Chapter 31:

I jumped awake at the sound of someone knocking on the door before looking at where Xavier pushed back from his desk. Bane jumped down from his lap as he went to answer the door, but I noticed Nova was lying across his good shoulder. I only questioned it for a moment before my head started up its pounding rhythm once more. Closing my eyes, I tried to block everything out as I just lay there. How long have I been out? 

'For most of the day now.' Nova's soft, soothing tone floated through my mind. 'And I was with him because he was worried about you, and Bane wasn't exactly being helpful.' That made me smile.

'Thank you, Nova.' I told her before, just relaxing back down for a moment more. I vaguely heard Xavier talking to Devon before footsteps came over closer to the side of the bed. 

"So, good news, I found out what the poison was, but the antidote to it is going to knock her out for at least a couple of days, with how long the poison has been in her system." 

"How long did you make her excuse for?" Xavier asked as I slowly looked up to where they stood beside the bed now. Xavier stood the closest to me, right beside my head, as Devon stood a few paces away. 

"Until at least next week, so that shouldn't be a problem." 

"Then what are you waiting for?" Xavier all but demanded, and I heard the healer start digging through his bag before taking my arm in a gentle grasp.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't going to feel nice," Devon whispered to me before I felt the prick of the needle. I felt the medicine the second he pushed the plunger. It burned like fire as it ran through my veins.

Xavier was at my side, pure panic shining in those bright emerald eyes as my whole body tensed, and my mouth dropped open in a silent scream, but even as he cupped my face, gently stroking over my cheeks, the pain was far too much. I felt it sear a path through my whole body, my starving lungs burned, but it was too much for me to even take a breath before I finally fell into that velvety black abyss. 

Slowly, I blinked my eyes open, but my head still felt so heavy and fuzzy as I tried to blink away the fog in my vision enough to see around the dark space. I felt the gentle rise and fall of something warm and comforting under my cheek, instantly having a fairly good guess as to where I was at least. Everything came flooding back to me, and slowly I flexed my arm where it was lying across Xavier's chest, but it didn't hurt anymore. How long have I been out for it to have been healed already? 

'Ari?' Nova asked, and I took a breath as I felt her climb up onto my side to look down at me. 

'Hey, what's wrong? You seem worried.' I asked as she blinked those big violet eyes down at me before rubbing her cheek against mine.

'You've been completely unconscious for two full days now, of course, I was worried. How are you feeling?' She asked as she curled in as close as she could get to my face.

'I'm still a little out of it, but other than that, I don't feel too bad. I mean, I'm not in any pain or anything anymore.'

'Good, I'm glad to hear that.' She told me before moving back down with Bane as I curled in a little closer to Xavier. I closed my eyes once more, simply letting myself take everything in for a moment. It just felt so right, the weight of his arm around my waist, the feel of his warm skin under my palm, it was odd, but I'd never felt more safe and perfectly content in my life. I couldn't really explain it, but it just simply felt right. 

I didn't want to wake him, but at the same time, the hand resting on his bare chest was itching to explore, and while I was still tired, I knew that no matter how long I lay there right now, I wouldn't be going back to sleep. 

He wouldn't wake up if I was gentle, right? I mean, he wouldn't be lying here like this with me if he didn't expect me to explore at least a little bit of that sinful body. But then again, we were in his room, and I was in his bed, so where else would he be? It's not like I was going to make the man sleep on the floor in his own room. 

Taking a breath, I slowly shifted my hand up, just a little further. I mean, at least exploring up would be far safer than if he woke up to me stroking further south. I paused for a moment, right beside my cheek in the center of his chest, and smiled, feeling his heartbeat under my fingertips. I didn't quite understand why such a little thing brought so much comfort to me, but it did. Closing my eyes once more, I focused on the steady beat of it for a long moment before opening them once more and slowly tracing further upwards. 

Looking up, the scabs that covered the outline of the bitemark on his shoulder showed as dark pools across his shoulder. They still looked like they would be tender to the touch, but after two days, they should have been almost gone. Slowly, I traced under the scabs along the outline of the bite mark. I hadn't let myself notice just how close it had come to grabbing the side of his neck, but now, if it had been even an inch closer, he would have bled out right there in front of me. He must have gotten me healed before himself. Just the thought had a smile tipping the corner of my lips as I slowly flexed my previously injured wrist, but it was completely fine now. 

Slowly, I continued my ventures, reaching up even further as I gently traced over the side of his neck and paused once more. There was a slightly different texture to the skin towards the back of his neck versus the soft, smooth, warm feel of the skin in front of it. Carefully, I shifted to where I could look up at the spot I was tracing over once more and felt my eyes widen as I realized that they were scales. They weren't fully at the surface, rather just under his skin, but I could definitely make out the edges of dragon armor scales. Slowly, I traced over each one of them with the tip of my finger, following their trail all the way down to his shoulder before he shifted slightly, and I paused entirely as he let out a soft groan in his sleep. His arm tightened around my waist before he shifted even further onto his back, practically pulling me on top of him. 

