My protective instincts scream at me to move and I lift my foot, but everything’s in slow motion. Before I can take a full step, a powerful blow sends me flying. The impact squeezes the air from my lungs.

The world goes blurry, and I blink several times to put things into focus. I’m lying on something hard, but it’s not concrete.

It’s Xavier.

“Delilah?”

He says my name like a caress. It sweeps over me, his breath skimming my lips. I stare down at him, more in shock at the tenderness in his voice than the car that could’ve killed me.

Gray eyes meet mine, the hue churning with concern. And something else I can’t identify. Whatever it is has adrenaline flooding my system.

Xavier reaches up to frame my face with both hands. The slight shifting of his position reminds me that our bodies are flush, causing my heart to beat frantically. More so because he’s touching me.

“Are you hurt?”

I continue staring at him, unable to form words. His expression has softened, but the lines around his eyes and mouth speak of deep worry. For me. Not in a good samaritan type of way either. It’s intimate.

“Answer me, or I’m going to lose my fucking mind,” he snaps.

“Huh?”

He shakes his head, a wry smiling tugging at his mouth. “I guess that counts.”

The haze of shock begins to lift, the gravity of my near miss sinking in. I shake my head to dislodge his hold from my face so I can think clearly. “What happened?”

“Besides you trying to get run over? Not much.”

I plant my hands on the asphalt and lift myself, peering around the parking lot. It’s the same as it was before, quiet and void of pedestrians.

“It’s really dark out here,” I say, still scanning the area. “It was an accident.”

He makes a noncommittal noise deep in his throat. Right before sliding his hands up to encircle my waist. I drop my gaze to him, my brows snapping together.

“Xavier?”

He drags his fingers along my sides, across my back and upward until he’s lightly gripping my neck with both hands. I remain still throughout his exploration, but my heart ricochets in my chest like a wayward bullet.

“What are you doing?” My voice comes out breathy. Husky.

“I’m checking you for injuries.”

“Oh.”

That sounds logical. Considerate, even. If it was someone else…

I stare down at the man underneath me as he continues to trail his fingers along my body, leaving my skin tingling under my clothes. His scrutiny is like a touch all on its own. It runs over my face, stopping on my mouth before he drags his gaze back to mine. Only now, there’s a glint in his silver eyes, making them shine like starlight.

“I’m fine,” I say. The tiny whisper is all I can manage. Being this close to him has my mind deadening and my body coming alive.

“I’ll be the one to decide that.”

My lips purse. “You don’t own me.”

“Not yet.”

“You shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

“Well, get used to it.”

He returns to the column of my throat, stroking it slowly but deliberately. An unspoken message passes from him to me in that tiny caress. This man could kill me. But the reverence in his touch is what keeps me from running.

To be cradled in the hands of a demon is unsettling. And thrilling.

“I told you, I’m fine,” I say, hardening my tone.

“I believe you’ll live, little raptor.”

His words send a shiver through me. I know the second he feels my body’s involuntary movement. The barest smirk plays about his lips. The sensual expression makes me want to moan. And then punch him in the face.

“I have so many questions,” I say. “Not just about Ben, but about that night.” My confession fills the space between us. I take a deep breath as if I can pull it back into my body where it’s safe from him. Xavier keeps stealing it from me.

The skin around his jaw tightens, but the sly expression remains. “Not tonight.”

“When?”

His fingers, still lingering on my neck, tighten their grip. “When it’s safe.”

The intensity of his answer resonates somewhere deep. It’s a cryptic promise, laden with the weight of secrets that I’m not yet privy to. Not yet.

“I just want to understand,” I say. “Don’t you get that?”

“I’m very familiar with wanting something I can’t have.”

My breath catches at the raw yearning in his voice, the hunger that ignites something inside me. The irrational allure that surrounds him snakes around me, coiling and unmovable. Leaving me helpless.

Xavier lifts his hand to brush a tendril of hair away from my cheek, tucking the errant strand behind my ear. Our eyes stay locked as he lightly grips my jaw and strokes my bottom lip.

“A predator should never desire its prey.”

“I’m not prey.” My voice betrays me with the smallest warble. Is the tremor from fear? Or fascination? “And you’re not just any predator.”

Xavier smiles. It’s wistful, pricking my heart, making it bleed the tiniest bit for him. What has he gone through to think this way?

And what’s wrong with me for being drawn to him?

“Are you going to get off of me now?” he asks.

My cheeks blaze with embarrassment. I look down at our bodies, flush with one another and our legs entwined. I’ve been laying on this man like a pillow-top mattress. Except he was hard.

Everywhere.

I scramble to my feet and wrap my arms around my middle to fortify myself. And create a barrier between us. The awkwardness that prickles my skin quickly removes all thoughts of attraction.

“Sorry,” I mumble, unable to meet his gaze.

Xavier gets to his feet in one fluid motion that has my eyes widening. He has control over his body in a way that most people don’t. It’s the reason he was able to save me from getting run over, while also landing with me on top to cushion my fall.

“No need to apologize.” He pulls his black hood over his head, his gray eyes gleaming at me from underneath. “It’s not every day a beautiful woman sexually assaults me.”

I look at him, not bothering to hide my appreciation of his physical appearance. “I doubt that.”

He shrugs. “It’s never the one I want. Until tonight.”

I open my mouth to say something sarcastic, or possibly stupid, but he juts out his chin in a silent command. “Go straight to your dorm. I’ll know if you don’t listen to me.”

His authoritative response has me flipping him off. He laughs at my act of rebellion. The sound is like melted caramel, sinking into my stomach and making me jittery.

“What about Ben?” I ask. “I need to speak to⁠—”

Xavier shakes his head. “Good night, little raptor.”

He turns his back to me and walks into the darkness, blending in with the shadows. The only reason I know he’s there is the sound of his footsteps. They gradually fade, taking my answers with them.

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 20XAVIER

Once Delilah can no longer see me, I spin around, my gaze immediately finding her. I stand there, torn between following her back to the dorms and searching for her attacker. Knowing the identity of the driver, I’m certain it wasn’t a fucking accident. The thing I don’t know is why he did it.

I’ll find out.

I’ve taken the necessary precautions to keep Delilah off the Order’s radar, but that woman is stubborn and keeps showing up in places she shouldn’t. I’ll have to be firmer with her going forward. Although I enjoy interacting with her in any capacity, I won’t risk her life just for the sake of my obsession.

Delilah walks swiftly toward the dorms, and I stay behind her like a shadow. It’s unlikely that she’ll be accosted on the way there, but I’m not willing to take the chance. As soon as she’s safe behind a locked door, I’ll confront that asshole who thought he could take her from me.