第四章

Skylar

"I got your chips, drinks, and sweets. I didn't know which one you wanted so I got one of each kind." Josh put the shopping bag on the hotel bed with a cheesy grin.

I smiled and thank him as I scooted toward the middle of the bed and sat criss-cross as Josh plopped down beside me. He was nice to be around with.

"Doritos, how incredible!" I mimicked an exaggerated Mexican accent and opened the chips.

"Incredible as your pajamas."

"You got me those!" I hit his arm playfully, nearly causing him to choke on the handful of chips he was shoving into his mouth.

We fell into a comfortable silence, watching a movie on the television. I wasn't really watching. My thoughts consumed all of my attention.

After the ceremony, the plan flopped. I didn't recognize anyone, and no one recognized me either, so Jason said he had another plan. He didn't tell me, even though I kept asking. 

I was left alone at the hotel, and just when I started to fall asleep, Josh arrived with food and then left for sweets. It was thoughtful of him.

"I'd better go home. Alpha will be back soon." 

I rubbed my temple and nodded, feeling sudden fear rising at the thought of Xander and me alone together. 

"I know he's not a gentleman with you, but he's like that with everybody. Just don't get on his bad side. You have no idea what he can do."

I blinked, my heart skipping a beat.

”That sounded wrong, but it's true. Be careful. He hates it when people disobey him, and it'll only be worse for you since you can't defend yourself. Stronger than you have been dead in seconds after angering him -- okay, I should stop talking. I'm scaring you. Sorry." 

Josh grimaced when he noticed my horrified expression. I'm sure my eyes are about to bulge out. 

He stood up from the bed and made his way toward the door with me following close behind.  

"You're blunt, you know that?"

He half-smiled, his nose scrunched up as it was something unpleasant to hear.  "I get that a lot." 

Just as he was about to walk out, he stopped and turned around meeting my gaze, "Take care of yourself, Skylar, since he won't--"

”Okay, Josh, you can stop freaking me out, thanks," an awkward small laugh escaped my lips, shifting my weight from afoot to another. 

He shot me an apologetic smile and left a second later leaving me alone inside the large hotel room. 

With a sigh, I shut the door behind him and turned the lights off leaving only the lamp on my side. 

I curled up on the king-sized bed and nestled in under the cream-colored sheets, wincing when the fabric brushed against my bruised back. 

"God, this is so comfy! I don't know why hotel beds are always so soft, like where do they buy them?" 

I mumbled under my breath while turning the television on. I wasn't sleepy if anything my body was wide awake even though its past midnight. My hand checking for the little butter knife I hide under my pillow. 

Yes, I stole a butter knife from the ceremony and hid it inside my bra. I have no idea what to expect from a man I don’t know, I felt a little safer knowing I had that little...weapon with me. There’s a lot of damage you can do with a butter knife. And it was the only thing I could take without anyone noticing.

The warm air had blown away any sleepiness from, and I was left exhausted but unable to sleep. 

"Oh great, the mirror is right in front of me. How am I even su-"

"Are you talking alone?"

A scream echoed around the quiet room, my hand grabbing the first thing I touched and waved it threateningly.

After a moment, my brain registered that it was Xander.

”You could have knocked!" I threw my hands up in frustration.

How did he even get in? I didn't even hear him!

"Were you going to hit me with that?" He pointed at the chocolate bar clutched in my fist with a raised brow. 

Yeah, right. Protect myself with a butter knife, I said. Right.

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment,  mumbling a small "No, I wasn't." 

Xander laughed drily in a patronizing fashion that irritated me. I crossed my arms and glared. He slipped off his tie and glanced out the window.

His arms flexed at the small gesture beneath his tux, his hair still styled perfectly.

Xander was painfully hot, and if I didn't know him, I would've been drooling. 

Like they say: A serpent heart hid with a flowering face.

"I know how to defend myself, I'm just tired right now,"

He hummed and unbuttoned his shirt.

Our eyes met, and he held my gaze. I went for a look of defiance, yet I'm sure it appeared far from serious. 

Xander was doing a terrible job of hiding his amusement.

He began to remove his pants and I suddenly started to panic, my heart hammering against my ribs. Josh's warning fresh in my mind, 

"What are you doing?"

