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In the next moment, the Shadow crushed the clone into a meaty pulp, entrails and blood raining everywhere.

Evan tore his eyes away, focus landing back on Xen, who had already closed the distance between them, hovering far too close for comfort.

Seeing that, Delos kept his hands firmly over the girls’ eyes and closed his own.

“What is happening?” Elysia whispered, still rattled by the clone’s screech.

“Nothing for our eyes to see,” Delos whispered back.

Celie remained quiet.

Cupping Evan’s chin in his warm palm, Xen stared at him with a hard expression, dark eyes glinting red at the gash on his forehead, which had reopened as soon as the clone was crushed. “You’re hurt.”

Evan’s eyelids fluttered. He’d meant to shrug it off with aJust a scratch, like he’d done with Delos and Celie. But when his mouth opened, something unexpected slipped out.

“It doesn’t hurt that much.”

Xen’s shoulders seem to tense even more at that, glare hardening. His huge hand wrapped around Evan’s forearm, the patch he’d extended to the clone for a nibble. “You offered your flesh to that thing.”

His tone was accusatory, but his eyes still held a faint look of concern. Evan didn’t know what to feel.

“It was going to lead us to the rest of the group,” Evan said softly, afraid anything louder might disturb the sudden calmness that had blanketed over them. “Losing a little bit of flesh would've hardly killed me.”

A low grunt echoed from Xen. He brushed his thumb over the gash on Evan’s forehead. The touch was feather-light, but the wounds sealed close immediately. “You will never,everoffer your body or any part of you to anyone again.”

Evan pressed his lips together. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“Oh, but I do,” Xen cupped Evan’s nape, fingers threading through his hair. “This body is bound to me in blood.Mine. And you will protect it, remembering it belongs to me,” Xen nuzzled Evan’s temple before running his tongue across the fresh blood that had seeped before the gash closed.

A shiver wracked Evan’s body. “Stop l-licking me like a dog.”

“You like dogs.”

“When they are furry and…andsmall.”

“Mm.”

“Um, what’s going on?” Elysia asked. “I heard the wordlickingand now I’m mildly curious.”

A sudden heat crawled up Evan’s neck as he extracted himself from Xen’s arms, like he’d been caught red-handed. Xen made to reach out again but Evan slapped his hand away.

He cleared his throat. “Alright. It’s done. The clone is gone.”

The three blind monkeys regained sight.

Elysia saw the splattered entrails and retched dryly.

Celie suspiciously glanced between Evan and Xen.

Delos grinned. “Well done.”

Xen stuck close to Evan’s side, the concept of personal space as foreign to him as always. “From now on, you will not leave my side,” his eyes were fixed on the closed gash on Evan's temple. “Do you understand?” Evan sighed, then nodded, intending to step away. But Xen grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Tell me you understand.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll cling to you like a ghost,” Evan said, like coaxing a stubborn child. “Are you done? We still have to find the others.”

“But how?” Celie asked, then fidgeted with her hands. “And what about that thing she said about Aaron? Is that…true?”

“No,” Evan answered, almost reflexively. “Aaron's not someone who craves power or control. He is just a goofball who wants to get along with everyone.”