The weight of Claire’s tears still lingered in the air between them, but the storm had passed. Xander held her tightly on her bed, his arms a steady anchor as her breathing slowly evened out. Her face was buried in his chest, damp with tears, and he pressed soft, reverent kisses to the top of her head, her temple, the curve of her ear.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, voice hoarse. “I let her get in my head. I doubted us. I doubted you.”
Xander tilted her chin up gently, his emerald eyes glowing with fierce love. “Never apologize for feeling. Victoria’s words were meant to hurt you. But they don’t change the truth.” He brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “You are my mate. My chosen. My forever. Nothing she says, nothing anyone says, can take that away.”
Claire searched his fa
