Page 26 of Scars Run Deep

“You’d be surprised what I can bring into being through sheer force of will.”

I chuckled. “I don’t doubt it.”

He fingers squeezed mine. He looked… concerned? Sad for me. “Things aren’t in a fixed state, Aurora. They can reform, evolve.”

“They can be the stuff of dreams, huh? All unicorns and rainbows?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I don’t… I don’t deserve that.” I pulled my hand from his.

“Of course you deserve that from me, from all of us. You’re ours now, sweetheart.”

“I’m not… I’m not good….” I trailed off, grimacing.

“Aurora?”

“Are you ever afraid of it?”

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid of all the dark becoming… of it… swallowing you? Kind of… losing control of it?”

“I don’t have that luxury.”

“But, are you concerned that—”

“Sometimes.”

I looked back at him and immediately wished I hadn’t.

I swallowed hard at the intensity radiating between us.

Shit. I was regretting mentioning it at all. Especially to him, the master of the dark, the king of wielding it to maximum gain and effect.

“This is about what happened in that basement, yes?”

I stilled. “How do you—”

“I accessed the security cameras.”

What? They were still operational? Why?

Before I could ask, he went on, “I saw what transpired, Aurora.”

“But… why were you checking the cameras?”

“To see if any of the Heretics dropped their masks at any point so I could ID them.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, that makes sense. Of course.”

“You’re redirecting,” he spoke. “And not very well, I might add. Not up to your usual standard at all, which leads me to believe you’re panicking.”

Damn him. “What I did… I didn’t mean to take things that far.”

“You mean, to actually enjoy it.”

“No!” I cried. “That’s not what I—”

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