21. Scarlett
TWENTY-ONE
SCARLETT
"Why not allow Ashmaker a little more leeway, see how many of those foul demons can be dispatched back to hell?”
A buzzing begins in my ears, so loud that it drowns out all the other sounds of the busy restaurant around us.
My gaze narrows on Xavier, but my vision blurs and he becomes distorted.
I shake my head, hoping that it helps, but instead of Xavier, I instantly see the red, ambers, and blues of flames tinged in darkness, and a large pool of blood surrounding them.
Unsteadiness causes my body to sway, and I reach out and grab the surface in front of me to stop my descent to the floor.
My lips open and close, but no words escape, just the incessant sound of blood sizzling in flames.
The flames roar higher, gratefully consuming their deadly offering.
A dark shadow looms in the middle of those flames, misshapen by the arching blaze and smoke.
It writhes, moving with them as if they were one.
My throat begins to close with the cloying smoke, and my lungs desperately seek air.
I hear myself cough, but it's as if the sound is coming from miles away.
My chest tightens painfully, as if something were reaching inside of my ribs and squeezing my heart.
I can't breathe! The panic begins to settle in until it's consuming me.
Something lifts behind the flames as I collapse to my knees, grasping my neck with distress, trying to get clean air.
I can't take my eyes off of it. It's as if my brain knows that if I look away, something horrible will happen.
A slender, pale arm forms, then a hand with misshapen fingers, and claws instead of nails.
It seems to beckon to me, urging me to come closer, and despite my terror, my body is obeying, dragging itself across the floor as if I have no control.
"You belong to the flames. You belong to the darkness.
We've always kept you safe," a slithering whisper reaches me.
I'm almost there, close enough that I feel both the heat of the flames and the wetness of the blood.
My own hand rises toward the shadow, and rivulets of blood run down from my fingers, now firmly holding a large dagger, as the red continues to streak my hand and arm.
"No... I... don't know you. You're... you're wrong. "
"Scarlett!" A harsh grasp on my shoulders breaks me from the spell, the shadow, flames, and blood instantly disappearing, and I'm confronted with Xavier's worried features. "Where'd you disappear to, pretty girl? I was worried?"
"What?!" Xavier releases me, and my gaze travels the restaurant, meeting the glances of patrons openly staring at me.
Oh my fucking god, what just happened? I feel heat rising up the back of my neck and cascading across my cheeks.
Did I space out again? Why the hell does this keep happening to me?
Maybe Jasper is right, and this case is messing with me.
There's no explanation for why I keep thinking of fire consuming me.
"I... I'm... so sorry, I guess... I spaced out thinking about what you said.
" Xavier regains his seat, but his expression doesn't change, and I notice his hands are clenched so tightly on the table top that his knuckles are white.
Fuck, how embarrassing. No wonder this guy doesn't think I'm capable of catching a serial killer.
"I don't agree that we should be allowing Ashmaker to kill more men.
There has to be a line between the monsters and us, Xavier, and I refuse to cross it, even if what he's doing rids the world of scum.
They still need to be brought to justice, tried, and found guilty.
That's how a civilized society behaves."
"Pity. I thought you were different, Scarlett.
" The disappointment on his face has my heart plummeting, and a sense of failure washing over me.
"Do you have an answer for me, Scarlett?
Will you take my offer for more information in exchange for one night, or will you hold to your moral high ground, and watch as more bodies drop? "
Fuck, what do I do now? I'm out of time, I'm no closer to figuring a way out of this, and I'm spiralling out of control.
Everything in me that believes in the code I live by, in goodness, demands that I tell Xavier where to shove his inappropriate request, and haul his ass in for questioning, and for interfering with an FBI investigation.
Yet, I know if I do that, he's right; more bodies will drop.
"One night?" I hear myself utter, as shock hits me like frigid water. I force myself to take a deep breath, my chest still feeling constricted. "One night, and you will tell me everything you know and suspect about Ashmaker, Xavier. You'll leave nothing out, or I won't play your games."
"You have my word, Scarlett." He instantly motions to the waiter and pulls out his wallet.
"Wait! Don't you want to finish your dinner?" I question with rising panic, as my hands go cold and clammy.
The corners of his lips rise in a devilish smirk, his glance meeting mine, and in his luminous eyes I see nothing but satisfaction that he's won. "No, Scarlett, what I'm ravenous for isn't on the menu. It's time we leave."
His words are not a question or a suggestion; they are a proclamation from an impatient conqueror.
He won't risk me changing my mind, and he knows the longer we remain in this restaurant, the greater the chance I will.
I watch, on the verge of my seat with panic and anxiety rising, as he pays the bill and stands, offering his pale hand to me.
For a second, it reminds me so much of the image that it has me recoiling, like one does to a serpent.
Is that what Xavier is in disguise, a poisonous snake, biding his time before striking?
The thought causes a shot of adrenaline and fear to combine, and hit me like a lightning bolt.
Yet, it's not only fear I'm feeling, it's excitement at the unknown.
I rise to my heeled feet and take his hand without hesitation.
"My place, beautiful. I need to see all that dark hair and creamy skin against my sheets.
" He leads me out of the restaurant. At the last minute, I glance back toward our table, a feeling that I'm forgetting something settling within me.
Xavier brings my hand to his lips, kissing my palm before biting down on the side of the soft flesh, and licking away the slight sting.
I lose track of my thoughts as my core clenches tightly, and I stifle my surprised gasp. I try to yank my hand back, but he holds it firmly in his grasp, as if he fears that at any moment I might run from him. "Xavier!" I admonish, but his bright smile takes some of the sting from my tone.
"I knew you'd taste delicious. You're about to be the best meal I've ever had, Scarlett."
Jesus fuck, I hope he doesn't mean that literally, and I haven't agreed to be a psycho's dinner. I should have told someone what was happening, and where I'm going, so that if I disappear, they know who to look for. Who would you tell? You have no family or friends? My mind snides.
Jasper.
I should have told Jasper, because he wouldn't rest until he found me.
I shut down the thought. I can't have that type of relationship with Jasper or anyone.
Something is happening to me, something I don't understand and can't control, and as this investigation drags on, and more men die, I seem to be getting worse.
No, I need to do this, not only to catch Ashmaker, but to understand why he and his crimes are affecting me like this.
"If something happens to me, Xavier, the FBI will hunt you fucking down without mercy."
He stops mid-stride, pinning me against a dark parked vehicle, his fingers splaying against my neck in a promise of more, and my breath hitches as I stare at the heat in his eyes. "I promise my little Spitfire, nothing will happen to you, not pain or pleasure, without you begging me for it."
His term of endearment both surprises me and provides a hit of pleasure. He leans forward, trailing his nose against my jaw and inhaling my scent, before grazing his teeth against my sensitive skin. "You will beg me, Scarlett, I'm making it my mission to hear you scream my name in ecstasy."
Well, fuck, when he says it like that, what am I waiting for?