Driving to the human settlement was the easy part; however, locating Rayla's place was going to be hard. It took him a while before he was able to narrow down her location. He couldn't do it alone, though; the nice ladies and some gentlemen that he'd approached and sought guidance from had been of tremendous help.

As he rounded a corner into a street, he spotted her outside one of the identical houses that streaked both sides of the road. She seemed to be talking with a man, but the closer he drove, the more he realized that they weren't talking—they were arguing, and the man seemed to be yelling at her, his voice drowning hers.

“You were yelling all through the night and it's not the first time!” The man declared angrily. “I have a toddler, you know. You're not the one in this neighborhood, and you sure as hell can't keep disturbing our peace at night!”

Xander, having heard this, figured that man must have been her neighbor.

“Squidward, will you just calm down and listen to me?” Rayla's voice rose as she was losing her temper.

Squidward?

Xander scoffed, understanding the reference. Obviously, the man didn't—unless that was indeed his name. If not, he should have flamed up. Xander thought the name sounded really accurate as the man was literally displaying the attitude of the cartoon character she'd referred to him as.

He pulled over by the sidewalk and stepped out of his posh vehicle with a hand in his pocket as he unbuttoned his jacket with the other.

“Excuse,” he said to the man with a gentle tap on his shoulder.

The man swiveled to face him and went silent after seeing him.

Xander figured that his height had intimidated the man—or was it his classy look? He observed that Rayla was looking at him, and the expression on her face revealed that she was struggling not to acknowledge his presence. In a split second, their eyes met, but she immediately looked away, subtly masking her discomfort. He smirked and turned back to the man.

“That's no way to talk to a lady.”

The man scoffed with disdain.

“That's assuming she is one. Because the last time I checked, ladies don't scream all night—except if they're possessed or something…”

“Excuse me?” She moved closer, feeling really offended by his statement and ready to show him that possessed part of her.

Pissed, Xander grabbed the man by the collar and raised him completely off the ground.

“What the hell?” The man marveled at Xander's strength with wide-open eyes, showing the fear lurking within.

“You obviously don't know how to talk to a lady, do you?” he asked through gritted teeth.

The man was suddenly too numb to even speak as Xander looked deep into his eyes, his gaze piercing through the man's soul.

“Xander… put him down,” Rayla said to him.

It was then he composed himself and glanced around; people were watching and whispering to themselves. The last thing he wanted was unnecessary attention. So, he let go, and the man dropped to his feet.

“If you ever, in this miserable life of yours, talk to her in this manner again, I will find you, and I will end you.”

The threat really shook the man, and he swallowed hard.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes—yes!” he responded swiftly.

“Good. Now, get out of here.”

He rose to his feet and dusted his jacket.

“You two are demons from the pit of hell.” He took to his heels, leaving them alone.

Xander could hear the sound of her heart beating fast as they stood there, staring at each other in silence.

My God! She's gorgeous. How did I let her go?