Chapter 28 Runaway Bride
Vanessa
I'm so mad.
Xander has been avoiding me for a few days now and I'm pretty sure his dad has something to do with it.
My heart clenches at the thought of my mother. I want to meet with Damian and know how he knew my mother.
And why she had to die, a tiny voice whispers, referring to the dream/memory I had the first few weeks I had been brought to the pack.
Once I catch sight of him, I run like my life depends on it. I glide through the shortcut that leads through the gardens to his wings.
My feet screech to a halt right in front of him and he flinches back at my sudden appearance.
My chest constricts with labored breathing and I hold one finger up, signaling for him to hold still.
"How did she even get here so fast?" he mutters, probably talking to himself but I heard anyway.
"That's a secret I won't tell," I wink, panting. With hands clasped tightly on knees, I draw in as much needed air as I can.
When I start breathing normally again, I straighten up and stalk towards him. With every step I make forward, he takes one step back, and it makes me feel giddy, excited, like a predator taunting its prey until it's devoured.
His back hits the wall, and seeing he has nowhere else to go, I cage him with my hands on either side of the wall.
I lock my eyes with his - blue against black - something passes between us, and I feel an intensity like no other, making me want to crawl over his body and take what I want. I shake my head to rid it of the distasteful thoughts.
Even with my 5'7 height against his 6'2, I know the only advantage I have is the blazing heat of rage I direct at him through my eyes.
Satisfaction courses through me when I witness the barest hint of him swallowing, and I almost thrust forward to lick that thick throat.
What the fuck?
I avert my eyes and move to grip him by the front of his chest instead and snarl in his face, "What the fuck is wrong with you, Xander?"
He doesn't answer, only continues to stare at me or rather, through me.
I shake him with my hold and he seems to snap out of what ever he had dragged his mind into, tongue darting out to lick his lips.
He reaches up to gently pry my hands off his shirt. "I don't know what you're talking about," he talks slowly, like he's trying to figure out how to deal with a petulant child.
"Oh, please, don't give me that crap. You've been avoiding me so much I barely remember you exist. I call, but you never answer. Even now, you just ran from me."
He tilts the corners of his lips in a cocky smirk and asks, "Aw, is my little firecracker obsessed with me already?"
"Fuck off," I growl, pushing him away with more force than necessary but he hardly flinches, only stepping back a step and the fact makes my eye twitch.
"I assure you, Firecracker, our agreement is still in place and I don't think it's necessary to be together at all times."
Crossing my arms, I give him a sharp look. "Oh really? What happened to term A of our contract?
Both parties are to be seen together at all times, to solidify the authenticity of the union in the eyes of the public, until the contract has ended." I raise an eyebrow.
"It's mid-afternoon, firecracker. Surely, we won't be expected to be together at this time, unless something absolutely important comes up, of course."
I scoff at the ridiculousness of it all, barely having any words for the situation I conveniently put myself into.
"You're yet to answer my question though. Why were you running from me?" I inquire.
A dark look passes over his features, wiping the mocking smirk completely from his face. His eyes turn hard and darker than ever before, and I notice his hands are also clenched into tight fists.
How can such a simple question induce such a strong reaction?
"I just didn't want to see you're. Is that so hard to understand?"
What the fuck?
My head reels like I have just been slapped, his response giving me an internal whiplash.
"I-What..?"
"Good day. Now, if you'll excuse me." He steps to the side and when he's about to walk away. I stop him with a hand to his chest, the muscles flexing.
"You can just tell me you don't want me around. I'll leave first then." I spin around, stomping my way to my room.
I pass time by packing up a few essentials; wads of cash - courtesy of my generous fiance -, toothbrush, shampoos, underwear, plain, black clothes mostly; throwing them into the smallest duffel bag I find. Then I go to shower.
Hidden in the back in the closet are my clothes I originally wore to this place. I wear them once again with a black coat to protect me from the frigid cold, then packing up my hair into a low bun, enough to fit the black face cap over my head.
I check the time, 10:37pm, I wait three more minutes and once its time, throw the duffel bag over my shoulder and step out of my room.
Once the ghost is clear, I speed walk through and put of the building, ducking once in a while when I hear footsteps coming my way. I don't stop until I've almost reached the gates.
This is the part that gets tricky. I know Xander has scanned me through the magical system, especially in a situation where I have to go outside and come back on my own.
I watch out for the guards, but thankfully, it seems there currently on their break. Drawing the face cap lower, I slow my steps and tentatively out one foot over the edge where the pack territory ends, separating it from the estate totally.
Taking a peek at the big, bold and red sign that says, "OFF LIMITS", I scoff - it feels like decades since I first saw them.
Throwing a quick last glance over my shoulder, I adjust my bag and pull my coat closer, then sprint off in no clear direction, blanketed by the snow and the empty depths of darkness.