himself, he was so immersed in his research. After the dramatic grumbling and complaining he'd done then, I hated to bother him for anything else.