Chapter 167

XAVIER Satisfied the tub is full and exactly the right temperature, I turn off the tap and head back into the bedroom, where Ophelia is suckling on Axl’s wrist while Alexandros checks her over. She is battered and bruised, but fuck me, she is still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. When I think of what she gave up for us, of how much more she was willing to give … When I allow myself to feel the pain of losing her, I can’t fucking breathe. So I push the thoughts away and focus on the fact that she’s here. She’s safe. We all are. And now we get to spend the rest of our long lives loving and being loved by her. I crawl onto the bed next to Alexandros and assess the damage. Her clothes have all been removed now, and only the cut on her hip remains, a cut so deep it still hasn’t fully healed. Axl gently pulls his arm from her mouth, and she licks her lips. “Should I be enjoying blood this much?” “When it makes you better, yes,” Axl says. “How are you feeling now, Cupcake?” She sle