Chapter 4 #2
His green eyes were considering me with an intensity that crawled into my skin. Why was he studying me with such curiosity? Instead of giving me a reply, he gestured toward the tub.
“You wanted to take off your dress to bathe, right?”
Was he serious? Did he really expect me to bathe in front of him?
“I won’t peek. I promise. Unless…” His eyes glittered with mischief as his fingers lingered near mine. “Unless you want me to. Then I would gladly indulge.”
My fingers were hovering above his, accidentally brushing against his fingers. There was such a weird force inside me, begging me to take his hand, to feel his skin against mine.
Were my lungs forgetting how to breathe? Is that why my chest was rising and falling so rapidly?
“Do you have to stand there?” I asked, my voice softer than intended.
A small chuckle escaped his lips, amused as he asked, “Would you rather I leave?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. I could feel the weight of his gaze—not demanding, but patiently waiting for my next move.
“I… I really can’t bathe with you standing there,” I admitted, my fingers clutching my dress tighter. I knew it couldn’t just fall off, but his gaze felt so penetrating, as if he had the power to make it fall.
His lips curved into a slow, teasing smile. “So, you won’t let me admire the breathtaking view in front of me? That’s a shame.”
Just then, a flutter of wings cut through the tension. A raven swooped in, gliding effortlessly through the doorway before settling on his shoulder. They were both staring at me now.
“Not even Maverick wants you to bathe alone,” he murmured.
“Maverick?” The echoes of my voice rebounding through the huge bathroom.
“Yes. I believe you called him my demon bird last time,” he replied. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he stroked the raven’s head.
I gulped, remembering our little conversation back when we were in the tunnels.
“And what’s your name?” I asked, unable to look away from him.
Why had fate wasted such perfection on him?
He ran a hand through his dark hair, the motion careless and confident. “Xavier.”
The name hit me like a whisper in a dream.
Xavier.
“Remember it,” he said, voice dipping low. “It’ll be the only name your sweet mouth is ever allowed to scream in these halls.”
I gasped, heat rising in my cheeks. The audacity of his words left me stunned, my body betraying me with the way it tingled from the inside out. Why was I reacting this way toward him?
Xavier’s gaze lingered on me, amused and intense. He must have noticed his effect on me. Then, without another word, he turned and left the room, taking Maverick with him.
Only when the door closed behind him did I finally exhale.
My gaze trailed down the bathtub as I began slowly sliding off my clothes, letting them fall to the floor.
The warmth of the water wrapped around me like a blanket, my limbs growing heavier with every passing second.
I didn’t mean to close my eyes; I just needed a moment to rest. If I concentrated hard enough, I could still picture him standing there, watching me with quiet amusement, knowing something about me that I wasn’t aware of.
And suddenly… I was no longer alone.
I found myself back in the Lake of the Sirens again.
The water was impossibly still, reflecting the night sky like a mirror.
Their voices made me sleepy. I was about to drown and no one saved me.
No dragon, no one. Panic surged through my body, and I couldn’t breathe as my lungs began to fill with water.
My chest ached, and out of panic I took a huge breath, knowing it would mean my death.
But there was no death, it was Xavier that shook my entire body until I came back to my senses.
“You are safe.”
My pulse pounded in my ears as I realized it had only been a nightmare.
“You are with me, Gwendolyn. It’s all fine. No one and nothing will hurt you.”
He took my face between his hands, forcing me to look at him as his thumb kept brushing over my cheek in calming motions. I could barely focus on anything but the green eyes in front of me. The air around him seemed to hum with energy, shadows curling at the edges of his form.
Was this real, or still the remnants of my nightmare?
My heart pounded in my chest. Then I looked down.
The water only reached just above my breasts.
My nipples had been exposed the entire time.
He had seen them. I expected some snarky comment, but he didn’t say a single word.
Instead, he quickly handed me a towel, which I hastily took and held over my chest. I tried to wrap it around myself, but my mind was still foggy from the nightmare.
Without any kind of warning, he threw it around me, making sure I was completely covered before grabbing my hips and lifting me out of the tub.
The idea of him helping me right now, the images he was causing in my brain—this must be madness. I couldn’t explain it otherwise. This man ignited such a curiosity in me, it was almost terrifying how much my body reacted toward every single thing he did.
Abruptly, Xavier’s green eyes were turning red… It happened so fast, I almost thought I had imagined it. But no. His irises burned crimson, a hunger simmering beneath the surface.
Something primal. Something dangerous.
Something that was definitely not human.