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His fingers trailed down her chest, down her abdomen, lower. She tried to cry out, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even move. She could feel him everywhere, all around her. Tears were slipping down her face.

Finally, he stepped back, surveying her. Then he leaned in close once more and kissed her. He pulled back a fraction of an inch and whispered, “Hurry home, Scarlett. We almost have these wards figured out, then we are coming for them all.”

There were hands on her shoulders and a gentle voice saying her name. She lashed out at him, screaming. “Let me go!”

“Scarlett. Scarlett, it’s me.” She knew that voice. That voice was safe. That voice was home. “Open your eyes, Love. Look at me.”

Her eyes flew open, and she found golden ones staring steadily back at her. Her shadows were swarming him, and from the red lines raked down his bare arms and chest, they had not been the caressing shadows. He did not seem to care. Ice and fire swirled around them. He took her hand and brought it to his bare chest. “Breathe, Scarlett. Breathe.”

In and out. In and out. She could feel his chest rise and fall beneath her fingers, his heart racing. In and out. In and out. Her eyes stayed fixed on his.

When her breathing had evened out, she wiped the tears from her face. “He was in my dreams, Sorin. He knew how to enter and control my dreams,” she rasped.

Sorin’s face tightened, and he interlaced his fingers with hers.

“I am sorry I woke you,” she said quietly. “And for…” She jerked her chin towards his chest and arms. “That.” She went to pull her hand from his, but his fingers tightened. She looked back into his golden eyes and found them searching hers.

“I will always come for you, Scarlett,” he said softly.

Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. She took a shaking breath. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Of course.”

“I need you to stay with me.”

“I am not going anywhere.”

“No, Sorin, I—” She pursed her lips. “When I would have nightmares, Cassius would stay with me or take me to his room. He’s not here, but I need someone to stay with me.” Her heart ached. She missed Cassius. It was as if a part of her was missing having him so far away.

“Do you want me to get Callan?” Sorin asked quietly. Her eyes widened as she realized he would. He would let Callan into these very rooms if that is what she asked of him.

“No, Sorin, I do not want Callan,” she answered. “I just need… I need someone next to me.”

His breathing hitched as her words settled over him. “Scarlett, are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure, Sorin.” Still, he hesitated. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, pressing her lips to his. She felt him tense under her fingers, and she ran her tongue across his lips, but he wouldn’t let her in. “Please, Sorin,” she whispered onto his lips.

He groaned as he pulled back to look into her eyes. “Scarlett,this… I will not have the self-control not to touch you if I sleep beside you.”

“You don’t want to?” she rasped out.

“Gods, Love, that is all I want to do, but not… I would be a bastard to take advantage of this, when you are so vulnerable.” She could hear the longing in his voice as he held her stare.

Scarlett pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Iwantyou to touch me, Sorin.”

“You don’t, Scarlett. You hate me. I kept so much from you. Fuck, I can’t do this to you. Don’t you understand?”

“Don’t you understand?” She practically screamed the words at him, and he stilled. “Sorin, he… Mikale touched me in that dream. He touched me, and I could do nothing! And I can feel him. I can feel his hands on me. I can feel his breath on my skin, taking what he wants. I canfeelhim in my very being.” Tears were coursing down her cheeks. “I want to feel anything but him. I want to feelsomething.Because I am numb, Sorin. And it is exhausting to not care about anything. It is exhausting to not feel anything. But the only way I can not feel him is to not feel anything at all, and I want to feelsomethingthat isn’t him and isn’t threatening to drown me in—”

“Shh,” Sorin murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I hear what you are saying, Scarlett. I hear you.”

“Please, Sorin,” she said through her tears. She didn’t care that she was begging. She didn’t care how desperate she sounded. She just wanted to feel someone touch her who understood her, all of her.

“This will not fix things, Scarlett.” Sorin’s voice was low, strained.

“I do not care,” she whispered onto his neck. “Tonight, I do not care. Tonight, I just want to not feelhimtouching me.”

Sorin’s hand came up to cup the back of her head. “Lie back,” he whispered, gently nudging her with his body.