Chapter 106. The Gathering Storm

Xerina’s POV

The silence suffocated me, every second stretching into an eternity. My skin crawled, the sensation of Leon’s touch lingering like a stain I couldn’t wash off. My fingers itched to scrub at my hand, to erase the memory of his grasp, but I resisted the urge. Barely.

His eyes sparkled with something sinister, something twisted that made my stomach churn. Disgust curled in my gut, sharp and unrelenting. It took everything in me not to recoil, not to show him the effect he had on me.

He couldn’t be serious. He wouldn’t dare.

But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Leon had always been unpredictable, always walking the line between charm and menace. This time, though, he’d crossed it.

He’d provoked Rasmus on purpose, needling him until he got the reaction he wanted. And now, he was basking in it as if he’d won some unspoken game. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.

He wasn’t just playing with fire. He wa