Thirty-Six

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He stood still, his body rigid. The photo in his hand was creasing and wrinkling from the tight hold he had on it, but he didn't notice.

My stomach rolled over once more as the lingering taste and ever-present burn that consumed my mouth and travelled down my chest overwhelmed my senses. It was all-consuming. I had never experienced torture like it before. I knew I would have many sleepless nights from the memory of the pain alone, let alone of the eyes of the man who caused it.

I wretched to the side. My stomach ached from the effort of trying to empty my stomach of the contents that I had already covered the floor with. There was nothing left to expel, but that didn't stop my body from trying.

The movement must have snapped Jaxon out of the trace he had fallen in. When my eyes returned to his once more, refusing to let him out of sight in case he had anymore surprise attacks planned, they had lightened nearly to his normal golden colour.

He looked back down at the picture in his hand and frowned.

I jumped when Ezra slammed his fist into the wall. He did it with enough force to crack the plaster, sending small clouds of white dust floating while cracks webbed across the surface. I could see small pieces of the wall struggling not to crumble down around his fist.

He stood between me and Jaxon with his eyes zeroed in on him. "You. Almost. Killed. Her." Each word was strained through clenched teeth. I could feel the venom dripping off of them as Ezra spit them out.

Jaxon looked up from the picture. He seemed dazed and confused for a moment before his eyes focused in a blink. Keeping the picture in his hand, he dropped his arm to his side and straightened, pulling his shoulders back.

"What is this?" He demanded, his eyes flashing dark again.

Ezra didn't like that he was ignored. He straightened his shoulders to match Jaxon's posture and crossed his arms as the atmosphere grew heavy. The hallway became stifling with the challenging aura the two were radiating.

I choked back a cough that was desperate to break free and soothe my agitated throat. I backed up towards the wall in an attempt to make myself as least visible as possible. I didn't know what Jaxon had forced into my mouth, but I knew I'd feel the lasting effects of his assault in the days to come. Hopefully, my tastebuds weren't irreparably damaged. I'd hate for the last thing I ever tasted to be the taste of my tastebuds melting off.

Each breath was a struggle. Although Ezra was able to somehow unrestricted my airway, he wasn't able to get rid of the burn. Each inhale was like blowing into a fire.

"What is this?" He asked again, shaking the picture in our direction as his eyes flickered to black.

Ezra's back stiffened. He had failed to notice Jaxon's shifting eyes until now.
Unfurling his finger slowly, he raised the placatingly in his direction.

"Nea wanted to apologize for ripping your picture," he said calmly.

Too calmly.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose in warning. Ezra's voice was too sharp of a contrast to his earlier tone. It sent home the message that Jaxon's shifting eyes were more dangerous than my pain-addled mind could understand.

I swallowed but that only sent pins and needles down my throat.

Jaxon looked down at the picture in his hand with furrowed brows before looking at me. His eyes stormed with emotions I couldn't identify. The corner of his lips tilted down in a frown.

"Why?" He asked.

I swallowed past the pain in my throat once more. It felt like I had swallowed glass. I knew I would have a sore throat the following day. My tongue darted out to lick my swollen lips. They were most likely red and inflamed, irritated.

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