Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

?You can?t defend Helen against your own family?not to the

death. I?m the only one who can protect her now,? Daphne

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continued, her tone suggesting that she was genuinely sorry for

him. ?And the best way for me to do that is to get her away from

Creon.?

?I won?t let him near her. I don?t care what I have to become,?

Lucas said, preoccupied with Helen and troubled by the way she

seemed to be avoiding him. He took her hands.

?Lucas. Let me go,? Helen said quietly, pulling her hands out of

his. He went silent, sensing something very wrong was about to

happen. Again. ?If you love me, you?ll let me go. Do you love me??

Her voice was so thin and papery it crackled.

?You know I do,? he replied, confused. ?If you?re frightened, run

away with me, like we planned. You know we?re meant to be together,

I know you can feel that, just like I do.?

?I want you to let me go,? she said simply as she finally met his

eyes and held them.

Instead of thinking about the way Lucas?s face fell under the

weight of his surprise and sadness, Helen imagined her heart as a

giant tub full of water. Everything she had ever felt in her life, all

the good and all bad, were just ribbons of food coloring in that water,

and the whole beautiful mess was swirling down the drain. The

only thing she needed to do was wait a few more seconds and the

basin would be empty.

?You can hear the truth in what I say, can?t you?? she continued

mercilessly. ?I want you to let me go.?

Lucas caught his breath and held it for a long moment as he registered

that Helen wasn?t lying to him. Then he nodded and

breathed again, his face impassive.