8. Xander
8
XANDER
X ander drummed his fingers on the dining room table. Beside him, Isla’s posture was perfect, but her assessing gaze passed over each man in the room, looking for weaknesses.
Since the first night, she’d been all business, but Xander was relieved to have any ally, especially since he couldn’t stop thinking about the way Rainer had laid into those men in the interrogation. He’d delighted in beating the prisoners to a pulp.
Xander had fought bloodthirsty hunters his entire life, but the current version of Rainer McKay scared the shit out of him. It was clear that Cece had smoothed Rainer’s rougher edges, and without the memory of her, there was nothing to blunt his anger. This was the first time he’d ever thought that Rainer might actually beat him in a fight.
The false memories Cece planted about Xander abdicating to Vincent combined with Cato’s added manipulation had stoked Rainer’s anger. Clearly the helplessness he’d felt during the attack had turned him into a ruthless weapon. Rainer had killed three men for simply joking about an event he couldn’t even remember.
Then, during the interrogation, he’d beat Xander’s guards within an inch of their lives. Xander had needed to rush Magdalena up to heal them. He was walking an incredibly dangerous line, but he wouldn’t give up on the people who put their faith in him. He would find a way to get everyone he could out safely and then he’d find a way to beat Vincent at his own game.
Across the table, Vincent droned on to Edward Spellman about their plans to break the Olney-Argaria alliance and rule over both kingdoms.
“Obviously we can’t outright let the council know we plan to break the alliance with Olney, but we will require something of King Marcos that we know for sure he won’t do so that any aggression after that is warranted,” Vincent said.
Spellman nodded. “Of course. Most of the nobles don’t see the benefits of an alliance anyway. Old grudges die hard and it’s easier to justify taxing the working class at higher rates in wartime.”
The strategist in Xander knew that the fact that they thought they were untouchable meant they’d be more likely to underestimate resistance, but their audacity to discuss it so openly irked him, especially with Isla there.
Vincent grinned at Xander, lifting his wine to mimic a toast to the destruction of his life’s work. Xander clenched his fork in his hand until Isla’s warm hand softly closed over his.
He’d been trying to ignore the attraction he felt toward her—trying to forget the way she’d curled against him in her sleep. He had not expected the vicious princess guard to be so cuddly or such a heavy sleeper. The longer he watched her out of the corner of his eye, the more certain he was that she hadn’t realized she’d been so familiar.
Perhaps she already had a lover and was used to sleeping with another body in her bed. But Xander hadn’t had that comfort in a year. Even his first night with his new wife, he’d gone back to his own bed afterward. Last night he’d stared at the ceiling as Isla threw an arm and leg over his body, her face buried in his neck. He could still smell her faint vanilla and jasmine scent on his skin, and he’d forgotten how much he liked that .
Isla squeezed his hand. It had been so long since someone soothed Xander like that on instinct. He met her gaze and she offered an indulgent smile, as a newlywed queen might, and just for a moment he wished this wasn’t a lie. That they weren’t in danger. That he could start over and get to know her without the complication of a rebellion and his marriage to her cousin. He wished his life could be simple.
But wishing wouldn’t save his people, so he settled back in his chair and focused on Vincent.
Vincent lowered his voice as he and Spellman began to discuss Eloise. Xander tried to pick out their hushed words, but it was hard with the scrape of forks and knives and the commotion of Cece entering the room with Rainer on her heels.
Xander expected Cece to react to Isla, but instead her gaze locked on the table and he knew immediately that something was wrong. A look of terror flashed through her eyes—there and gone. He didn’t understand what set her off until Vincent grinned at her and gestured to the seat next to him at the head of the table.
“Lady Reznik, I saved you the best seat in the room. I wanted to remind you of your place of honor,” Vincent said with a menacing smile.
Cece’s face was placid as she crossed the room, but Xander could read the tension in her gait as she sat down in the seat next to Vincent. Her back was rigid, her eyes focused on divots in the tabletop in front of her.
The revelation hit Xander like a bolt of lightning. This was the room where Vincent had dragged her. The room where Vincent had put his hands on her and made her scream—on this very table. Xander’s stomach turned violently at the horror of it.
Cece had only recently started attending meals with the court, electing to eat in her rooms until Vincent insisted she show herself.
