Page 20 of A Twisted Gift

“My parents passed not long after I met you,” he says, his words sounding hollow, like they’re only half true. “My uncle took me in and raised me as one of his own. Long story short, I always tried to find you. Well, not exactly. I knew where you were, but I wasn’t sure if I’d made you up. So I infiltrated your father’s circles, trying to find out anything about you that I could. But you were like a ghost. A legend. Some people believed you existed, but most didn’t. I almost gave up more times than I care to admit.”

“But you found me,” I say in between bites of soup.

“I did. I caught wind of the auction and secured myself an invitation. That’s when I came back here. I had to be close to you. Had to see you.”

Something tugs at my mind. A foggy memory, vague from sleepiness. “Last night—”

“It wasn’t a dream. I was in your room.”

Unease passes through me, but it fades when I look into his eyes. He’s watching me with an expression of deep adoration, one that couldn’t be anything but genuine. No one’s ever gazed at me so intently before—not since the days when I met him by the fence.

I’m tempted to pinch myself. I’ve dreamed of this, journaled about it happening in so many different ways. Erik was my only friend. Of course I wished he’d come back for me. And to see himagain, and he’s looking at me the same way he did when we were younger?

This can’t be real,my mind whispers.

“I’ve snuck into your bedroom every night since I’ve been back,” he confesses. “I had to see you for myself to finally put my doubts to rest, and then I couldn’t stay away.”

My gaze drops to my soup.Is this normal?I’ve never interacted with a man before—not unless you count family and Father’s staff. Hearing Erik say that he had to see me has butterflies taking flight in my stomach. But… well, it feels strange that he snuck into my room. Why didn’t he wake me up?

“Am I scaring you, Raina?” he asks.

“I’m not sure.”

“I have no intentions of hurting you.”

“I know.” My smile is hesitant but genuine. Idobelieve him. But I also don’t know how to do this—how to talk to someone who hasn’t watched me grow up. Especially not someone who’s so…

I glance at Erik, taking him in. His shoulders are broad, and he’s much taller than Father. His eyes are the color of cinnamon with some flecks of a darker brown, just like I remember.

“Is that… is that how it normally goes? In the real world?”

“Ah.” He looks away while he rubs the back of his neck. “No. Sneaking into someone’s room isn’t typical in… any type of relationship. I just couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t’ve, but I—”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

He blinks, looking at me with surprise before saying, “I was worried I’d scare you. I ran the same risk tonight. Was hoping you’d recognize me during the auction, but I knew it was a long shot.”

“What if you had scared me?”

“Well, Ididscare you, but thankfully you didn’t stay that way for long. So—”

“Erik. If I hadn’t wanted to go with you, would you still have taken me?”

He swallows, his lips pressed into a thin line. It’s all the answer I need.

“You would’ve,” I say softly.

“I couldn’t have watched you leave with another man, knowing he’d hurt you. Not again. It would’ve killed me, Raina.”

Can I blame him for that? I don’t think I can.

“Does that upset you?” he asks.

“I’m not sure.”

He nods slowly, thinking, and I realize I’m doing the same. I’m not the same little girl I was when he knew me, which means he’s not the same, either. Yet I know I can trust him—more than I can Father, and definitely more than Ivan. The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.

But am I being naive? Is this another cruel joke like the one Benjamin and Danny played on me yesterday? How am I supposed to know?

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