Yay for a new chapter! Like I said, I'm sticking with that same storyline for the time being so here's the next chapter!

"Be patient and tough; sometimes this pain will be useful to you." - Ovid (I know I used that one for Taking the One)

"Your Majesty, do you have the chart of agricultural growth in St. George for this last month?" Silvia asked me.

I looked through my file and realized that I must have left it in Maxon's study that morning. I shook my head. "I'll go get it though. Just give me a few moments." His study was just down the hall from the smaller meeting room where I was meeting with Silvia and Marquelle, the adviser in charge of farming and food in the country.

The guards didn't even bat an eye when I walked past them and into Maxon's study. I was surprised to find it empty but figured that he must have run off to do something. I looked over the documents scattered on Maxon's desk. He must have left in a hurry. I also knew that he was still catching up on work he had missed while we were on our honeymoon so I wasn't really surprised to see that his desk was such a mess. Papers were piled up in some places high enough to block the pictures he had sitting on the corners.

When I noticed that one of our wedding pictures was blocked from view, I lifted the stack of papers inside the manila folder to a somewhat empty spot. One of the papers caught my eye and looking up at the doors to see whether or not anyone was there, I pulled it out and read it. I figured it wasn't that big of a deal anyway because we were married, we were king and queen; we knew everything about each other. Well, not everything.

The file was just part of a collection on New Asia and this particular one was travel plans. For Maxon. I sat down on the edge of his big desk chair and read through the papers again, sure I was misreading them. There was no way Maxon was going to New Asia, especially without telling me. We were pulling soldiers out of New Asia because it was dangerous. Why was he going?

The door connecting his study to our bedroom opened and Maxon strolled through, reading something intently and not noticing me right away. He finally looked up and saw me sitting in his chair with a deadly look in my eyes. He looked at the folder sitting open in front of me and put the pieces together.

"You're going to New Asia?" I asked him, my voice calm and quiet, not accurately portraying my thoughts.

He bowed his head and sighed before looking back up at me. "I know how this looks…" he began but when I realized he wasn't going to answer I cut him off.

"You weren't going to tell me, were you? Maxon, you can't go," I told him, standing up but staying behind his desk.

"I do though."

"Why?" I practically shouted. "Why do you feel you have to go? You threatened Aspen, what, eight months ago with New Asia, telling him that you would send him there to die. What has changed?"

Maxon looked away as he said, "This is different. I'd have more security than any GIs."

I shook my head. "You don't honestly think that I'm stupid enough to believe that, do you? I mean, Jesus Maxon, I'm not an idiot! I've seen the death counts from New Asia. Terrorist attacks every week, hundreds of civilians dead every day…you may have been keeping some details from me but I know enough to conclude that this trip is a ridiculous idea."

"I figured you'd understand that I'm doing what I have to do for the country," he suddenly snapped.

"But what about me? What about your family? We just got married and now you're going to go risk your life, for what? A peace treaty that can be drawn up from here in the safety of the palace?"

Maxon finally lost his temper. "I'm not going to hide here forever America! I don't want to look like a coward, hiding here and sleeping with my wife every day while I should be out putting a stop to this damned war!"

"What if it was me? Would you let me go?"

"No!"

I raised my eyebrows. "Why, because I'm a girl?"

"No, because it's dangerous."

I nodded and looked away before saying, "But not too dangerous for you to go when I am far less important to this country than you are."

"Country be damned, you're too important to me for you to risk your life there!" His fist came down hard on his desk, the pictures rattling in their frames. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long breath. "I'm going, no matter what you say."

I huffed, walking around his desk to the door. With my hand on the doorknob, I turned back and saw him standing at his chair, where I just was, and I said, "Just remember, this country lost their king and queen not even a year ago. Don't make them lose their king again so soon." I paused, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "Don't make me lose my husband so soon."

