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“And a lot more power,” she whispered dully.

“Yes, there is that,” I conceded.“But it hasn’t changed me.I’m still the same man.”

She pushed a shaky hand over her face, her voice higher-pitched.“If you say so.”

I bit back an expletive.Why did she always think the worst of me?“I am.”

She looked back at me.“Does anyone in your family know about your side hustle?Do they know about your talent?”

I shook my head.“I reserve my time behind an easel for when I can escape to my cabin.”I snorted.“I guess we all carry secrets.”

“Yes, I guess we do,” she said, a tinge of bitterness creeping into her voice.

I squeezed her hands, my gaze staying on hers when I said, “I know you have secrets too.”

She pulled her hands from mine, then pushed to her feet before looking down at me.“Some secrets stay secret for good reason.”

How did she still look like a goddess while wrapped in her bloody towel?I exhaled away my silent thought as I straightened to my full height.“At least tell me why you left.”

She paused, considering her next words.“Let’s just say it was for my own safety.”

Horror squeezed my chest.“I wouldneverhurt you.”

She blinked, then conceded, “Not intentionally, no.”

My frowned deepened as I tried to make sense of her cryptic words.“If you think for a second my family would hurt you, you’re sadly mistaken.We protect our own.”

“Maybe,” she said softly, listlessly.“But I doubt my ‘other’ family would see it that way.”

I didn’t speak a word, I sensed if I allowed her to continue I’d finally see the answer I craved with every beat of my heart.

She pushed a hand to her mouth, then said almost inaudibly, “If they ever discovered my identity my life wouldn’t be worth living.”

My senses froze, hovering in another realm of time and space.When they finally dropped, crashing into jagged pieces inside of me, I inwardly screamed for answers.“Whoisyour family?”

Chapter Eighteen