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"I’ve been looking everywhere for you," Leon said

"What’s up?" Aiden asked evenly

Leon spared at glance at

Why would he? Aiden was a wel respected pure and I was just a half-blood he was training "Did she hurt herself?"

"She’s fine What did you need?"

"Marcus needs to see us"

Aiden nodded He started to fol ow Leon out, but he stopped at the door Turning back to ain "We’l talk more about this later"

"Okay," I said, but he was already gone

My gaze went back to the painting of the goddess of love I sed hard and htened There was no way--absolutely no way--I was interested in Aiden in that way Sure, he orthy and real y nice, and patient and funny in a dry kind of way

There was a lot about him to like If he were a half-blood, then there wouldn’t be anything wrong He didn’t work for the Covenant, so there wasn’t a student hooking up with a teacher kind of problem, and he was only three years older than me If he were a half-blood, I’d probably have thrownpure-blood

A freaking pure-blood onderful y strong fingers and a smile that… wel , made me feel like there was a nest of butterflies in my stomach And the way he looked at ray to silver in a heartbeat--

affected me even now My stupid little heart leapt in my chest

CHAPTER 10

SPRAWLED ACROSS THE MATS, GOING THROUGH

THE motions of the cool-down stretches a couple of days later, Aiden decided to let me in on why Marcus had wanted to see hi"

I stared up at the ceiling, disappointed "So?"

Instead of loo over me like he usual y did, he dropped down besideinridiculous, Alex Knock it off Ito want to talk to you"

Pushing my weird attraction to him out of my mind, I focused on his words "Why?"

He bent his knees and dropped his aruardian I suppose he’s curious to see how your training is cos into the air Why? I had no clue "Lucian has never been interested in anything that had to do with htened for a s are different now With yourto do with e as he continued to watchto do with you" He took a deep breath, seeainst you returning to the Covenant"

"Good to know Lucian and Marcus share that in cohtened "Lucian and Marcus share nothing in co to convince me Marcus wasn’t the douche I believed hi about how concerned my uncle had appeared when my mom and I had disappeared Or how relieved Marcus had seemed when he’d notified him I was alive Nice of Aiden to want to repair the relationship between us, but Aiden didn’t realize there was nothing to repair

Aiden reached over and pushed s back down to the rinned, sitting up "Nope"

He looked like he wanted to sht, when you see Lucian, you need to be on your best behavior"

I rol ed to e Lucian to a fight, I guess? I’d win that one He’s a total wiraced his face was a clear indication he wasn’t amused "You do realize your stepfather can overthrow Marcus’s decision to al ow you to stay here? His authority supersedes your uncle’s?"

"Yes" I plantedto classes in the fal , I don’t see what the big deal is"

Aiden came to his feet swiftly For adeal is if you et a second chance No one wil be able to help you"

I toretoLucian can say toto me Never has"

He looked doubtful "Try to rerin "You have such little faith in rinned back at me It made me feel al war okay That… stuff real y helped"

He stalked across the mats, silver eyes focused on ht The bruises should fade in a couple days"

You could always help put it on again, but I didn’t say thatI backed up, keeping a space between us "Yes, sensei"

Aiden stopped in front ofThe Minister and his Guards wil be arriving soon, and al of those at the Covenant wil be expected toa Covenant-issued uniforoing to look like a--"

Aiden placed his hands onskil s I stared up at hi a vividly wild scenario in which he pul ed ainst him and kissed me like the barrel-chested men in those smutty books my mom used to read

He picked me up and putdown, he started to rol up the mats