The entire time, he murmurs words of praise. It’s the tenderness in his voice that has me looking up at him. The expression on his face is a mixture of arrogance and awe. I can handle his ego. It’s the amazement that throws me.

No one’s ever looked at me like they wanted to worship and fuck me at the same time.

“What are you staring at?” I snap.

“My bride.”

“I’m not your fucking bride. I don’t belong to anyone, least of all you.”

Xavier reaches out and brushes his knuckles across my cheek, the gesture almost affectionate. He removes his other hand from my panties and holds it in front of my face. It glistens with my cum.

He leans forward to lick the entire length of his palm. Slowly and thoroughly. When I imagine his tongue on my clit, I flinch in shame at the renewed desire pooling in my belly.

“So fucking good,” he says with a groan. “I’ll never forget the way you taste. Now that I know, I’ll crave it.”

I squeeze my thighs together, still feeling the effects of my orgasm. And his words. They shock me, scandalize me. And make me burn. I want to hate him and myself, but I’m too lethargic, too satisfied to care.

“Open,” he commands.

I part my lips. My obedience is immediate. I blame my bewildered state on him and how he took control over my body. He’s right: I didn’t want him to stop.

Before I can close my mouth, his fingers slip inside, and I taste myself on his skin. He growls in my ear, the sound full of praise and frustration. After removing his fingers, he grabs my jaw and crushes his lips to mine, making me taste myself on his tongue.

The salty taste is a reminder of what just happened, of the pleasure I experienced. And the weakness I showed.

I shove him away. Surprisingly, he lets me go. When I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, he grins.

“Delilah—”

“Get fucked.”

He chuckles, the sound a rumble in his chest. “I’ll take that as an invitation for another round.”

I flick my gaze to the clearing. Freedom is so close I can feel it, but I have no idea how to get there with Xavier in my way. After what I let him do, after the way he made me feel, he’s more dangerous than the Order.

“Don’t even think about it,” he says. “If you run, I’ll catch you. And this time when I do, you won’t be the only one who comes.”

I shiver at his threat, at the intensity in his words. As well as the truth behind them. “You're an asshole.”

“Yeah, a horny one, thanks to you.” He adjusts his cock, and I stare, unable to help myself. When he catches me watching, he smirks. “Don’t worry, little raptor, soon enough you’ll know what it feels like to have it fill that tight pussy of yours.”

My mouth goes dry. I want to tell him to go to hell, but my voice deserts me. I don’t want to think about why that is.

I avert my gaze. The clearing is so close. If I could just slip past him, this would all be over. But there’s no way he’d let me. This man is too determined. And powerful. That only leaves me with one choice.

“Let me go,” I say, softening my voice. “Please.”

He shakes his head. “Never.”

“Why are you doing this? What does any of this have to do with the fraternity?”

“This isn’t about them. It’s about you.”

I blink up at him, confused. “Me? How?"

“I’ll explain everything later. But right now, you need to understand that I’m the only one who can protect you.”

I shake my head, unable to wrap my mind around his words. “I don't want your help.”

“I know. You want your freedom. However, you need my protection, even if you don’t want it. The Order has made you a person of interest, or else you wouldn’t be part of this ceremony for the recruits. The only way you’ll get your freedom is through me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

He shrugs. “It will.”

“So, you’re saying I’m stuck with you?”

He nods, a smile curling his lips. “Until death do us part, bride.”

I lift my chin. “My contract is only for a year.”

“For now.”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 28DELILAH

Xavier grips my arm and hauls me against him. I slam into his body, the contact jarring me. Before I can recover, he reaches down to retrieve his mask and shoves it in his back pocket.

Then he takes off.

My feet trip over each other as he drags me with him. I look back at the tree line, my eyes pricking with unshed tears. Part of me still wants to try to get away from Xavier, from this messed-up situation. But his threat to fuck me still rings in my ears.

I immediately push that image away. As well as what transpired between us. The only thing that matters now is figuring out how to get Xavier to release me from my contract. If I’m to be his bride, then he’s the only one who can help me now.

“Are you taking me to the frat house?” I ask.

He corrects me with a chilling finality. “The altar. It’s where the recruits take their brides to complete the ceremony.”

“Like a wedding?” I dig my heels in the dirt, but it’s useless. Xavier never breaks his stride. His determination is relentless, his grip unyielding. “I was told this wasn’t a real marriage.”

“It’s not.”

“Then what is this ceremony for exactly?” I ask.

He doesn’t respond immediately, and every ounce of nervousness in my stomach twists into a ball. From what I can tell, he’s been honest with me so far. Blunt and crude is more accurate. Then why is he hesitating?

He glances over at me, silver eyes glittering in the night. “The ritual symbolizes our commitment to the Order, in the same way the bride will be faithful to her recruit. It’s a binding ceremony, a pledge of loyalty witnessed by all. Once you’re mine, no one can touch you without my permission.”

“Without your…?” I scrunch my face in confusion and irritation. “Are you saying other men will touch me if you let them? What about my fucking permission?”

He slows his steps to turn and face me. I stare up at him, my chin lifted. His eyes darken and the expression on his face hardens, weakening my mental armor.

“No one will fucking touch you, with or without your permission,” he says, his tone cold yet heated at the same time. “Not if they want to live.”

My pulse quickens at the fury in voice and the threat of violence behind it. The blatant possessiveness has my body responding before I can stop it. My breath hitches, and my breasts rise as my nipples harden.

It pisses me off.

“Lucky for you, little raptor, I’m not the sharing kind.”

“I think you’ve made that clear.”

He tilts his head. “Have I? Good.”

Xavier releases my wrist before grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers. I drop my gaze to our joined hands, my lips thinning. This is the way a boyfriend might show affection to his girl, a small physical intimacy that announces to the world that they’re a couple.

I might be called a bride, but we are not together.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Xavier pulls me forward and deeper into the forest. Ahead is nothing but darkness occasionally pierced by the moonlight. We walk in silence, but my thoughts are loud.

What is he going to do to me?

I steal a glance at him before averting my gaze. His face is a mask of concentration that gives me no insight to what he’s thinking. I tell myself I don’t want to know, but it’s a lie.

He fascinates me. In some twisted way, this man with his tenacity and arrogance has piqued my curiosity. I want to know why he’s so intent on having me. Is this just about sex? Power? Or both?

Nerves ripple along my arms and up my throat, making my lips part. “Are you going to rape me?” I blurt out.

Xavier stops and whips around to face me. “Is that what you think?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think.”