iot

, and I had seventy-two hours left. I put the phone in my pocket, grabbed my jacket, and unlocked the door even thoug

the street with the passenger window down. Sebastian wat

n," he

shoul

essages are already moving. You're s

y from the curb without another word while the city lights slid past the wind

we going?

o one from the league k

et

dn't

fully. Every time the car turned, I could smell him more clearly, cedar and smoke, and so

at me once. "You

m f

're

n't r

a tall building I didn't recognize, parked

it. Come

doors opened, he led me into a large, mostly empty apartment t

own,"

"Talk. How do you k

window, looked out for a

you three weeks ago in Vancouver. I

following you, the same people who h

pened in

public statement, contract terminated. I studied the rules

ew where thi

age,"

e original charter and was never taken out. If the file reaches the commissioner while you're unprot

him. "You pl

otection. I didn'

t re

my body already decided you were mine the

step back

the facts. You have less than seventy-two hours. The

it out and saw another mes

boy. We know you

mach d

my face. "They

he phon

not friends. We're not even on the same

kno

en

of them taking you. And because something in me stopped s

The apartment

time t

e," he said. "You h

My own reflection stared back at me in the glass, t

nd everything I built would be gone. If I said yes, I

d back

ly do you w

they can't claim fraud through separate

aft

e that ou

't look like he was lying,

e buzze

the easy way

ed the

," I

ulders dropped

contract. Nothing more. Do

once. "U

d out a tablet, unlocked

t. Then

ra clauses about residency and medical consent. Everything he said was there in p

GE REG

tablet back and che

denly aware of how

"The guest room is down the h

move ri

lio

ked a

t," he said. "That's all

est room, and locked the door behind me. I sat on

ng apart. And now I was legally married to the one

did, I dreamed of the locker room, the broken stick, a

en't a

ng and the clear knowledge that nothi