The Bridge of No Return

**** MERRY CHRISTMAS TO KATE'S BRIGHTEST FANS: Thank you Charlene_Smit, Bayowa_Mary, and Matilda_Afolayan for being Kate's biggest supporters. There will be two chapters released today to celebrate YOU! I hope wherever you are right now, you have a wonderful day and feel very loved! *****

With the wall of flames at my back, and feeling Chase's eyes on me from the other side of them, I gape at Aiden--who stares right back at me, defiant. Did he really just tell me he loves me?

It's like the entire world just shifted. "I..." I don't know what to say.

I've had this feeling before. Once. It was a wonderful afternoon a month before we left Los Angeles. I hadn't had any cravings that day, even though I was with some of my old friends. We were at the beach, just laughing and relaxing. At one point I walked to the water and just stood in the ripples of the waves with my back to the ocean, feeling content.