Dimitri POV
He held Ariana closer, staring at the tarot cards.
Maarah's reading only reflected what he himself feared. And the idea of mourning what was lost in the past, so much so that he let Ariana slip away ... chilling. He shivered, despite the crackling fire in the room.
"It's true," he said softly. "This reading is true for me. Losing Georgiana and Sophia has colored my thinking. It's made me afraid. It could have made me very cold and controlling--just like Luc. I came off as a domineering son of a b*tch as it is."
Ariana snorted. "Until I saw your heart. I had to kneel and call you 'Master' in front of Irina to realize that you were trying to protect me."
