Page 95 of Owned

Frustration tinged every word, but he wasn’t angry.

“Not yet.”

The grimoire’s voice was insidious, and it was harder to push aside…

“Leave with him— Where will you go? You can’t leave—”

The damned book was right.

Wherewouldwe go?

You can’t leave—Can’t leave what?

“Me…”

Valen was staring at me.

“Avril?”

“What?”

“Why can’t you leave?”

Anger streaked through me. “Look at me,” I snapped. “You found me on the bathroom floor a few hours ago— I’m barely healed—”

His expression twisted. “Avril—”

I squashed the unexpected rage down as I clenched my jaw. “I do want to leave— But not tonight.”

Valen stared at me, disbelief etched across his face. Something in him seemed to collapse, and he let out a long, trembling breath. “Alright,” he said finally. “Alright. But tomorrow… Any later and— I don’t know if I can—”

A shiver ran through me as the grimoire’s presence in my mind shifted.

It didn’t like this discussion.

Too fucking bad, book.

“Careful…”

He sank onto the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders moved with each ragged breath until I reached out and touched his shoulder.

“I’m sorry— I just— I can’t—”

“It’s not— You’re right. I’m an asshole for trying to make you leave so soon after…”

Time—sweet, precious time. A narrow margin, but one I desperately needed to grasp.

His eyes lifted to mine. “Avril, what happened?”

“I—”

“Careful—”

How much could I tell him?

“I don’t know,” I admitted. The lie tumbled off my tongue before I could stop myself. Maybe I didn’t want him to know how close I’d come to the edge—or what I’d found there. “I was just— I was looking for a spell… Titus promised me he would help me. But—”

“We’ve been a little busy,” he said. “Lucian’s paranoia has overtaken him—”

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