Chapter 14
Xavier left me alone in bed, staring at the ceiling. The room felt weird and blurry, like I was still in the Hall of Illusions, on his tongue. My cheeks flushed as my thoughts were consumed with images of me pressed against the mirror while he sank his teeth into my ass.
I really needed to think of something else—anything else—or I was going to lose my mind.
But every time I tried to steer my thoughts from Xavier, they went right back to him.
And not only him, the ball, especially the dance with the man with the golden mask.
Who was he? He seemed to be a stranger but carried me across the dance floor like we’d known each other in another lifetime.
And yet, he never once spoke my name. After our dance, he just disappeared like he was never there.
A moment that slipped through my fingers the instant I dared to hold onto it.
My pulse quickened rapidly, adrenaline rushing through my body and making me dizzy. Panic rose in my chest, an irrational fear I could not explain. What was going on with me? What was happening here? Were these the side effects of the faerie wine that Xavier had warned me about?
I started noticing shadows jumping around me, resembling guests from the ball who were dancing and having fun together. Their laughter rang out, but it was sharp… almost cruel. They weren’t celebrating. They were sneering at me, mocking me.
Then, suddenly, a whisper brushed against my ear.
Listen to me, Gwendolyn. It’s me. It’s me… my little robin. Breathe.
As soon as his words reached me, I began loosening up. However, the images of the people and their grimaces still didn’t stop.
I may not be there in the flesh, but I’m with you, Gwendolyn. Always. Every breath, every step, every trembling second of your day.
Because of the faerie wine, I barely registered the voice until it hit me.
It was him.
The voice I’d carried like a lullaby in the corners of my soul. The voice that found me when the world vanished. My angel, my secret guardian wrapped in shadow and mystery.
I didn’t even notice the tears at first until they dripped down my chin.
They came quietly, not from sorrow, but from something far deeper.
A swelling wave of emotion I couldn’t name and couldn’t hold back.
Grief, awe, longing… too many things at once, surging through me like a tide I hadn’t prepared for.
It was like the entire world fell down, and I was trapped once again…
in a world so far away from the human realm.
I just wanted to close my damn eyes and shut out the feeling.
Someone seemed to be pounding on the door, or maybe it was just in my head? Then there was a crash, and before I could process what was going on, strong arms embraced me tightly, whispering sweet words to me.
You’re not alone.
The words were gentle, grounding… real. They didn’t echo like they usually did. No, this voice carried weight.
Slowly, I turned and the breath caught in my throat.
There he stood. The man from the ball. He wasn’t the angel I imagined, no wings or halo. But his beauty… it was otherworldly. A divine ache in my chest, like heaven had sculpted him just for me.
His hair was short and the color of moonlight, shimmering with hints of silver and pale gold beneath the flickering candlelight.
His face was sharp, strikingly elegant, carved with the kind of cold perfection that spoke of ancient, royal bloodlines.
A straight nose, a strong jaw, high cheekbones, and pointed ears. I didn’t notice them when we danced.
And then there were his eyes. One was a deep blue, and the other, his left eye, was clouded silvery blue, a thin scar running from the brow down to his cheek in a jagged, crimson trail that looked almost like paint in this strange light.
The contrast made him look both tragic and unearthly, as if the gods had sculpted him in pieces, just to be admired.
Without thinking, my fingers reached out and traced along his scar, down to his cheek.
I felt the faintest warmth of his skin beneath my touch.
It had to be the faerie wine. It must’ve been.
That was the only explanation for why I would touch a stranger’s face so intimately. And why did he not reject my touch?
“Who are you?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer. He only looked at me, studying me in return.
And then... darkness.
Holy shit, my head felt on fire. Did I even sleep?
As I was trying to move, I noticed strong arms tucked around me.
Looking upward, I recognized Xavier’s pretty face.
His eyes were still closed, lashes thick and dark, curling against his eyelids.
I found myself staring, completely mesmerized, as if each lash had been hand-drawn by something divine.
His bare chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the dim light tracing the sculpted lines of his torso, all the way down, where the shadows dipped into the sharp angles of his V-line.
“Do you feel better, Gwendolyn?” Xavier asked.
Did he just pretend to be asleep?
“There is so much pain in my head, it feels terrible. What happened?”
Had the masked man been only an illusion?
Xavier rolled over and stood up, his muscular back covered in shadow lines glistening in the rays of the sunlight. God, he was so unfairly beautiful—why did I feel like running my hands over him and touching him everywhere, like he was some kind of map I wanted to learn?
“I’m actually quite surprised that it is not more, since you drank a lot. Even for humans it would be way too much alcohol. Lay back on the bed, I will help you with the pain.”
As I suffered the worst dizziness, I did as he told me. He was towering over the side of my bed, his hands were caressing my head and massaging my scalp.
“Does it feel good?”
“Yes.” Gods, his hands running through my hair ignited fireflies somewhere else. I wanted to do something entirely different right now. What was even wrong with me? Why was I so aroused?
“When will the effects of the alcohol leave my body?” I asked, although the words slipping out of my lips sounded more like a moan.
“It depends on your digestion; humans probably need longer than elves. Vampires on the contrary have a very high tolerance toward faerie wine. It takes a lot for vampires to even get drunk.”
My legs were so tingly, I pressed them together, causing me to moan. God, I just hoped Xavier wouldn’t scent my arousal with his vampire nose. However, I would never be crazy enough to touch myself in front of him.
I felt Xavier coming head-to-head to me, his face was so gorgeous, and, in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to press my lips against his. Long fingers were caressing my chin and then he went further down to my arms.
“What are you thinking, my little demon?” he asked and stroked his fingers along my arms. I did not want him to stop, what was going on?
“It’s weird,” I responded. “I don’t know…” Shame and embarrassment crept through me.
Instead of addressing my comment, I felt his hands gliding over the swell of my breasts, down my stomach, and resting there. No, that wasn’t enough for me. I took his hand and guided it lower, pressing it between my thighs. “There,” I whispered, breathless. “I need you there.”
“God, you are beautiful. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to touch you like this.” He slipped his fingers under my night dress and stroked my clit. A shudder ran through my bones. I wanted more. I needed more.
“What is wrong with me...” I hissed.
“Faerie wine can heighten every emotion you feel—intensify it. Let me help you to feel better,” he said.
“Okay.” I closed my eyes and felt one of his fingers pressing inside me, making me arch my back.
Then he added a second finger, plunging it inside me and making me grind down against his hand. His eyes, dark and glimmering with a carnal desire, just heightened my arousal. He looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered, and I wanted to remember him exactly like this.
“You are mine,” he growled almost possessively, stroking my clit in steady movements and then he shoved his fingers inside me again. My body was standing at the edge of my release, and he felt it.
“Come my love, show me how good I make you feel,” he demanded, his lips brushing against my forehead.
Immense pleasure flooded my body, especially seeing how much it aroused him to pleasure me. I started to see stars on the ceiling, glimmering unevenly. Was this how I imagined heaven to look like?
“Look at the stars, Xavier…”
He met my gaze, his beautiful face bewildered by my statement and looked up above us. “There are no stars my love, the only flickering lights you see are the ones I create with my fingers, by worshipping this heavenly, sacred pussy.”
“Kiss me…” I whispered. Without waiting another second, his lips hungrily ravished mine. Then he pulled my body to his chest and stroked my hair. I felt his growing arousal against me. My fingers were touching his chest, trailing down to his waistband, but his sudden grip on my hand stopped me.
“Rest, Gwendolyn. We have all the time in the world to indulge in each other.”