Chapter 7

Xavier's POV

Selfless. Proud. Defiant. Was she truly the one? Kaelen had already filled Lysander and me in on his questioning of the human girl, describing how she’d somehow shielded her thoughts from him.

Her power was undeniable. His words had sparked my curiosity, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality of her presence. I’d just told her plainly that I intended to taste her blood and claim her body, and she’d dipped her chin in agreement like I’d offered her tea. Utterly captivating.

Her pulse betrayed her, of course. It hammered beneath that pale throat, a frantic drumbeat that gave the lie to her calm fa Kaelen. Most humans in her position would be sobbing, begging, crumbling under the weight of facing the three of us. Not her. She stood there, chin lifted, fear locked behind those dark eyes.

I couldn’t drag my gaze away. It wasn’t just the scandalously tight black dress clinging to every curve though gods knew that made it harder. Elara was all woman: soft, generous hips, an ass that practically demanded my palm, breasts that rose and fell with each careful breath.

I pictured wrapping that thick, glossy hair around my hand, tilting her head back to expose that delicate throat, brushing my mouth across hers before sinking my fangs in. Even across the hall, her scent curled through me warm skin, faint jasmine, and something uniquely hers. Intoxication didn’t begin to cover it.

She would be mine. And she would want it.

Beyond the raw pull of her body, it was those deep brown eyes that hooked me hardest. Pain lived there old, heavy sorrow that had carved itself into her soul long before tonight. She probably thought she hid it well, but it stared straight back at anyone willing to look.

Few ever had, I suspected. She and her brother had clearly survived things that would have broken lesser people. I intended to learn every detail slowly, thoroughly, when the mood struck me.

I lifted a hand, snapped my fingers. Two guards materialized at once. “Escort her back to the cells.”

A flicker of weary acceptance crossed her face. She didn’t fight as the Fae took her arms and led her away. The heavy doors thudded shut behind them.

Lysander rounded on me instantly, golden eyes blazing. “What if she’s actually the one?”

I arched my brow. “Why do you think I accepted the bargain so quickly?” I flicked a hand, dismissing his intensity. “Even if she isn’t, did you honestly expect me to turn down a gift like that?” I dragged my tongue across my lower lip, tasting the phantom sweetness of her.

Truth was, I’d have invented any reason to keep her if she hadn’t offered herself first. I wanted her craved her with a hunger that surprised even me. Now she belonged to me.

Kaelen gave a deliberate cough. “You’re planning to keep her like some exotic pet. Exactly how does that lead to her falling in love with you?”

“She marched straight to our doorstep,” I said. “I’m calling that fate knocking.” I glanced between my two oldest allies. “As leader of Penumbra, I claim first rights.”

Lysander’s jaw tightened. “And if she isn’t meant for you?”

I lifted a shoulder. “Only one way to know for certain. Time’s running out, brothers. I say we seize what pleasure we can. And Elara…” I let the word roll off my tongue. “…she looks like exquisite pleasure.”

“No,” Lysander snarled.

My eyes narrowed. “Careful, wolf.”

“She’s not some disposable plaything for you to bleed dry and toss aside.” He shot a quick look at Kaelen, then back to me. “She might be the key the first real chance we’ve had to shatter this damned curse.”

I bared my fangs in a cold smile. “I’m not going to kill her. But until I decide otherwise, she’s mine. She’s human, not a pack. She can’t be your mate.”

“I don’t give a damn what she is,” he growled. “I won’t stand by while you hurt her.”

“Step aside, Lysander,” I warned, turning to Kaelen for backing.

The Fae folded his arms across his chest. “Do whatever you want with her. I’m staying out of it.”

Fine. Lysander could posture all he liked. We’d wrestle over the girl if he forced the issue, though I couldn’t fathom why he cared so fiercely already. The prophecy demanded true love raw, honest, no masks. I had no intention of pretending to be anything gentler than I was. Elara would see every dark inch of me.

If love was even possible, it would have to survive that. Frankly, I still put my faith in steel and vengeance we needed to hunt the enchantress down and end her. Love was the desperate fallback.

Lysander could chase his noble instincts all he wanted. I’d fight him if he tried to block me.

“Let’s move on,” I said. “Lysander, find better quarters for our guests. Get her out of that filthy hole.”

He stopped halfway to the door. “Why toy with her like this? Why send her back down there at all?”

I smiled, slow and sharp. “Because the contrast will taste sweeter. Imagine her relief when she realizes she’ll be treated like royalty instead of a prisoner. She might even feel… grateful.”

“You’re twisted,” he muttered, storming out.

Kaelen paused at the threshold, glancing back. “He’s right. You are.”

I barked a humorless laugh. As if either of them were saints. We’d all done things that would haunt softer men for centuries. That was the price of leading Penumbra you swallowed the darkness or it swallowed you.

Would Elara survive it?

The hall fell silent except for the crackle of the massive hearth. My thoughts circled back to her, stubborn and relentless. I rubbed my brow, unsettled.

I couldn’t recall the last time anyone man, woman, or monster had seized my attention like this. I’d never admit it to Lysander, but I wanted more than her blood, more than the heat of her body beneath mine. I wanted… something deeper. Something I couldn’t name. Maybe it was nothing more than instinct whispering that she mattered.

I stared into the leaping flames. Elara. There was an echo about her something half-remembered, like a melody from a life long lost. Frustration coiled in my chest.

One thing was certain: she would linger in my mind until the final grain of sand fell. If she was part of the prophecy, I’d play my role and try to earn whatever passed for her love even if I didn’t trust the emotion.

But where were the women meant for Kaelen and Lysander? Or was this the enchantress’s cruelest trick yet dangling salvation just out of reach before yanking it away forever?