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I t’s early the next morning when I stumble into my dorm. The hall is dimly lit, the way it is at night with the fluorescents overhead turned off and a series of nightlights embedded in the wall brightening the walkway instead .

I have nine missed calls from Jax, but I couldn’t take his calls while I was giving a statement to the police and getting checked out by the EMTs, and after that, I was afraid to call him back. I just want to see him .

It’s a crazy thing to go knock on his door, this late at night, but that’s what I do. I wait, minutes ticking by while I shift from foot to foot, but no one answers. I knock again. Then, feeling lost and alone and exhausted, I turn the corner to my own hall .

Jax sits on the floor in front of my door. His arms are folded on top of his knees, and his head rests on his forearms, like he fell asleep waiting for me .

God, I’m such an asshole .

I sit down next to him, my shoulder brushing his, and he startles awake. Sleepy hazel eyes meet mine, and then widen, as if seeing me is a jolt of caffeine .

“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice raspy with sleep. He clears his throat .

“I stole your car,” I say, handing him back his keys. “But I guess you figured that out .”

“I figured,” he says. “I was going to call the cops if I found out it wasn’t you .”

“Why?” I ask .

“To file a police report .”

“I mean, why not call the cops, either way ?”

“I assume you have a reason for taking my car.” His jaw sets. “And I hope to hell it’s a good one, Ashley Elizabeth Landon .”

“I have a lot to tell you.” I rest my head on his shoulder. It feels awkward, with my head tilted and his body unyielding against mine .

After a second, he puts his arm around me .

“Well?” he says .

But with his arm around me, I’m not quite as afraid to tell him the truth .

“I’m afraid you’re not going to believe me .”

“Try me , Ash .”

“After the accident,” I said, “my mother really did think I was dead. I was in a coma—that’s the truth—but I’d actually been kidnapped. My sister and I are both part of an ancient myth about a reincarnated woman—the first woman, actually, Lilith. She’s reborn in every generation. Ellis is the Lilith, complete with superpowers and a harem .”

“A harem?” He frowns, perplexed .

“She has four guys who are fated to find her and protect her.” And that wasn’t all, but let’s leave it there for now. “Anyway, there’s only one born in each generation. She’s it, not me. So she got all that…not that it was a good time for her .”

“And Ellis disappeared …”

“She has a long story too.” And I could only handle one of our crazy stories at a time. “Meanwhile, I died for a minute, and when I was resuscitated, they kept me in a coma. And I spent that time, that year, with my body withering away in our world…but my heart and mind and soul, if there is one, were in the Far .”

“Uh huh.” He nods .

“Does any of this make any sense ?”

“No, but keep going. Why were you kept in a coma? To give your brain time to heal? How did your mom not know ?”

“The people who took me told my mom that I was dead. They knew what Ellis and I are. They wanted to use us to get insights into the Far .”

“Yeah, there’s that word again. The Far ?”

So I tell him about the Far, the space between Heaven and Hell. Despite the casual way people tell each other to go to Hell sometimes, you can’t make anyone go where you want to go. Even God leaves it up to us. In the Far, you can walk in either direction. People seek where they belong, even if they fear it .

In a place where people lose their minds and their hearts take over, where demons haunt the night, I became a warrior. When people haunted the Far, knowing they deserved Hell but lingering in-between, slowly losing their minds and transforming into wraiths, I made the decision for them. I dragged them to Hell .

That’s what I’m told, anyway. All I have are the specks of dreams lingering in the back of my head when I wake up, and then this new ability to see ghosts here on Earth. The ghosts don’t belong here either. For the first time, as I’m telling my story out loud, I realize how connected my past in the Far might be with the present .

There’s a long silence between us when I finish. I keep my head on his shoulder, both because I’m exhausted and because I don’t want to look at his expression. Maybe he’s realized I’m a mess that he doesn’t need in his life .

“Are you crazy?” he asks me .

“No,” I say. “Well. That’s a bold statement. But I’m telling you the truth as I see it .”

He shakes his head. “I got the weirdest vibe from that guy .”

“You should definitely listen to your vibes .”

“I get a vibe from you too .”

My heart freezes in my chest. “That I’m a murderer too?” My voice comes out light, but if what I think happened in the Far really did happen, I may be the worst kind of murderer .

“Nah,” he says. “Not a bad vibe .”

“What kind of vibe , then ?”

“A complicated vibe .”

I finally meet his eyes. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be that complicated .”

“ Maybe .”

This time, he’s the one who kisses me .

His lips are soft and full. Even though we haven’t kissed since a very awkward fourth grade dare, it feels like coming home .

He pulls back first. His gaze meets mine, gauging how I feel .

“See?” I say. “Not that complicated .”

He grins. “Kissing you has never seemed like it would be the hard part , Ash .”

“What do you mean?” I ask, but he evades the question, leaning in to kiss me back. I catch his shoulders with my hands, debating whether to pull him closer, or push him away to get my answer .

His lips graze mine, sweet and tentative. His amber eyes are heavy-lidded and soft. God, I went so long without having anyone look at me that way. It’s just luck that I have him in my life again .

For right now, I sink my fingers into his shoulders, tugging him toward me, and kiss him hard .