Page 47 of Run Little Fawn

Aria nods, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face before she schools her features into a mask of calm acceptance. "Of course. The third hunt has to start sometime."

I reach out, my fingers grazing the soft skin of her cheek in a gesture that feels strangely intimate. "Get some rest, Aria. You'll need your strength for what's to come."

"You're not coming back with me to the hotel?" She sounds surprised. Almost disappointed.

I smile a little. "Not tonight. Have to save something for round three, don't we?"

She leans into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed for the briefest of moments. "I will. And Lucian?"

"Yes, little fawn?"

"This seems strange to say. But thank you. For everything."

I smile, a genuine curve of my lips that feels foreign on my face. "You're welcome, Aria. Now go, before I change my mind and decide to keep you for myself a little longer."

She laughs, a soft, tinkling sound that warms me from the inside out. "Goodnight, Lucian."

"Goodnight, Aria."

As I watch her walk away, her silhouette fading into the shadows of the city, I feel a strange ache in my chest, a longing for something I can't quite name. It's a feeling I've never experienced before, a weakness I've never allowed myself to indulge.

But as I turn my face to the sky, the first rays of sunlight painting the horizon in shades of gold and pink, I can't shake the sense that something has irrevocably changed. That the game I've played for so long has taken on a new dimension, a new depth that I'm not entirely sure I'm prepared for.

Because for the first time in my life, I find myself wondering not about the thrill of the hunt, but about the price of failure.

And more than that…

About the cost of success.

Chapter Nineteen

THE FAWN

The shrill beep of my alarm pierces the stillness of the night, jolting me from a restless slumber. I roll over, my hand instinctively reaching for the warm body that should be beside me, but my fingers find only cold, rumpled sheets.

That's right.

Lucian is gone.

A strange pang of disappointment flickers in my chest, a strange ache that I'm not quite ready to name.

I tell myself it's just the adrenaline, the lingering rush of our training sessions and the intensity of his gaze on mine.

But deep down, I know it's more than that.

I shake my head, pushing the thought aside as I swing my legs over the edge of the bed. I can't afford to dwell on what might be, not when the third hunt is looming on the horizon.

I need to focus, to put into practice all the lessons Lucian has taught me.

As I pad across the room, my mind whirs with the possibilities. I think back to our conversation, to the way he spoke of not just blending in, but of becoming someone else entirely.

It's a skill I've never considered before, a tool I've never had in my arsenal.

But now, with Lucian's words echoing in my head, I feel a flicker of excitement, a thrill of anticipation that has nothing to do with the hunt itself.

I'm eager to test myself, to see if I can truly disappear into the shadows.

I glance at the clock, the glowing numbers telling me it's just past three in the morning. The third hunt doesn't begin until seven, which gives me a few precious hours to prepare.

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