Trapped between two men, I frantically scan my surroundings for the best escape route. The first recruit quickly recovers from my attack and lunges for me. I shriek in outrage and leap back.

Just as he’s about to grab me, a blur of movement disrupts him. The newcomer knocks his arm away and plants himself by my side, so close I can feel the heat of his body.

“She’s a fighter,” the newcomer says.

Recognition zips through me like an eclectic shock.

He cocks his head and the black gashes on his mask glint under the moonlight. “You sure you can handle her?”

The other recruit with the dotted mask flips him off. “I’ll do more than handle her. I’m going to fuck the fight right out of her.”

I retreat a step. The action has both men shifting their attention to me. Despite the tremors wracking my limbs, I stand there, keeping my head held high. “Why don’t you guys fuck each other? I’m sure your holes are tighter than mine.”

The newcomer laughs. “This bride is definitely mine.”

“Fuck off, X. If you’re lucky, I’ll let you have her.” He looks at me with a narrowed gaze, his eyes blazing. “After I’ve stretched every one of her holes.”

“No names,” Xavier says, a hint of warning in his voice. “That’ll cost you.” He turns his head to stare deep into my eyes. “Run, little raptor. I’m coming for you.”

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Chapter 26DELILAH

Un-fucking-believable.

Xavier and the other masked man engage in a struggle, each one trying to gain the upper hand, creating a window of opportunity for me. I sprint away from them, legs burning and lungs shuddering. The echoes of their fight follow me as I push through my discomfort and fear.

My muscles protest each step, and thorns from the underbrush cut my skin. A low-hanging branch scratches my cheek. All of these injuries are but a sample of the pain I’ll experience if I give up.

With each stride, I replay the recent interaction, all of my thoughts centered on Xavier. I recognized his voice. It’s haunted me since the other night in the parking lot when his body was pressed against mine and his whispered words grazed my ears.

I knew he was part of the fraternity, but to come face-to-face with him under these circumstances is something else entirely. Then for him to say I belonged to him while using that stupid nickname? There’s no doubt in my mind who he is.

He won’t catch me.

I force myself to go faster. The canopy of leaves overhead signals my lack of freedom. The edge of the forest can’t be too much further. I hope.

A quick glance over my shoulder reveals nothing but impenetrable darkness.

The idea of being caught makes me push my body to its limits. My chest heaves, the burning of my lungs searing me from the inside out. They spasm, robbing me of breath until I stagger, falling to my knees.

The hairpin lands in the grass beside me. I hang my head, gulping in air like a fish on land. My vision blurs with tears, and I blink them away. I can’t afford to cry, despite having every reason to.

When I lift my gaze, I gasp. The scream on my tongue never reaches the air. Xavier’s voice wraps around my throat like a fist, choking me.

“You’re beautiful on your knees, little raptor. Crawl to me and I might let you come.”

“Fuck you.”

His eyes brighten behind the mask. “That’s the idea.”

Adrenaline shoots straight to my heart. I grab the hair pin before jumping to my feet. Then I take a step back. He doesn’t follow. Instead, he stands there and watches me, his silver gaze gleaming with yearning. Is it pure lust, or is it something deeper? Something darker?

“Don’t touch me,” I say.

“When I catch you, I plan on doing more than that.”

“Not a fucking chance. You’ll have to force me.”

He stalks forward. “I’m happy to oblige.”

“X, wait!”

The voice, as familiar as my own, causes me to halt. I spin around to find Ben, his features hidden behind a mask with a black patch over the left eye. Xavier studies Ben while coming to stand in front of me, creating a barrier.

Is he trying to protect me from my foster brother?

“Ben,” I whisper, searching his gaze for tenderness, familiarity, something that’ll tell me the man I know and love is still there.

Xavier’s entire body goes rigid, his shoulders stiffening with ire right before my eyes. I peer around him to find Ben clenching his fists. Tension fills the air like a perfume spiced with contempt and violence.

“Delilah, you need to come with me,” Ben says. His tone is cold, but the urgency underneath prickles my skin. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t fucking think so.” Xavier’s voice cuts through the air. He reaches back and grabs my wrist, the warmth from his fingers seeping into my body as he pulls me to his side. “She’s mine.”

Ben’s eyes widen behind his mask. “Are you fucking serious, X? I asked you to watch over her, and now you think she’s yours?”

Xavier slides his hand from my wrist, along my arm, until he’s gripping the back of my neck in a show of possessiveness. His silence is a challenge, a refusal to yield. The dominance in his touch has my pulse racing quicker than when I was running at full speed.

Ben curses and reaches up to grip his mask, ripping it from his face. “Now that the Order knows about you, you’re in danger, Lilah. Come with me and I’ll keep you safe.”

“She’ll be safest with me,” Xavier says. He strokes the curve of my throat with his thumb. An awareness unfurls in my belly. I’m of half a mind to stab him just for that. “You know it’s true, Benjamin.”

“For the record, I don’t belong to either of you,” I say. I take a deep breath and gentle my voice. “Please let me go. Then I’ll be out of my contract and done with this bullshit.”

Both of them ignore me, their heated gazes locked on each other.

My foster brother extends his hand. “Come here, Delilah.”

Xavier squeezes my neck in warning. Instead of being pissed off, my body betrays me. I tell myself that my nipples hardened because of the cool night air. It can’t have anything to do with the man gripping me like I’m his actual bride.

When Ben takes a step toward us, Xavier lets out a growl and releases me, pushing me behind him. “I swear to fuck, if you come any closer, I’ll fight you for her. And we both know I’ll win.”

“Lilah,” Ben says, his expression pained, “please come here.”

“No.” My lips tremble, regret pricking my eyes with tears. “I can’t, Ben. I won’t let the Order control me. If you love me, let me go.”

Xavier angles his head to look back at me. “He does love you, little raptor. That’s the problem.”

“What?” My question is nothing more than a breeze, a whisper that hits Ben with the force of a hurricane. He averts his gaze, his mouth pinching. “Ben?”

“We can talk later,” he says. When he finally brings his eyes to mine, there’s a vulnerability in them that makes me want to weep. “Delilah, please.”

I take a step back. “I can’t do this.”

A whirlwind of emotion sweeps over me. The atmosphere is thick with unspoken words, hidden secrets, and danger. It coats my skin like fine mist, making me cold.

“I have to get out of here.”

Ben shouts my name as I turn and run, my hair pin clenched in my fist. Xavier responds with a taunt before the sounds of an altercation reach me. I grip my skirt and hike it up to free up my legs so I can run faster.

Once I can no longer hear the fighting behind me, the tears come.

They fall in a steady stream, blurring the trees around me. Roots and leaves crunch beneath my feet, the noise how I imagine my heart sounds as it breaks. I’m not even sure what I’m crying about, but the wind whips through my hair and carries my sobs away, slowly drying my cheeks.