Xander had been wrong to think things couldn’t get worse than Cato’s manipulation. They were in an entirely new game of chess, one in which none of them were cruel enough to anticipate their opponent’s next move .
Cece’s eyes flicked around the table, narrowing at Grant standing in the far corner before settling on Isla. A slight smirk tipped the corner of her lips as she met Xander’s eye, then she averted her gaze and stared at her soup. She clasped her hands neatly in her lap and her thumb brushed over her inner wrist. Her breathing evened out and her heart slowed.
On the far side of the table, Rainer’s hand rested on his chest, his brow furrowed in concern. He looked puzzled—likely by whatever panic Cece was feeling.
Isla leaned closer so that her lips were right next to Xander’s ear. “What am I missing, dearest?”
Xander glanced at Cece and then back at Isla. “This is the room where it happened.”
Isla’s eyes widened slightly, her jaw tightening as she sat back in her chair. Her face remained calm and serious, but beneath the table, she gripped the arms of her chair tightly.
Vincent sniffed loudly and made a sour face. “Cecilia, you smell foul.”
A smile tugged at Cece’s lips. “Not sure how you can tell over your own rotten stench,” she whispered, only loud enough for Vincent and Xander to hear.
Vincent’s jaw clenched as Cece’s gaze darted to a very confused Rainer. Xander understood impulsivity well, but he worried she was walking a dangerous line, testing how Vincent would handle conflict in front of Rainer. It wasn’t the worst strategy. It was clear Vincent wanted Rainer to be his good soldier, but if Vincent wanted to play the good guy, he’d need to behave in public at the very least. Xander’s concern was what he would do when the guardian wasn’t around.
“Lady Reznik saved the stable master after there was an accident with one of the new mares,” Rainer said.
“And what were you doing outside, dearest? You know I don’t like you going out without me. I worry about your safety with such a recent rebellion,” Vincent said.
Cece clenched her fist in a white-knuckled grip on her fork— she’d been offered no knife. “I was very careful and in capable hands.” She winked at Rainer.
Vincent pursed his lips. “Cecilia, are you forgetting our deal?”
She leveled him with a glare. “I haven’t forgotten anything about our deal or the debt in the ledger between us.”
“I’ll put more guards on you again if you insist on sneaking out,” Vincent threatened.
“You’ll do so at your peril,” Cece said, slamming her hands on the table.
The entire room went utterly still, the guards frozen in place at her show of defiance against the king.
Vincent ground his teeth together, his hand flexing at the edge of the table. “You’d speak that way to the king?” he asked, tilting his chin toward Rainer.
Cece settled back into her rigid posture. “You’re right.” Her gaze flickered to Xander. “Apologies, Your Majesty.” Her eyes slid back to Vincent. “I forgot my place.”
Isla blew out a breath, looking genuinely impressed.
“I’ll remind you later,” Vincent said.
Xander swallowed hard at the exchange, but Cece didn’t look concerned.
As they ate, he caught Cece’s eye across the table. He tapped his pointer finger on the table twice. They’d created a set of nonverbal signals to communicate with each other. Two taps was a check-in.
Are you okay?
She kept her eyes on her plate and gave a quick nod as she picked at her food. She tapped her fork on the plate twice and looked at him.
He sucked in a breath. For a moment he could see all the fear and pain in her eyes and it left him feeling breathless and lost. She narrowed her eyes and he realized he hadn’t responded. He nodded back.
I’m okay, Cece. Just worried sick about you and everyone else.
He brushed his fingers back and forth across his eyebrow three times. The signal meant that more stowaways needed to escape the castle. Over the past two weeks, they’d assisted in leading thirty-three people to safety. It took them weeks to establish a system, but now that Vincent was increasing nightly patrols, the window had narrowed and required more creativity. Xander wasn’t sure how they’d pull it off tonight.
Most servants who remained in the castle were there because they wanted to be, but there were a few stragglers who had needed some time to get their affairs in order before they could flee.
Cece’s blue eyes widened slightly as she took a sip of her water. She made a fist, then opened her fingers, her palm facing up toward the ceiling, asking how urgent the timing was.
He flattened his palm against the table as he picked up his glass of wine with his other hand. As soon as possible.
“I’m suddenly feeling quite ill,” Cece said, standing so abruptly she nearly knocked the chair over.
