I avert my gaze. The clearing is so close. If I could just slip past him, this would all be over. But there’s no way he’d let me. This man is too determined. And powerful. That only leaves me with one choice.
“Let me go,” I say, softening my voice. “Please.”
He shakes his head. “Never.”
“Why are you doing this? What does any of this have to do with the fraternity?”
“This isn’t about them. It’s about you.”
I blink up at him, confused. “Me? How?"
“I’ll explain everything later. But right now, you need to understand that I’m the only one who can protect you.”
I shake my head, unable to wrap my mind around his words. “I don't want your help.”
“I know. You want your freedom. However, you need my protection, even if you don’t want it. The Order has made you a person of interest, or else you wouldn’t be part of this ceremony for the recruits. The only way you’ll get your freedom is through me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
He shrugs. “It will.”
“So, you’re saying I’m stuck with you?”
He nods, a smile curling his lips. “Until death do us part, bride.”
I lift my chin. “My contract is only for a year.”
“For now.”
Chapter 28DELILAH
Xavier grips my arm and hauls me against him. I slam into his body, the contact jarring me. Before I can recover, he reaches down to retrieve his mask and shoves it in his back pocket.
Then he takes off.
My feet trip over each other as he drags me with him. I look back at the tree line, my eyes pricking with unshed tears. Part of me still wants to try to get away from Xavier, from this messed-up situation. But his threat to fuck me still rings in my ears.
I immediately push that image away. As well as what transpired between us. The only thing that matters now is figuring out how to get Xavier to release me from my contract. If I’m to be his bride, then he’s the only one who can help me now.
“Are you taking me to the frat house?” I ask.
He corrects me with a chilling finality. “The altar. It’s where the recruits take their brides to complete the ceremony.”
“Like a wedding?” I dig my heels in the dirt, but it’s useless. Xavier never breaks his stride. His determination is relentless, his grip unyielding. “I was told this wasn’t a real marriage.”
“It’s not.”
“Then what is this ceremony for exactly?” I ask.
He doesn’t respond immediately, and every ounce of nervousness in my stomach twists into a ball. From what I can tell, he’s been honest with me so far. Blunt and crude is more accurate. Then why is he hesitating?
He glances over at me, silver eyes glittering in the night. “The ritual symbolizes our commitment to the Order, in the same way the bride will be faithful to her recruit. It’s a binding ceremony, a pledge of loyalty witnessed by all. Once you’re mine, no one can touch you without my permission.”
“Without your…?” I scrunch my face in confusion and irritation. “Are you saying other men will touch me if you let them? What about my fucking permission?”
He slows his steps to turn and face me. I stare up at him, my chin lifted. His eyes darken and the expression on his face hardens, weakening my mental armor.
“No one will fucking touch you, with or without your permission,” he says, his tone cold yet heated at the same time. “Not if they want to live.”
My pulse quickens at the fury in voice and the threat of violence behind it. The blatant possessiveness has my body responding before I can stop it. My breath hitches, and my breasts rise as my nipples harden.
It pisses me off.
“Lucky for you, little raptor, I’m not the sharing kind.”
“I think you’ve made that clear.”
He tilts his head. “Have I? Good.”
Xavier releases my wrist before grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers. I drop my gaze to our joined hands, my lips thinning. This is the way a boyfriend might show affection to his girl, a small physical intimacy that announces to the world that they’re a couple.
I might be called a bride, but we are not together.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Xavier pulls me forward and deeper into the forest. Ahead is nothing but darkness occasionally pierced by the moonlight. We walk in silence, but my thoughts are loud.
What is he going to do to me?
I steal a glance at him before averting my gaze. His face is a mask of concentration that gives me no insight to what he’s thinking. I tell myself I don’t want to know, but it’s a lie.
He fascinates me. In some twisted way, this man with his tenacity and arrogance has piqued my curiosity. I want to know why he’s so intent on having me. Is this just about sex? Power? Or both?
Nerves ripple along my arms and up my throat, making my lips part. “Are you going to rape me?” I blurt out.
Xavier stops and whips around to face me. “Is that what you think?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to think.”
He studies me for a moment, his gaze digging into my soul. “No, Delilah. I’ll never rape you. When it comes to sex, you will choose me.”
I jerk back, tugging on our joined hands. He tightens his grip and pulls me closer. I glare up at him.
“No, I won’t.”
“Yes, you will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
He leans down and places his lips next to my ear, and his warm breath skims the side of my neck. I resist the shiver his nearness creates.
“How do I know?” he murmurs. “Because the cum on my hand tells me so.”
My face heats, and the sensation spreads to the rest of my body. I can still taste his kiss, feel his touch on my skin. On my clit.
I squeeze my thighs together, hoping my skirt hides the telltale movement. “Are you using me for some weird kink?”
“No.” He gazes down at me and slowly shakes his head. “This isn’t just a kink.”
“Then what is it?”
“A need.”
His tone is soft, but his admission is like a slap in the face. I stand there with my lips parted in surprise while my mind tries to make sense of what he just told me. Is this just a sexual need?
Or does he need me?
“We’re almost there,” Xavier says.
I squint, not recognizing the trees in front of me. That isn’t surprising, considering I ran through the forest like a bat out of hell.
All for nothing.
Tears of frustration gather in my eyes at my failure.
He stops and releases my hand to put his mask back on. I watch him, silently debating whether or not to make a run for it. It’s a stupid thought, but I can’t help it.
I’m so fucking scared. Of everything. Him. The order. The ceremony.
If I try to escape, Xavier will catch me. And then he’ll fuck me with everyone listening. Or even watching. I don’t want my first time to be like that.
“Listen carefully,” he says. He stares down at me, the slashes on his mask making my stomach churn with foreboding. “The recruits want to see you suffer. They get off on that shit. Especially the council member. Everyone saw the fight in you, and now they want to watch you break. Don’t give them the satisfaction.”
I narrow my gaze, tears long gone. “I heard your leader say that my behavior is a reflection on you. Is that why you’re telling me? So I don’t make you look bad?”