Reality was grim enough to force me to focus, but when I did, it only confirmed that we’d gotten ourselves stuck in a nightmare. We could back minutes. No more.

Crap.

It was better than nothing, but not by much. But what the hell? I’d rather reverse until my head exploded than stand here waiting for Darren to take another step.

Pressing the pages of time together, I yanked us back to the new bookmark. It was only a few seconds, but time roared ten times as loud. And something else was wrong…

The page of the past felt oily and my vision spun. Alternative universes called, screeching and whirling until nausea and headache had me feeling like a seasick traveler on the churning seas of time.

When we snapped back, I staggered in Tair’s arms.

My head throbbed. The world tipped back and forth. My eyes stung and I couldn’t focus. I could barely hold onto him, let alone stay on two legs.

You can’t do that again. Tair slid us down to the floor as my weight started to fall. My strength was gone and only he kept me from face-planting.

I can—Even my mental voice came out weak.

It’s not worth destroying yourself. We’ll find another way. Tair held me close and my head just slipped against his neck like it belonged there—like I belonged there, fitted against him and happy.

But the futures pressed against me too, and even if I did belong with Tair, I wasn’t going to get to be with him. There was only one way we got to be together:

Temporarily.

I let myself debate for half a second as the guards pounded the door. I knew I shouldn’t force myself on Tair. We were still figuring out what it meant to be paired and we’d both been forced into that deal. What I was feeling—maybe what we both felt—could be a chemical joke. But…

If I could take a piece of him with me, it might make it easier to survive what was coming.

Even if was selfish. Even if he didn’t feel the same.

With all the strength I had left, I wound my arms around his neck and pulled us together. Tair stiffened with surprise as our lips met, just brushing. Soft.

His breath was warm and his heart pounded as fast as mine.

You can take a piece of me, too.

He kept still so long I wondered if time had frozen—our lips just touching.

Maybe I’d crossed a line and he hated me for trying to tie him even tighter. I started to pull away.

The contact broke for a moment.

Then Tair pulled me back to him.

His mouth pressed against me, parting my lips.

Desperate. Devouring.