Chapter 29

We had needed this. It had been a long while since we’d had some quiet time together. I absolutely adored Eloim, but he was demanding a lot of time out of me, and he had been cheered enough to spend all night and morning with his grandparents.

My nerves had broken when we reached that room, alone, and Xander soothed me patiently, then we talked for a long time until he finally indulged in his initial plan. It’s only in the morning that we really saw the bruises, on my legs,...