Once outside, I didn't know where to go. I finally decided to collect myself and go back to my meeting, knowing that I couldn't just skip out. I wiped my hands across my face and walked inside to my conference room. Everyone stood to greet me but I waved my hand and reclaimed my spot at the head of the table. I looked around at everyone's concerned faces before remembering why I had left in the first place. "I wasn't able to get those papers so maybe we could move on to the next topic?" I suggested. Silvia seemed reluctant but she nodded, introducing the next adviser for the new topic.

After the meeting I was left with nothing to do. I still had another hour before dinner and I knew Maxon would be looking for me. I couldn't go to our bedroom; that was the first place he would look. The same went for our bench in the gardens. I wasn't ready to go spend time alone in the Women's Room. Finally, I settled for a small nook in a deserted hallway on the second floor. It was just off the beaten path of the palace but still out of the way. Marlee was still away with Carter and it was dinnertime at my family's house. Who could I talk to about this?

I had taken my phone with me and dialed Kriss's number. She answered on the third ring. "America, what's up?" she said happily on the other end.

I hesitated. It was still hard for me to get over the fact that this girl wasn't my competition anymore. She was happily engaged; she could help me. "Maxon and I got in a fight," I finally said quietly, the words feeling worse than the fight itself.

Kriss sighed sadly. "Well, why don't you start by telling me what it was about?" she asked in a calm voice. Recounting the fight was even worse than telling her we had a fight in the first place. As I told her about it I realized that we were both being stupid but that it was what Maxon and I did best. When I was done Kriss thought for a few seconds. "You care about him America. You had every right to get angry."

"And I know that, I do. It's just…I don't know. There's no way he's cancelling the trip but there's no way I'll ever be happy with his decision to go. We're at an impasse."

"Yes you are but maybe you can compromise. Maybe he can shorten his trip."

I thought about it for a few seconds and doubted it would happen but shrugged anyway. "I guess so. I just said some awful things."

"He's forgiven you for far worse. Honestly America, I'm surprised you both made it this long without fighting. It seemed like every week there was new drama between you two during the Selection." That was true; it had been a little over a month since our big fight after our honeymoon.

"Yeah I guess you could say that the honeymoon is over," I laughed, actually starting to feel relieved from talking to her.

She laughed and I heard a voice in the background of her side of the line. "Oh, America, I'm so sorry but I have to go. Call me if you need anything else, okay?" When I didn't answer she pressed. "America, promise."

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "Promise," I said quietly, fixing my gaze on the cover of my book. The phone disconnected and I set it on the plush velvet cushion next to me. I pushed my shoes off and tucked my feet underneath me so I was partially hidden behind a curtain.

I heard him whistling before I saw him but just from the whistling I knew who it was. He was whistling the song we danced to at our wedding reception and I cringed inwardly every time he hit a sour note (which was often with him). He sat down on the cushion next to me, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He looked down at the floor between his feet as he twisted his wedding band around on his hand. "So…our second fight," he said simply. I tried to think of something snappy to say but at that point most of my anger toward him had vanished and I couldn't bring myself to do it. He kept talking though. "I have to say, I thought it was going to happen sooner."

"Did everyone think that?" I suddenly exclaimed.

He shrugged. "It's not like we have a very good track record."

"No, it's not." I sighed. "I'm sorry Maxon. I shouldn't have said those things to you."

"America, you shouldn't apologize for being right."

I rolled my eyes. "But I…wait, did you just say that I was right?"

He looked up at the ceiling and nodded. "Crazy, right?" He shook his head and turned so he could look at me. He rested one of his hands on my feet. "America, I chose you. I chose you as my wife and sometimes I forget that you are also my queen but please know that it's not because I don't respect you. I do respect you, more than you respect yourself. You're so much more opinionated than the other girls were and I forget that. It was wrong of me to keep this from you."

"You're right; it was wrong."

"But…with that said, I spoke to the advisers and I can't change the trip. However, they agreed to shorten it. Four days, that's it. Fly in and fly out." I knew it was going to be as simple as that and that he was downplaying it but I knew he was downplaying it for my sake and I appreciated that.

