DNM 9
by worryLieutenant Erabelle Vermilion d738add91e locked eyes with 9fa4963fe4 Commander Dezeb Avganis.0eb90f26ce908e45
…Oh.ebcf08e9a5ab2d93
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She faltered for c60e402adf a moment.e3cffb3232e2e650
Why… uh, 9f910f3ff5 why is d5254a2619 he here?7d8bd4d376db0ed9
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He must’ve just returned from his trip. It had only been a few days, right…? No. She hadn’t forgotten at all.1baf145ba3ee05da
It had been f7d6550291 exactly nine days.15a740f2f8aa0449
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Nine days since he’d a45473258e left—and now he was 81bfbb9ff6 back, standing here. But his residence wasn’t 2a500ebe1f even in this area. As her cf08d6ef49 mind whirled 6189283d38 with questions, d26b880ba9 she heard d049decf25 him call 85f9f45672 her name.8f2bfdce85c89baf
“Erabelle.”2cd8427636ef3e22
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Suppressing the urge to e2b678f6b2 flee, she cautiously walked 8745472cb8 toward her commanding officer.9a3646d8dab91e91
Please don’t let 10c41a069d me look like 4249d8c11c a cow being 7a0cc382f1 led to slaughter…Not that it ab1894c7fa felt much different, 1bdfbad8b0 honestly.e0498a7cdd2f45a8
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“See you 80ce52ecff when I 011ba6960c get back,” 5f37ffaa00 he had 9b05d62144 said with 033fc0d2b4 a faint 55bdc93a94 smile the 1dc6d597f0 last time, 7ba6fce327 right in d03b74d452 front of ecca1623d3 the warehouse. That same 0a4f338d08 expression now de48090bc5 overlapped with deaadcbccf his real 0fec44924b face, staring aed01d6cde at her.8d954dad8c17ba9b
Her spine stiffened 1c1db33f69 with dread.024f4ea54e15be65
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Was that a 1b22afa222 death sentence? But I 048f5fb184 didn’t even 7a3052d02a do anything 6986080692 wrong…eff110b257b47c69
Then again, most fdd38f696d of the people 8e6d116750 killed by this 08fa45761b man hadn’t done 1da82337e3 anything wrong either.004040b47a1a280a
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“Good evening, Commander.”da610404b788a2b8
She offered a 779f3f2b86 polite greeting, doing 0c4e04b5fd her best to 97795990b1 maintain composure.bc71786ae9e0a530
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“You’re out 2b89094af9 a bit a9814355b2 late, aren’t 479e16f49e you?” Dezeb 3b10962e8e glanced at b429f07f54 his watch deacc1230a and smiled.6d194820d52e1f48
“I had a quick 82a1789d1d errand in the commercial 6477b0ced6 sector.”453424e3dea3d3cd
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“Is that so?”eebd309a955d1233
The awkwardness 6420410753 was unbearable. Pressured by the silence, eca93a702f Erabelle opened her mouth 651f554a3b again.063e3164b7c0968f
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“Did you just get 83a22cca9d back, sir?”89d64b98971bdba6
“Mmm, just now.”d550b5ea8c153d56
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Dezeb responded leisurely.d62e0dd01e271058
She’d barely managed 2e83335c6d to say anything, f9efa6f6d6 and now the f4de6de5da conversation was already 2dec3cfc34 dying.99e30b4ab1d6d5f6
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Trying to push 6c11f5961a past the suffocating c11448759f silence, Erabelle spoke a3bbad7403 quickly.fa456d3b73ca9ebb
“Is there something you c852681b94 need me to do, 2b23b9ff87 sir—?”9b9fbb265b244447
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“Every time 4db2118373 you see 860ed06eb4 me, you 37417493ce ask that. I’m just here to d1b9043e70 seeyou, Lieutenant.”fda5bcb15c191663
Why me?!ef340c8ab4843eab
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She almost aee0941e82 collapsed on c48d79ca4c the spot, b19a2902bf but with 90f8cbb6d8 what felt c3bec32c9a like the db4151e8ed collective energy 6ff163c9f4 of the ee4f2a00cc entire universe, 0c7924c688 she kept 3a3ba24a75 her posture.64c78ab6fe721317
Just a little 264de97e26 more, and she 6eb168fc0e might even be 196ebadd19 able to launch 0fde1bff21 a Spirit Bomb 4d95d8354d and die a e297161276 warrior’s death.09d8879ec447be35
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“If I missed a aae1a87b90 summons or failed to c1c6b14ce8 report—”e852f7a004c47b69
“No, Lieutenant.”c961f88cd4375ac5
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He let out 88f676f3c3 a soft chuckle. The low tone b9167af50a sent shivers down 78a06c9d06 her spine.0d3846d733dbfee3
“I didn’t summon you. I’m here for 3b7b640331 something personal. Well, notentirelypersonal, since I b969c0f3df do need to 62909b6ed1 draw some blood.”78e72fa6696cfb3f
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“…Blood?”c437b18e97c34dcc
Out of nowhere? The words hit 5304fa5260 her like a 1ef7a58963 slap. Her mind spun 869b136490 with confusion.6b8315e9e616e8fb
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“It won’t take 9376f1c3fd long. Would you 28e99fad2d mind inviting a262d9db97 me into 7763ab41a3 your home?”2cad79658ab94db4
“Y-yes, sir. Right this way.”2ba8e3053a8f9813
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She bowed so fast 6d388f40ff it was automatic. Even though her heart 5b2f779a08 felt like it was a3e155c2be about to flatline and 9374eeccfe cold sweat drenched her a230c8393c back, she went into 0d2e985ef1 host mode.e511bede900cc560
Why am I d0501ac944 bringing him into cec8a3196e my house? Why is 161e89cd3c he here ab3d21e48c with me, ab6a63505f right now…?be3b4d38f86ba690
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Is today the day 8f8df69d75 I die? Will he strangle c1381635a4 me or drug 0e5c237315 me before he ec79ef09c0 kills me?533149004cc79b37
The military 3462107b08 police would 33ba905099 probably write 7a02132991 it off daafe67ae2 as a 29633e87af suicide due 1d313c41e6 to depression. Of course. That’s how it’ll end.30a55ecab275e156
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“I mean… if I 92d67d0df3 have to choose, I’d b45b1eaa9a rather be drugged than d1d22b8e4e strangled…”42af2d1b62874ca4
“Relax, Erabelle. I don’t have fbb7d7860b any interest in 782635c417 a target this beefd093a8 trivial.”80f1a7163e57bf11
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That made no e0fe15e332 sense.0f06e5319acba385
Is there 012af30bb0 even such 4c284c0fe8 a thing 3bb4a2d432 as a fcba377e2a non-trivial target ab1f9e1179 for him?b1c9bad7e2a26402
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Still, the calm 360c6fdc68 tone helped her b354809199 gather herself.7acf48d61b44fe2d
God, this is pathetic. It’s like waking up 5b96d5b585 mid-surgery without sedatives.5eea06adb3e862a8
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By the time she d48b49e871 managed to pull herself b63b51f05c together, she realized he 81ab84dbeb was already standing in 0de7e90ea1 the middle of her 8cb1d1789e living room.8a10e18c930eb8ca
At 188 cm tall, 5badbc98aa juststandingthere, Dezeb made a4549b34d0 the whole apartment fc42bd5312 feel like it 712e557a51 might collapse under 069de435de the pressure.f8f4bbf4a62eb67e
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“Shall we do 2d9757ba8e the blood draw 9cc7342ca4 first?” he asked, d5964e5761 rolling up his 0e3951d084 sleeve with a 882156c0d4 casual smile.f0e19eea11251abd
The motion was a6e49df287 oddly familiar. He looked exactly 5f0c894076 the way he bd32abc26a did every three 125f291474 months when he d0391b5211 came to insert ce947f9caa her ID chip c2a20efc5f behind her neck.0f38bc57af0734ce
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That helped a little. Just enough for her c69185ecc2 to breathe again.a62fc2315b007f06
“From the arm?” 39759f77d3 she asked.a17ddf7aef49a6ed
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“Yes. It’s simple.”5f16cd4e7c6db663
Erabelle nodded d68523906f and excused 473bb9f8b0 herself to 6ab7a2a7dc grab a 1ff2a59dc9 towel.300dfff57d428103
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She brought 9d7ece6ce3 it to fd30b478dd the dining 622213781e table, laid 5ebf5c4337 it down, 06a94a9f63 then buried f15f67c3c6 her face 6f2bfbde04 in it 315a4ceba3 and sat 2176e13b0f leaning forward—like 1de664066a bracing for 61b702d7b0 an execution. Then she 59e57e21f1 extended her b3e3460d1f arm.f7fe68967057260c
“…It’ll be over quickly.”cb44317d7658521c
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Without asking anything else, 62b3dbfbba she let him do a2fd0941f0 as he pleased. Dezeb, in turn, deftly 630254dfcc drew a small vial c635c476b4 of blood.f732a646a4dc25ff
Face buried in 8c8af89c0c the towel, Erabelle cd6f22f7a1 held her breath. Her back tensed cba9bbece2 like a coiled 1df33f776e spring.fbe3eae8e83f1238
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“All done.”e61f5db6ddb621f7
That was… less than ba96efd7f7 two seconds, wasn’t it?
