Page 160 of I Will Mend You

My shoulders sag. I know he’s right, but the anger and frustration still wriggle around inside me like a nest of vipers. Which proves Xero’s point.

“I wish I could reach through the screen and rip out her throat,” I mutter.

He slides his fingers through my curls, his touch electrifying my scalp with tingles. “How’s the training going?”

“I’ve sparred every five-foot-five woman on the campus,” I say. “If they’re not too busy helping you track down Delta, or on assassination missions, then they’re helping out with the kids.”

“Have you tried the boys?” he asks with a smile that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle.

I rear back, my jaw dropping. “I can’t fight children.”

“They’re eager to train, faster, and have more explosive power than the average female operative.”

Sighing, I consider his words. “It might be helpful to get a variety of opponents.”

“And you can always spar with me again.” He leans forward, his lips brushing mine.

Heat warms my cheeks, and the pulse between my legs quickens. “Your sparring always ends up the same way.”

He grins against my lips, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Is that a complaint?”

“Maybe we can save your kind of training for the evening.”

He laughs, the sound so rich and warm that my heart flutters. “Valid point, but we should get one sparring session where I’m coming at you full strength. Just in case you end up fighting my father or one of his men.”

I shudder, all traces of amusement vanishing, replaced by mounting dread. “You’re right. We’ll have to face them eventually.”

“Any new memories today?” He massages my temples.

“Just some incident where one of the instructors molested me in Three Fates,” I mutter.

His fingers still. “Which one?”

“I killed him after squeezing out the names of the other men who trained the girls.”

Xero studies my features for several heartbeats, as if he’s expecting me to crumble. Or explode. I slide a hand over his and give it a gentle squeeze.

“Don’t worry about me. Those memories don’t hurt, and they weren’t too much of a shock because of the time Camila knocked me unconscious. Before that, I’d already guessed what might have happened from the diary.”

His gaze softens, and his thumb traces gentle circles over my cheekbone. “I want to gather every man who hurt you and bury them in a pit where they’ll spend the rest of their lives in agony.”

“You already drowned Reverend Tom and the investors in sewage,” I reply with a smile.

“That reminds me.” He draws back and walks to the cottage door, where a white box sits atop a side table. It’s two feet wide and secured with a black ribbon.

“What’s that?” I ask.

He carries the box over to the desk and places it on my lap. “A few gifts for my good girl.”

The butterflies in my stomach take flight in a burst of excitement, their soft wings tickling my insides with delight.

“You’ve already given me so much,” I say, my voice breathy with awe.

Safety, healing, acceptance, protection, a purpose, a home. Thanks to Xero, the black hole that I had for a childhood is nowfilled with memories. They’re mostly unpleasant, but I finally have answers about the events that shaped my personality.

“This is something different,” he says, his smile turning mysterious. “Go on. Open it.”

My heart races as I unravel the ribbon and lift the lid. Inside are several more boxes. I open the first, a slender ten-inch rectangle, to find a big, red dildo.