“Shit,” Asher breathed out.
Kane walked behind Asher and grabbed his shoulders, then began guiding him out of the room.
When we were alone, Xander dropped his head, gaze on the floor, and he took a deep breath. Then he turned toward me. There was something new on his face. Something that would have buoyed my hope only yesterday, before shit buckets, inedible food, and this most recent brush with death.
He was still staring at me.
With those eyes framed with dark, thick lashes.
My gaze traveled down to his lips.
Get it fucking together, Lucy!I mentally yelled at myself.Asher just tried to kill you. They’re all sickos.
But why did Xander almost look like he cared?
My brain was still a mess. Lack of oxygen. Smoke inhalation. Nearly dying. This man didn’t give a shit about me. It was just wishful thinking.
Without warning, he crossed the distance between us with six large strides. He reached out a hand, an unreadable look on his face now.
“Lucy,” he said, voice gruff, “you’ll sleep in my room tonight.”
Looking down at his offered hand, I felt wildly conflicted. Obviously, I couldn’t sleep on the ruined mattress. But in his room?
“Lucy, come.”
I moved toward him, the uneven, springy surface hard to navigate. Almost at the edge, I lost my balance, falling forward. Xander’s other hand shot up, and he caught me easily, pulling me off the foam-covered bed and against his body.
Even through the heavy cocktail of smoke and soapy-extinguisher, I could smell him.
His scent was amazing. Black pepper. Amber. Leather. Musk. His Alpha cologne washed over me, sinking into my pores. And my own Omega perfume came to life, stronger than it ever had in all my years of sickness, even stronger than the days following Doctor Swann’s injections.
The notes of our bodies weaved together as he held me close, and something fractured inside of me, creating a space that only Xander could occupy.
39
XANDER
I crushed her against my chest, my arms locking around her like steel bands, her body a delicate thing that might shatter in my grip. She trembled, still reeling from Asher’s fire.
Her heartbeat hammered against mine through our clothes. My scent plumed in response to her proximity, spicing the air. Gasoline didn’t mar her own perfume now, though the smokey air added an unwanted layer. But, even so, the smell of her was intoxicating. It hit me with violent force, nearly making me stagger.
My vision narrowed to pinpricks as it washed over me. My throat closed, blocking the animalistic sound that wanted badly to escape. Every muscle in my body went rigid. It wasn’t just the way she smelled. It was the feel of her. The look of her. The… everything of her.Fuck, I couldn’t feel this way. Not for someone like Lucy.
But she reminded me of something I’d forgotten existed: salvation.
“You shouldn’t smell like this. Not after—” I began, my voice unsteady, but then I halted. I caught myself before I said something monumentally stupid.
She stared up at me, confusion swirling in her eyes. “After?” she echoed softly.
My unspoken thoughts weighed heavily on us.
And the words she couldn't voice joined mine in the air.
If I didn’t pull myself out of this now, I’d drown.
I almost spoke again, but then the chain of the silver heart necklace caught my eye. I released my hold on her, stepping back to put inches between us.
Without a word, I reached up, pinching the chain and pulling the necklace free of the suit. I hooked my finger through the hollow heart’s center, tugging gently to tighten the necklace. Yet, I stopped short of letting the links truly dig into Lucy’s delicate skin. I pulled only enough to get her attention. Then I just stood there like an idiot.
