[ Long chapter.]
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After Ave quietened down, Lucian continued to say, "No one will take you away for as long as I am here, and nothing shall happen to you. Understand?" He locked his eyes with hers.
Ave blinked twice as her heart missed double beats from his words of assurance that stirred something more than desire inside her. That something bloomed inside of her, making her feel a sense of protection and someone to rely on, which she'd never felt in all her life.
She had never relied on anyone since the day she was born as there was no one to rely on but herself. She had shouldered every single decision and action of her life alone to the point that his reassurance felt like a safe haven and strange. Would he be able to protect her from the woman if she wanted to take her away? 'Nothing shall happen to you,' he had told her, Ave thought with her eyes looking at Lucian.
