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Back The Lost Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. Acknowledgments
  47. About the Author
  48. A Sneak Peek of You Will Be Mine
  49. 1
  50. Back Cover

He looks at me, his dark brown eyes dulling with defeat.

“It’ll be okay,” I tell him.

“Yeah,” he replies. “It has to be.”

14

I stay in the same spot on the sofa for a solid twenty minutes, frozen in place, heart aching because I’m powerless to do anything to help.

Where is Theo now? I’m sitting here while he’s going through something awful, and there is nothing I can do about it. And why is no one else up?

Reaching out, I numbly grab my coffee mug and take a sip of the now-lukewarm liquid. What if Theo is in room two, either boiling or freezing? My cracked lips and thudding head can attest to how awful that room is and how the effects of being in it don’t end when you leave.

I sip the coffee again, my lip stinging at the slight rise in temperature the rim of the mug brings. No one else has made a peep yet, and I don’t have the energy to go in the bedroom and see if anyone is awake.

I’m exhausted. I woke up more tired than when I went to bed. My body is heavy as if my muscles have turned to stone. I want so bad to close my eyes and drift off to sleep, but I don’t know when Theo will be back, and I want to be there when he is. He was there for me.

My skin prickles as I think about the possibility of Theo in that room. It started hot for me. Could he be boiling now? Peeling his clothes off in an attempt to stay as cool as possible in that inferno?

The bedroom door creaks open, and Hazel peers around the corner.

Her eyes gloss over as if she’s trying not to cry. It’s not often that I see Hazel this emotionally weak, but over the last day I’ve seen her fall apart. I don’t like it; she’s usually my rock.

“Piper,” she whispers, shuffling out the door with her head low. “Theo’s had to go. Are you okay?”

“Come and sit, Haze. I’m not mad at you.”

Her chest expands with a deep breath. “You should be. You have every right to be. It was my name that was called, and you took my place.” She makes her way across the room in a nanosecond, moving much quicker than she ever has before.

I put my mug down. “You didn’t ask me to do that.”

She sits beside me, curling her legs under her. “I know I didn’t, but I could have done more to stop it. When I heard what they do to us, and then when my name was called…I freaked out. I wasn’t thinking, and I’m so sorry.”