Marianna,
The words hung between us in the blood-scented night. The fight had left the road littered with unconscious bodies and the faint echoes of growls still fading into the distance.
My bare feet felt the rough texture of the asphalt, a reminder of the chaos we had just survived.
Xavier's chest rose and fell with controlled breaths, his powerful frame still radiating the heat of battle. Blood stained his clothes and hands, but he seemed untouched by injury, his healing already at work.
He released me slowly, stepping back just enough to give me space but not enough to let me feel truly free. His eyes searched my face for any sign of weakness or bluff. There was none. I had trained for moments like this, prepared to face the devil himself if it meant securing what I needed.
"Y
