Love Unspoken

"Are you afraid of me?" Alexander's voice echoed in the room, a question laced with a hint of incredulity. "Why would you be afraid of me?"

He leaned in closer, his eyes searching hers, trying to decipher the emotions hidden in their depths. "What have I done to you?"

His voice was insistent, persistent, questioning not only her but himself as well. "Tell me, what have I done to make you fear me?"

Under his relentless questioning, Quinn closed her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly. Hadn't he done enough already? Did he really believe that by sparing her life, he hadn't committed any wrong?"Quinn!" His voice, thick with anger, echoed through the room, his grip tightening to the point that Quinn couldn't help but open her eyes.

Outside, lightning flashed, its brilliance piercing through the windows and casting an ethereal glow on her tear-streaked cheeks. "Why won't you say anything?"

Indeed, why couldn't she speak? She loathed herself for her silence. If only she could have spoken, things might have been

to the brink of insanity.Alexander, too, closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them two seconds later, he had managed to quell the raging fury within. He released Quinn, pulling her

He held her for so long that Quinn thought she might suffocate in his arms before he finally released her. He cupped her face, gently wiping away her

what flooded Quinn's mind were the nightmarish images from her dreams, Valerie's gruesome face, and the metallic scent of blood.Instinctively, she turned her head to avoid his lips. His kiss missed its mark, landing on

like a mile.Alexander turned her face back toward him, his hands firmly in place

Their eyes locked, the sensation was indescribable, as mundane as

closed her eyes. As she did, he pressed the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Quinn suddenly found his actions juvenile and laughable. Wasn't it just self- deception?The kiss was