Chapter 81: Pages Of Temptation
Ariana’s heart thudded as she moved to hide the book.
THUP
It fell to the floor before she could even shove it under her pillow. Her rolling must have pushed the book to the edge, and just as she moved toward it to retrieve it—Zavren entered. She quickly sat up, her eyes now on him.
’Don’t make things obvious... just act normal, act normal,’ she repeated in her head as Zavren’s eyes rested on her. Her heart began to thud faster as she shifted her gaze away.
"Aria, is something wrong?" Zavren asked, his expression as calm as ever.
Ariana shook her head quickly, her face flushing.
’Don’t look down... do not look,’ she reminded herself as she shifted her body closer to the edge to lie down. She silently prayed Zavren wouldn’t come around to lie beside her. She just hoped he would go to the side where the book wasn’t. She’d wait until he fell asleep, then drop the book.
Yes, that plan was great. But Zavren just stood there. She turned slightly toward him—why wasn’t he coming to lie down?
Zavren, now wearing a different black shirt and loose pants, had clearly changed from earlier spar. His hair was lightly disheveled as he walked to where Ariana lay. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. He bent down, picking up the book. Their eyes met for a brief second, and Ariana’s heart skipped.
’Please don’t open it... please,’ she begged internally.
But to her shock, Zavren moved and opened the book. Her heart began to race. He was now... reading it.