3: Hunted

MIA

I made it to my car before the shaking started.

My hands trembled as I gripped the steering wheel, my heart still racing from the confrontation.

Dad actually sent David to find me. I’d made sure I kept my transfer under wraps but of course, he knew I would come here. Which meant Silas knew.

I wanted to get away but I couldn’t even make it through one night without my father’s leash tightening around my throat.

My mind drifted to Xavier without my permission. I didn’t know what it was about him. Every time his skin touched mine, I'd felt a zap of electricity. The way he moved while we played left me wondering. But when he stepped between me and three men he didn’t know without hesitation… I don't know why that made my chest feel warm.

He’d looked at David like he was debating whether to throw him through the gym wall or pummel him to the ground. I’ve never had anyone protect me or even defend me. It must be why I’m thinking of him so much.

I touched my necklace that my mother left. The only thing I had left of her.

The silver felt hot against my skin. That wasn’t normal. That had never happened before.

My phone buzzed. I grabbed it, heart pounding.

Unknown: I hope you’re satisfied, Mia. Your little stunt tonight embarrassed us both. But don’t worry. We’ll discuss your behavior when you come home. And you will come home. Soon. -S

My stomach twisted. I deleted the message, then my father’s countless missed calls and Silas’s other texts.

“The lady said she’s not going.”

Ugh, that voice was going to be the death of me.

I started the car and drove back to campus, checking my rearview mirror every few seconds to make sure I wasn’t being followed. By the time I pulled into the Morrison Hall parking lot, my shoulders were tight with tension and my jaw ached from clenching it.

My roommate’s key rattled in the lock as I was changing out of my sweat-soaked clothes. I quickly pulled on pajama pants and a t-shirt.

Esme burst through the door, arms full of shopping bags and entirely too much energy for whatever ungodly hour this was. “Oh good, you’re awake! I need your opinion on—” She stopped, taking in my expression. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Couldn’t sleep or ‘I-need-ice-cream-and-bad-movies’ couldn’t sleep?” She dumped her bags on her bed.

“Just couldn’t sleep,” I repeated, climbing into bed and pulling the covers up.

“Okay, but the offer stands. I make a mean sundae, and I have a collection of terrible rom-coms that could cheer up a funeral.” Esme started unpacking her bags, pulling out what looked like an entire mall’s worth of clothes. “Oh! Did you hear? Basketball tryouts are Thursday. You’re still planning to try out, right?”

My stomach twisted. I immediately thought of Xavier, and the potential of seeing him again. I could ask him questions about tonight. About why he’d helped me. About what he’d seen in my face that made him decide to get involved.

Maybe I’ll figure out why electricity had sparked between us every time we touched.

“I don’t know,” I said, trying to keep my voice casual. “Maybe I should just focus on classes. Keep my head down.”

“What? No way. You’re amazing at basketball. I’ve seen you in the rec center. You have to try out.” Esme grinned, her eyes lighting up with that mischievous gleam that usually meant trouble. “Plus, Xavier Volkov runs those tryouts, and trust me, that man is worth looking at. Even if he is completely—” She paused, studying my face. “Oh my God. You’re blushing.”

“I’m not.” I tried to school my face and get rid of whatever she was seeing.

“You totally are! Do you know him? Did something happen?” She abandoned her unpacking, climbing onto my bed like we were at a sleepover. Her eyes widened comically. “Spill. Now.”

“I don’t know him. I just… ran into him. At the gym. Earlier.”

“And?”

“And nothing. He was there. I was there. We played some basketball.” I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant even as my heart rate picked up at the memory. “That’s it.”

“Mia Winston, you are a terrible liar.” Esme poked my shoulder. “What really happened?”

I thought about telling her everything. Silas, my father, the engagement party I’d fled. David and his threats. And the way Xavier had moved to protect me without knowing anything about my situation.

But if I started talking, I might not stop. And if I didn’t stop, I might fall apart completely.

“Nothing happened,” I said firmly. “I shot some hoops. He gave me some pointers. End of story.”

Esme looked skeptical, but she let it drop. “Fine. Keep your secrets. But you’re trying out Thursday, right? Even if it’s just to see Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous, again?”

“I haven’t decided.”

“Well, decide fast. Tryouts are at four, and knowing Xavier’s reputation, spots fill up quickly.” She finally climbed off my bed, going back to her unpacking. “Fair warning though, don’t get your hopes up about anything beyond basketball or a hookup. Xavier doesn’t do relationships. Like, at all. My friend tried last year and he was super polite about turning her down, but the answer was a hard no.”

I thought about the way Xavier had looked at me in that gym. The way the air had felt charged between us. The way his jaw had clenched when David threatened me, like he was holding himself back from something violent.

“I’m not looking for a relationship,” I said honestly. “I just want to play basketball.”

“Good. Because you’re way too interesting to waste time pining after someone who’s emotionally unavailable.” Esme yawned, finally running out of steam. “Okay, I’m crashing. But seriously, think about tryouts. You’re good enough to make the team, and it might be nice to have something that’s just yours, you know?”

She climbed into her own bed, and within minutes, her breathing had evened out into sleep.

I was still staring at the ceiling in the darkness, thinking about golden eyes and rough voices and the way electricity had sparked when Xavier touched me. Thinking about my father’s threats and Silas’s promises and three months until a wedding I’d rather die than attend and how my plans for a quiet year at college—a year to save money, to plan my escape and figure out how to be someone other than Gabriel Danvers’ daughter—had just gone completely down the drain.

Because now Xavier Volkov had questions.

And I had no idea how to answer them without revealing just how desperate and trapped and terrified I really was.

My phone buzzed again. Another text from an unknown number.

Sleep well, sweetheart. Dream of me. -S

I threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack, the screen going dark.

Esme stirred but didn’t wake.

I pulled the covers over my head and tried to pretend I felt safe. I failed.

The thought of safety seemed foreign not when Silas was hunting me, and Xavier Volkov, with his bright eyes, were in my orbit now.