na's

us kind guns, knives, poison and the slow kind the one

realized how deep the damage went until he beg

with surgical care right beside my head. The first time, I threw it across the room. The second, I burned it in the fireplace. The third, I crushed it

ing to get

s hands. The way his presence shifted a room. The way my skin reacted when he stood too close, the hea

ams did

uth that promised destruction.

t, there was a fifth rose on the pillow. This time, the petal

ithout knocking. The guards outside barely moved. One of them smirke

empty glass of whiskey in his hand. He wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves roll

he drawled. "Miss me?" I marched to his desk and slammed the sixth rose down

playing y

lready

little bird fo

rting to show." I leaned over the desk. "You think you're clever? That this is seductive?" Hi

even his reputation suggested. He came around the desk like he

ow. "You wake up t

d. "You dre

ut slitting

im. Hard. "I'm not your toy." He didn't stumble. Didn't react. Just stared at me with that maddening c

and too close. I know you pace six times around your room before you sleep. I know you leave your window

Rosetti. I'm

uth w

re in

said. "I'

nutes, staring at the spot where he'd stood. Trying to steady my breathing

piral staircase that climbed to an upper balcony. It smelled like old books and secrets. I pulled a volume at rand

him come in

ed to the far shelves and began scanning the spin

s passed.Th

up slowly. "Because your father told you to?" He shook

aid. I scoffed. "You

heard the stories-the convent girl, t

at was

more tha

hy

er touched you not just your body, but your mind. You're untouche

t to ruin you in all the ways that count." I stood and shoved the book back into

helf, eyes locked on mine. When he reached me, he reached up-not to touch me, but to pull a book from the shelf above my h

n. Addictive, lethal, slow-burning poison but something inside me had begun to change. It

anted to ruin me but what scared me mor