Chapter 13 Wet Lips
Anna’s POV
I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole.
Of all people. Of all the shadows that could have stepped forward, It was Xavier.
He emerged from the darkness like he had always been part of it, hands clasped behind his back, posture relaxed, as though he were observing a performance instead of catching someone mid-escape.
“I’m impressed,” he said smoothly.
His humor did nothing to steady my racing heart.
Xavier was the kind of man who could kill for sport, even in a good mood. Especially in a good mood.
My eyes darted toward the river. If I dove back in now, maybe I could—
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Xavier said lazily.
I froze.
“The river has been electrified,” he continued, tilting his head slightly. “The minute you came out. I wouldn’t like to see you die by electricity. It’s… unpleasant.”
My stomach dropped. Electrified.
So I hadn’t escaped. I had been allowed to run.
I swallowed, forcing my voice to work. “You’re still going to kill me, aren’t you?”
Xavier began walking toward me.
Slowly. Deliberately. Each step was calculated.
When he stopped, he was so close I could feel the warmth of his body through my soaked clothes.
My fear should have consumed me completely, but beneath it, something else stirred. A tension.
“I kill people,” he said calmly, “when I find them boring.” His eyes locked onto mine. “Or when they cross me.”
I held his gaze, even though my heart felt like it might burst through my ribs.
“You tried to cross me tonight,” he continued, voice soft as silk. “You tried to escape.” A pause. “But I also find you… exciting.”
The word sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.
“So,” he went on, almost amused, “I’m at a crossroads.”
Frustration flared in me. I was tired of being toyed with. “Then let me decide for you,” I snapped. “Kill me. Get it over with.”
The words hung in the air between us.
Xavier studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded once. “All right.”
My breath caught.
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun.
Before I could react, the cold metal pressed against my forehead.
I flinched so hard my vision blurred. My heart plummeted into my stomach.
Xavier noticed. And smiled.
“If you’re really so eager to die,” he murmured, “press my hand. Help me pull the trigger. You’ll be blown apart instantly.”
My mind went blank. I didn’t move.
I didn’t speak. I didn’t want to die.
I had said it out of frustration. Anger. Pride.
A mistake I was already beginning to regret.
Xavier leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “Do you still want to die?” he whispered. "Let me make it easier."
My pulse pounded so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts.
“Your answer,” he added softly, “will determine if I press the trigger.”
My entire body stiffened. I closed my eyes. “Yes,” I whispered. “Kill me.”
There was no hesitation. He pulled the trigger.
The shot rang out, splitting the night.
I froze. But I didn’t feel pain. Didn’t feel blood. Didn’t feel anything.
My eyes fluttered open slowly.
Xavier was holding two guns now.
The one pressed to my forehead hadn’t fired. The other had.
Laughter erupted behind him. His men.
They laughed openly, some clapping, others shaking their heads at my reaction.
Xavier chuckled, clearly entertained. “She’s a fighter, isn’t she?” he said casually. “Embracing death with honor in the face of fear.”
“Yes, boss,” one of the men replied between laughs.
My lungs burned as I finally drew a proper breath.
Relief came slowly. Carefully.
Xavier lowered both guns.
Before I could fully process what had just happened, he reached out and gripped my chin.
It wasn't rough, but it was commanding.
He leaned close, his face inches from mine.
“No one,” he said quietly, “has ever successfully made it past my mansion.”
His thumb brushed lightly along my jaw.
“They always try to escape. I was expecting you to try.”
My eyes stayed lowered.
“But getting this far?” His voice softened. “That, I didn’t expect.”
I said nothing.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
My body obeyed before my pride could resist.
I lifted my eyes.
And for a split second, I saw something there that didn’t belong in the eyes of a killer. Sympathy.
It unsettled me more than the gun had.
Before I could interpret it, his hand tightened slightly on my chin, and then his lips brushed against mine.
My mind went blank.
For a fraction of a second, something in me reacted. Some instinct. Some curiosity. Some twisted pull toward the danger standing inches from me.
I didn’t kiss him back.
I couldn’t. I was too frozen. Too stunned.
He pulled away slowly.
“Don’t try to escape again,” he said quietly. “The woods aren’t safe. My men are everywhere. And they don’t take a pretty, lost woman lightly.”
My stomach twisted. So even if I had made it farther— I would have been caught.
He watched my realization settle. “I’m the kindest of them,” he added. “Maybe Lucas too.”
His lips curved faintly. “The rest are complete savages.”
I lowered my eyes again. Kindest? The word felt distorted.
“Take her back,” Xavier ordered calmly.
Two men stepped forward immediately.
One moved to my left. The other to my right.
Not touching me yet.
But close enough that I understood.
I lifted my head slightly, my soaked clothes clinging to my skin, exhaustion finally creeping into my bones.
As they began leading me back toward the mansion, I couldn’t shake the memory of that look in Xavier’s eyes.
Sympathy. And the way he’d kissed me.