Knight-in-Arms - Demons: (BWWM Interracial Paranormal Billionaire Shifter Romance Part Three) Read Free
Author: Athena Dore
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which fit the atmosphere, how she was feeling perfectly.
“You know,” she said, “This kind of reminds me of our first date. It was a lovely place like this ”.
“So that was a date?” asked Xavier, “And there I was thinking you wanted to thank me for letting you stay…”
“It was originally to say ‘thank you’, but in light of everything that’s happened, I’m posthumously naming it our first date”.
Xavier chuckled.
“All right” he said.
They walked back under the light of the full moon. Rochelle laid her head on Xavier’s shoulder.
As she lay in bed that night, a slither of the moon’s light shone on her face through a chink in the curtains. She turned to Xavier.
“You know, I had the best day today”.
Xavier stroked the side of her face.
“I’m glad you did” he said.
He moved closer and kissed her. It was slow and tentative at first but the force increased until there was an insatiable greediness in the urgency that took her breath away and made her yearn for him, even though he was already beside her. So near. The strap of her nightdress slipped from her shoulder as his hands stroked and caressed. Lower. Rougher. She moaned softly. Xavier eased her onto her back, climbing on top of her. His wings opened but he fought the beast. He looked into her eyes, deeply, intently. Her heart raced. She could see how much he wanted her; good grief, she wanted him to have her. Her body ached with a longing to be his. She pulled him closer, ever closer.
* * *
The next day, Xavier had had another letter in a black envelope. It assured him, as always, that his membership was most welcome and that if he chose not to join, they could not ensure the safety of Miss Rochelle Phillips.
Another part of the letter stood out to him:
Remember the girl.
Xavier couldn’t forget. All these years, he remembered. All these years he’d tried to suppress the memory of what he’d done to her. She was the reason he avoided getting into other relationships, and risking hurting someone else. Until Rochelle. But Rochelle had helped him see that though it was difficult, though he doubted himself at times, he was capable of loving someone without hurting her and someone was capable of accepting him and his beastly nature. So anyone who threatened to harm her, even on paper… He snarled, his eyes smouldering. He scrunched up the letter in his hand and hurled it into the bin. Then, he turned swiftly and punched the mirror. It shattered.
Rochelle gave a startled cry.
“Xavier?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t move. His breathing was deep and furious.
She approached him.
“Xavier, what’s going on?”
He turned to her. His eyes were angry. She almost shrank away. She thought maybe he was turning but he was definitely Xavier. This was the first time she’d seen him like this and he scared her.
As his eyes fell on her, however, they softened into the gentle expression she associated with him. He lowered his hand from the frame, which had encased the large mirror.
“Your hand!”
He looked at it. Blood ran in little rivulets over his knuckles.
“It’s fine” he said dismissively.
She went to get her First Aid kit. She didn’t usually take First Aid kits with her on holiday, but travelling with someone like Xavier... He had even given her an emergency number to call to avoid ordinary human hospitals.
“Do you want to tell me what that was about?” asked Rochelle as she cleaned his wound.
Xavier sighed.
“There are things you don’t know about me”, he said, “Things I’ve done; things I’m not proud of”.
Rachel looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I wanted to spare you from this. The less you know about it, the better. You can still walk away”.
“I’m not going anywhere” said Rochelle.
“You know,” she said, “This kind of reminds me of our first date. It was a lovely place like this ”.
“So that was a date?” asked Xavier, “And there I was thinking you wanted to thank me for letting you stay…”
“It was originally to say ‘thank you’, but in light of everything that’s happened, I’m posthumously naming it our first date”.
Xavier chuckled.
“All right” he said.
They walked back under the light of the full moon. Rochelle laid her head on Xavier’s shoulder.
As she lay in bed that night, a slither of the moon’s light shone on her face through a chink in the curtains. She turned to Xavier.
“You know, I had the best day today”.
Xavier stroked the side of her face.
“I’m glad you did” he said.
He moved closer and kissed her. It was slow and tentative at first but the force increased until there was an insatiable greediness in the urgency that took her breath away and made her yearn for him, even though he was already beside her. So near. The strap of her nightdress slipped from her shoulder as his hands stroked and caressed. Lower. Rougher. She moaned softly. Xavier eased her onto her back, climbing on top of her. His wings opened but he fought the beast. He looked into her eyes, deeply, intently. Her heart raced. She could see how much he wanted her; good grief, she wanted him to have her. Her body ached with a longing to be his. She pulled him closer, ever closer.
* * *
The next day, Xavier had had another letter in a black envelope. It assured him, as always, that his membership was most welcome and that if he chose not to join, they could not ensure the safety of Miss Rochelle Phillips.
Another part of the letter stood out to him:
Remember the girl.
Xavier couldn’t forget. All these years, he remembered. All these years he’d tried to suppress the memory of what he’d done to her. She was the reason he avoided getting into other relationships, and risking hurting someone else. Until Rochelle. But Rochelle had helped him see that though it was difficult, though he doubted himself at times, he was capable of loving someone without hurting her and someone was capable of accepting him and his beastly nature. So anyone who threatened to harm her, even on paper… He snarled, his eyes smouldering. He scrunched up the letter in his hand and hurled it into the bin. Then, he turned swiftly and punched the mirror. It shattered.
Rochelle gave a startled cry.
“Xavier?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t move. His breathing was deep and furious.
She approached him.
“Xavier, what’s going on?”
He turned to her. His eyes were angry. She almost shrank away. She thought maybe he was turning but he was definitely Xavier. This was the first time she’d seen him like this and he scared her.
As his eyes fell on her, however, they softened into the gentle expression she associated with him. He lowered his hand from the frame, which had encased the large mirror.
“Your hand!”
He looked at it. Blood ran in little rivulets over his knuckles.
“It’s fine” he said dismissively.
She went to get her First Aid kit. She didn’t usually take First Aid kits with her on holiday, but travelling with someone like Xavier... He had even given her an emergency number to call to avoid ordinary human hospitals.
“Do you want to tell me what that was about?” asked Rochelle as she cleaned his wound.
Xavier sighed.
“There are things you don’t know about me”, he said, “Things I’ve done; things I’m not proud of”.
Rachel looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I wanted to spare you from this. The less you know about it, the better. You can still walk away”.
“I’m not going anywhere” said Rochelle.