Chapter 24: Let it Burn.
*Jane*
“What?”
“Did you tell my mother to push me off that bridge?” I repeated.
“Jane!” He warned. “I can’t believe you’ve come home to make
up a story. You attacked her tonight.”
“She tried to push me off Oath bridge!” I stuck my arm out at
him. “Can you see this? The blood? Do I look like someone who
was busy attacking her mother? Do I, Xander?”
Xander winced, but his expression shifted to concern and pure
disbelief. “God Jane” He took a step down, reaching for my
trembling hands. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry, I…”
I moved out of his reach. “You’ve never cared, have you? You
don’t have to pretend now. If tonight did anything, it proved
that I can take care of myself. I don’t need you.”
“That’s not fair. I never meant…”
“Do you enjoy it?” I asked, cutting him off. “Watching us tear at
each other while you feign innocence?”
Chapter 24: Let it Burn.
“Jane, please calm down,” he said, eyes darting to the window.
“Think of the company. If you sue your mother, it’s going to be
all over the news, and it won’t help anything. Please let’s talk
about it,”
“The company?” I laughed bitterly. That’s what he was worried
about? “My mother just tried to kill me, and you’re worried
about business?”
His silence was answer enough.
The door creaked open and Mia walked out, eyes widening at the sight of me. “What’s happening?” she asked, pulling her
cardigan tighter around her shoulders.
I and Xander both spoke at the same time.
“This is between Xander and me. Go back inside-”
“Jane’s suing her mother.”
I looked at Xander. My whole body felt like it was one wrong breath away from exploding “What the hell?”
Mia’s eyes widened even further, but Xander continued. “Jane,”
he began, using a patronizing tone. “Your mother is all bark and no bite. She wouldn’t actually harm you.”
Chapter 24: Let it Burn.
“Really Xander? You weren’t there! You didn’t almost fall into
the icy river. You weren’t there when she held me against the
edge of the bridge, or when her claws dug into my skin, or when
she looked at me with so much contempt I thought I was surely
going to die. You don’t know the fear, the pain, the…” I trailed
off. I ran out of words.
“I’ll speak with her,” he promised, trying to reach for me again.
“I’m sure she was just…”
“Making excuses for her again?” I cut him off and stepped back
from his touch. “Like you always do? Save your breath. This
time, I will neither forgive nor forget.”
“You’re being too emotional about this Jane. We need to
approach this with logic. Come inside and we can sit and talk.”
“Emotional? Could care any less? I almost lost my life tonight.
What would be an appropriate reaction to that, Xander? A
polite discussion over tea?” My wolf was enraged, angry that
our mate was questioning everything. She felt betrayed.
“I’m looking at this rationally. If this gets out… if the media
catches wind of it, the company’s reputation…”
“I don’t care!” I slammed my palm against the brick wall. “I know what really happened. I don’t care if the media says the
company instructed my mother to kill me. I don’t give a shit.”
Chapter 24: Let it Burn.
His eyes flashed with frustration. “What do you want from me,
Jane? To hate your mother? To cut all ties with her? With half
our investors?”
I held his gaze. Xander wasn’t going to do anything about this.
And if he won’t, there’s only one action left for me to take.
Without answering, I moved past him and ran into the house.
“Jane, please,” Xander called after me, his voice softening,
becoming more gentle “Jane, let’s talk about this. I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean…”
I slammed the bedroom door behind me, twisting the lock with
trembling fingers. I yanked open drawers, pulling out clothes
and tossing them onto the bed. My vision blurred as tears
threatened to fall, but I blinked them back fiercely. This was no
time for tears.
“Jane,” I heard Xander call through the door. His pleading voice
was accompanied by gentle knocking. “Please open the door.
We can figure this out together. I promise I’ll listen.”
My hands didn’t stop packing as he kept trying to get me to talk
to him. I was done talking. Done explaining myself.
“I didn’t mean what I said,” I heard him beg. “I’ll do anything for
you, Jane. Anything.”
Chapter 24: Let it Burn,
Before all this, I would have been moved by the remorse and
desperation in his voice. But now, I knew he was only trying to
manipulate me. I didn’t bother responding. There was no need
for that.
When my bag was packed, I yanked open the door. Xander
stood there, gray eyes wide with surprise, his hand still raised to
knock. I passed him by, my eyes fixed tightly on the front door
at the end of the corridor. He reached out his hand and gently
grasped my arm, but I broke free.
“Jane,” He followed me down the hallway. “Where are you
going?”
I wanted to hurt him, give him a taste of his medicine. “To my
boyfriend’s,” I said coldly, watching his face crumple with
shock. “I’m going to let him make love to me all night long, in
every room of his house.”
Xander staggered back as if I’d physically struck him. “You…
what?”
“I’ll need a few days of sick leave,” I continued, twisting the
knife deeper into his chest. “So my boyfriend can help me forget every miserable moment I’ve spent trapped in this house. With
you.”
He stared at me in shock. Good. This wasn’t even a fraction of
Chapter 24: Let It Burn.
what he deserved. I was ready to twist the knife even deeper.
“We’ll start in his kitchen, on the counter where he makes
breakfast. Maybe he could eat his breakfast off me.” I watched
Xander flinch, but I wasn’t done yet. “Then we’ll move to the
living room. He has this beautiful rug that hasn’t been tested out
yet. I’d love to check its durability.”
“The bedroom of course, but that’s just for breaks between the
real excitement. The bathroom shower has these incredible
stone walls that echo every sound. And trust me, I get very loud
with him-”
Xnader raised a hand up. “Stop! Jane, please… I know what you’re doing. You’re deliberately trying to hurt me.”
A humorless laugh bubbled up from inside me. “How observant of you,” I sneered. “Turns out I hate you, Xander. I hate what you’ve made me become. I hate every single thing about you. I.
Hate. You.”
Xander said nothing. Instead he closed the distance between us, cupped my cheeks and pressed his forehead against mine. “If you want me to put your mother in jail,” he whispered, “I’ll do it.
Today. Now. Whatever you need.”
For one heartbeat, I wavered. The sincerity in his voice almost
broke my resolve. Almost.
Chapter 24: Let it Burn
“And then what? Find a way to cover it up? Issue a statement
about her mental health? Protect the precious company? That’s
all you really care about.”
His hands tightened slightly on my face. “That’s not true.”
I pulled back, staring directly into his eyes. “I’m going to count to
ten. If your hands are still on me when I get to tem, I’m going to
set this house on fire.”
He was just staring.
“One, two, three.” My voice was eerily calm.
“Jane…”
“Four, five six”
His breathing was getting sharp, jagged, “Jane, stop—”
“Seven, eight..”
