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What did it all mean? I didn’t know anymore.

“Don’t hurt him, Mercy,” Noah said from behind me as I neared the front door. I grimaced and turned around to face him sitting upright on the couch.

“That’s what I’m good at, Noah. Haven’t you heard?”

“This isn’t funny, Mercy. Dorian loves you.”

I rubbed my eyes and walked up to him, realizing I couldn’t head out the door without talking first. Not with Noah.

“Okay,” I said. “Not that it’s any of your business, but none of what we did means anything. I can’t let it mean something.”

Noah’s face hardened, and he huffed. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” he said, giving me the most brutal, judgmental stare-down I think I’d ever had from anyone. “Because it means something to him.”

I didn’t respond to that.

Of course, it did. I’m a fucking idiot and am about to break Dorian’s heart all over again.

“Do you love him again?” Noah asked.

“No,” I admitted too quickly. “I mean, I love Dorian, but differently. It’s strange. There’s a part of me that feels for Dorian. I care about him, and I would be devastated if something bad happened to him, but I’m notinlove.”

“You just want to fuck him?” he asked, and I recoiled at those words.

I plopped down on the couch in the living room and set my purse next to me. “Well, that was harsh,” I admitted. “I didn’t plan this, Noah. But last night, that kiss …”

He cocked his head. “Interesting.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

He chuckled. “Did that ridiculous spell you cast prevent you from falling in love again, or did it just take away what you used to have?”

Noah’s question caught me off guard. I had to think about it for a second because I didn’t know the answer. Did it mean that I could fallbackin love with either Dorian or Caleb?

I shrugged.

He leaned back against the couch and grinned. “Don’t overthink it.”

I wasn’t overthinking anything, and this conversation was going to frustrate me if I didn’t get the hell out of this house. I didn’t owe Noah an explanation, especially since I wasn’t sure what it all meant myself.

I grabbed my purse and left the house without saying goodbye to Dorian or talking further with Noah about what last night meant or could mean. The coven was waiting for me.

I didn’t get far before I heard Dorian’s voice behind me. “Where are you going?”

Shit.

I sighed deeply and turned on my heel. “I need to get back to my coven, Dorian.”

He threw his hands up. “Are you kidding me?”

“Please don’t do this right now.” I held up my hands. “Please, Dorian.”

He stopped. He didn’t look mad, just hurt. “Alright.” Dorian relaxed his shoulders and nodded toward his car. “How about I drive you home?”

“I have my car here,” I reminded him. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t want you to leave like this,” he said. “It’s late, and I just want to make sure you get back to your coven safely.”

Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. By the tone of Dorian’s voice, I knew I was hurting him. What the hell was wrong with me? He didn’t deserve this. He deserved so much better than this.

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