“Why am I here?” I demanded.
“You tell me,” he snarled, rising from the bed with a fluid, almost unnatural grace. The sheet fell aside, leaving him fully exposed in front of me. His thick length hung heavily between his legs, a stark reminder of his arousal. He stood towering nextto the bed, his inky black hair falling over his face. That white strand fell just over his eyes as he peered at me through lowered lashes.
More heat flooded my cheeks, and I instinctively raised my hand, trying to shield his lower body from my view. I turned away, embarrassed and frustrated, only to hear him chuckle darkly behind me.
“Have you never seen a naked male before?” he purred, his voice a silky taunt that made my skin prickle. The sound of his movements drew me back around, and I watched as he draped a black robe over his shoulders.
With the robe now concealing his naked body, I let my hand fall back to my side, my gaze meeting his fully. “Of course I have,” I snapped, my hands balling into fists at my sides.
He noticed my balled-up fists and raised an eyebrow, a hidden smirk on his lips. His gaze, however, was cold and assessing. Without a word, he stalked around the bed, his movements predatory. He stopped directly in front of me, the robe hanging open across his chest, revealing the hard lines of his sculpted muscles. The sight was captivating and infuriating, and I shifted uncomfortably, cursing myself inwardly for my body's reaction to this man.
Before I knew what he was doing, he seized my neck with a swift, brutal grasp, slamming me against the cold stone wall. The air left my lungs all at once on impact, and his dagger pressed against my ribs, the cold steel biting into my skin.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice deadly.
“You tell me,” I spat, my voice strained as I clawed at his hand, desperate to ease the pressure on my throat. His grip only tightened, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
He let out a dark, mocking laugh, leaning closer, his breath warm and unsettling against my ear. “Does my brother notsatisfy you, love?” he purred, the words dripping with twisted amusement. “Had to come crawling to my bed instead?”
“You’re disgusting,” I rasped, forcing the words out as I summoned every ounce of defiance left in me. My hand shot to his chest, slamming against him with all the strength I could muster. But he didn’t budge—he didn’t even flinch.
“Is this your plan then?” He cocked his head slightly, his voice dropping to a low growl. “To seduce me?” he whispered, and his emerald eyes burned with a fierce intensity as they bore into mine.
My blood boiled, and I stopped squirming. “I’m getting tired of people threatening me,” I hissed, my voice tight with frustration.
“That wasn’t a no,” he said through clenched teeth, his tone turning cold. Without another word, he shoved away from me, releasing me from his hold.
I gasped, my throat burning as I struggled to draw in a breath.
Before I could curse him, a sudden, unnerving sensation around my wrist seized my attention. My eyes widened in panic as a silver chain seemed to slither and coil around my right arm. I grabbed at it, desperately trying to pry it off, but it only tightened, digging painfully into my skin.
“What is this?!” I shouted, fear coursing through me as I pawed at the metal. “Get it off me!” I screamed as I frantically looked at Xavier.
He merely watched, his smile widening with cold amusement, before turning his back on me. He strolled across the room and stopped in front of an ornate bar cart.
The cart stood on delicate, gilded legs that tapered gracefully towards the floor. Its surface was polished mahogany, intricately carved with delicate floral and vine patterns. Scattered across the surface were various colored bottles and drinking glasses of various sizes.
Xavier picked up two smaller glasses and began to pour a navy-blue liquid into them. “It’s a charm,” Xavier said casually as if it were common knowledge. “It won’t harm you. It simply nullifies magic.” He strode back across the room and lifted one of the glasses toward me.
“And I’m just supposed to believe you?” I huffed, my voice tinged with frustration. I clawed at the chain wrapped around my wrist again, my nails digging into my flesh in a futile attempt to loosen it. The metal only seemed to tighten its grip the more I struggled.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he said with a bland indifference. “It won’t come off until I tell it to.” He placed the glass he had offered down on the nightstand beside me and sat at the end of his bed, facing me.
I eyed him and then looked at the drink. “It’s poisoned,” I said, and he raised another eyebrow at me.
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead,” Xavier retorted, and I glowered at his cocky tone. Citrus and cedar hung heavy in the air, and I hated that I enjoyed the smell of him.
“Apparently, my magic does what it wants. How do you know this will work on me?” I said, giving up on my attempt to free myself and crossing my arms over my chest.
Xavier crossed an ankle over his knee as he took a leisurely sip from his glass. I couldn’t help but bite my lip as I watched him. My instincts screamed that he was dangerous, that I should be scared. But I wasn’t, not really, and I wasn’t sure why. His eyes flicked to my mouth, and a self-satisfied smirk spread across his lips.
“I guess we will find out then, won't we?” he said, his voice carrying a hint of dark amusement.
“So, I am to be your prisoner then?” I hissed, and Xavier’s eyes darted back to mine, narrowing with a dangerous glint. My gaze flicked to the dagger, now discarded on the bed. How hadI missed that before? I quickly averted my eyes, not wanting to draw attention to it.
“For now,” Xavier murmured, his voice smooth and almost amused. With a casual wave of his hand, the dagger vanished, and I cursed under my breath.
“How did you do that if your brother has your magic?” I demanded, eyeing him curiously.
