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"So what are you getting at?"

I shrugged again "All of it, a for the ah-ha moment to happen and someone to yell ‘it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick’, for it all to start ave Dorian a small smile "I know it seems like I complain a lot, and I don’t mean to, it’s just…this is all new to o I was oblivious to how devious people could be No one soughta s I want to be fearless and not bat an eyelash when I hear this stuff It just feels like I’ anywhere, you know?"

Dorian stood up, walked over to the sofa and sat down beside me He tookmy hands in his Slowly, I raised my head to meet his eyes I felt so safe when I ith him; indestructible beside him It was the nicest illusion

"Gwen, you don’t realize just hoerful you are" He reached a hand up and caressed the side ofafter you You’re a gentle and caring person, so she needs to be fearless"

Dorian leaned back against the sofa, extending his arainst his side and resting my head on his chest Dorian clasped his ar comes at a price, Gwen You et about it all, but your proble them head on is the only solution to salvation"

His words struck et about it all?"

Dorian snorted, his fingers tightening aroundhe’d try to get you to go with hi in a hotel roo for you to make up your mind"

"I haven’t decided" That was obvious, but those were the only words I could h; etting rid of the theined the beautiful places Aiden and I would see and the peacefulness of no worries, while the other side wanted to march in and take every last villain inup abruptly He reached for the pizza and plates, carrying them into the kitchen

"Hey, I’et some sleep"

My eyes found the clock "It’s only 9:30"

"Feel free to stay up, just stay in the house" And with that he disappeared down the hallway SoAiden’s idea Somehoeen snarky comments and stolen kisses, Dorian and I had become more than friends And I wasn’t sure how to feel about that I was always getting uys in irl who likes men Not in a "fifty-dollar make you holla" kind of way, but I did enjoy the rush they providedaround the e television was about my only option My hand leisurely stroked Snowball’s fur as I conteo out of the house and explore, but I could do a little exploring inside Dorian’s house was a road , I headed down the hall The first three doors were bedroo in a hot bubble bath was te also That would have to wait; I was too curious to see as behind door nu to see if Dorian had heard my footsteps When he didn’t stick his head out, I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it behindit when my hand found it The room was an office of sorts An antique carved desk rested in front of a largeBuilt-in bookcases lined every wall, only stopping when there was ato break up the flow

Walking over to the furthest side, I studied the objects on the shelves Hundreds of books were lined in rows, perfectly synchronized to their height Most looked old with fading cracked spines, their titles unreadable One shelf held nothing but a hodge-podge of knick-knacks that didn’t see of pearls, a pair of dice, a butterfly hairclip, a pocket knife with the initials EJB engraved and a pewter keychain in the shape of a rose Moving to the next bookcase, I ranin a deep breath of the ether I had never been a big readerthem around made me feel co cover I’d buy it just because I toldit, but that never happened Finding soabout first i It’s better to have all the facts before deciding you think you know so over puzzle pieces that all looked the sa when you finally see the finished picture

Moving on, I sat at his desk The top was empty except for a pen cup, sticky notes and a s if I should open the not to, I leaned back in the plush leather chair and just took in the rooreen, the color of the cherry bookcases in perfect unison It reht be found in a hoo--cozy and perfect As I trailed my eyes around the room, they stopped when they landed on a raven carved out of wood Its wings spanned outwards, his clawed feet curved as if ready to grasp soOnly when I ran into the corner of the desk did I break eye contact with it I cringed, hoping the loud bang didn’t wake Dorian Rubbing the spot I had hit, I walked around the desk and stood just under the raven Each feather was so intricately carved I could almost believe it was real Black beady eyes stared down at me, its beak sharp and open as if stuck in a caw

"Gwen?" Dorian opened the door quickly, his head swiveling to observe the room When he realized the only person in the roo in here?"

"Your house doesn’t offer a lot of entertain the rooms out" I pointed up "What is that?" Obviously it was a raven, but it seemed important, too well done to be just a normal piece of decoration I knew Dorian was in a badwith Aiden, but I hoped if I got hi he would snap the hell out of it<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>