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Actually, up until today, I was thinkinging it wouldn’t be so bad to spend the rest of my life with Adrian Heller. I mean, if Ihadto be Claimed, it could have always been worse.

It could’ve beenDesmond.

He hurt me. It took more than a week for that bruise to fade, and we weren’t even married yet. Adrian… he wanted to resurrect a dead man and kill him again for daring to lay his hands on me.

No. When Adrian puts his hands on me, there’s no pain, only pleasure… and there’s no way in hell that I’m admitting that to a boy I haven’t spoken to in a decade.

Instead, I give him a small, closed-lipped smile. “You’re sweet, Max, but don’t worry about me. I can handle Adrian.”

At least, IthinkI can.

The look on Max’s face tells me he has his doubts, too. Not surprising. I did let Adrian walk all over me for years, and I’m not so sure it’s different now that I’m his wife.

But then he says, “If that changes, let me know. After what happened to Haven last year… an Offering is precious. I wouldn’t want to see you go through anything like that.”

A shiver runs down my spine at the mention of Haven’s name.

“Haven?” I echo. “What happened to Haven?”

He hesitates. “You didn’t hear?”

“I’ve only been back in town since the middle of June. With the wedding and everything… I haven’t had the chance to talk to Haven yet.”

“You’re not the only one. These days, if you’re not Connor Heyward, you’re not getting a word out of Haven Smith.”

Connor? “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know? I… Heller didn’t tell you?”

Um. No.

Leaning toward Max, my heart thumping wildly in my chest, I peer up at him through the fringe of my lashes. “He probably wanted to protect me.”

“Yeah. That would make sense. I mean, an Offering being used as leverage against the Order”—What?—“I’d hate to see that happen to you.”

Yeah. Me, too.

“I appreciate that, but back to Haven. What… what exactly happened to her?”

“Oh.” Max looks a little nervous. “Um. Maybe it’s better if I don’t say anything?—”

He stops talking. I swallow my annoyance, ready to lay my fingers on his hand, anything to convince him to keep talking.

And that’s when I hear Adrian.

“What do you think you’re doing, Avalon?”

Ooh. Full name. I’ve really pissed him off, haven’t I?

Good.

EIGHTEEN

THE COURT

ADRIAN

This could have been an email.