Chapter 15 Damon #2
Another sound, like a pebble or a marble bouncing off concrete, rings out behind me, and I nearly stumble as cold fear washes over me in a wave.
Tossing a look over my shoulder, I almost trip over my feet when I see that same black-clad figure with a hood pulled up over his head on the path a dozen paces behind me.
He’s walking at a normal pace, but it’s not his speed that’s so damn terrifying, it’s how he’s moving. Each step is long and sure, and the set of his wide shoulders is somehow both tense and casual.
Everything about him screams predator, but there’s a flicker of something under my fear that isn’t exactly unexpected but is definitely unwanted.
Heat curls in my belly, mixing with the fear and creating something exhilarating and intoxicating as I tear my gaze from the figure and quicken my steps until I’m almost jogging down the path.
Crash.
I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of glass breaking somewhere in front of me, and I instinctively look around, almost tripping as I skid to a stop.
There’s no one around. Even the figure is gone.
Fear pours into my system, and my chest tightens to the point it’s hard to pull in a breath, but I can’t ignore the tendrils of arousal that snake through my fear, and it’s then I realize that I’m half-hard.
What the actual fuck?
Is this actually turning me on?
A strange sense of awareness settles over me, and I slowly look over my shoulder.
The figure is back, and he’s less than six feet from me.
Something tugs at my senses, and instead of running away like a smart person, I look closer at the figure.
I recognize the set of those shoulders, and more of that exhilarating fear/arousal mix fills me.
That’s Xave.
I have no idea how I know it since I can’t see his face at all, but it’s like it was at the party. I can feel that it’s him.
We stand there for a few beats, just staring at each other.
I don’t know what the fuck is going on or why Xave is playing these weird games with me, but I don’t hate it.
In fact, I’ve never felt more alive.
Xave cocks his head to the side like he’s studying me, and another rush of that mix of fear and excitement flows through me.
I don’t understand any of what’s going on, and I know there has to be something seriously wrong with me for being into this, but I am. And there’s no point denying it.
Slowly, I take a small step backward.
Xave doesn’t move, and the effect is eerie as he keeps staring at me with his head cocked to the side and his face hidden under the shadows of his hood.
I take another step, then another. But before I can take a third one, Xave darts forward, halving the distance between us in one lightning-quick stride.
I let out a pathetic squeal and stumble back, my arms windmilling as I struggle to stay on my feet.
Xave’s low chuckle filters across the air between us, and something about the gravelly sound makes my dick go from mostly hard to impersonating a steel pipe in only seconds.
Before I can fully get my balance back, he makes a move forward, like a fake out or an aborted step, and I nearly fall flat on my ass as I stumble back with another pathetic cry.
Laughter rings out in the distance, and I instinctively turn toward it, my heart pounding like I just finished doing wind sprints. I can’t see anyone, but the laughter continues, getting softer as whoever is out there moves further away.
When the laughter fades completely, I turn back to Xave and nearly swallow my tongue.
He’s so close I can see just enough of his face under the shadows from his hood to know for sure that it’s him, and my entire body is flooded with more of that fear/excitement mix.
“Run.”
The single, raspy word is like a gunshot to my senses, and I’m practically vibrating from the surge of adrenaline that hits as I turn on my heel and sprint away from him at full speed.
My instincts are telling me to run back to the main part of campus where there are other people, but instead of veering to the right, I stay on the path.
The heavy footfalls behind me are way more exhilarating than they should be, and my chest is tight with more than just fear as I take a hard left and race across the grass.
I don’t need to turn around to know that Xave is still chasing me, and without thinking about what I’m doing, I run between two buildings and race toward the forest.
I don’t know what he’s going to do to me when he catches me, but something tells me it would be best if we were away from the cameras when I find out.
The tree line is approaching fast, but my boots slip on the soft grass, and I’m forced to slow down so I don’t go sprawling.
The heavy footsteps behind me are getting closer, and unlike me, Xave isn’t slowing down.
Tossing a quick look over my shoulder, I nearly trip over my own feet when I see he’s only a few feet behind me. I try to speed up again, but a firm hand clamps down on my shoulder, then a strong arm curls around my waist as a solid body presses against my back.
I let out a high-pitched squeak as Xave lifts me right off the ground and half carries, half drags me into the dark woods.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that’s just happened when he stops a few feet beyond the tree line and deposits me on the ground.
I can hear him breathing behind me, and the harsh sounds send tremors of that fear/adrenaline mix through me as I slowly turn around.
It’s so dark that I can only see the outline of his body, and even though I know it’s Xave, I’m filled with a sense of dread and terror as we stand there, both of us breathing hard as we stare at each other.
I’m so frozen with fear and uncertainty I don’t notice him raising his hand until he catches me by the throat.