Page 36 of I Will Mend You

“Devil’s trumpet,” he says with a fatherly chuckle. “I can see from the flush across your skin that it’s already taking effect.”

I drop back on the couch, my breaths turning shallow and erratic. My limbs are so heavy, it feels like I’m sinking into the upholstery. The lights tilt and spin, creating a monochromic haze. Every shade of white, from ivory to alabaster, transforms the world into a maelstrom of colorless hues.

“Good girl. Now, I want you to relax and answer a few questions.”

When I blink, my lashes flutter like butterfly wings, cracking through the room like a whip. They slice into the echo of my pulse and the roar of blood rushing in my ears. Delta’s serpentine voice slithers through the confusion.

“Tell me about your relationship with Xero Greaves.”

The truth surfaces, breaking my defenses. A single word spills from my lips. “Xero.”

“Yes?”

Alarm bells ring in my head. He can’t know about all the people Xero worked so hard to protect.

“Tell me about him.”

I blurt truths that were recorded across social media, harmless pieces of information in the public domain. I tell him about the murders, how he was caught by the police holding his stepmother’s heart. How they called him the angel of death because of his masculine beauty.

“Enough,” he says, his words sharp. “What did he tell you in his letters?”

“He doesn’t like fava beans or chianti.”

Delta scoots his seat forward, frustration radiating off his shoulders in silver waves. “Regarding his plans,” he says, hisvoice a low rumble that shakes my eardrums like thunder. “What did he tell you about his organization?”

I picture Camila and Jynxson and all the people who worked so hard to protect me from X-Cite Media, and how I betrayed them by setting their boss on fire. I can’t let them fall into Delta’s clutches, so I dredge up information about the fan club.

“There were two organizations,” I murmur. “One official. The other is unofficial.”

“Tell me more,” he says, his voice slipping past my guard.

“We made the warden increase their recreation time, and we raised funds to buy things for their book club?—”

The director’s chair topples back, sending shockwaves through the room. Delta looms, his large hand crushing my throat.

“What did Xero tell you?”

“About what?”

“People, plans, places. I want to know it all!”

“Death row?”

“What was in his letters?” he hisses.

My eyelids droop. “He told me about his piercings. The pervy prison guard… He wanted me to send nudes.”

“That’s it?”

“He wanted a conjugal visit.”

Delta chuckles. “I can hardly blame him. You are quite the beauty.”

His fingers travel down my collarbone and over the swell of my breast. “It’s like having two wives. One who’s battle-forged and the other a blank slate.”

“I belong to Xero,” I whisper.

“How did he survive the execution?” Delta asks.

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