Chapter 30 THE BURNING SENSATION

Xina shook her head again as she watched Gary walk toward the bed, clearly intending to sleep next to her. Freshly bathed, he looked as though he was ready to settle in for the night. They had wandered through nearly every corner of the enormous manor, but Xina's body had started to feel strange, uncomfortable even, as the evening wore on. Gary had noticed her unease and suggested they return to their bedroom. Xina frowned, realizing she had overlooked the fact that he had called it *their* bedroom. "Listen," Xina said, turning to face Gary with a stern expression. She wanted to be serious, but all she could think about was how much she wanted to jump on him. She must be losing her mind to have such thoughts. "I don’t know what you’re up to, but this place is huge—there are dozens of rooms. Why are we sleeping in the same room, let alone the same bed?" "There are precisely a hundred and three bedrooms," Gary replied, his tone matter-of-fact. Xina growled in frustration. She hadn’t