I nodded, picking at the corner of my book. "Do what you have to do," I encouraged. I put my hand on his, stroking my thumb over the rough skin of his hand. "Maxon, I know that it has been difficult for you to adjust to being king so fast and believe me, you are doing an impeccable job. Just, do me a favor and remember that I'm queen, okay?"

"It is a fault of mine and I am working very hard to overcome it," he admitted. "Is it wrong for me to say that I just love you so much that I want to keep you out of harm's way? I just want to send you down into the safe room and have you stay there for the rest of our lives because I know that no one will be able to hurt you there."

"Except you." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could even think about stopping them and I shrunk back, wishing the wallpaper would just absorb me. I had seen that in a movie Maxon and i had watched once.

He smiled grimly. "Another fault, I'm afraid."

"Well, one can't help but be born into perfection like me."

"Hey, that's my line." He leaned his head close to mine, our breath commingling. "I leave tomorrow."

I shrunk back again, my back hitting the wall behind me. "Tomorrow?" I repeated.

He nodded, pain etched on his face. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "But, on the bright side, I don't have any meetings for the rest of the day. So, I think we should take advantage of that free time."

And take advantage of that free time, we did.

I rode with Maxon to the airport the next day, our hands clasped tight on the black leather of the seat between us. He would occasionally lift it to his mouth to kiss, staring out the window at the sprawling city. This was the first time he was going to New Asia without his father. This was the first time we would be separated since getting married.

Standing on the tarmac at the airport, he put his hands on my hips and held me there, his thumb stroking right over the spot where my tattoo was. "I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine. "Just four days, we can do this."

I cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look right in my eyes. "Just come home safe, okay? Promise me."

"I promise," he said fervently. He pulled away then, holding on to my hand until he absolutely had to let go. I stood by the car and watched him jog up the steps of our plane and then I knew it was time for me to leave. As the car rolled away, I looked over my shoulder at the plane, not ready to say goodbye.

"Your Majesty, you have a phone call," Carter announced, holding a phone out to me. My heart sank. If it was Maxon he would have called my cell phone, him being one of maybe ten people that had my cell phone number. Carter was holding out the palace phone.

I put on my best fake smile and thanked him, holding the phone up to my ear. I didn't get one word out before someone said, "Maxon is in New Asia?" I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for hashing this out.

"Hello to you too Elise," I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Maxon would need to get home soon because I was getting less agreeable with each passing hour.

"America, you should have told me he was going."

"Why, so you could go with him?" I didn't mean to sound jealous but my tone attracted the attention of both Carter and Aspen.

I could practically hear Elise roll her eyes and toss her hair over her shoulder through the phone. "First of all, I am engaged which is part of the reason I called you. Second, maybe he could use someone there to help him who understands the culture. And last, this waspy act really doesn't become you."

I buried my face in my free hand and took a deep breath. "I know, I'm just stressed." I slumped down in my desk chair, still covering my face from view.

Elise sighed. "Well, I'm sure he's going to be okay. I know it must be hard for you now. At least last time you had us to commiserate with. I bet back then you'd have never believed that you would be here now."

"Nope." Aspen waved his hand in front of me to get my attention. "Elise, I'm really sorry but I have to go. Duty calls."

"Of course, I understand. Take care America." The line disconnected before I could properly say goodbye to her or even congratulate her; I would have to send her a present from myself and Maxon later.

"Your Majesty." I turned and saw Carter standing in in front of my desk with Aspen behind him. "We have something you need to see," he prompted seriously, holding a folder tight in his hands.

I shook my head. "What is it?"

"We may have evidence of a traitor among your advisers," Aspen announced grimly.

"A traitor?" I repeated. "There's no way. We did extensive background checks on all of the staff after that last rebel attack."

Carter raised his eyebrows. "Every single person? No offense, but that's a lot of people. It'd be easy to overlook someone."

"Don't tell me I don't know my staff. Between Maxon, Silvia, Stavros and I, we were able to get everyone named and tested."

