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But when Josh and his flirty eyes still didn’t stand down, Carden’s advice nagged at the edge of ht tone that indicated Major Topic Shift, "ere you looking for an to stretchfor you," he repeated with a s out for you is e that cut uy like you to look out for me, is that it?"

"Hey, nerd bird, is that what I said?" He nudged usto I had to wonder if I’d i in his earlier stateuys talking I don’t knohat you did but, dude, some of them have a real hard-on for you"--he squirood way"

He looked abashed, and it endeared hi out a clu these weren’t exactly secrets, I explained "Yasuo bla his face--did he know about Yas? His expression didn’t betray a thing Deciding thereafter all, I used care as I continued "And Rob, well, he was assigned to…I don’t know…bite lanced up, hoping he’d fill in the blanks

But he raised his hand, stopping o around assassinating people"

"You heard that, huh?" Wary, I caught his eye, but all that rin, and I couldn’t help but smile back "By the way," I added with pretend soleauche We prefer the terrew serious, quietlyapart wet clumps of sand "Just look out for yourself," he said finally "This island would be pretty boring without you"

The sentiht not have been et it, and I was happy to be getting it, period I flicked sand at him "You’re just nervous because I still owe you a favor"

The coistered, his eyes widened "You still reet it?" He’d once savedurine--and I felt I still owed hi run-in with Rob"

"Kind of like your anniversary," he teased

I shuddered "Puhleez"

We were laughing, which meant I was sideswiped when, totally seriously, out of the blue, he said, "So tell ?"

In a matter of seconds, my heartbeat went from calm to chaotic

Panic hter "Chill" He pattedBut look at you All alone here" His sweeping ar sea "You look depressed and you’re way too much of a little hellcat for that, whichSo tellfor an answer, so finally I just said, "Fine I’"

"Uh-oh Sounds painful"

He looked like he --but then I thought, maybe I could trust him Maybe I should, just a little After all, as a Trainee, he got to go inside that castle every day of the week I’d need to trust soet anywhere withabout the keep could make hi on a strategy, trying to figure out how to convince Ronan to help me, when he’d almost kissed uy; it sure had been a clever way to put a stop to h, he’d ers on this rock who knew about the vampires’ ht I could get into the vampires’ world was information that could help me take them down

"Did you ever wonder where the people live?" I asked suddenly

"Huh?" Josh looked fluht he hadn’t expected That was a good thing, because if he’d expected ers, then it’d mean he was suspicious of me Gawd, all these paranoid mental acrobatics It was proof that sides had already been taken--with me on one end and Trainees on the other