Chapter 127

XAVIER “Ophelia isn’t here.” I glance up from the sketchpad I found earlier in the writing desk. “She and Malachi are talking with Elpis and Ani, and then they’re going to do some training. Axl went to pick up some food.” The bedroom door closes with a soft click. “I know.” His voice, low and deep, sends a current of something unexpected skittering along my spine. I scrub a hand through my hair. Annoyance, or perhaps frustration, prickles beneath my skin. “Do you need something, Alexandros?” His eyes narrow to sharp pinpoints that I swear pierce through to the deepest recesses of my soul. “Our bond was severed, Xavier.” I shrug, feigning disinterest when I am all too aware of that fact. “Yeah, I know. So?” He licks his bottom lip. “So I am here to rectify that problem.” A thick knot of nervous anxiety lodges in my throat, and I swallow it down. When we learned that we don’t need his bond to survive, I wasn’t sure if he’d want to put it back in place. But I hoped he would. “You’re reest