Chapter Seventy-Three
* The Line in the Hallway*
The silence in the penthouse elevator was heavy, a physical weight after the storm of the fight with Axel. Lyra could still feel the adrenaline buzzing in her veins, mixed with a new, cold fear for Xami. He stood beside her, a statue of contained rage, a fresh cut on his knuckles.
The doors opened. Lyra stepped out, heading straight for the sanctuary of her room. She needed to think, to process the ugliness she’d witnessed.
“Stop.”
Xami’s voice was low, but it halted her in the middle of the vast living room. She didn’t turn around.
“Why did you go to see him?” he asked. The question wasn’t an accusation, yet. It was a demand for an accounting.
Lyra turned slowly. “You know why. I told you in the car. To get him to back down. To prote
