Raven purses her lips. “Only if we go to Brewed Awakenings. I need the good shit.”
“The kind that might stop your heart?” I ask.
“Bingo.”
Chapter 38
XAVIER
Leaving Delilah with another man, even one I trust, is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. If defying the Order’s summons wouldn’t put our lives in danger, I’d do it. But I can’t risk my little raptor.
No matter how much it pains me to leave her.
I briefly run my fingers over the scar she gave me, as well as the tattoo I commissioned shortly after meeting her. It doesn’t soothe me as much as touching Delilah, but this is a part of me that’s dedicated to her. And only her.
After exiting the castle, I make my way to the garage. That’s an understatement, but simple words often are. The place is more than a garage; it’s a shrine to automotive excellence, guarded by the latest security tech. Around me, the air buzzes with the potential of each machine, their gleaming exteriors promising adrenaline and escape. It’s a clear reminder of the Order’s wealth and power.
I take a set of keys from a hook and climb into a Range Rover, tossing my bag onto the passenger’s seat. The interior’s scent is fresh and the leather clean, everything in order, unlike the chaos brewing within me. As I settle behind the wheel, I can’t stop mythoughts from drifting back to Delilah, to the look on her face when I kissed her goodbye.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she didn’t want me to leave. And not just to keep her safe.
I push that notion aside and pull the summons from my pocket. The paper is neatly folded, the black color representative of the crow I will become after the Trials.
Then the next step in my plan begins.
After unfolding the thick parchment, I smooth it out. The message is written in code, a series of symbols and numbers that would appear nonsensical to anyone not versed in our type of communication. It’s a language taught to recruits during the first three years of training, ingrained so deeply that by the time we receive our first summons, we can read it as easily as our native tongue.
This code is a safeguard against prying eyes. Our allies are few, but our enemies are many. It’s why we stick together.
As I reread the message, the reality of the task ahead crystalizes, making my objective clear. The Order has commanded me to act with secrecy and urgency, which is the standard. I know without a doubt that this mission is nothing more than my father trying to reestablish his dominion over me. Something he hasn’t had since he stabbed me and I returned the favor.
The coded words provide a location, a time, the name of the target, and my objective. But between the lines is a message all of its own. The threat to myself and Delilah if I choose to ignore the call. Or don’t complete the task to their specifications.
I twist the key in the ignition, and the engine roars to life, breaking the silence around me. I drive out of the garage, through the iron gates, and onto the main road that leads to the highway. As the landscape blurs past my window, I find my thoughts consumed with Delilah instead of the mission at hand.
The long drive gives me too much time to think, to brood over the complexities that have arisen from a woman with green eyes and a mouth that could drive a saint to curse. Or groan with pleasure.
I knew the moment I met her that my obsession would only grow. And it has. I didn’t know that it’d consume me until the mere thought of losing her makes me want to fucking die.
Every time I touch her, a thrill shoots down my spine. Every kiss makes me fucking hard until my balls ache. I wait with anticipation for every word that comes out of her smart mouth. Rumor has it girls refer to me like a narcotic, but she’s my drug of choice. And I’m a junkie that’s fucking desperate for my next fix.
I rid Delilah from my mind before I pull over to the side of the road and fuck myself while fantasizing about her.
With my mind clear, I focus on the upcoming task, the type of job I know well. Unlike most recruits, the Order summoned mebeforemy senior year. I’m not sure if this was my father’s doing or if the council saw potential in me. Either way, I’ve spent the last two years hunting men and taking their lives.
Before meeting Delilah, I would’ve been eager to carry out my assignment, to prove myself to the powerful organization. However, the prospect no longer excites me. I’m more motivated to prove myself to her—to gain her trust and the unwavering loyalty she’s capable of giving—than I am to kill another spider in my father’s twisted web. I’m entangled in his weapons trafficking empire more than those that answer to him. I suppose I do too, just not in the same way.
My father’s influence has loomed over me my entire life, dictating my actions and shaping my future. I live for the day when my choices aren’t tied to furthering his legacy of violence and power. Maybe that day will never come, but it won’t matter once he’s dead.
Daylight gives way to night. My surroundings shift from the monotony of the highway to the more varied scenery of rural backroads. The target’s location isn’t far, but that’s after nearly twelve hours on the road, going over the speed limit. My grip on the steering wheel is steady and my resolve firmly in place.
The sooner I get this shit over with, the sooner I can return to Delilah.
As I near the dirt road leading to the abandoned steel factory, the night deepens, enveloping me in a veil of darkness that mirrors the one within me. The headlights illuminate a narrow path, but I cut them off. I can’t afford to be spotted, or it’ll fuck this entire thing.
Slowing the vehicle to a crawl, I drive under the cover of night, my irritation growing. Patience has never come naturally to me, but I’ve learned its value, especially when dealing with high-stakes situations. It doesn’t get any more critical than life or death.
When I finally catch sight of the abandoned building, I turn off the road, using the trees to conceal my vehicle. The engine of the SUV dies down to a whisper, and I’m left in the quiet, contemplating my next move. Before me, the steel factory stands like a relic of a bygone era, its metal skeleton rusted and windows shattered, bathed in moonlight.