Vincent’s suspicious gaze narrowed on her. He looked like he wanted to force her to stay but realized he couldn’t do that without making Rainer suspicious. “Very well, dear. You may go.”
Cece dipped into the shallowest curtsey possible and left the room.
Grant moved to sit next to Vincent. They spoke in hushed tones about unrest among the common folk around the outskirts of Ardenis. Xander tried not to look excited at the prospect of his people rising up in support of him. He knew that Evan intended to use Vincent’s own tactics against him from what little information they’d been able to exchange. He was pleased it seemed to be working enough for Vincent to be concerned. It also ensured that he would need Xander alive longer.
Xander forced himself to wait five minutes before he pushed his plate away. “I should go write that letter you’ve asked me to pass along to Marcos.”
Vincent nodded, waving a hand dismissively.
Xander turned to Isla. “Shall I escort you back to our room?”
She shook her head, her eyes flitting to Vincent and back. “I’m finishing up, but my guards will see me back and I’ll catch up with you then. ”
Xander glanced to Nicholette and Freya, Isla’s two vigilant guards stationed by the door. They both nodded.
“Should I still be following Lady Reznik?” Rainer asked as Xander made his way to the door.
“She’ll likely just be in her rooms for the afternoon, but you can go check on her in an hour or so,” Vincent said.
Xander quickened his pace. They had an hour. He walked down the hall and ducked into the alcove where he found Cece waiting.
“Who is that woman pretending to be your wife?” she whispered. “The resemblance is uncanny.”
Xander grinned. “Jess’s cousin, Isla.”
“It should be illegal for there to be two women that beautiful in the world,” Cece said, shaking her head.
Xander laughed. “I agree, but what a fortunate man I am to have had both of them in my bed.”
Cece’s eyebrow shot up and she grinned. “Really? Do tell.”
Xander grinned. “Isla was only there to sleep, love. Don’t be jealous.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. We’ll talk about your new crush later. For now, just tell me how many people we need to sneak out.”
“There are about fifteen ready to go. They’re hidden in the pantry, but we don’t have much time,” Xander whispered.
“Fifteen!” Her eyes went wide and she chewed her bottom lip. “I can create a diversion. Can you lead them to the meeting point? It takes the guards an extra minute to make it around the far wall of the castle on that route. Then, meet me by the old hunter training grounds? That should be far enough out of the wards to get a message to Grim. Two birds, one stone.”
“Love, are you certain you’re up for this? We don’t know what the reaction might be,” he said.
She crossed her arms. “Don’t assign me your peace of mind. I have my own to manage.”
The words were brutal and efficient in their honesty. Xander tried not to wince .
“I’m in charge, right? I get to at least choose what risks I’m willing to take. For fifteen people, I’m willing to take the punishment.” Her confidence didn’t waver but he saw a hint of fear in her eyes.
“I hate to even ask, but?—”
“Xan, we should talk later. I need to tell you something important. I promise I can handle this. Do you trust me?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“Okay. Give me until dusk. I have an idea.”
Xander couldn’t help but smile. “Of course you do.”
“I aim to annoy,” she said, patting him on the shoulder and ducking out of the alcove.
Xander stepped into the light and found Isla waiting. Her eyes narrowed on him.
“You two aren’t as discreet as you’d like to think.”
“Jealous?” Xander asked.
He was delighted by the way her eyes narrowed. “Hardly.”
Several guards’ footsteps echoed down the hall, startling both of them.
Xander grabbed Isla and pulled her into the alcove so they wouldn’t be spotted scheming when he was supposed to be writing to Marcos. Isla shifted, her chest brushing his in the small space, the scent of vanilla and jasmine wafting off her skin like an invitation.
As the guards’ footsteps retreated down the hall, he leaned in closer to explain their plan, but paused when Isla drew in a breath, her gaze dropping to his mouth.
Xander had the surprising and possibly insane impulse to kiss her.
He hadn’t felt truly compelled by anyone since Cece. Now he felt desire where he’d not expected it.
It wasn’t that Isla was any lovelier than the princesses that pursued him just weeks before during the courting festival, but she had an intensity about her. Attraction only became more of a mystery to Xander the harder he tried to pin it down. Isla had dropped her guard while they were sleeping. Now his curiosity was getting the best of him and he wanted to see her ruffled .
