Page 47 of Whispers of Ruin

“No, no,no,” she mutters to herself. “You can’t just walk in here wearing that mask and expect me to be okay with it. Seriously, what do you do? Rip hearts out for a living?”

Xan, still silent, just raises an eyebrow beneath the mask from the look of his gaze, and I can almost hear his internal monologue.

Yes, absolutely.

Zoey finally turns back to me, her eyes narrowed.

“You seriously brought this… guy… here,huh? The sicko that almost killed a man at the bar in front of everybody, lurking in the shadows, just waiting for me to hand over my firstborn?”

I throw my hands up.

“Oh my God, I promise, he’s not here to steal your firstborn nor the second! But I really need you to just—”

Zoey interrupts dramatically and clearly exaggerating.

“Ah, I get it now. You’re just keeping me around for when things really go south,huh? I’m your emergency contact for the apocalypse.”

I groan, facepalming.

“Zoey, we are not at the end of the world. Please, just…”

Zoey turns back to Xan, hands on her hips, giving him a once-over.

“Okay, then,” she says, suddenly upbeat, almost too cheery. “If you’re not here to eat my soul with fucking ketchup, I’m guessing I’m supposed to be impressed? Because right now, I’m just terrified and slightly underwhelmed.”

Zoey might be freaking out, but at least she is still Zoey—sassy, sarcastic, and a bit too dramatic for her own good.

“Listen, I know you are probably going to hate me for what I’m about to say, but I can’t exactly explain thewhyof Xan. There is so much more to it, things I cannot even begin to put into words. What you need to understand isthis—he is the reason I’m still here, still breathing I mean. Without him, I wouldn’t be alive to stand in front of you.”

I turn my head slowly, locking eyes with Xan, who is already watching me with an intensity that makes my breath hitch. His gaze holds a thousand unspoken words, so much meaning conveyed in the silent connection we share. I offer him a small,almost imperceptible nod, a silent gesture of gratitude, hoping that it speaks volumes in return.

His hand moves, a soft touch against the small of my back—nothing more than a brief caress. Still, it feels like a promise, a vow.

You are the war I would die for, little fox.

The simple movement sends a surge of heat through me, a jolt that makes my heart skip a beat. I can feel the weight of his touch, even after it’s gone. My body reacts before my mind can catch up, a shiver running down my spine that I fight to conceal. Every part of me wants to hide the effect he is having on me, especially in front of Zoey, but it is impossible. Even the smallest gestures from him is enough to leave me undone, to make my pulse race and my mind spin.

And Xan… he knows it. He is fully aware of the way he makes me lose control, of how even the slightest touch can send me into a frenzy. The satisfaction in his eyes is unmistakable. He revels in it; in the power he has over me. For some inexplicable reason, I cannot bring myself to care. I am tangled in it—him, the chaos, the danger.

Zoey watches me closely, her gaze sharp. She is searching for any cracks, any sign that I might hide something more than I am letting on, looking for the truth behind the words, the hidden layers I have not dared to speak.

I remain still, my expression guarded, revealing nothing but the absolute honesty of what I have just told her. The truth about Xan, about how he saved me—thatmuch is real, and I won’t let her see anything else. The past is a murky pool, one I am not ready to dive into, not yet.

Thought I can feel her digging, probing, looking for something more, I keep it locked inside. The only thing she’s allowed to know is the sincerity of what I have said—the simple, visceral truth that Xan is the reason I still exist in this world.

My attention snaps away, drawn unwillingly to the mess of Julian’s things scattered across the room—the man who betrayed me for a damn promotion. This mess is rotting me from the inside. I must erase it.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could give you more details, but I’ve got to get rid of Julian’s stuff, and I need to do it now.”

Zoey raises an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

“Funny you mention that. I was about to ask what happened to him. Not that I was ever a fan of his pathetic excuse for a person. Although, changing men like socks is not exactly your thing,is it?”

Before I can respond, Xan’s voice cuts in, smooth and self-assured.

“How could she resist my irresistible charm?”

Zoey laughs, the sound playful, but biting.

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