"No one knew about it, right?" Aspen asked, frowning. He was deep in thought, staring at the corner of my desk as he seemed to start working something out in his head. I recognized that look. I had only seen it once but when was it?

I shivered when I realized that it was the same face he had before the last rebel attack. "Aspen, what are you thinking?"

He shook his head and walked a few paces away, needing silence to think. Carter looked mildly disgruntled as well. His eyes were holding mine until he finally cleared his throat and inclined his head just barely toward Stavros, passing it off as stretching his shoulders. "Do you have those papers I left for you last night?" he asked.

What papers? He didn't give me anything the day before. There was something in his face that told me to just go with it. "Papers?" I asked.

"Yes, the ones Marlee gave you last night in your room."

"Of course! Those papers. They're still in there so I can go get them." I stood from my chair but Stavros quickly waved his hand.

"I'll get them, Your Majesty," he offered, already rising from his seat and leaving the room.

I let the door close before turning to the boys. "What is going on?"

"I think he might be the traitor," Aspen said.

At the same time, Carter said, "He can't be trusted."

I looked between the two of them. Besides Maxon, they were two of the men I trusted most in the world. How many times had they proven themselves worthy of our trust? I just couldn't bring myself to believe them. "Stavros has known Maxon his whole life, why would he want to bring any harm to us?"

"Mer, he's the top-ranked adviser. If you and Maxon die without an heir or with an heir too young to rule, who takes over?" Aspen asked me, not bothering to use my full name or my title.

I shook my head. "But we checked…"

Carter cut my off. "Yeah, with his help! He's got his claws in both of you. He's in deep and for all of this time, you haven't even noticed. For all we know, Silvia is working with him."

I rolled my eyes. "Silvia got a background check, she's as clean as she was when she was hired. Which we looked into as well. She's completely clean."

"Think, Mer, who didn't get a background check done?"

"Maxon, me, you, Marlee, Carter…and Stavros." I looked down, trying to wrap my mind around it. "But what's he been doing so far to get us killed? He should've tried to kill Maxon before we were married because I wasn't queen yet; I couldn't have ruled. He could easily poison us."

Carter shook his head. "And poison can be easily traced back to the killer."

"He's been trying on a larger scale," Aspen said quietly, lost in his thoughts again. "The rebel attacks…was he ever in the safe room with you guys?"

"The rebel attacks? Those were the rebels." Aspen and Carter exchanged a heavy stare and I frowned, looking between the two of them. "What are you guys not telling me?"

Carter bowed his head as he said, "The rebels are allied with the New Asians."

"What? That's impossible, they don't have that kind of power." I paused, a sick thought coming to me.

"With an Elite in their midst they do."

My eyes widened. "Kriss?"

"Kriss?" Carter repeated. "No, Elise."

I nodded, seeing that I should have known that all along. Elise's duty was indeed to her family and New Asia but her duty was to keep Illéa vulnerable. "So what now? Maxon is in New Asia. Does he know any of this?"

Aspen nodded. "His father told him years ago, apparently."

"Then why haven't we stopped them yet?" I practically yelled.

"Because for as cruel as King Clarkson was, he never wanted to attack anyone. He was too scared of losing the men and he didn't want to start any more wars he couldn't afford," Aspen explained simply.

I threw my hands up, letting them fall back to my sides. "Really, what good is it just sitting here and letting them bully us? After that last rebel attack, we should have retaliated, not made it seem like we could barely put the pieces together. We were wallowing in self-pity while they were healing and planning."

Aspen nodded in agreement as Carter asked, "So what do you want to do?"

I started pacing, the energy in me needing an outlet. "We strike. Now. When they least expect it."

"What?" Carter demanded.

"Maxon's in the country. They're thinking that while he's there we wouldn't dare to attack them and risk him getting hurt. So that's exactly what we do. We attack them now and catch them off guard."

Aspen raised his eyebrows. "And if Maxon gets hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but I can't let you do this. He'd be furious. He could kill both of us, for Pete's sake!" Carter exclaimed.

