Page 70 of Scavenger's Oath

Flinging the door open, I burst inside and hear her gasp from the other side of the room.

She’s perched on one of the desks.

With Phoenix. Between her fucking legs. His fingersinsideher!

Her head snaps toward me, eyes wide, panicked. “Myles!” she squeals.

The breath leaves my lungs like I’ve just been punched in the gut.

I don't remember crossing the room but I’m roaring in Phoenix’s face. “What thefuckdo you think you're doing?”

Ivy flinches but Phoenix just slowly turns his head.Unbothered. As if I'm an inconvenient interruption. As if I didn't just catch him violatingeverythingI've been keeping safe.

He slides his hand out of her, slowly lifting his fingers to his mouth. Holding eye contact with me, he licks them in a direct insult.

I saw that shit plenty when I was a kid in foster care. Some kid wearing my hoodie, smirking because he knew I couldn’t prove he’d stolen it.

I see red. “You fucking son of a bitch!”

Grabbing his shirt, I shove him hard. He stumbles back, but barely. He's calm, too calm, and it just fuels the fire burning through me.

“She's mine,” I spit, stepping in, fists clenched. “Youknew! You fuckingknewI—”

“She's not yours,” Phoenix cuts in flatly. “You just locked her in a box like a broken toy you didn't know what to do with.”

The words slam into me like a freight train. My brain is buzzing, blood roaring in my ears.

He touched her. Put his fucking hands on her—inside her!

“She offered,” he adds, shrugging one shoulder like it's nothing to stress over.

I snap, punching him hard enough that my knuckles scream. His head jerks to the side, but he takes it like he's been waiting for it. As if he wanted it.

Phoenix spits blood, then grins with an infuriating glint in his eye. “You left the cage unguarded, Myles.”

My stomach flips. He says it like it’smyfault.

“You did this to spite me,” I growl. “You don't wanther, you just wanted to take what I had. You always have.”

He gets in my face. “Well I want her now.”

And that right there—that smug,I-get-what-I-wanttone in his voice—is the last straw.

I swingagain. He dodges. Ivy yelps and jumps back as we slam into the wall, fists and fury and years of buried shit pouring out of me.

He doesn't care about her. He sees her as a hole to fuck. A game to win. Not a person. NotIvy. He's just using her.Ruiningher.

I shove him off me. But then I see it…

He’sshieldingher.

LikeI'mthe threat now.

“Get the fuck out of the way,” I snarl, lunging for her. “Don't you dare fucking keep her from me.”

“Myles, stop—please,” she begs, tone high, voice shaking.

Neither of us listen. Not even for a second.