COLD STEEL, BLEEDING HEARTS
“I’m a character—I belong in the story. If I stay in the locket with her, the locket’s strong enough to stay closed. The real world stays safe.”
“Then I’m coming, too,” Julian said.
“No, Julian. You’re different. You’re a soul. You should stay here, find a body, live a real life.”
“A real life without you is an empty page, Maya,” Julian said, pressing his head to hers. “We stay together.”
The hotel room door burst open.
Sarah—the “Top Fan” from the garden—stormed in, and she wasn’t alone. She brought a crowd, all clutching copies of the book.