Clenching the box in my hand, I stood. "So are you doing anything... um, special tonight?"

He dropped the mat he'd been rolling up. "Not really. Why?"

I shifted uncomfortably, keeping the box hidden between my hands. "It's your birthday. Shouldn't you be celebrating?"

Surprise flashed across his face. "How did you know it was today? Wait." He gave a rueful smile. "Deacon told you."

"Well, your birthday is the day before Halloween. Kind of hard to forget."

Aiden brushed off his hands. "We're going to have dinner with some people, but it's nothing big."

I smiled, inching closer. "Well, that's doing something."

"Yeah, it's something."

Just give him the stupid box, Alex. "Well... you don't have to work tonight, right?" Give him the damn box, Alex, and stop talking. Like forever.

Aiden flashed a quick grin as his gaze drifted toward me. "No. I got the night off. Alex, I need to tell-"

I stepped forward, shoving my hands at his chest. Well, I shoved the box at his chest. "Happy birthday!" I looked and felt like the worst kind of dweeb.

His startled gaze dropped, and then flicked back to mine. He took the little box. "What's this?"

"It's just a small gift. Nothing big," I said in a rush. "It's for your birthday. Well, obviously."

"Alex, you really didn't have to do this." He turned it over, running those graceful fingers over it. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I know." I pushed a few strands of hair off my face. "But I wanted to."

"Can I shake it?"

"Yeah, it won't break."

Grinning, he shook the box. The pick rattled off the sides. He glanced at me once more and then untied the black bow. Holding my breath, I watched him carefully open up the lid and peer inside. Aiden's eyes narrowed and his lips parted. I didn't know what that expression meant. Slowly, he reached inside and plucked the pick out of the box.

Aiden held the gemstone pick between two long fingers, his expression incredulous. "It's black."

I glanced around the room. "Yeppers. It's black. Um, I saw that you had every color except black." He continued to stare at the pick with this dumbfounded look on his face. I folded my arms, suddenly wanting to cry. "If you don't like it, I'm sure you can return it. I got it at this store online. They do-"

"No." Aiden looked up and his eyes met mine. They were a dark gray, bordering on silver. "No. I don't want to return it." He flipped the pick over, smoothing his thumb over it. "It's perfect."

I flushed, still wanting to cry, but in a totally good way now. "You really think so?"

Aiden took a step forward, his eyes like liquid pools. They took up his face, my entire world. I didn't know what was going to happen next. All I knew was that I was hooked on him, irrevocably so.

"There you are." Marcus stood at the entrance to the training room. "I've been searching everywhere for you."

There was sort of grace to how fast Aiden slid the gift into the pocket of his pants and twisted around. I couldn't see his face, but I knew it was perfectly devoid of any emotion. Only his eyes would give anything away, and Marcus would never be able to tell anything from their colors like I could.

However, I was also sure my face would give everything away. I hurried over to my gym bag and became fascinated with its strap.

"What can I do for you?" Aiden asked casually.

"Practice is running a little late for you two, isn't it?"

"We were just finishing up."

"Alexandria, what are you doing over there?" asked Marcus.

Cursing under my breath, I shouldered the bag and faced my uncle. He wore a three-piece suit. No one on campus dressed as well as he did.

"Nothing, just getting my stuff."

He raised a brow elegantly. "Were you running late from class and held up Aiden? You should have more respect for his time."

I shot my uncle a dirty look, but managed to keep my mouth shut.

"It's fine," Aiden responded quickly. "She wasn't that late."

Marcus nodded. "Well, I'm glad I found you two together."

My brows inched up my forehead, and the urge to laugh hit me hard. Aiden looked less amused.

"I've given what you asked some thought and I do agree with what you've suggested, Aiden."

The lines around Aiden's mouth tightened. "I haven't had a chance to discuss this with Alex."

Marcus frowned. "Don't concern yourself with that. You've done wonderfully with her. I have to admit, I didn't think she'd be able to get caught up, but you were right. We can end the additional practices."

