Page 29 of Death By Chocolate

I stand, tucking the tablet into my jacket. "Fair enough."

“Anything else you demanding in my damn establishment?”

“Yes. I will ask Youric to do something he’ll disagree with, you’ll disagree with.”

Corso lifts a brow. “And Dani?”

My stance is firm, no stare unflinching. “She will never forgive me.”

“But,” the man nods, “you’re doing anyway.”

“Fuck yeah.”

As I reach the door, his voice stops me. "Voss? She hasn't had many people fight for her. Don't make her regret letting you be one of them."

I nod once and step out, already pulling up the security protocols. Somewhere in these files is the thread leading me to whoever wants Dani back in her cage. And when I find it...

I’ll have to convince Dani to bet on me, not the House.

14

XENO

LOVE HURTS

The antiseptic smell of the medical suite does nothing to calm my nerves as I watch Youric tend to Dani. My brother's movements are precise, clinical, but I catch the tension in his movements – he's been carrying it since I cornered him this morning with my demands.

I hate watching another man touch her, even if it's my brother. Even if it's medical. My jaw clenches as Youric's gloved fingers brush Dani's skin, checking the healing wound. The possessive beast inside me wants to knock his hands away, remind everyone that she's mine. Only mine.

"Youric, I thought I was done with all the antibiotics," Dani questions, her voice carrying that edge of suspicion she never quite loses. After what Oscar did to her, I understand why. It makes me want to gather her close, to shield her from every pain, every disappointment, every dream deferred.

Youric's eyes briefly meet mine over Dani's shoulder – a flash of brotherly understanding mixed with professional disapproval. He's always been the more principled one of us. The one who took an oath to do no harm, while I vowed to breakbodies and leave corpses in back alleys. I force myself to breathe normally as Youric explains the necessity of the injection – each word a carefully constructed lie we crafted together. The knowledge of what I'm doing – what I've manipulated my own brother into doing – sits like lead in my stomach.

"The injection will minimize infection risk," Youric explains, his tone gentle but firm. He's good with her, knows how to handle trauma victims. Convince the patient this is what they want. I should be grateful but watching him tend to my woman sets my teeth on edge. The bandage he applies looks deceptively simple – a white square with clear adhesive. Nothing like the bulky dressing that's been a constant reminder of how close I came to losing her. Missing this chance at what happiness is—mutual respect, a supportive partner, someone to touch with lust and love.

“Thank you,” I say, in genuine appreciation. He ignores me.

"You can get dressed," Youric says to Dani, stripping off his gloves. "Xeno and I will wait in the hall."

The second we're outside, Youric grabs my arm, pulling me further down the corridor. His grip is harder than necessary – the kind of touch that says, 'I love you, but I might punch you.' "What you had me do is wrong on so many levels, Xeno. How can you sleep at night?"

“Fucker, hush. I sleep just fine." The words come out harder than intended, colored by the images that haunt my dreams – Dani bleeding out, Dani broken like Oscar had left her many times, Dani dead because I failed to protect her. I try to lighten the moment. “You know I have to protect her. Fuck,” I slam my fist into the wall. “No one gave a damn about us. Well, she does. Nobody takes what I’ve found. You fucking hear me. No one.”

Youric's expression darkens. “Can’t you see what you’re taking,” he insists. “You said it. She's already crazy. This thing you're pulling over on her is going to make it worse."

"Stay out of it. I know how to handle Dani." But even as I say it, I remember her face this morning when I confronted Rhys, the way she looked at me like I was becoming a threat to be neutralized.

"Until she finds out the truth.” His voice softens with genuine concern. "You think I want to see my little brother with a bullet in his head? Because that's where this is heading. What will she do when, not if, she discovers what you’ve done?”

The question hits too close to home. I think of the dinner waiting in our suite – crawfish étouffée one of her favorite New Orleans dishes, and bread pudding with whiskey sauce, all the tastes of home I've arranged to apologize for this morning. Will I be arranging similar peace offerings when she discovers this betrayal?

"Then nothing. Dani understands the game. She'll deal." The words taste like ash.

"Deal your dumb ass a death blow," he smirks, but there's no humor in it. My brother's concern radiates off him in waves, and for a moment, I see myself through his eyes – the controlling boyfriend, no better than Oscar, manipulating Dani's body without her consent.

I soften my tone, trying to ease his conscience. "It won't come to that."

"Right," Youric says, unconvinced. His disbelief mirrors my own doubts, the ones I've been shoving down since I made this decision.

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