Chapter 77

AXL Xavier runs his fingers down the back of my neck, causing goosebumps to scatter along my forearms. What the fuck is wrong with him lately? He’s almost nice. I shudder at the very word and throw him a look. “You want to stop that?” His lips twitch in amusement. “But I like the way it makes your heart beat that little bit faster when I touch you.” I jerk away from him and scowl. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He leans back against the sofa, crosses his arms, and sighs contentedly. “Don’t have a fucking clue.” I follow his gaze to the other side of the room. Underneath a lighted garland, Malachi and Ophelia sit side by side on the sofa, each of them with their heads buried in a book. Malachi always used to love studying and reading anything he could get his hands on. But over the decades, he lost the joy of it somewhere along the way. Having been given the responsibility to teach Ophelia all about her magical side has reignited his unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And then there