Next there was a knock on the door, so I rushed down the stairs but then took a moment to compose myself and brush my hair out of my face before answe...ing the door. A smile was all that was needed as he looked me up and down. My dressing gown gaping open to reveal my saucy outfit. He pounced through the door grabbing me and flinging me against the wall as he started ravishing my neck with kisses, sending tingling sensation from head to toe. We slowly started to walk up the stairs as I was still. Just don’t, okay. For once, come out and be open and honest about it.”Jill’s words knocked the wind right out of my sails. I suddenly felt deflated, struggling to keep the spirit to fight and stand up to Jill, and Malcolm stood right there in front of me in my family home. In our family home.Luther had played me. Using the secret we shared like an expert card player uses the Ace of Spades or a Wild Card to trump whatever’s on the table. I felt belittled and humiliated.Maybe it was seeing the. I knew he was trying to help, and I appreciated it, but it was depressing being informed how short I still fell from where I needed to be. Alistair obviously wanted to defend me, which would have really pissed me off; realising that, he bit his lip and held his tongue, though the scowl on his face made his opinion on the subject obvious.We finally made it to what I had assumed was the darkspawn Forge Master. It was a genlock with more armour than most, a bow, and an enormous hammer. And not a. ‘You okay?’ ‘When have you ever known a tweeker like him to get to me, Aidan?’ But she didn’t jerk away from the hand that he held under her chin, tipping her face up so he could look for wounds. Her eyes held pain, he could see it in the gray/green depths of them. ‘He’s not worth it, Mia. Don’t let him do this to you.’ Mia smiled into his gorgeous golden eyes. ‘It’s a bit more complicated than that, Aidan. But I’ll be okay. I always am.’ His thumbs smoothed over her skin and he felt her shiver.