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"I think you should listen to what she has to say" He motioned at the empty sofa that was positioned opposite an identical one on which a nervous redhead sat gingerly

I was ready to object when Saed Let’s just hear her out There’s no har here

Alora smiled nervously as we took a seat opposite her Antonio sat beside her and took her hand in his Luther sat at her other side After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat "I know you don’t want me here"

"So why are you here?" I snapped I winced when Sam pinched my arm

Tears shimmered in Alora’s eyes "Because it’s Evan," she said si amount of adoration in her voice

"You love him," whispered Sa totally different "Then why did you reject him?"

Alora seeive him what he wanted"

Cryptic shit I hated cryptic shit "What does that mean?"

"He didn’t tell you?" When I shookherself for iape at her "What the fk?"

She averted her gaze, seely embarrassed "Please understand I was only nineteen years old What’s hteen months old in vampire years and I didn’t truly understand just how serious a Binding actually was"

I looked down at the third finger of her left hand and saw a bulky eht every lie that Gregory ever toldwith hi that things changed, he changed" She sounded as angry with herself as she ith hiuessed

"In about as many ways as a person can hurt another"

"Does Bran know?" I asked

"Yes Bran saved ot ive me added protection I think you knohy he really keeps feement worked well for both of us, in that sense"

I considered that for a minute "So your loyalty to Bran kept you with him? Bran refuses to let you leave him?"

"No Bran would let me leave if I wanted to do so In fact, he doesn’t think there’s any safer place for ory wants me back Because we’re Bound, he knows exactly where I ah Master vah to try But itthat if I left Bran, Gregory would be able to take me back to him I hate him, hate him, but I’m stuck with him"