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I’ll take her! Caleb said

You’ll also get us stabbed and killed sooner rather than later, Elijah grury A man-eater

Even better

Dude Julian tsked Were you a pervert in your other life? Like I already said, we’ve got Victoria We don’t need this one harshing our mellow Do you reirl, and that’ll be our head

We? Aden had Victoria, and they needed to start re that "That’s sweet of you to offer," he told Draven, then coughed again So unco like that will be necessary"

I think I hate you right now, Caleb gruh

Draven’s eyes narrowed, her lashes fusing together "Well, if you change your mind…the offer has no time limit Nohat shall we do for our date, hmm?" Hot breath trekked over his face, and he stepped back "I know huether We could eat" Her attention returned to his pulse and she laughed "Or I could"

"I’d prefer not to be the main course, thanks Or dessert," he added before she could

She shrugged a delicate shoulder "Then let’s get to know each other better" The words were purred "That’s why I’m here, after all"

She couldn’t be ust was clear She wants to be queen, nothing more If you marry her, you’ll be in pieces by the tiured that out onanyone Not even Victoria Not yet He was only sixteen Well, almost seventeen Second…he realized he didn’t have a second point

"Figured what out?" Draven asked, brows furrowed in confusion

He had that effect on everyone "Oh, uh Nothing Listen" He backed up a fewdistance "For our date, we can sit there, in the hay--" he pointed to one of the eed" Easy Innocent

The grind of her teeth echoed fro about laws isn’t romantic"

"I never promised romance" God, he wanted this to end Did Victoria know Draven was here? If so, was she currently bottling her feelings? Part of hi her was fun

"You studied the stars with Stephanie" Irritation radiated from Draven "When she met with your councilmen, she extolled the virtues of such a pastime Noould like to study the stars"

The candidates really were reporting their "dates" with hiht now If you want to look at the stars, you’ll have to co full well he wouldn’t be available First, therapy Then dinner Then he’d be in toith his friends, hunting "You aren’t allowed to drink froh, and that’s an…order Fron? Elijah asked

No Yes Crap Desperate times and all that He’d only said as necessary

Draven popped her jaw, even as she bowed her head in acknowledgment of his command "I will not harm your friends, Majesty You have ht You uards are posted around our ho what’s ours Tonight, frorounds Unless you relieve ertip across his collarbone She was close enough to touch again, yet he’d never seen her move

He had to arch his back to avoid further contact "I’m afraid I can’t do that That wouldn’t be fair to the others" Impartiality, yeah, that’s what he was all about

Her hand fell heavily to her side "Very well," she said stiffly "We will postpone our date, then"

Not if he could help it "Great Can’t wait" Except that I can Forever

"Until then" Draven turned and floated fro him alone with a sudden sense of doom

EIGHTEEN

A few hours earlier…

THE DAY PASSED in a haze for Mary Ann, classes and tests and friends h they shared the same schedule That was more than a blip, but not the cause of her upset

There were only two more days until the witches’ death curse took effect If it did Health-wise, she still felt fine And yet, she’d never felt so helpless Or more desperate "What if" was a constant refrain inside her head What if she went to sleep in two days and never woke up? What if her heart si? What if a car plowed into her?

If she had to round up every witch in the area and call ato order herself, she would And she would--hey Wait Her eyes widened as her mind whirled Maybe she could do that What if she used her…aptitude for sensingher very own yellow brick road, and forced them into the same location?