The brutal thuds of fist against flesh made Arabella's ears ring. She turned away, unable to stomach the sight, but the sound alone scraped against her nerves like claws. Only when the blows ceased did she dare to look back. Xavier's cheek was swollen, mottled purple, and his body curled weakly around the fresh bruises along his ribs and stomach.
"You went too far," she murmured, hurrying to his side. Kneeling, she lifted her hands and gently pressed them over his chest, mending the fractures with a whisper of magic.
"I thought I went too easy," Cassius countered flatly. He flexed his bloodied knuckles, then drew a handkerchief from his breast pocket, dabbing them clean as if swiping away dirt rather than blood. "For what he tried to do, breathing is already a luxury."
