XERXES
I clenched my jaw, the sharp pain from where Nasir’s punch had landed still searing through me. It wasn’t just the physical sting, though.
It was the sheer shock that Nasir—of all people—had done that for Trinity. I wasn’t used to seeing that kind of raw emotion from him. I couldn’t help but admire the way he’d stood up for her, his rage boiling over.
He had been so fierce in defense of Trinity, and somewhere deep inside, it made me feel something unfamiliar.
I turned slowly to Xander, who was now standing beside me.
“Did I mess up?”
Xander sighed deeply, almost as if he could sense the storm brewing inside me. When he looked at me, his expression wasn’t the usual cool, calculated one I was used to. It was something else—more like pity mixed with a touch of disappointment.
