“The only person who's ever really hurt me is you. And I keep letting you.""Ellie," he sounded in pain as he took a step toward me.He stopped though, the pain transferring to his eyes when I moved away from him."I do love you," he admitted and instead of feeling joy at those words, the last piece of me holding onto hope crumbled.I shook my head. "But not enough”

“He clamped a large hand down on mine as I moved to lift the diaries. I glanced up at him and he shook his head with a small smile. "It's painful to read how my stupidity hurt you at the time, but I like being inside you head. I like knowing that while I was struggling with the fact that I had fallen in love with my best friend's little sister, she loved me back more than I could ever hope to deserve.”

“I pushed his hair away from his eyes and took a closer look at his cheek. Maybe there really had been a boy in the street, but I also wouldn't put it past Cole to make one appear,if he had that power.Jack's eyes opened fully,and he looked at me with half a grin. "You remember the first time I told you I loved you?" His words slurred together."Shhhhh.Don't talk.The paramedics are on their way.""Do you?"I touched his cheek and he winced. I could almost taste his pain,as if it were a tangible element in the air.I could feel my body hungering for the hurt.It was the first time since I'd Returned that I craved someone else's energy.Even at my lowest point,those last moments in the Everneath,I'd never felt a need for it.Until now.Until I was faced with emotions this strong.He tilted his head toward me,and I jerked back. The taste in the air became bitter and sweet,a mixture of pain and longing."Tell me you remember," he said. "Please.”

“He took a step toward me and whispered in my ear "I really did love you." Leaving out the unsaid word; Once. "Me too." Once.”

“Do you want me to stop?" he whispered. "If you seriously want me to stop-""No," I whispered. "Do you want me to go slow?"I shook my head. Negative."I don't want to hurt you." I pulled his face to mine and kissed him deeply and passionately.”

“Stop fighting me!" he said, trying to pull on the arm he held.He was in a precarious position himself, straddling the rail as he tried to lean over far enough to get me and actually hold onto me.“Let go of me!” I yelled back.But he was too strong and managed to haul most of me over the rail, enough so that I wasn’t in total danger of falling again.See, here’s the thing. In that moment before I let go, I really had been contemplating my death. I’d come to terms with it and accepted it. I also, however, had known Dimitri might do something exactly like this. He was just that fast and that good. That was why I was holding my stake in the hand that was dangling free.I looked him in the eye. "I will always love you."Then I plunged the stake into his chest.It wasn’t as precise a blow as I would have liked, not with the skilled way he was dodging. I struggled to get the stake in deep enough to his heart, unsure if I could do it from this angle. Then, his struggles stopped. His eyes stared at me, stunned, and his lips parted, almost into a smile, albeit a grisly and pained one."That’s what I was supposed to say. . .” he gasped out.Those were his last words.”