“So basically, what you’re telling me is,I have no secrets .” He faces me again, gaze pouring over me.

“No private thoughts, nothing that you haven’t had a super-exclusive sneak peek at.” He glares. “And just how long has this been going on, Ever? Since the day we first met, I assume?”

I shake my head, determined for him to believe me. “No. Really, none of that’s true. I mean, yes, I’ve read your mind before, I’ve already admitted to that, but I’ve only done it a few times, and even then it was only when I thought you might know something that would—” I take a deep breath, seeing his narrowed gaze, his clenched jaw, a sure sign that this is not going over as well as I’d hoped. Still, he deserves an explanation, no matter how mad it makes him, so I clear my throat and forge ahead when I add, “Seriously, the only times I’ve ever looked inside your head was to see if you were on to the truth about Damen and me—that’sit . I swear. I haven’t bothered with anything else. I’m not nearly as unethical as you think. Besides, just so you know, I used to hear everyone’s thoughts—hundreds—sometimesthousands of thoughts jumping out all around me. It was deafening, and disheartening, and I hated every single second of it. That’s why I wore the hoodies and the iPod all the time. It wasn’t justtragic fashion sense , you know.” I pause and look at him, seeing the way his back and shoulders stiffen. “It was the only way I could think of to block it all out. I mean, it may have looked ridiculous to you, but it served its purpose. It wasn’t until Ava taught me how to shield myself and tune it all out that I was able to move on. So yeah, in a way, you’re right. From the day I first met you I could hear everything that coursed through your brain—just like I heard everything that coursed through everyone’s brain. But it wasn’t because I wanted to hear it, but becauseI had no choice but to hear it.

But as for the rest, your business is your business, Miles. Seriously, I’ve completely avoided eavesdropping on your secrets. You have to believe me on that.”

My gaze follows him, watching as he continues to roam the store, back turned, face hidden in a way I can’t read. Though his aura is brightening, lightening, a sure sign he’s coming around.

“I’m sorry,” he says, finally turning to me.

I squint, wondering what on earth he has to be sorry for in light of all this.

But he just shakes his head and says, “The things I used to think about you—well, not reallyyou , it was mostly about your choice of clothes—butstill .” He cringes. “I can’t believe you were privy to that.”

I shrug. More than willing to let it go. It’s ancient history as far as I’m concerned.

“I mean, after all that, you were still willing to hang around me, still willing to drive me to school every day, still willing to be my friend—” He lifts his shoulders and sighs.

“Never mind that.” I smile hopefully. “All I want to know is: Are you still willing to be mine?”

He nods. Nods and moves toward me, hands splayed out on the counter when he says, “In case you’re wondering, it was actually Haven who first told me.”

I sigh, having figured as much.

“Well, no, backtrack, because she onlykind of told me.” He stops, points at a ring just under the glass that I promptly hand to him to try on. “Basically, she called me over to her house—” He pauses, brows merged as he lifts his hand to admire the ring before slipping it off and pointing to another. “You know she moved out, right?”

I shake my head. I didn’t actually know that, but again, I guess I should’ve assumed.

“She’s living at Roman’s now. Not sure how long that’ll last, but she’s talking about getting herself legally emancipated so I guess she’s pretty serious about it. Anyway, long story short, she basically invited me over, poured me a big goblet full of elixir, and tried to make me take a swig without telling me what it was.”

I shake my head. I can’t believe how irresponsible that is. Well, coming from Haven I can believe it, but still, that isnot good.

“And when I waved it away, she got all dramatic and looked at me and said—” He clears his throat, preparing for just the right raspy-voiced Haven inflection, and completely nailing it when he says, “‘Miles, if someone were to offer you eternal beauty, eternal strength, amazing physical and mental powers…would you accept?’” He rolls his eyes. “And then she looked at me, that blue sapphire she’s somehow embedded into her forehead practically blinding me, and totally gaping in outrage when I said, ‘Uh, no thanks.’”

I smile, trying to imagine the scene for myself.

“So then, of course, she assumed I didn’t quite understand just what she was getting at, and she tried to explain it again, with more detail this time. But I still saidno . So then she started to get really upset and told me pretty much everything that Damen did—about the elixir, about how he turned you, about how you turned her. And then she threw in some stuff that Damendidn’t tell me, about howyou ended up killing both Drinaand Roman—”

“I didn’t kill—”Roman . I start to say thatI didn’t kill Roman . That Jude is responsible for that. But just as quickly I wave it away. Miles already knows more than he should. It’s not my place to add any more.

“Anyway”—he shrugs as though he’s speaking about purely normal and rational things—“then, when she tried to get me to drink again, I again said no. And then when she started to get mad, and I mean really worked up, like a two-year-old having a meltdown kind of mad, I said: ‘Uh, hel-lo,here’s the thing: