BuzzNovelA sigh escaped her lips, but even so, Alessia knew she still had to get the job done-and do it well. She glanced
around, only now remembering she was no longer at the Tate family’s manor. Of course there wouldn't be any
art supplies here. The last tshe'd asked Cole to help, he'd brought her a small box of paints, but she'd given
them all to lvan-hadn’t kept a single tube for herself.
Resigned, Alessia stood up. She'd have to borrow spaint from Ivan. She knocked on the cabdoor; the
curtain hanging nearby fluttered gently in the breeze, but the room remained silent. Alessia was used to this-she
figured Ivan was probably lost in his painting again-so she simply pulled the curtain aside.
But the little stuwas empty.
She was about to let the curtain fall back into place when a painting by the window. caught her eye. The canvas
was a mass of black, streaked with deep, unsettling reds, the whole image twisted into something almost
grotesque. Even though the summer air outside was thick and stifling, this painting seemed to leech the warmth
from the room, sending a chill through her.
Almost without thinking, Alessia stepped closer. The moment she reached out, Ivan burst out from who-knows-
where and clamped his teeth onto her outstretched hand. Pain shot through her-she could feel his teeth sinking
into her skin, sharp and desperate, as if he wouldn't let go until he'd bitten out a piece of her.
She sucked in a breath. As she started to pull away, Ivan suddenly trembled, his eyes wild with terror, his grip
tightening instead of loosening.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAlessia was quick to pick up on emotions-sometimes more than she wa d to be. A thought flashed through her
mind, one she instinctively wanted to reject. Her hand throbbed, but instead of pulling away, she reached over
and gently patted Ivan’s head, soothing him with a calm that belied her pain.
The movement was so fluid, it was as if she’d been bitten and then immediately moved to comfort him.
There was no screaming, no flailing-none of the panic she’d braced herself for. Ivan stilled, sensing her steady
presence and gentle touch.
He blinked, eyes clearing, the fear draining away as he met Alessia’s gaze. There was no anger there, just a
helpless kind of resignation.
“Sorry,” Alessia said, crouching down so she was eye-level with him. “I shouldn't have barged in. | just wanted to
borrow spaint.” She made sure her tone was
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13:50
Chapter 42
even, not scolding, just honest-putting herself on his level.
She wasn’t angry about being bitten. Besides, it was her own fault for startling him, and honestly, this wasn’t
half as shocking as what the Tate twins had put her through.
Ivan had calmed down. He let go of her hand and curled up against the wall, arms wrapped tight around his
knees. He was so small, drawn in on himself, that she felt an unexpected pang of sympathy. Alessia wasn't the
sentimental type, but seeing Ivan like this made her brow crease with concern.
She wanted to say something, but the moment didn’t feel right. Besides, glancing at the blood oozing from her
hand, she just let out another sigh.
Without another word, Alessia left the
room, giving Ivan his Foe om
> Is : )
apartment asa bit it didn't take
hee Idrg to spot the first-aid kit in the
living room. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Her hand was already bruising, purple
and blue around the crescent marks
where blood still wellechHAgainst her
pee skity Re bite looked almost
ghastly. At least it was her left
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hand—cleaning the wound wouldn't
be too tricky. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
She twisted the cap off the peroxide
and poured it over the bite without so
much as a flinch, Byblgys fizgd Up,
UgDdBb
byt shellisPdab ed them away and
reached for the iodine, moving with
practiced efficiency, her face
unreadable. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Finally, she tore open a roll of gauze, biting one corner as she wrapped it around her hand with the other.
Just then, she heard Karen and the others outside the door. A second later, the front door swung open.
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