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I started backing out of the rooain I’ to pretend this conversation didn’t take place"

"Alex Stop" Seth stepped toward lared at him "Don’t fol ow h the air If you fol ow e and take you with ant wave of his hand

"She needs tily, Seth listened I left then, slahts bounced around my head in a chaotic mess on the way back to the island I barely noticed the air was no longer thick with smoke Soe looked bored when they waved h

Minutes later, I crossed the ca the faculty and guest lodging from the rest of campus Under no circumstance was I--or any student for that , but I needed to talk to someone--I needed Aiden

Aiden could make sense out of this He would knohat to do

Since most of the little houses were eure out which one was his Only one of the nearly identical cottages had a light on inside I stopped in front of the door and hesitated Coet in trouble, but so would Aiden I couldn’t even begin to wonder what they’d do if I were discovered in a pure-blood’s cabin at this tiht But I needed him, and that was more important than consequences

Aiden answered after a few seconds, taking seeing ?"

It wasn’t late, but he stood there dressed as if he’d been in bed The low-slung pajama bottoms looked better on him than Lucian So did the tank top "I need to talk to you"

His gaze dropped the length of me "Where are your shoes? Why are you covered in sand? Alex, talk to me now

What happened?"

I looked down dumbly--my sandals? They were lost soain

Sighing, I pushed the tangled strands of hair back "I know I shouldn’t be here, but I didn’t knoho else to go to"

Aiden reached out and took hold ofa word, he led e

CHAPTER 16

AS AIDEN GUIDED ME TO HIS COUCH AND SAT ME

DOWN, he had this look about hi at the saaze crawled over his living rooer than my room back in the dor decorative There were no pictures, favorite paintings, or artwork cluttering the wal s

Instead, books and comics lay scattered across the coffee table, lined the numerous bookshelves, and sat stacked on his smal computer desk No television He was a reader--

probably even read the comics in ancient Greek For some reason, that made me smile

Then I noticed the corner of the rooainst the wal , and several colorful guitar picks formed a line on one of the shelves--every color except black I knew it--those hands were used for soet hiuitars

"You play?" I tipped uitar

"Occasional y" He handed lass of water, and I downed it before he sat beside me "Thirsty?"

"Mmm" I wiped away a few drops off my lips "Thanks

What’s up with the picks?"

He glanced at the guitar "I col ect theuess"

"You need a black one"

"I guess I do" Aiden took the glass and set it on the coffee table, frowning when he noticed the treh hitched into sound crazy" I stole a quick peek at hi the concern for

"Alex… you can tel e you"

I kind of wondered what he’d thought happened

His hand caht?"

I stared at our hands, those fingers You are fated to be with hi effect on me I pul ed my hands free and stood "Yes I did I do This is just so crazy"

Aiden re "Try starting at the beginning"

I nodded, s my hands over my dress I started with the party The look on Aiden’s face hardened when I told hierous when I explained how Seth had kil ed so, even the skeevy part with Seth, and hoere "two halves" or whatever