I stepped forward, but I didn't feel the floor under my sneakers. "End my practices?"

"Aiden feels that you no longer require these additional practices, and I happen to agree with him. You'll still be working with Seth, but this will afford you some time off and also allow Aiden to return to his Sentinel duties fully."

I stared at Marcus, hearing him but not really understanding. Then I turned toward Aiden. His face was utterly blank. I knew I should feel good about this, because it was a huge step in the right direction and Marcus had sort of complimented me, but I couldn't get past the hole opening up in my chest. Aiden and I would never see each other if we didn't train together.

"Aiden, you've spoken about this with Seth?" Marcus asked. "Discussed areas for potential improvement?"

"Yes, Seth is aware of things she can use additional work on." Aiden's voice sounded surprisingly empty and flat.

He'd already talked this over with Seth? I inhaled, but the air fled my lungs. My chest seized in a weird way and my brain tried to tell me that I'd known this day was coming. I just hadn't thought it was coming this soon.

"Well, I don't want to keep you. Enjoy your dinner tonight." Marcus paused, seeming to remember I still stood there. He turned back, smiling politely. "Good night, Alexandria."

He didn't wait for my response, which was good, because I had none. The moment I felt sure he was out of hearing range, I whirled on Aiden. "We aren't going to train anymore?"

Aiden still wouldn't look at me. "I was going to talk to you about it. I think-"

"You were going to talk to me about it? Why didn't you talk to me before you went to Marcus?"

"I went to Marcus last week, Alex."

"After... we got back from the zoo? That's why you were in Marcus's office when I got there?"

Aiden still hadn't looked at me, not once since Marcus had dropped the bomb. "Yes."

"I... I don't understand." I gripped the bag's shoulder strap like it was some kind of lifeline. "Why don't you want to train me anymore?"

"Alex, you don't need me to train you anymore." His body started to tense, to lock up. "You're caught up with the other students."

"If that's true then why did you have to discuss areas of improvement with Seth? Why can't you just work on them?"

Aiden turned away fully, running a hand through his hair. "You need time off. You're exhausted all the time, and something has to give. You need to work with Seth a lot more than you need to work with me. He can work with you on the elements, prepare you for when you Awaken."

There was a strange buzzing in my ears, adding a surreal element to all of this. "That's not true. I don't need Seth."

Aiden's head snapped in my direction. "You don't need me, Alex."

It took me several tries to get the next words out over the huge lump in my throat. "I do. I won't see you anymore if we don't train."

"You'll see me at Council, Alex, and you'll see me around here. Don't be ridiculous."

I ignored the coldness in his voice. "But after that? I won't see you." My voice cracked. The sound was equally humiliating and sad.

"Well, I think that is... for the best."

It felt like he'd reached inside me and crushed my lungs into lifeless lumps. I drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down, but there was this raw hurt in my chest. It ached, throbbed in a way that felt so real. I could only stare at him. "Is... this because of what I told you at the zoo? Why you don't want to train me anymore?"

Aiden's lean body tensed again, and a muscle in his jaw jumped. "Yes, that has something to do with it."

A crack in my heart started. "Because... because I said I loved you?"

He made a deep sound in his throat. "And because I don't..." He paused, looking away. "I don't feel the same way about you. I can't. Okay? I can't let myself love you. If I did, I would take everything from you-everything. I can't do that to you. I won't do that to you."

"What? That doesn't-"

"It does matter, Alex."

I reached for his arm, but Aiden moved away from me. Stung, I wrapped my arms around my waist. "You're saying this-"

"Just stop." He ran a hand through his hair again.

The rawness of his words sliced through. "Then why did you tell me that stuff at the zoo? Why did you say you cared for me? That you wanted to break the rules for me? Why would you tell me any of that?"

Aiden turned gunmetal gray eyes on me, and I took a step back. He looked nothing like the Aiden I knew. Aiden never looked at me so coolly, so detached. "I do care for you, Alex. I... don't want to see anything bad happen to you or to see you hurt."