”Going to sleep." He rolled his eyes, his tone dripping with pure annoyance. 

Maybe I was overreacting, but I wouldn't put it past him. I wasn't safe around him, and he hadn't done anything to discourage the notion. 

He ruined my life.

"I can hear your heart pounding, you know. Nervous now, are we?" He glanced at me briefly, his lips pursed into a straight line. Eyes literally glinting with pure mockery.

He wasn't asking because he cared, the sick bastard. My panic entertained him. I moved to the farthest end of the bed until I was unable to put any more space between us without falling off and turned my back to him. 

Xander flicked off all the lights seconds later and shut the balcony door, engulfing the room in darkness. Then he crawled into bed with me. 

"I'm fine," I muttered under my breath with a small huff as I laid down on my side, my back to him. Yet, no matter how much time passed, I couldn't close my eyes.

I'm terrified of the dark, and I lay there, petrified, for some time, before I worked up the courage to speak. 

"Xander?"

He didn't respond.

"Xander, please. I can't sleep in total darkness. Can you turn the lamp on? I'm too afraid to move." 

Around us, the shadows formed frightening shapes and I had to bite back a cry.

I had always found trouble sleeping in a pitch-black room.

Back home, I would always leave a lamp on its lowest light or something like that because if not, my eyelids wouldn't meet and my mind wouldn't stop playing tricks on me. Let's not even talk about my petrified heart.

He continued to ignore me.

I turned around and squirmed closer to tap his shoulder. This time he groaned and sat up, the duvet falling from his chest. 

Despite it being too dark to see, I could feel his glare on me.

"It's just a lamp." My voice shook, hardly more than a whisper.

He cursed under his breath and leaned his side to turn on the lamp. 

He raised both eyebrows. For the first time, he didn't sound angry or annoyed when he spoke, "you're afraid of the dark?"

”No, just the kind where you can't see at all. It's like being blind." I rolled onto my side once again and tried to sleep, but however I shifted, I couldn't help staring into the mirror. 

Back home, I covered the mirror in my room with a towel.

I know, I'm very difficult. 

"What now? " Xander ran a hand through his hair when I couldn't stop shifting my body. 

At this point, I'm pretty sure he has resting-bitch-face. I mean, his normal face.

"The mirror." I pointed toward it yet kept my gaze on his shadow beside me. I couldn't look at it.

”Wonderful. My mate is a child," he murmured, annoyed.

”It's creepy when I see my reflection, and -- can you just please cover it?" My throat constricted. 

In a few moments, he was going to yell at me, but I couldn't help. I've had trouble sleeping since I was five.

"And it would be creepier if it smiled, and those TV shows always say you shouldn't sleep in front of a mirror or look at it at night. I Googled it, too, and it's true--" He was looking at me as if I were crazy, so I squeaked out, "I'd rather it was covered."

He stood up and walked toward the mirror in the middle of the room, draping his shirt over. His hands-on his hips.

The only thing left covering him were his boxers, and somehow, that was hilarious. But I didn't dare to break a smile let alone a laugh.

”Anything else, princess?" He didn't wait for my response before he laid back down again.

I just whisperingly thanked him.

I breathed out slowly and wrapped myself in the blanket, forgetting about my volatile bedmate. I never slept with a man before, let alone in the same bed as one. 

Jason growled out of blue and I was suddenly shoved on my back. I had to bite my lips to stop the hiss that threatens to come out. I didn't even know how it happened. Both of his hips pinned mine as his arms were on each side of my shoulder. 

I couldn’t move. The bruise he gave me the other day was still black, and at this rate, it wouldn't be completely healed for weeks. "One more fucking move," 

I could barely blink. My heart skipped a beat as I laid there under his mercy, my hands shaking slightly. 

"Stop being such a spoiled brat." He growled, his deep voice filling the silent room. 

If his glare could burn, I'm sure I would've been a god damn lava. 

He freed his hold and rolled to his side and I did the same both our backs glaring at each other. 

I buried my face into the pillow and shut my eyes tightly, afraid that if he heard my breathing, he'd follow through with his threat. 

I was screwed. From the second I ran into him. He acted as if he owned me or thought he did and did whatever he pleased. 

I hated that. I hated that so much. 

How can someone be so...selfish?