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"Where are you going?"

I jumped when Dorian’s voice sounded fro that pays the bills?" The lack of sleep ru from him Either way, I didn’t want to listen to his lecture about being precautious

"I’ll send Eddie to watch over you," Dorian said

I’d not only acquired Death as a roohost named Eddie We’d picked him up while at the bed and breakfast Dorian used him from time to time to track down spirits and whatever else he didn’t feel like doing Since returning to Flora, Eddie hadout in the cemetery rather than my tiny apartment

"I’ll be fine," I said "Shouldn’t you be, you know, collecting the souls of the dead?" I still had no clue what Dorian’s job description entailed He’s the Angel of Death, sure, but people died every single day and here he was hanging out in Flora

"Death comes whether I’m there or not," Dorian replied "I’m simply the one to make people reach their expiration date"

I sneered "That’s a heartless way to put it"

"According to you I don’t have a heart so I’ with my character," Dorian bit out He may have been a little ticked that I didn’t respond to his heartfelt speech last night I listened, nodded and then complained that I was cold and wanted to head home Dorian showed me a vulnerable side of himself and I ruined the moment

I took a deep breath, annoyed with myself and Dorian "I didn’t mean you’re heartless It’s just difficult to talk to you about things when you don’t seem to have any emotions where people are concerned"

Dorian stepped towards ed his chest and the looseness of his paja voice inside iven into hi to do with the teers itched to reach out and span the broadness of his shoulders; to ined o of ht of what I wanted to do with hi blink as I reging me toward his body The way his ed mine My body quivered for hi aroundshallow andlike a wild animal I loved these moments: ere close and the only conversation was held between the stares of our hungry eyes The attraction was real There was no denying it In theseelse I was an open book and Dorian read o," Dorian said softly It cae to my ears And it was difficult to remove myself from his embrace and walk out the door Hoonderful it would be to spend the entire day curled up with hiotten He had a way of e Onemyself in the cloudy abyss in his eyes

"Promise not to send Eddie?"

"I do not," he said with a shake of his head

The annoyance was back Turning out of his arrabbed my keys and purse I wanted one day without a reminder of what my life had turned into Before I knew I could see and control ghosts, before the distribution of Brew had thrown my entire world off its axis The days when I was a si to happen tonew shipments in It sounds pathetic, I know, but it was my life Each day a little bit of the woman I used to be was erased and replaced with one I didn’t recognize

"I’ll be working late," I told Dorian as I left

"Good h the front door ofto Flora and the guilt was eatingcare of the store and even setting up a website so that we could sell online

"Hey," Penny greetedin today"

"Yeah, sorry I’ve been such a slacker lately Froular schedule"

I stowed my jacket and purse beneath the front counter and slipped out the folder that contained shipping invoices I needed to take inventory and order more products otherwise Brooer

"Not a slacker at all," Penny said co up to lean on the counter "Just busy Besides, you’re the boss which hed and looked up at her "Only villains have minions Is that what you think of ht be enough to te one myself"

"Would your plan be to blow up the world unless the governave ht I was a dork

"Austin Poas on TV the other night," I explained