Chapters (52)
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Acknowledgments
- Read More from the Market of Monsters Series
- More Books from HMH Teen
- About the Author
- Connect with HMH on Social Media
Nita was quiet. She understood, in a deep, foundational way, what Adair meant. Growing up, she knew there were friends and romances. Life hadn’t prepared her for anything else, and whenever she thought about Kovit, and the emotions around him, her mind said it must be romance, because surely a friendship couldn’t be that strong. If she felt this powerfully, then it must be something else, something “more,” as though friendship wasn’t enough and there was a next level of importance.
But what Nita felt for Kovit wasn’t necessarily romantic. That didn’t mean it wasn’t powerful.
Hearing Adair say those words, hearing him give voice to the confusion in her soul released something deep inside her, gave her permission she hadn’t known she’d been seeking to understand something within herself.
She cleared her throat. “I understand. I need to think on your offer.”
“I have time.”
Nita nodded and hung up, then stared quietly at the phone and the information, lost in thought.
Thirty-Five
NITA SAT THERE letting the thoughts tumble around her mind for a while before a knock on the door pulled her out of her stupor. She hesitated, heart racing as she asked, “Yes?”
“Nita?” called the voice on the other side.
Relief flooded her systems, muscles she hadn’t realized were tight with tension loosening, and she opened the door and let Kovit in. He wore a giant floppy tourist hat that obscured half his face, and a pair of ugly shades that covered the rest. He’d got a jacket somewhere and had used it to cover the bloodstains on his shirt. He was breathing heavily, from heat or exertion or both.
“Are you okay?” Nita asked, closing the door behind him.
He nodded. “I’m fine. I smell like dead bodies and hamburgers, but I’m fine.”
Her breath whooshed out. He took off the hat and the glasses and the coat, and he stumbled over to the bathroom and started washing the dried ketchup and blood from his face.
“What happened?” Nita asked, following him in. “How did you get away?”
“I ran. For a while. I swear every time I thought I’d lost them, they’d find me again and there’d be more of them. But I managed to lose them for a few minutes, and I found some sunglasses in the trash. I can’t believe how much these things help.” He ripped his shirt off and stuck it under the sink, scrubbing at the blood. “It made it easier to hide from the mob with the coat. I bought it at one of those artisan stands. God, it was hot, though.”
“I imagine.” Nita leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “I don’t think you can go outside for a while.”