“See something you like?” he purred dangerously, and my eyes shot to his with a scowl. That infuriating smirk still etched across his face.
Did he always have to say that?
Inky black hair framed his chiseled face, and he swept it back with his hand, as that fucking white strand fell over his eyes. Shifting uncomfortably, I cursed myself for feeling like this.
Being this close to him, seeing him after everything that happened, it dredged up more memories. Foggy and distant.
Pain erupted in my skull, and I saw a flash of a campsite, of Xavier watching me sleep from across a burning fire. I winced as the image vanished, and the pain subsided. I could have sworn I saw Xavier do the same, and I narrowed my gaze on him, squaring my shoulders.
“Glad to see you’re not hiding from me,” he drawled, his voice a smooth, deep rumble, and I fought back the shiver that threatened to run down my spine. I watched as his gaze deliberately dragged down my body.
“Seems like you’re the one doing the hiding,” I retorted, forcing a smirk. That’s what Lana had said, at least. No one has seen him since that meeting with Morgana.
Xavier’s smirk disappeared, his lips tightening as the playful mask gave way to an icy detachment. “I don’t hide.”
Through our bond, I reached for him, trying to read his emotions, but something felt like it was blocking me. Xavier smiled wickedly, clearly sensing my attempt and my confusion.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped, and Xavier's eyes sparked with challenge, a smug gleam swirling in their depths.
“Come past the barrier and find out,” he purred, and every exposed muscle coiled as if he expected me to do it.
A barking laugh escaped me. As if I would fall for such a blatant trap.
“I’ll ask again. What are you doing here, Xavier?”
The sound of his name on my lips sent a shiver through both of us, but Xavier only growled. “Why?” The word was rough, slightly broken, and I knew exactly what he was asking.
“It wasn’t personal.”
“Wasn’t personal?” he snarled, taking a step closer, his voice ripping through the air. “All of this was personal.” Xavier’s teeth were bared, and the muscle was feathering along his jaw.
Tilting my head at him, I raised a brow. “Your mother did this, not me.”
“No, love. You did this.” His voice was much quieter now, and that was somehow worse.
I rolled my eyes. “Love? I am not your love.” The words tasted bitter and sounded hollow, yet they hit their mark. I felt it—the hurt, the pulsing pain radiating between us. “Like I said, it's nothing personal.”
“As mymate, I disagree,” he repeated, sharper than before, as his nostrils flared. “How about instead, you tell me how and why I have an army of Fae at my border?”
I laughed, the sound bubbling out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“This is funny to you?” he snarled. “My people are endangered, many dead. And you are laughing at me?”
“Morgana already told you how,” I sneered. “Or weren't you paying attention?”
Xavier took a threatening step forward, his rage evident as wispy shadows thrashed off his shoulders. “That doesn’t explain your part in all of this. I need to know why Zara, the girl I knew—
“The girl you knew was alie. That wasn’t me,” I said bitterly, throwing my arms wide and scoffing. “Even if I had a choice, Xavier, I still would have done it.”
I wasn’t sure what I meant by that, but that thing in my chest coiled, stealing my breath for a beat. Xavier's face fell, his brows furrowing in confusion as if he had felt it too.
“What was that?”
“I said, I would have—
“No,” Xavier snarled, cutting me off again. “What was that feeling you just had?”
Xavier stepped even closer to the barrier, now only inches from it, and from me on the other side. Towering over me, I had to lift my chin to keep our eye contact. His question came out so deadly, so lethal, that I shivered.