"No." I shook my head. "It's more than that. You... you held my hand." The last bit came out a pitiful whisper.

He flinched. "That was... a silly mistake."

Now I flinched, and I couldn't stop the words from coming out. "No. You want me-"

"Of course I want you," he said harshly. "I'm a man, and you're a beautiful girl. I can't help that. Wanting you in the physical sense has nothing to do with how I feel about you."

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I blinked back hot tears.

Aiden's hands curled into fists. "You're a half-blood, Alex. You can't love me, and pure-bloods don't love halfs."

I staggered back, feeling as if he'd smacked me in the face. I was so embarrassed-humiliated. How had I mistaken how he felt about me so badly? I had everything wrong. Letting out a ragged breath, I turned away just as Aiden closed his eyes and lowered his head. Sick to my stomach, I walked back to the dorm in a daze. The worst part was the shame. I couldn't see past it, couldn't think around it. There was a burning in my eyes I desperately fought. Crying wasn't going to solve anything, but damn, that's all I wanted to do. My chest felt like it'd been ripped open, my heart torn apart.

When I opened the door to my room, I wasn't entirely surprised to find Seth sitting on the couch. Not surprised, but angry. I needed to consider barring the window in the bedroom.

He didn't look up. "Hey."

"Please leave." I dropped my bag on the floor.

Seth's lips pursed as he stared straight ahead. "I can't do that."

Fierce emotion swept through me, agonizing and raw. I couldn't-wouldn't lose it in front of Seth. "I'm not screwing with you. Get out."

He looked up, eyes the color of a warm sunset. "I'm sorry... but I can't leave."

I stepped forward, clenching my hands. "I don't care what I'm throwing off right now and how it's affecting you. Please leave."

Seth slowly came to his feet. "I'm not leaving. You could use the company."

I might hate the connection that fed my emotions to Seth more than I hated anything in my life. "Don't push me, Seth. Leave, or I'll make you leave."

He was in my face in a heartbeat. Grasping my arms, he lowered his head so that we were eye level. "Look, I can leave this room. Fine. You're still going to feel like hell, which means I'm still going to feel like hell."

I inhaled roughly, unable to escape him. Tears burned my eyes and clogged the back of my throat, threatening to choke me.

He took a deep breath. "I knew you'd lied to me when you said you didn't... love him. Why are you doing this to yourself? Aiden is like every other pure, Alex. Sure, he may have moments where it doesn't seem that way, but he is a pure-blood."

I turned my head away from Seth, biting down on my lip until I tasted blood. An hour ago I would never have agreed with that, but Aiden had just said the very same thing.

"And what if he did love you, Alex? What then? Would you be satisfied with being something he had to hide? Satisfied with lying to everyone and watching him pretend like he didn't care for you? Then, when you did get caught, would you be satisfied giving your life up for him?"

All very good questions, ones that I'd asked myself time and time again.

"You're too important, too special to throw everything away for a pure." Seth sighed, dropping his hands to mine. "Now, I brought us a movie to watch, the one that has sparkly vampires in it. I thought you'd be down for that."

I studied him silently. He looked like he always did-a living, breathing statue. Perfection without any humanity, and yet he was here. "I can't figure you out."

He didn't answer as he deposited me on the couch. He put the movie in and then returned to the couch, remote in hand. "I'm moody," he said finally, fiddling with the controls.

I stared at him and a strangled sort of laugh escaped me. Moody? More like borderline personality disorder or something. But who was I to judge? I had to be crazy, didn't I? I'd fallen for a pure-blood. That topped the list of symptoms for possible mental illness.

Thinking about Aiden brought a sharp pang to my chest. And here I'd thought my heart was somewhere in the gym, bleeding on the floor. I tried focusing on the movie, but my brain wasn't into it. Immediately, I rewound my conversation with Aiden-all my conversations with him, actually. How could he go from the guy I could spill my guts to-could trust and rely on, who could make my heart swell with the tiniest of smiles or compliment-to someone just as cold as I believed Seth to be?