I shook my head. "He won't. Once he sees what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, he'll understand. Besides, I'm not scared of my husband. I'm queen and it's time I show this country that I can make these decisions too."

Aspen looked somewhat convinced – I knew it wouldn't take much - but Carter still looked reluctant. "What would this attack look like?" he finally asked slowly.

I walked over to Maxon's adjoining study, everything quiet inside due to his absence, and proceeded to the large map on the wall of New Asia. I traced a finger along a section of coast, close to one of their largest cities. I knew the risk that came along with this plan. I was being shortsighted and arrogant; everything Maxon said his father was with his solutions. But this was way different. I was at least doing something. "We'll send planes over to this city…" I began.

Carter opened his mouth to interrupt but I interrupted, knowing what he was about to say. "Just to get extra fuel to proceed to the capitol. We'll disguise the planes as carriers for soldiers. They've been flying in and out for months now, taking soldiers home. The New Asians won't bat an eye at them. We won't attack the capitol either. There's nothing of much worth inside. What really would hurt them is to attack their fields, their suburbs…"

A heavy pause fell between us. "And kill hundreds of people?"

I turned at Carter's question. "How many of our people have they killed?" I demanded. "They've gotten away with killing thousands; from Eights to Twos, from the lowest of lows to King Clarkson and Queen Amberley. This is retribution."

Carter seemed taken aback for a few moments and then slowly nodded. "When do you want to ship out?"

"Tonight. At midnight. They'll arrive there then after about twenty-one hours, which will be noon there." I moved over to a map of the city. "After bombing the fields, we'll attack the city. Bomb their royal palace."

"That's where Maxon is," Aspen pointed out.

I shook my head. "I don't know where Maxon is," I admitted. "But I know he would never be stupid enough to never walk into the trap that is their royal palace." I sighed, taking in the plan I had just laid out. It had to work.

Carter nodded again. "Where's Stavros, by the way?"

"Let him stay away. He can't know about any of this." I walked over to Maxon's desk and sat down at the large desk. "I'll give you the official orders for the soldiers. Just give me some time to write it up. I'll have it to you before lunch."

They both nodded and bowed, leaving with reluctant looks on their faces. I slumped down in Maxon's big leather chair. There was a time I reveled in the warmth that seemed to always occupy this chair but Maxon was gone and had been for a while, taking that comfort with him. I looked at a picture of the two of us he took on our honeymoon. It was probably one of my favorite pictures of the two of us besides one of our wedding pictures, which was sitting right beside it. I had the same two pictures on my own desk.

I lifted them both gingerly, as if the memories in them would fall apart. I traced a finger over his bright smile in the honeymoon picture and then his pleasant, relaxed face in the wedding picture. That was just a candid picture of me wrapped in his arms in the gardens during the reception, with the yellow glow of the palace behind us.

I sighed again, pressing a quick kiss to his picture. "Forgive me, Maxon," I whispered, setting the pictures on the desk face-down. I had no idea what the next day would bring but I had to have faith that Maxon would be alive by the end of it.

The soldiers immediately started to prepare to leave when they got the missive for their departure. I made it clear that discretion was optimal and necessary. A couple hours after lunch and I was a ball of nerves, my foot tapping against the floor underneath my desk as I tried to focus on the housing reports for the Sevens tenements in Angeles.

"You know," Marlee said as she walked in, not bothering to announce herself, "if you keep chewing on that pen you're not going to have any pens left. Maybe Maxon should've just gotten you a bunch of pens for your birthday instead of all of that nonsense."

I sighed, looking up at her. She had to have found out about the plan by now. "Am I doing the right thing?" I asked. She was the only one who would tell me the truth.

She considered for a few moments as she took a seat across from me. "You remember what I said to you after you got shot?"

"You're always here for me?" I asked, wracking my mind to remember. That whole night was such a blur of pain and fear and Maxon's touch.

She smiled and shook her head. "I told you that you have great intentions but awful ideas."

