Page 75 of A Forbidden Alchemy

I disentangled myself from Patrick’s arms long before dawn.

The day had seemed endless and mottled, and though I’d spent much of it in Patrick’s embrace, I could not ignore the sensation that I was shackled to a train track, a steam engine thundering closer and closer.

Find the Alchemist , I told myself. Find him, and it will all be over.

So, I did not sleep. While Colson I felt it heat up my skin.

“Don’t imagine that it’s trust stopping me from tellin’ you everything, Nina.

There are certain men who would do terrible things to the people I love just to learn more about me.

Don’t ask me for answers I can’t give, please. Let me have my sleep.”

He seemed, suddenly, bone tired.

I looked my last to the walls of bluff, ceiling to floor. That’s enough for now , I thought, and that train in my chest slowed. I told myself the collision was still some ways off. So I went to him and placed my hands on his chest. “Come on,” I said. “There’s still some night left.”