MARKED FOR XAVIER

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:THE THINGS THAT WATCH

he rain started sometime after midnight.

Not heavy.

Not violent.

Just enough to stain the windows with silver streaks that caught every flicker of lightning crawling through the distant sky.

Ariana couldn’t sleep.

The memory refused to let her.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw fragments.

A pale dress twisting in the wind.

A pair of dark eyes staring too deeply into hers.

Cold fingers brushing against her temple.

And Xavier.

Standing there.

Watching.

She wondered to herself. “Why am I just remembering this?”

“Did they do something to my memory?”she asked these while tapping her forehead.

Her chest tightened at the thought.

The room felt different tonight.

Too quiet.

Too large.

The soft golden lamps along the walls cast dim shadows across the marble floors, stretching the room into something colder than luxury.

Beautiful things had never felt so suffocating.

Ariana sat at the edge of the bed, one leg folded beneath her, the silk fabric of her nightdress slipping slightly against her skin as she pressed trembling fingers against her temple.

Something was wrong with her memory.

Not forgotten.

Not fully.

Hidden.

And somehow—

That terrified her more.

A soft knock interrupted the silence.

Three slow taps.

Controlled.

Measured.

Her eyes lifted instantly toward the door.

No one spoke.

Then—

“It’s me.”

Brittany.

Ariana’s jaw tightened slightly at the sound of her voice.

For a moment, she considered ignoring her completely.

But exhaustion won.

“Come in.”

The door opened carefully.

Brittany stepped inside slowly, dressed in dark fitted clothing that contrasted sharply against her warm brown skin. Her curls were pulled back in a tight bun tonight, exposing the elegant line of her neck and the tension resting visibly in her posture.

She looked composed.

But not relaxed.

That alone caught Ariana’s attention.

“You look terrible,” Brittany said softly.

Not removing her eyes from her.

Ariana let out a dry laugh.

“That tends to happen after discovering your entire life was orchestrated.”

Brittany flinched slightly.

Barely noticeable.

But Ariana saw it.

Good.

“You have every right to hate me,” Brittany admitted quietly.

“Hate would be easier.”

The words lingered between them.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Rain tapped steadily against the windows.

Brittany stepped further into the room, her gaze moving carefully over Ariana like she was checking for damage she already expected to find.

“You should rest,” she said.

Ariana looked up slowly.

Her eyes sharper now.

“Tell me something first.”

Brittany hesitated.

“That man,” Ariana said quietly. “The one from my memory…”

Her throat tightened slightly.

“Who was he?”

Silence.

The kind that answered before words ever could.

Brittany looked away first.

And that—

That was enough to make Ariana stand.

Fast.

The sudden movement caused the silk strap of her navy blue nightdress to slip slightly down her shoulder, but she ignored it completely as she walked toward Brittany.

“You know who he is.”

Not a question.

Brittany exhaled slowly.

“Ariana…”

“No.” Ariana’s voice sharpened instantly. “No more half-truths. No more vague warnings. If everyone has been watching me my entire life, then I deserve to know who the hell has been hunting me.”

The room went still.

Outside, lightning flashed briefly across the glass windows, illuminating both women in silver light before darkness swallowed the room again.

Brittany’s expression changed.

Not fear.

Worse.

Recognition.

And when she finally looked back at Ariana—

Her eyes held something dangerously close to panic.

“That’s exactly the problem,” she whispered.

Ariana’s breathing slowed.

“What is?”

Brittany swallowed once before answering.

“He found you again.”

The words settled coldly into Ariana’s chest.

“…What?”

“You weren’t supposed to remember him,” Brittany continued quietly, her voice tighter now. “That memory should have stayed buried.”

Ariana stared at her.

“Buried by who?”

Another flash of lightning cut through the room.

And this time—

Brittany didn’t answer immediately.

Because suddenly—

The lights went out.

Darkness swallowed the room whole.

Ariana froze.

The silence that followed felt wrong.

Too deep.

Too sudden.

Even the rain outside seemed quieter now.

“Brittany?”

No answer.

Ariana’s pulse quickened instantly.

“Brittany.”

Then—

A sound.

Not from beside her.

From the hallway.

A slow creak.

Like something shifting outside the door.

Ariana’s breathing became uneven as she stared into the darkness, barely able to make out the outline of furniture around her.

And then—

She heard it.

A voice.

Low.

Male.

On the other side of the door.

“Found you.”

Ariana’s blood ran cold.

The voice.

It was the same one from her memory.