Page 24 of Out of the Darkness

The blond rose from his seat, a universal indication in their group that the next round was on him. She at least remembered that much from the last time she had been here with them. The others nodded their agreement.

Madelyn, however, shook her head. “I’ll take a beer. I already had a third of a bottle of tequila before Melanie picked me up.”

“Pregaming, nice,” Tristen commented with an appreciative nod before he moved toward the bar.

Once the girls were settled and Tristen had returned with their drinks, the five of them fell into comfortable conversation. Madelyn allowed herself to get lost in the stories of what they went through out in the field, which was so much more interesting than what she did at the station. Some of the stories were so ridiculous that the four of them laughed until their sides hurt and they had tears streaming down their cheeks.

While Madelyn had debated on whether to come or not, she was ultimately glad she did. For the first time in two days, her mind was quiet and still. She found herself laughing and enjoying the conversation and companionship. It really had been exactly what she needed, and she finally felt as though she was on the right track to getting her life back together.

While Bernie went to the bathroom again and Melanie headed to the bar to grab the next round, Madelyn’s phone buzzed in her purse. She pulled it out and felt the traitorous butterflies return when she saw that she had received a text from none other than Xavier himself.

Chapter Eleven

Xavier

Xavier: I am glad to see you are looking better, little dove. How are you feeling?

Madelyn’s head shot up after reading the text message he sent, and she began scanning the bar, no doubt looking for him. He had done as she asked and left her alone for the last two days, but he still kept an eye on her from a distance. When he discovered that she was heading to Iggy’s Bar, he decided to tag along so that he could stretch his legs. Then, when he saw her smiling and laughing with her friends, he had to reach out and see if anything had changed. It was obvious she was doing better and coping with everything she had learned, but there was the minor problem of her avoiding him that he needed to correct.

Xavier had spent the last two days in wolf form, running and patrolling the woods that surrounded her house. Because he hadn’t shifted back once during that time, he was feeling a bit more feral and wild than usual, but it was the only way he could cope with not being able to talk to her. Being away from her was torture of the worst kind and it hurt like hell. He had come to need her, crave her, and their conversations were what kept him going.

Because he had been deprived of all that over the last couple of days, it was a wonder he was able to hold it together as well as he was. Even so, he was currently warring with his wolf, the latter wanting to go over there and throw her over his shoulder like a caveman so that he could take her home and show her and everyone else who it was that she belonged to. He was currently holding the beast back, but he didn’t know how long that would last.

It had been his fault that Madelyn was avoiding him; he knew that. It just didn’t make it any easier to deal with.

It took her a few moments, but Madelyn’s eyes finally found him in the corner booth directly across from her. He smirked at her, loving every second of seeing her beautiful eyes looking at him again. Even from where he sat, and over the noise of the bar, he heard her gasp when he winked at her.

They continued to stare at each other for several moments before her eyes narrowed at him and she began typing rapidly on her phone. A few seconds later, his vibrated in his hand.

Madelyn: I thought I told you to leave me alone.

He smiled at her response before typing back one of his own. As he did, he could feel her eyes on him. They were practically boring holes into the top of his head, and it made his smile grow.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she liked the fact that he was there. He could tell by the way her sudden arousal permeated the air of the bar, and he wondered if she was thinking about the night they slept together just like he was.

Xavier: You did, but you didn’t mean it.

He watched as her shoulders deflated as she read his message. This time, she didn’t look up at him as she typed back. Instead, her focus was solely on her phone, her tongue pinched adorably between her teeth. He had thought that she was going to try to deny it, but her response surprised him.

Madelyn: You’re right. And I hate the fact that you’re right. Just like I hate the fact that I missed you these last two days, even though my feeling that way is so wrong it’s not even funny.

Madelyn: And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I will deny, deny, deny.

The smile he had been wearing since she locked eyes with him grew. Apparently, all he needed to do to get her to open up a bit was to supply her with a bit of alcohol. It seemed to have taken away some of her inhibitions and filters, and now she was admitting more to him than she usually would have. He wasn’t going to complain though. She was only confirming what he already knew, which meant it was time to tell her what she was to him.

Xavier: There’s a reason for that, you know.

Madelyn: And what reason is that, Xavier?

Xavier: It’s not something that should be said through text messages. If you want to know, you are going to have to talk to me, face-to-face.

After sliding his phone into the pocket of his jeans, he folded his arms across his chest, a silent indication that he wasn’t going to be talking to her through text messages anymore. The ball was in her court now. If she wanted to know the truth, if she wanted to know what he meant, then she was going to have to talk to him in person and not from across the room, behind the safety of a screen. She couldn’t avoid him forever, and she seemed to realize it too if the heavy sigh and the pointed glare she gave him were anything to go by.

Xavier watched as she said something to the two detectives who remained at the table and then rose to her feet when they nodded at her before going back to their conversation. Leaving her purse in her seat and then meeting his eyes once more, she inclined her head toward the back of the bar and then made her way toward the exit, which was located over by the bathrooms. A few moments later, she disappeared into the alleyway that sat beyond the door. Xavier waited a few more moments before following.

The air outside the bar was cool and felt nice against his overheated skin. The sky was clear, and the town was quiet and calm. It was a beautiful night, even if the alley smelled like garbage, and while the setting wasn’t ideal, he guessed it was better than nothing. At least she had agreed to talk to him.

Only a single light hung over the back door since it was supposed to be used as an emergency exit, which meant the rest of the alley was shrouded in darkness. Off to the right, about fifteen feet down, was the back lot. While, to the left, about thirty feet down, was the main road. Madelyn had chosen to wait for him in that direction, a few feet away, shrouded in darkness as if she didn’t want to be seen with him.

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