Five's POVI didn't know how to act after what had happened the night before. After the king had treated me with such tenderness, and had let Seven go. She was supposed to be bred that night, but the King had let her go, and I was grateful for that but somewhere deep inside me, guilt gnawed at me. Seven had been spared. But someone else, another innocent girl would take her place. Another girl would be bred. I avoided the King that morning, choosing to pretend the previous night hadn't happened, and he hadn't looked at me with those eyes. "You're early," Elijah called, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glanced up. "She beat me here,” I gestured to the spot beside me. Elijah slowed, his eyes moving past me to the stone bench where Seven sat with her knees drawn up, her eyes already on him with that careful assessment she had given me when I’d first arrived. "Seven," I started, "this is Elijah."She looked at him for a long moment."You're human," she tilted her head slightly.
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