Each gesture felt like a sharp slap. A man I hardly recognized was there, showing a tenderness I hadn’t seen in… I couldn’t even remember. All those nights I had wished for him to be by my side, to care for me in my most vulnerable moments, had all gone to her. I gritted my teeth, blinking back the tears threatening to escape. I won’t let him see me break. Not tonight.
Beside me, I felt Jaxon’s energy shift, dark and fierce, the kind of rage that felt like a crackling storm barely contained. I turned to him and saw his usual warm brown eyes beginning to shift. Gold. An icy, terrifying gold that seemed to slice through the night with a silent promise of retribution. He was angry—angrier than I had ever seen him. He wasn’t just standing there; he was coiled, ready to lunge.
“Jax,” I whispered, reaching out to put a steadying hand on his arm. His muscles were taut under my grip, and he looked down at me, but his eyes stayed gold. “Don’t. He’s not worth it.”
“He’s betrayed you, Jasmine,” he growled, his voice low but vibrating with a deadly edge. “How can you just stand here and watch this?”