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“No.”

“What is it up to now, offer number three?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Offer four. Nowgo.”

Without waiting to see if he would actually leave, I headed out and shut the door to my office. After walking down the window-lined hall and into the main corridor, I pushed open the front door and jogged down the steps, not bothering to pull up my hood. Rain instantly drenched my dark hair, but I couldn’t care less.

Because there she was.

She was walking down the path without an umbrella, her jeans growing dark from the heavy raindrops, her black jacket zipped all the way up her chest. She was nearing her uncle’s mausoleum. With a few quick strides, I caught up to her and quietly approached her back. I could see strands of her dark brown hair poking out from the sides of her hood, becoming wavy in the deep humidity.

And here I was, drawn to her like a fucking magnet, my body reacting to her in ways it never did with anyone else.

I watched as she stood at the bottom of the steps, too wary to enter.

I know that stance, that hesitancy. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.

Her grief was growing heavier, not becoming easier.

“It’s after seven,” I cut through the natural silence and spoke with a darkness that couldn’t be lightened.

She jumped slightly but tried to cover the movement. Her head turned to look at me over her shoulder, pausing as she caught sight of my rain-soaked face. “Oh, I’m sorry, I know Isaid I’d be here, but they needed me to cover a shift at the coffee shop.”

I raised a hand. “No need to apologize, Celeste. You can come here whenever you’d like…”

The last word trailed off my tongue, lingering in the empty space between us. She took notice and completely turned to face me, her sparkling honey-colored eyes catching my gaze.

I continued. “…but it’s almost sundown.”

She instantly nodded. “I know, I know. Cemeteries close at dusk.”

I blinked. She knew what she was doing, and she was doing it so fucking well. She was purposely looking for me to correct her so she could use it as an invitation for information.

And I was more than happy to play her game.

“This isn’t a cemetery.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what it is, then? Is it some sacred burial grounds? An underground morgue? A death cult?”

Ah, she’s a smartass. I like that.

I couldn’t help the small smirk that rose on my lips. “I guess it’s a little bit of all of those. But, if you want it to be a cult, then it’s a cult.”

She rolled her eyes, and instead of fighting me back, instead of rattling off some sarcastic remark, she turned her back to me and walked up the steps of the mausoleum.

Within seconds, the sound of a car came up to my back, driving past me on the path. Rain beat on the windshield, and the wipers moved to push it away. I turned to look, even though I already knew who it was.

“You know we’re not done talking about this, Caius,” Amadeus said through his open window.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the open doorframe of the mausoleum, and I knew Celeste was listening. She moved closer, waiting for more to be said.

“I know,” I replied hastily, not wanting to say anything else in front of Celeste.

But it was too late, because Amadeus caught a glimpse of her, and it was game over.

He nodded in her direction but continued to speak to me. “Is she staying for the show?” he asked with a smug-ass grin on his face, and Celeste’s vision volleyed from him to me.

My stare turned deadly as I shot a look to Amadeus. “Go.”

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