My thigh slipped between his as I was plastered against his chest, and my breath caught in my throat as his long, very hard length pressed against my thigh. My whole body flushed hot as heat pooled low in my belly. My breath picked up, coming out in short, choppy little bursts as I tried to convince my body to move away, but it was unwilling to cooperate. Instead, my thighs clenched as I tried to quell the wave of heat that had washed through me, but that only proved to make it ten times worse, considering the only thing I had done was effectively lock my legs around his muscular thigh. 

Okay, this is okay... It's a natural reaction to being this close to an incredibly, way too hot for his own good, male. I told myself, but my mind instantly countered back with the fact that I shouldn't be reacting like this at all... Not with everything that happened before. If what was insistently pressing against my thigh was any indication, then Jaxon had nothing on Xavier in that department, and I knew just how much that had hurt. I should be running for the fucking hills from that monster, but yet I still couldn't will my body to move away, even in the slightest. 

He took a deep breath, and I froze entirely as I looked up just to see those beautiful eyes blink open.

What had I been thinking? I was so fucked.

He blinked down at me a couple of times before a slow, mischievous smile curved one side of those perfect, full lips as he raised an eyebrow at me. 

I felt my cheeks heat even further, but I could do this. I could still play this off. "Sorry... I was trying not to wake you up." I whispered as I looked down, but realized that my hand was still cupping the side of his neck, right where it met his shoulder. "I... I... Your scales were... and I..." I sighed and stopped trying at that point. Well, I did a great job of stomping all over that one. 

Taking a deep breath, I just looked down, away from him. There was no chance I was digging myself out of this hole, not now. Not when I was far too flustered to even think about anything other than what was insistently pressing against my thigh, because good god did this man really have to be huge everywhere?

"It happens sometimes when I sleep. It's why I make it a point to not actually stay with other people if I can, or leave my clothes on when I have to, but that doesn't explain why your legs are wrapped around my thigh like you own it, princess."

How the fuck did he sound so in control right now? I opened my mouth to respond, but quickly shut it, trying to think over things. "You pulled me here." I defended, and the man just grinned at me. 

"I'm sure I did, considering you were rubbing over my scales, which, when directly under my skin like that, are extremely... We'll just say sensitive." My hand instantly slid from the side of his neck back down beside my cheek. Note to self, nowhere on this man was safe. He just chuckled at me as I narrowed my eyes at him. "I didn't say you had to stop, princess." My eyes went wide, and before I knew what had happened, our spots had been switched. I was now the one on their back as his large frame leaned over me, but his leg had stayed where it was. As he leaned over me, his thigh ground down against a spot that had me gasping in a breath. 

"Xavier," I gasped out as he moved that leg, leaning down to where his weight rested on his elbows, as he pressed slow, lingering kisses to the side of my neck. My arms found their way around his neck, and he let out a soft growl as my fingers brushed over those scales once more. I threaded my other hand through the silky strands of his hair, holding him there against myself as my back arched off the bed at the pleasure he sent coursing through my veins. 

There was a low grumble from the end of the bed before I felt the cool breeze against my heated skin from the window beside us being opened. 

I smiled as I gave myself over to the pleasure racking my body. My hips bucked against him of their own accord, chasing the pleasure he was causing to pulse through me as he kissed his way up the side of my jaw. Tipping my chin up, I enjoyed every single soft press of his lips as he continued all the way up until he captured my lips, but when he ground his thigh against me, harder this time, more insistent as it sent a shockwave through my whole body. I gasped in a breath and felt him grin against my lips before he took the opportunity to caress his tongue over mine, causing me to instantly chase him for more. 

Only then did his hand move, gently cupping the back of my head, tangling into my hair as he tipped my head back slightly, giving him even better access as I eagerly took every bit of it, every soft caress of his lips, every slow searing glide of his tongue. God, I wanted more. No, I needed more. 

After a long moment, he pulled back from me, gently pressing his forehead to mine as I panted for air. "I'm glad to see that you're doing better." He whispered to me before pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead, making me smile as I pulled him in for one more long, sweet kiss. "As much as I would love to continue this, princess." He murmured as he pulled back from me once more, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. "I don't think you're quite up for that task yet. Not when you just woke up from being poisoned." I instantly felt that heat return to my cheeks as I blushed. As much as my body was screaming at me to pull him closer, to continue this and see where it led, I didn't know if I was actually ready for that.