I frown, recalling the way he acted around her during his assignment to babysit me a couple months ago. “I think he really cares for you.”
“Maybe,” June says. “But not like X does for you.”
Before I can reply, the door to the room opens, and we both jump up from the bed. My heart leaps in my throat at the sight of Xavier. His expression is weary, his clothes dirty and rumpled with the remnants of the Trial, but he’s alive.
He snaps his head in my direction, his gaze finding me immediately. A myriad of emotions skitter over his face as he stares at me. For an extended moment he just stands there, drinking in the sight of me as if he can hardly believe I’m really here. Or that he’s alive.
Then, with a few quick strides, he closes the distance between us, his movements revealing a desperation I’ve never seen before. Without a word, he pulls me against his chest in an embrace that borders on crushing. He wraps one arm securely around my waist while he cradles the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair, his hands shaking.
I wrap my arms tightly around him, burying my face in the fabric of his shirt, inhaling the scent that is a mixture of dust, sweat, and whatever is uniquely him.
My mind latches onto the solid reality of his body against mine. I feel his heart pounding, fast and strong, through the layers of our clothes, and it syncs a moment with mine, a perfect, chaotic rhythm that says more than words ever could.
His voice is harsh when he finally speaks, his breath warm against my ear. “We have to leave.”
I pull back slightly, just enough to see his face. His eyes, normally so guarded and calm, are alight with something fierce and unnerving. It’s not just urgency.
It’s fear.
Every ounce of relief I had at seeing him drains from me, cooling my skin with dread. “What’s wrong?” I lean to the side, searching the doorway and finding it empty. “And where’s Ben?”
Xavier shakes his head, his expression darkening. “Not now.”
I try to take a step back, but he tightens his hold, keeping our bodies flush. “What do you mean? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I said not now.” His voice is sharp, like a slap to the face. “Leave your cell phone behind. We’re getting out of here.”
June folds her arms. “What’s going on, X?”
He glares at her, before turning back to me. “I can’t explain. We just need to go.Now.”
I shake my head, pulling back against his embrace. “Not until you tell me what the hell is going on.”
His grip tightens even more, enough to border on painful. “There’s no time,” he says through clenched teeth. “I will tell you later. You have to trust me.”
I hesitate.
He shakes me hard enough to make me blink. “I’ll explain everything once you’re safe. Please.”
His request is not a request. The way his voice hardens tells me that much. Yet the way he’s looking at me, with so much desperation, is what sends me over the edge. His continued avoidance when it comes to the subject of my foster brother has my stomach churning with acid.
“Where the fuck is Ben?!”
Xavier’s jaw tightens before he grabs my hand. “We’re leaving.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Damn it, Delilah!”
“Just tell me where he is!”
He exhales sharply through his nose. “He didn’t make it.”
I freeze.
No. NO. NO!
The words sink into my mind, into my soul, shattering everything into pieces. A hollow ache forms inside me, a vast nothingness that leaves me feeling raw and exposed. I stare up at Xavier, at the person who’s become my whole world. At the man I’ve fallen in love with, the same one who’s broken my heart.
