NARRATOR

"No, of course not!" Laziel exclaimed, breaking out of the imperturbable image he always showed. "I knew you could control it, my love, you were never in danger, Lavinia..."

"Sure, because you set me up with a test, but you were still watching to see if I screwed up... Did you trust me or not?... And don't touch me!"

She slapped his hand away when he reached to caress her face.

For the first time, Lavinia saw a crack in her male’s perfection as he slowly withdrew his hand.

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