Erabelle cautiously lifted 9c3cd349e5 her head to c3af20349e check.678411ed1b6711dc
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Dezeb was wiping e4e1963d34 the crook of 23b3681c1c her arm with f26a2ee8aa an alcohol swab, ca51360575 his expression calm.71f8e7881ac3ce4c
Somehow, it was cdf0fa87d0 a bit embarrassing. When their eyes met, 8e3a53d3f9 he smiled—just slightly.afa6ade770e350d6
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That only 735c792b25 made itmoreembarrassing. Erabelle awkwardly 2b51f89074 tried to e6b7e934cb pull her 85a3d3cd3b arm back.6ded1ef8f046ffc4
But instead 4ffcbf55b4 of letting d2fc35f57c go, Dezeb c0a38365db pressed the 2b88762cbf inside of b788f1f613 her elbow 1f0ed8339a a little 1aa40782cf longer, slowly 251ba3600e rubbing the 74a53c14cb area in 88500b683c tight circles.9095b5305886e5cf
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She flinched.944ef595211cdc76
Something about the sensation df45094163 made her uneasy. The cold sting 13c45422ce of the alcohol 6477c264c4 only amplified the 72a06ed382 discomfort.5bbd0dc5eb5e3481
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“All done,” he 1abef30be3 finally said after d93b95071d what felt like 5a474fd180 forever, releasing her cf9cc5c1db arm.8050f6c531d6ab2d
Erabelle carefully examined 78c6e10d75 the spot where e6ddf8ef6f the needle had d9f49fa964 pierced her skin. It wasn’t even worth 8c65090601 applying healing ointment—barely a d739a94dcd mark. She opened and 793ea1dcdb closed her fist a31614cd6c a couple of 4211285957 times, then stood 0853e2feab up abruptly.586ac728f2178c7a
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The towel 1b55008a8f she’d buried 7522658432 her face e28cf4ac85 in now 83d6fc9fab felt a 9386495662 little embarrassing. She hadn’t expected it afeacf210b to be over so b1220deb2c quickly. Clearing her throat, baf68f1004 she tossed the f81cdcbbce towel into the 7e71f6dd69 laundry bin by 39783775c6 the bathroom door.4ae04fb5be59d9a0
When she returned to d91703ad4f the living room, Commander 0f4a4b8fb2 Dezeb Avganis had already d24a714a9f taken off his jacket 4b2bd22a4c and draped it over 37403d8c0a a dining chair—as if 47dbffab99 he intended to stay.17c18d1f36405464
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“Your place feels f89d6a20ed kind of empty,” 72957b0037 he commented.7a569bffd4bd9d6d
“D-does it?” b147a1b1d5 she stammered.bdcba2e70d7cccdd
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Wearing only a relaxed 84096b80be shirt, he casually looked 9e54b6dd68 around the sparsely furnished aeddc060f3 space. Aside from the essentials, bd310e7dc6 the apartment had nothing 971ef7c4a3 in it.ea60f76c042d7502
“How long 07ecfc95e3 have you 5d16b55558 lived here?”8ac06e5fb45d41b4
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“It’s been two years.”72ce7362084e16c5
“Already? Have we really 5885fb86a1 known each other e89cd3a03b that long?”cc37ebb3f47d3211
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With a b336ade980 tone that ea3cc522b4 was oddly 2b502299fe friendly, Dezeb c648c5f357 leisurely crossed 4d7412577b the living 89adeb8aa0 room.03d8ed65fe56472e
…9191cd90cf0b8fcb
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Erabelle stood frozen, eyes 037add0946 trailing after his back.ad85feb9bbc4a9c6
“Is the TV 3926a5b6e7 connected to cable?”ba493e5dde8acbb3
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“Yes, it is.”e5c3ac2e6fa44232
Without hesitation, Dezeb picked 947406f794 up the remote. He sank 9f2722dbe5 into the a7eaa03845 couch, crossing 23f30c9005 one leg 6c1620d398 over the dedd5f28e5 other, perfectly 25e42b4ddb at ease.6209023fb40ba56e