I groaned and tossed my head back, looking up at the ceiling. "That's definitely not what I need to hear."

"What do you want to hear?"

"That after this all plays out, Maxon will be alive and home and in my arms. That this is what we need to get a gain on the New Asians. That this will avenge the rebels' attack in December. That this won't ruin my marriage to a man I am hopelessly in love with and would die for. That I'm not being idiotic and reckless; that I'm being a good queen."

Marlee laughed darkly. "Maybe not a good queen, but definitely a fearsome queen. You're no Amberly."

I actually smiled at that. "It was never my intention to be Amberly and Maxon knows that."

My friend nodded and shrugged her shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something as the rebel alarm cut through the room, making both of us jump. "A test?" she asked me, frozen in her chair.

"I have no idea. No one told me that they were planning a test." I rose from my seat slowly and walked over to the window. Just as I pulled back the curtain, Aspen came flying out of nowhere and tackled me, pushing me to the ground.

"It isn't a test. You need to get to the safe room now," he said, pushing me back to my feet as he adjusted his bad leg.

I frowned. "But I thought the rebels were gone…"

He shook his head. "We don't know. You just need to get to the safe room right now."

"What about you?" I asked, knowing he couldn't make it down to the safe room in his condition.

"America, go."

Marlee's hand wrapped around my elbow and started pulling me away but I pulled away from her and ran to Aspen, helping him to his feet. "What are you doing?" he shouted at me. "You need to get to the safe room!"

This time it was Carter who was grabbing me and pulling me out of the room. I was pulled around the corner and lost sight of Aspen. Carter practically threw me into the secret passage, sealing the three of us off from the hallway. In the dim light, I saw him and Marlee join hands. "Okay, let's get moving," he said, gesturing down the passage to where the safe room was.

Carter sealed the door shut as soon as we were all in. "I hope the soldiers had enough time to leave," I muttered, wishing I had brought some work with me to help distract me from the men that were most likely dying to protect me at that moment.

Marlee smiled grimly and took a seat at a table. "It's weird, just being the three of us in here," she mused, looking between myself and Carter.

I nodded and took a seat on one of the cots. I leaned my head against the stone wall and soon lost myself to some much-needed sleep. I was woken up later by the click of the door being opened. I pushed myself up to sit up straighter and saw Marlee and Carter both stirring. "How long have we been in here?" I asked Carter.

He checked his watch and rubbed his eyes. "Ten hours."

My blood ran cold. Rebel attacks shouldn't take this long. Then the door opened. Carter bolted to his feet and drew his gun, aiming it at the entrance way. The visitor slipped a hand through to show he was unarmed and then stepped through completely.

"Maxon!" I exclaimed, running toward him and wrapping my arms around him. I instantly knew something was wrong when he didn't return my hug. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I demanded, looking him up and down but not seeing any blood.

"No, you silly girl. I'm lucky not to be hurt though after you tried to bomb the devil out of New Asia," he snapped, his eyes flaring at me. "Can I not leave you alone with the country at all?"

I was expecting this reaction. I wasn't stupid enough to believe that he would take the attack in stride. "Maxon, it was our only option." The door to the safe room clicked shut behind him.

"Do you have any idea what you've done? I had just gotten them to agree to a peace treaty and then we dropped bombs all over their country."

"Well a phone call explaining that wouldn't have hurt," I muttered in defeat, tired of fighting with him.

He put his hands on his hips and stalked to other side of the room where he collapsed into a chair with his head in his hands. Marlee and Carter watched us with wide eyes but didn't dare to intervene. "Carter, is there anything else new I need to know about?"

"We think…" I stopped talking when Maxon's head snapped up to look at me.

"I said, Carter," he spat.

I stood in my place, wrapping my arms around me as Carter started to explain to Maxon about the Stavros situation. I caught Marlee looking at me a couple times with clear concern in her eyes. Chills ran up my spine as I tried to ignore the clear tension between Maxon and I.