He let his gaze linger on her bust and the elaborate beadwork on her bodice. The craftsmanship of gowns from Novum was impressive. “This is a pretty dress. I bet it’s as deadly as it is beautiful. How many blades are hidden in it?”
Isla huffed a soft laugh. “If you can find them all I’ll let you cut it off me when we get upstairs.”
Xander ran his hand up from her hip to the notch just below her ribs. “One.” He slid his fingers up a few inches and tapped the next blade. “Two.” He lifted his hand higher so it rested just below her left breast. Her breath hitched and a familiar thrill zipped through Xander’s blood.
“Three. And I’d wager three in the same positions on the other side. So that’s six.”
He brushed his fingers across her ribs to her back and slid his hand down to rest just above her ass. “A seventh here, and an eighth on the other side.” He grinned at her. “How did I do? Will I be seeing this dress shredded on our bedroom floor later?”
She shook her head.
“I missed one?”
Isla cocked her head to the side. “You missed five.”
The woman had thirteen blades in her dress—probably more in her boots or strapped to her thighs. Just thinking about it made him want to continue his scavenger hunt.
Up close, Xander couldn’t stop staring at the differences between Isla and her cousin. Their builds were similar, but Isla had a prickly fierceness that settled around her like a warning not to get too close—the exact kind of warning that had always felt like more of an invitation to Xander. Old habits died hard and even after all of this time, he still loved the rush of a challenge.
Isla was tall. All it would take was a slight tilt of her chin to bring those full lips to his. Logistically it opened up a whole new set of opportunities that he hadn’t had with Cece. Not that he was complaining about what he and Cece had. Part of the fun with her was that she was small enough that he could throw her around a little bit .
Isla’s height and strength, however, meant she could easily meet him where he was. Standing as they were now, he could hike up her dress, hook her leg over his hip, and be inside her with ease.
As if reading his mind, her gaze dropped to his mouth again.
He stroked Isla’s cheek and her wide eyes flew to his. “Looking for something, darling ?”
Her eyes narrowed in determination. “Just assessing a threat.”
Xander grinned, leaning closer so that they breathed the same air. She didn’t cower.
“What’s your assessment?” he asked.
Falling into a flirtation tactic was reflexive, but the moment the words were out of his mouth, they felt unnatural. Perhaps it was a result of how many surprises he’d suffered as of late, or maybe it was something larger.
“My assessment,” Isla said, pressing her chest against his, highlighting once again how well their bodies fit together, “is that even you don’t believe your games anymore.”
She couldn’t throw down a challenge like that and expect him not to take it.
“Who said it was a game?”
Xander tilted her chin back and pressed his lips to hers. A shiver went through her body, like she was electrified by the kiss. Xander felt fluttering in his chest as if something long asleep was waking.
The kiss was soft and slow—a lover’s kiss—not at all right for a light flirtation. She sighed into his mouth, pulling him closer.
He had kissed Jessamin on their wedding night, and it was lovely, but it had been so long since he’d kissed someone out of pure desire. Kissing Cece had been a consuming thing—a rhythm he knew by heart. Now the strangeness of kissing someone new out of passion after so long without left him testing the boundaries of the kiss, looking for differences in the way she responded.
She pulled away suddenly.
“I’ll not be an experiment, Your Grace ,” she rasped breathlessly, her brown eyes full of frustration.
Xander swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you mean?— ”
Isla rolled her eyes. “You started kissing me, but you finished kissing someone else. I’ll not be in competition with a memory. Nostalgia is compelling, but I have the benefit of being real and right in front of you. I’m too good to lose out to some fairy tale in your head.”
Xander was bewildered and utterly put in his place. He searched for an explanation that would soothe her but found none. When had he become so bad at this? Charm had never failed him before. It was easy enough to figure out what a woman wanted and turn himself into that. But Isla didn’t seem to be lacking anything, leaving him no easy way to approach her.
He wasn’t even certain what he was trying to do. He didn’t need a love affair right now and he certainly didn’t need to be chasing after his wife’s decoy. What would Jessamin think?
Shame was like a wave of ice water washing over him.
“So what are you two planning?” Isla asked impatiently.
“I have a large group of servants I need to smuggle out of the castle at dusk tonight.”
He waited for her to insist it was too dangerous or foolish, but she just nodded. “How can I help?”
