I didn’t think there was anything worse than being trapped inside these prison walls, but after tasting Phoenix and having to let her walk away, I know that I was wrong.

We stood in the storage closet for a long moment after, and the weight of what I’d done fell between us. I touched her face tenderly, and when I kissed her again it was slower and softer than before.

Seconds later she was gone, and although I don’t regret a single second, I hated that it wasn’t under different ...