Xavier's brows pinched, and I lifted my ankle that held that damn charm, its metal catching the light. I watched as Xavier’s eyes dipped toward it, and I took a few more cautious steps toward him, giving him a taunting smile. The look of disgust twisting across his features, however, soured my stomach and the smile fell away from my face as I stopped walking.
His gaze slowly lifted back to my face, and we stared at each other unmoving for what felt like a lifetime.
Whispering softly, I asked, “ Are you okay?”
His scowl deepened. “What do you think?” He gestured to the shattered glass at his feet and the glass reformed, shooting into his outstretched hand. Amber liquid rose within its contents, conjured by the castle's magic, no doubt.
“I didn't know you cared about my sister this much,” I said through gritted teeth, my anger returning as quickly as it had vanished. The words felt like ash in my mouth, the truth of what he had to do slicing through me in a sharp stab of grief.
“This isn't about her,” he growled, sinking back onto his throne.
I stalked to the bottom of the dais, only the few steps up separating us now as I looked up at him. “Your mother, then?” His emerald eyes pierced mine as he took a long sip of his drink, glaring over the rim. He was silent, his glass settling back on his knee. “Only she isn't your mother is she?”
“Go away, Zara,” Xavier snarled, his grip tightening around his glass.
“No, that’s not it either. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” I growled, glaring up at him through my lashes. Xavier stood abruptly, but I only raised my chin. “Why did you bring me here Xavier?”
Xavier didn't respond and I scoffed. “I’m as good as dead. There’s no saving me, Xavier. After everything that’s happened, I don’t deserve to be in your thoughts. You shouldn’t care, shouldn’t even think of me at all.”
Xavier materialized before me with such suddenness that I gasped.
I tried to step back, but his palm met my lower spine, keeping me in place. His lips were a breath away, and my lungs filled with the scent of whiskey, and citrus.
“I can no more stop thinking of you than I can stop breathing.” Xavier whispered the words, but he spoke them harshly, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that bordered on manic. “You are mine. I will always think of you, crave your nearness, even when I do not want it.”
His hand released my back, and he moved away from me, but not far. My flesh burned where he had touched me, and I tried to ignore the color rising in my cheeks. I breathed in deeply, but that was a fucking mistake. His scent filled my lungs, his anger, his grief, but most potent of all—his desire.
“And that’s what you don’t understand, Zara. Haven't gotten through that thick, stubborn, fucking skull of yours.” Xavier growled, raising the glass to his lips again and draining its contents. It disappeared a moment later, and he moved an inch closer. He didn’t reach for me, though, and his broad chest filled most of my vision. Shadows danced across his face, and a shiver ran through me. “I wouldn’t stop wanting you even if you killed everyone I ever loved, my entire fucking kingdom.”His palms snapped out, wrapping around my upper arms, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I was trapped in some kind of trance, unable to breathe. “I wouldn’t stop fighting for you, for us, if it meant damning everyone else in the process.” He laughed cruelly. “And that. That Zara is the fucking problem.”
I flinched, yet I couldn't bring myself to look away. He pulled me closer until my chest met his, his face hovering mere inches from mine. A part of me wanted to run, to shove him away and never look back, but I remained frozen, captivated by him and his words.
“You're selfish,” Xavier snapped, and my palm shot out towards his face before I could stop myself. It landed with a smack on his cheek, and Xavier's eyes only burned brighter as they slowly met mine again.
My heart hammered, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
“But the thing is, love, so am I.”
My breath hitched as his hand tangled in my hair, dragging me until my lips met his. Our teeth clashed as he pulled me closer, our mouths bruising under the forceful pressure. His other hand found my thigh, lifting me until my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. He let go of my hair, his hand sliding to my waist, while his other gripped my chin, tilting my head back. His tongue plunged into my mouth, our tongues meeting in a heated exploration as we kissed with a fevered passion that ignited me from the inside out.
Xavier was moving, but I really wasn’t paying attention to anything but his mouth, his hands as they gripped me harder, holding me to him in a bruising vise.
I thought we were falling, and my mouth flew open in a gasp as my knees hit something hard. I pulled back for a moment and saw that I was now straddling him on the throne. Oureyes met, and he had a wild look in his eyes as they fixed on my lips. He still had a brutal grip on my chin, and he wasted no time in pulling me back toward his mouth.
His cock was hard and pressing into me through his pants at my core. I rocked my hips as our mouths met again, and he let out a low purr that vibrated through my bones.
What was happening? My body ignited with his kiss, his touch, but fear quickly flooded me as I waited for him to realize this was a mistake.
Xavier growled angrily, and I heard his voice echo in my mind.
You are far from a fucking mistake.
My heart fluttered and his hand tore the clothing at my back, exposing it to the crisp air of the room. My mouth popped open in surprise, and he smiled wickedly at me as he tore my shirt down, trapping my arms within the fabric. Xavier’s eyes roamed down to my now exposed breasts, to my hardened nipples, and I practically moaned at the sight of him. He tightened his grip on my shirt and leaned down to capture my nipple in his mouth, sucking the hardened peak and flicking it with his tongue. I moaned at the sensation, pressing myself harder against him, rolling my hips.
He was so fucking hard, and I wanted this clothing between us gone. I glared down at his pants as if it had personally offended me, and Xavier chuckled, biting down onto my nipple. My back arched, and he leaned up and whispered into my ear.
“Greedy.”
My skin pebbled and my gaze lingered on his lips as he pulled away.
