Panting he growled and shoved away from me.
“Fuck Zara. Justfuck.”
His words sliced through me, his emotions crashing over me in a suffocating relenting way that it had me sucking in a breath. The grief, jealousy he was experiencing, the anger. It was wild and untamed.
“Jaxon? Did you really think that would work?” he spat, then sat on the chair Jaxon had left, putting his head into his palms.
I blinked at him, my back still pressed against the cold dungeon wall. The cuts on my arms burned as blood trickled down my arms and sides. I tried to summon my magic, but flinched as it was snuffed out. I would have to sit with these injuries until Julian or Gunnar could come down and mend them.
That thought made my stomach sour… at the possibility of having to face Julian. I almost killed him. He must hate me, should hate me. I chopped off his fucking arm. Guilt washed over me again, making me dizzy, and although I attempted to suppress and hide it, I knew Xavier could sense it.
He lifted his head and glared at me, annoyance and rage rippling off him in waves.
“Stop reading my emotions,” I snarled, finally stepping away from the wall.
“Stop letting me.” His tone was just as deadly as mine.
“I don’t know how.” Annoyance pulsed through me, my heart still thundering in my chest. Xavier chuckled lightly, but it wasn’t nice.
“Good.”
“How did you even know about Jaxon? You weren’t even here yet,” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest.
Xavier leaned up bracing his palms on his knees. “I already told you. Our bond lets me see it like a fucking vision. Maybe I should punish you by doing the same,” he hissed angrily and the idea of it had my skin crawling.
“Fuck whoever you want, Xavier. I told you. This bond means nothing to me.”
Spinning, I put my back to him, but his rough laugh surrounded me as he said, “Keep telling yourself that, love.”
A shiver ran down my spine at how near his voice was, and I spun back around to find him in front of me again, his scent filling my lungs. I gasped, taking a step back, my gaze locking with his.
“Why did you take me Xavier? She will come for me. Come for you. This will only make her move up her plans and march into your lands sooner.”
“After what I have just done, I’m sure she will,” he breathed, and my eyes drifted to his burned clothing, his smoky scent.
“What did you do?”
“Let's just say Territan is no longer standing.”
The blood drained from my face. My thoughts spearing towards Lana, to Cynthia—where was Cynthia?
“My sister,” I hissed. “Cynthia…” I shook my head, panic rising.
“Your sister wasn’t there,” Xavier said blandly, but I didn’t hear him.
“Shewasthere, she was—”
“Gone. Probably fled. Trust me, I searched,” Xavier said, growling down at me. “As for your friend, it was how I was able to get in and out of the damn ward in the first place.”
“What are you talking about?” My mind whirled, and I started to think the worst. “If you touched a single fucking hair on her head—”
“You would do what?” Xavier spat, raising a brow. “Kill my uncle? Maim Julian? Invade my kingdom, kill my people?” I flinched, his words slamming into me, guilt and ragerising in my blood. “Tell me. What exactly would you do Zara that you haven’t done already?”
“Is she unharmed, Xavier?” I begged, and a touch of desperation bled into my words. I hated doing it, but Cynthia… no one knew where she was, and I couldn’t lie to myself any longer. She was the only person from my past that knew my mother. knew me. The real me.
“Xavier, please.” I hated begging, it felt like acid burning in my throat.
Xavier's eyes flashed with surprise, and he took a step toward me, our bodies nearly touching. “Admit that you care and I’ll answer your question.”
