For one suspended second, the ballroom held its breath. Ava’s eyes widened as Xander’s fist came crashing down— but not on Tristan.
The blow landed squarely on the table. A brutal, earth-shaking Slam that made every glass jump,
Cutlery clatter, and conversations die mid-sentence.
The impact echoed like a gunshot. Gasps erupted around them.
And Tristan… Tristan just stared at him.
Xander’s knuckles were white, pressed into the dent he’d driven into the tablecloth. A vein pulsed violently in his neck. But when he lifted his head, his eyes were burning with something far more unhinged than rage.
Possession, Fear, Loss. All twisted together.
Ava could barely breathe. “Xander…” she whispered, but the word barely made it out.
He turned his glare on Tristan, voice low and raspy. “You th