“Cece is going to create a diversion. If you and your guards could watch the door we come out of to make sure none of Vincent’s men notice my expedition, that would be very helpful.”
Isla studied him quietly. “You’ve been doing this the whole time—helping your people escape?”
He nodded. She pursed her lips but said nothing else.
“Just before dusk I’ll come and walk you down to the side door by the kitchens while Cece sneaks out to create havoc.”
“How will we know when it’s time?” Isla asked.
“Cece is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. I’m sure it will be clear.” Xander smirked.
Isla rolled her eyes. “I’ll say. That was quite a performance she put on at lunch.”
Xander felt ill remembering the look on Cece’s face when she entered the room .
Isla’s intense brown eyes softened and she swallowed hard. “He’s a monster to make her sit there and relive that. He enjoys it.”
Xander frowned, running a hand through his hair. There was no doubt in his mind that Vincent’s behavior was monstrous, but King Damian had made him that way. It was hard to reckon with Vincent’s violence without reckoning with Damian’s. Everything twisted together, making it impossible to cast judgment without Xander forever altering his already-damaged opinion of the man he’d always looked up to.
Xander worried what it said about him that he was raised by a man who embraced such easy violence. He’d never questioned the way violence came second nature when he was in hunter training, but now he worried that, even without Damian’s blood, he could still fall into his habits.
Maybe the only true difference between them was the length of time they’d been king. Perhaps in several decades, apathy would make Xander equally cruel and the reflex for brutality was simply lying in wait.
Looking at Isla, he found himself wishing he could find the words to speak the haunting thoughts aloud, though he wasn’t sure if she would reassure or taunt him.
Instead, he held out an arm and led her back to their room so he could write a warning letter to Marcos.
Ever the overachiever, Cece managed to cause full-out chaos the moment the sun ducked below the tree line. Shouts came from outside and one of the guards ran back inside sporting an arrow wound. He claimed that the king’s betrothed was perched in a tree by the old training grounds, shooting anyone who got close.
Xander laughed from his spot outside the kitchen doorway. Isla turned away from her guards and looked to him for direction. He nodded his head toward the hallway behind them .
“I’ll need cover when we get outside, but I have no idea how hard it will be to get weapons?—”
Isla hiked up her gown and drew out a dagger. She reached behind a nearby bush and pulled out a bow and quiver full of arrows.
Xander grinned at her. “I like a woman who’s always prepared to fight.”
“How original,” Isla quipped.
He winked. “Maybe later I can finish my scavenger hunt for those last five blades.”
Nicholette and Freya smirked and looked at each other. Isla ignored her guards and Xander as she walked toward the kitchen doors. It was frustrating that she was so completely unfazed by his flirtation.
“If you stand on the other side of this door, it’s a natural choke point. If you can’t kill a guard, at least try to knock them out and I’ll have someone wipe their memory later,” Xander said.
Isla nodded and ducked behind the door.
“Isla?”
She peeked her head out, her two guards poised behind her.
“Please be careful,” he whispered.
Isla smiled and Xander had seen her grin so rarely that warmth pooled in his chest.
Xander stepped into the kitchen and nodded at the cook. The cook knocked three times on the pantry door. It creaked open and a group of terrified-looking servants filed out. The group of fifteen shuffled through the kitchen, following Xander out the door.
“Keep close to the castle wall so the overhead patrols don’t see you. Stay quiet,” Xander said.
Distant shouts from the old hunter training grounds drew the eyes of several in his group. Xander snapped his fingers, urging them along.
It took a few minutes to reach the gap in the garden wall. He helped the children through before helping their mothers. Finally, he squeezed through and gazed down the hill. A torch flickered half a mile down the road .
Though he couldn’t see Evan, that was the meet-up point his friend had agreed to. The fact that Evan was so close inflicted an ache in Xander’s chest. He ignored it, leaning over to the closest maid.
“See that torch?”
She nodded.
“Stick to the side of this road so you can hide in the shadow of the trees and make your way to the torch. When you get there, you’ll find help to get wherever you’re going and shelter if you need it.”
She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Bless you, Your Majesty.”
He shooed them on, watching for only a minute before he turned back toward the castle. He darted back through the gap in the wall and deposited branches in front of it.
