Chapter Forty-Nine
*The Bar*
The hotel bar was a place of dark wood and low lights, designed for quiet business talks or lonely drinks. Xami Lax fit the second category perfectly. He sat on a stool, a half-empty glass of amber whiskey in front of him. He wasn't trying to get drunk, but the numbness was a welcome change from the sharp, hollow feeling in his chest.
He replayed the kitchen scene in his head. The stupid cake. Her laugh. The feeling of her standing in front of him. And then the walls slamming back up. Boundaries. He took another long drink.
"Xami? Xami Lax? Is that you?"
The voice was sugary sweet, familiar in the worst way. He didn't need to turn to know who it was. Saphira Louis.
He sighed into his glass. "Not now, Saphira."
But she was already sliding onto the stool n
