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Hey, he didn’t need the va up for hi hand across hisenough to get dressed so we can meet Reuben at the diner?"

He nodded reluctantly and waited, secretly amused, as she turned back to the vaht across his mouth

The door closed behind the vamp and she released hiainst the door as he devoured herthe way her chest heaved fro," she croaked "What was that for?"

"Just a reminder"

"A reht Of how you belong to me"

Her eyes flashed, and he waited expectantly for their fight to begin Really, was there anything better than sparring with this wo to you?" her voice went up an octave

"Yeah"

"Well, forget about the verbal ar I own?!"

He smirked and turned away to saunter into the bathroohed, ducking the shoe that flew at his head as he closed the door on her

11 - Misunderstood

"I’ht, Caia" Marita breezed into her suite without knocking "I had urgent business to attend to"

Caia nodded wearily, standing up from theseat that looked out over Paris "I understand"

She didn’t actually, but she was trying to The last two sleepless nights hadn’t exactly iun and to be respected Caia was going crazy wondering about the Midnight imprisoned in the Center Her refusal to join Mordecai for training until she hadself-control over her anger

Marita threw her a surprisingly war her conservative skirt over her legs as she did so Instead of sitting spine straight and stiff, however, she relaxed against the back of the seat and tilted her head casually "Mordecai seems concerned for you He has entler than Caia had ever heard it - that e completely threw her off kilter She realized this was the first tiether - no Vanne, no servants, no guards Maybe that’s why Marita was so tense all the time Here with Caia, on her lonesome, she could be a little freer; and not have to play the role of ‘in control Queen of the Castle’ so much

Caia shook her head with a polite smile and took the armchair opposite her "No, I’m fine Just a little anxious"

"Anxious?" Marita frowned

She nodded and leaned forward confidentially "Yesterday, when Mordecai took ht Here at the Center"

Marita froze, her expression blank

"A girl I somewhere in the basement near Lecture Hall A"

A silence fell over the rooh her "You really are the Head of the Midnight Coven"

It was Caia’s turn to look bewildered and concerned "Uh yeeeess But you knew that"

"Of course" Marita’s hand fluttered by her face, as if at a loss Caia could not reconcile this ik with the woman she had met previously "But I have actual hard evidence foryour reports passed on by e this situation, as I’hts for twenty five years, and I was groomed by my father for twenty years before that That’s forty five years of working against the Head of the Midnight Coven To noorking with her is weird"

Caia laughed at her unexpected adjective "Yeah, I guess it would be"

Marita smiled, a smile that never reached her eyes, and then settled back into her seat "Before I explain about the Midnight, can I ask you a question?"