Shouts rose from the direction of the old hunter training grounds. As he drew closer to the commotion, he heard several guards shouting to each other, perplexed as to how she’d acquired arrows. Cece’s laugh rang out like a bell. Xander smiled instinctively at the sound. He watched as several guards carried a hunter with an arrow buried in his kneecap. The other two had hand wounds. She was using them as target practice.
Xander loved that woman, but she was definitely going to get herself into serious trouble. Still, her courage was magnetic.
The cold air burned his lungs. Snow crunched underfoot. He hadn’t been outside much since Vincent took over. He’d need to start taking training more seriously again, especially now that it was winter, a season that demanded acknowledgment with its harshness and the way it could freeze the air in your lungs.
He heard footsteps and turned to find Rainer a few paces behind him.
“McKay?”
“The king has sent me to retrieve Lady Reznik,” Rainer said dutifully.
“Yes, of course. She seems quite content to be retrieved.”
Rainer slowed slightly. “You think she’d shoot me? ”
Xander slowed alongside him. “I’d approach with caution. She’s the type to shoot first and ask questions later.”
Rainer slowed his pace, walking a step behind Xander.
“My love? Are you enjoying your evening of sport?” Xander called as Cece came into view.
She was poised a good fifteen feet up a tree on the edge of the training grounds, bow in hand and a smile plastered on her face. “Moving targets are more fun,” she said.
“Your talent is unmatched as always, love. I do worry that perhaps you’re causing a world of trouble for yourself. Make no mistake, though, you look exceptional doing it.”
She grinned at Xander and, for a moment, he felt as if no time had passed. Even in the dark he saw the mischief sparking in her eyes and he could do nothing but try to breathe around the ghost of love that stirred in his chest.
“Nonsense. I’m just having some fun. No one has been irreparably maimed. I just need some personal space.” She smiled brightly at Rainer. “Good evening, Rainer.”
Rainer glowered beside Xander. “ Guardian McKay.”
“So formal,” she teased.
“Lady Reznik, please come down,” Rainer pleaded.
“Cece,” she corrected. “You asked so nicely but I am so enjoying the view. Xan, I believe there’s a stag over there. You should shoot it,” she said, gesturing toward a heavily wooded area to their left.
“ Cece , please come down,” Rainer insisted.
“Why don’t you come up here and retrieve me yourself, Rainer?” she said suggestively.
Xander laughed as he ducked behind the trees. He glanced back at the warded stone wall several yards behind them.
The smell of smoke and cinnamon filled the air and Grimon stepped out from behind a tree.
Xander felt the press of his magic instantly. The sharp scent filled the air as Grimon put up a sound damper with his magic.
“I need this to go to Marcos,” Xander said, handing over the real communication for his Olney counterpart. No doubt Vincent would be sending the fake version soon.
Grimon rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I think you forget who I am.”
“Sometimes I think you forget that if you insist on smelling like a bakery, it’s hard to take you seriously,” Xander said, arching a brow.
“How is she?” Grimon asked.
Xander jerked his head to the side. “See for yourself. She’s having a great time flirting with her fiancé and he’s desperately trying not to be charmed.”
“Any luck with his memory?”
Xander shook his head. “Not so far but she’s only just started to actually spend time with him.”
Grimon sighed. “Have you been able to make progress with rooting out the opposition within your walls?”
Xander shrugged. “Slow going when you’re trying to figure out who the good guys are and everyone looks the same.”
Grimon nodded as Xander handed him correspondence for Evan and King Marcos. “You’ll make sure Marcos gets this?”
Grimon sighed. “I live to play courier.”
“That’s why you’re my third favorite god,” Xander said.
“Third?” Grimon challenged, sounding genuinely offended.
“Cece is my favorite, for obvious reasons, and then your brother.”
Grimon threw up his hands. “Samson! Seriously.”
Xander laughed. “I’m joking. You’d be first if it wasn’t for my lovely ex-wife and, of course, if you didn’t dislike me so much.”
Grimon frowned. “You’ve grown on me.”
Xander could hardly contain his glee at the admission. “I knew it!”
Grimon held up his hands. “Don’t let it go to your head. It’s been nice to see you grow up.” The edges of his body began to flicker. “I have to go, but keep Cece safe.”
Xander nodded solemnly. “I’ll do my best, though you know how she loves to make it a challenge.”
Grimon evaporated in a puff of smoke with a smirk on his lips. Xander waited for Cece to finish her flirting.