"I leave for not even four days and everything falls apart?" Maxon asks hastily, cutting Carter off. He shook his head. "I don't believe that Stavros is a traitor. You're going to have to give me some damn good evidence for me to believe that one."

"If there's even any question, you should get him out of here," Marlee reasoned. "The longer he's here - if he is a traitor - the more time he has to kill you two."

Carter nodded, agreeing with her. "It makes sense, Maxon. And besides, think of how easy it would be to give our enemies valuable information. That note in New Asia got in here pretty easily. And I'd bet my firstborn child on him being the one who helped the Southern rebels infiltrate our security - both times."

"Well I wouldn't know much about that note from New Asia now, would I?" Maxon asked, looking at me pointedly.

I gaped at him. "I apologized for that!"

Marlee huffed. "Enough! Both of you! You're king and queen, you have to get along and work together."

"Tell her that! She's the one going and starting wars without even giving me the slightest warning. I'd say she's a rebel with the way she tried to kill me earlier," Maxon argued childishly.

Tears brimmed in my eyes and I walked over to one of the cots, sitting down and looking anywhere but at my husband. I wasn't there long, however, before an alarm went off in the safe room. We all bolted to our feet and looked around. "That's the alarm for if the rebels are in the tunnels," Maxon told us.

Carter ran to the back of the room and opened a hidden door. "In here, Your Majesties."

"No, Carter, you take America and Marlee."

"What? Maxon, you're being ridiculous," I scoffed.

He shook his head. "America, you need to go with him. We can't be found together. If we separate it'll mean that if one of us dies, the other can still rule."

Now it was my turn to shake my head. "I can't rule without you Maxon. I can't even live without you."

He smiled sadly and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I know and I feel the same. But if what you say is true, we can't let Stavros rule." I hadn't realized it but as he was talking, he was slowly pushing me back to the door. "I love you." And then the door shut, separating us.

It was like the last attack all over again. I screamed and pounded on the door, not willing to say goodbye to Maxon. Finally Carter roughly grabbed me and started pulling me down the hallway. I collapsed to my knees, feeling like I was going to throw up. That wasn't going to be the last time Maxon and I saw each other. Not with the way we had treated each other. We were both wrong. Just like last time. Now, there was once again no telling if we were both alive or if we would ever really be whole again.

awww, poor Maxerica! and where'd Aspen go? anyways, i had to end the chapter there or it would be ridiculously long. so i decided that i'm going to start responding to your reviews just to show a little appreciation for your reviews. i feel like i don't thank y'all enough so i definitely need to do that more. so leave a review and i'll answer it down below. Just if you're a guest, please give me an actual name to respond to in case i have multiple guests review. i also apologize in advance for any mistypes in your names.

Nappyninja: I KNOW! I flipped when i saw it on Facebook and sure enough, it's on Barnes and Noble, coming out in January or something. I even read the first few chapters on there so it's definitely happening. James Patterson pulled a fast one on us!

Prnamber3909: thanks so much! you're definitely one of the most dedicated readers i have. i still remember your comments from As the One. just one question for you: what is your username? you don't have to answer if you don't want to its just that i always try to say it in my head and it sounds like purn-amber. haha.

Theoneforever: is this soon enough? haha

NalissaPatali: Here's a lot more!

Lilythemermaid: aaahhh, another dedicated reader of mine! I agree. There's something about Maxon and America that makes me wish i fought more with my boyf! They have the most chemistry i've ever seen when they fight (and they always have the sweetest make-ups)

winterprincess: America didn't really think this one through, did she? But yeah, Maxon even admitted that he has his father's temper in him and it definitely has come out these past two chapters. I just don't think he's quite used to the idea of having a queen that really expresses her opinion or even just goes and does things like America does.

Weatherbug02: love your name! i'm a huge weather nerd! it was a childhood dream of mine to be a tornado chaser (and by childhood dream i mean dream up until about my sophomore year of high school, haha) but thank you, that's my goal!

That's it for this chapter y'all! thanks for reading!