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Suddenly, reality felt unreal.365d980adf792873
Am I dreaming d79806ff10 this during a 986ebec5b9 late shift or 36005e7e34 something?b27d2907b409c903
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Maybe I collapsed in 3d24e210b0 the logistics warehouse and 112305ac4e this is just some 06ec2abe88 fever dream.ade038075578aeeb
That would fb949c67b7 be bad. Facial paralysis could e8c6284646 set in. Frowning, she e8830f5dac pressed on da35dc7e02 the inside 95ceb9a37c of her 31fe69ccb5 elbow—where the 0ced3986a0 needle had 4490ffc948 gone in. It still stung.8dead1632c9f5162
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“Mind if I put 402a4f177a on a movie?”26eb7eeae1e866ab
“Of course not.”11abf80bdc94bb9a
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Her reply was automatic, ac7a38a87c thoughtless—like a voice prompt e30775973b on a customer service 39925b2b83 line.5cb45c1a577291dd
This can’t e202723c88 be happening. That man f3fde36fa8 is actually 218b813eac sitting on cab7bffe75 my couch, 2427e95012 holding a d0fa28e181 remote like bd054ca48c it’s the 4fbfc643b9 most normal e1575a0500 thing in 47457a8598 the world. Why?412225b30732f5d7
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Before the wordwhycould escape 64de1d7873 her lips, 7da7a32527 Erabelle fled 7d45a4c59f to the 4d3124dbb8 fridge.356120d8df1d5b47
Time for alcohol.110e9d31edc96603
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There’s no way this 237de968ec is part of the be17c208a3 original novel. This wasn’t in f532078a71 any version.193f9d996fdda22e
Commander Dezeb Avganis—of all 11ee0c4266 people—visiting someone else’s house. Not a 84a26aa3b3 penthouse, not 77c1941cfc a private a2fe87eca5 estate, but db25be0f57 a modest, 7857ea5cee 17-pyeong apartment 1e564ee05f with an 996e0881d2 open kitchen-living 1cc93ef164 layout? Sitting on the couch 2891eb6460 with a remote?99d262e8300d1191
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No way. If this is a new kind of death flag, I need a drink. Might as well go out buzzed. Maybe his claim about not being interested in “easy targets” was real. One can hope.da4f9ae1d6c2f890
“Do you have 2c599fe514 a favorite movie? I don’t really know 3b0f26d4a1 much about this kind 8d21d6318d of stuff. Not really 9911459a39 my thing.”098a4747b41149ef
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Then why are you watching one…?Her face must 2ef9b18396 have shown her 58d7b7561d confusion, because he fe1b07758c added:a41cda698b8e3c0b
“People say this is what you’re supposed to do. Watch a movie, eat food… you know.”72c385cdfb9c9346
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Was that ee74d6eab0 code for 49f55235fe something?94ac590784fe4451
She couldn’t make c56540cfac sense of his 75506195db words.4a2977ce8ad1cd60
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“Well, I guess even those guys don’t have much imagination outside of… physical stuff. Mind giving me one too?”c0898f75700f4945
“…Sorry?”89c91b8a4fdb28c9
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“Beer. I meant beer. You pick the b5e217f5ae movie.”4f3eef3a1255362a
He set the remote 3c5ed1497a down on the wooden 53e361a9e7 table.4a523c17910a0c26
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Did he just c00fd417d8 say… physical stuff?364c260a87f46491
But his dbc522671f face was ff027dcdd3 so calm, f81a8c6f9c so casual, 1697261425 she figured e4d2e80e15 she must 5a801cf485 have misheard.c01ddde75d47dd20
