Cruise Of Desire

Chapter 4: The Game Has Begun

Emma, you are getting yourself into something else. I will, however, make sure you are not alone facing it.

As Xavier drew me in and pushed me against his firm warmth, his voice was a low murmur against my ear. The gunshot still reverberated in my ears, the anarchy all around us like a twisted dance. Though all I could concentrate on was Xavier's strong hold, the heat of his body, and the magnetic pull keeping me anchored to him, the sound of terrified footfalls, yells, and cries filled the air.

"You truly believe you could shield me from whatever mess you have brought us into?" I spat, attempting to distance myself from him, but his grip on me just tightened, and I couldn't stop the way my heart surged.

Xavier remarked, his voice sharp with purpose, "I need to make sure you don't get yourself killed," not "I need to protect you, Emma." His eyes locked on me, his intensity shocking me with a hot surge. I will also. No matter what it takes.

Though too deadly to really understand, the words stayed in the air too heavy to dismiss. I felt horrified, not afraid. Of what had just happened—of the people gathering around us—of Xavier and what he truly was delivering. His words, intended to soothe me, instead instilled a surge of terror in my chest. Not sure what I was dealing with. Not really; I knew him not at all.

But I felt as though, for the first time in days, I was not alone because of the way his hands tied me to him, the way his touch was relentless, and the way his confidence flowed from every syllable. That was comforting. A perilous, seductive solace.

My voice strained as I responded, "I don't need you to save me," attempting to untangle the feelings inside me. "I asked for nothing like this."

"You now have no choice at all." Though Xavier's voice was cool, frigid even, his hold on me never changed. "You are already engaged. Emma, you have gone past a line. And right now, you participate in this—regardless of your preferences.

He retreated slightly, just enough to allow me space, but his presence loomed over me like a dark, menacing stormcloud.

I fixed him a nasty glance. You realize that you are haughty?

"Is this why you are still here?" He raised a brow, and curved lips created a half-smirk. You are staying as you know you cannot go. You are in deeper than you would believe.

Frustration boiling inside me, I closed my fists. He was accurate, but I wouldn't own it. Not to him. not to anybody.

The sirens started to scream far away, announcing the coming of the cops. The clock was running down, every second more vivid than the next. I had nowhere to turn and was running out of time.

Are you accompanying me? Xavier questioned, staring down at me, and his voice was quiet and calm.

My heart thumping against my ribs, I paused. Not after all that had occurred could I afford to go near him. Still, the circumstances had spun far beyond my grasp. I was already in the middle of it, and Xavier looked to be the only one with storm-navigating ability.

"I have no choice; do I?" Though I knew he could hear me, I said under my breath.

No. You do not. His answer came right away, as one would have expected. "But I'll see to it you're safe. I will safeguard you.

I looked at him, trying to see the truth in his eyes, but it was like peering into a storm. Harmful. erratic. I shot back, "I don't need your protection," but even as I shouted the words, I knew they were empty. I terrified myself. Not of Xavier, but of all this circumstance was pulling me into.

Xavier's face grew stiff, his jaw clicking. "Emma, this is beyond both you and me. You have no idea what you are handling. But I can teach you. You will grow in knowledge. Perhaps, just perhaps, you will be able to keep your life.

He moved forward, his lips almost touching my ear as he said, "Don't resist this. Not now, not at already too late times. His warm breath shivered down my spine against my flesh.

Everything about this seemed like a deadly game—the proximity, the heat coming from him, and the force of his remarks. But Xavier had something fascinating—something raw and uncompromising—that drew me back often. I knew I couldn't, no matter how many times I urged myself to turn away. I neither wanted to.

"I can't do this," I murmured, my breath faltering as my chest squeezed with feelings I didn't know how to manage. "I am not interested in your games, Xavier. You believe you have some... some... affair under control. There is not.

Even yet, I knew it was untrue as I said it. Walking away from this was not something we did. There is nowhere to flee Xavier.

He simply remained there, staring at me as though he were contemplating the reality of my statements, without responding immediately. The quiet enveloped us thick and heavy. At last, he said, his voice quieter, almost too quiet.

Emma, you already play the game. You just do not yet understand it.

The harsh snap of a door banging open sliced through our stress. Heart jumping into my throat, I whirled around to discover Damien and Sienna at the other end of the corridor, their features contorted with hate.

"You should have remained out of this," Damien snarled, his voice tinged with poison. "I warned you, Xavier. You now bring her into it.

Sienna smiled with chilly, deliberate accuracy. "It's lovely that you believe you could shield her, but it's too late. Already marked are both of you.

Xavier maintained the same expression. Despite their threats, Xavier remained unflappable and uninterested. But I could see the small strain in his shoulders and a flutter in something deeper in his gaze.

"You'll regret this," he whispered, his voice calm but with an edge that sent a thrill down my spine. "You want not me to mess about with."

Though my head was racing, I attempted to remain cool. I could feel the heavy, choking danger in the air as the walls closed in.

Damien laughed, his eyes shining with nasty delight. "Oh, Xavier, you will definitely add interest. You cannot stop what is coming, though, as both of us know.

Xavier's jaw clenched, and for a second the quiet stretched out between us like a taut wire.

Then he moved quickly, dragging me toward him, his hand clutching mine with such power that I had no option but to follow. He said, "Stay close," low and forceful in my ear.

I lacked time to object. The air seemed to vibrate with danger, and I couldn't get rid of the impression that this was merely the start as we hurried down the corridor. Just starting the storm Xavier had cautioned me about.

A man emerged from the shadows and blocked our way as we neared the corner. Seeing him stopped my heart in my chest.

Julien.

But the man I knew was not this one. His attitude seemed to be that of a Julian I loved gone, replaced by something considerably worse; his eyes were icy, analytical.

"Not so fast, Emma," he murmured, his voice rough and icy. You believe you could turn away from me? Think once more.

As Xavier faced Julian, his body went stiff and his hold on my hand tightened. "You made a mistake, Julian," Xavier remarked, his voice a deep snarl. “And you’ll pay for it.”

Despite my uncertainty about the upcoming events, it was evident that the game had recently become significantly riskier. I was also caught exactly in the center of it.

The worst of all is also that I was unsure of whose side I was on anymore.

I could only wait for the next action as the darkness drew closer.