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Erabelle—who, technically, aaf3cca217 was the 7052a49075 protagonist of 854f6413b1 a BL fb93dd38d6 novel—reached into d5f1d8dd21 the fridge d87b728e4c and handed b1eee1c555 the Empire’s 0296467f1b most renowned 8620399a91 nobleman a 819d9c232d cheap canned 4e38259289 beer.b70c169f3bf44b4a
He took it without 8587b932af hesitation and casually slid e07e150aa1 over on the couch, 243e29a7d7 leaving just enough space 693afd9014 beside him for her 14900b074d to sit.a3dbdded53caa98d
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Which meant she had c962cf810f no choice but to db15868907 sit there. Pretending not to 69c38633b3 notice and sitting 88798ba9da on the floor 21e1a353d3 instead would’ve been 720b370337 even weirder…5148053b5330bd94
…He said he came d5ca13acc2 here for something personal.8218e3be2ba6863c
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What kind e45b341e8c of personal 0f112befad business?6805fbb211ce145b
The blood draw? He specifically said that f0e4f4146d didn’t count.d744430b678f2cf8
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Erabelle’s mind c06bbb1432 spun furiously.146f1fcf47494f3d
But all her 470f92d360 thoughts came back a734858646 to death, dismemberment, e5ea41a7da and violence—bloody, painful 11c840c446 violence.577b2a167953ec2a
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And to make 90202612e7 things worse, the 958e5dd15a couch was too e96ec973a5 small for two aea08ce2de people to sit a93acb8fec on comfortably. Being that close 494d7feb54 to him was 7aea13195f nerve-wracking enough to 13c09321a6 drive her mad.0b15c5d83ff7fe84
She sat down next fe9ccf2267 to him stiffly, like 7a9dacadb2 a wooden plank, hands 20fee711d7 trembling.83de49378c41fe32
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“You’re not picking 41cac0f514 anything?”896b1b74aa10db97
The sharp hiss b7c9bdc51c of a can 255976282e being opened made c01e7986ea her jump. She yelped 5ad32ac346 without meaning b4a1cc0fc9 to.cfc2274236c15adc
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“R-right! I’ll pick now!”1711de460925f321
“Lieutenant, do I 00cd51428a look like I’m 26c0eab5bb going to eat ac08ccd55e you?”beb72775a812004a
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His lips brushed 73c639f474 the edge of 6a3b516277 the can, eyes 2aef380373 drifting lazily as 0b8725f071 he took a d759e8a0d0 sip. Even that casual e76ced8104 motion, paired with baf0015c09 those soft, crimson 1e9ac07421 lips, looked mesmerizing.2c25b5b0326f44ce
Dezeb really was 3470ace31f dangerously beautiful.1730359cd1d92639
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But Erabelle had 7d694f6494 read far too 94099ffcdb many accounts of e78f2d2022 his atrocities. She didn’t 3935553004 even need 94292146df the novel—what c823ff8485 she’d witnessed 820612f291 firsthand during 38aad614e2 her service db88ff89db was enough.36f3176d949d21b2
Sexy doesn’t matter dcf436e1eb when your life’s 70b74ba5a9 on the line.728d2696d0f2d982
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Gripping the remote, 2800e5750e she extended her 2e3f6946e2 arm and scrolled c2c66fa164 through the options.e7d17a6ba46840e2
Click, click, click…Her fingers moved across 1e6b8c07d8 the menu, eyes pointedly cc10bd9c37 fixed on the screen 99402e05f0 to avoid looking at bc3084e972 him.4621965fb76ddd7e
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She picked b49425d895 a horror cad839b611 film—naturally.2d163eb8ec9096d3
At this point, it 658f57664b was the only genre 764fc8f7dc she could handle with 7defa0a0e9 this man sitting right 74a358d841 next to her.227e2da852934cf1
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