Page 154 of The Order

He presses his head against my own, grabbing the back of my thigh, ready to pull me onto him.

“What's my name, Forest?” he questions, my mouth ready to taste his.

“Xavier. Xavier Hayes,” I say, his head gently shaking.

“Try again…. What'smyname?” he asks again, my mind drawing nothing but blanks.

“Your name's Xavier,” I whisper, unsure what he wants me to say.

With a saddened expression, he pulls away, his hands slowly loosening their grasp.

“Tonight was just for him. Wasn't it?” Xavier questions, the mood between us shifting instantly.

I pause, my heart filled with emotions. Fallan moves away from the woman and the campfire's light.

I look at Xavier, and there’s that part of me that wants nothing but him. It eats me alive, a conviction I feel I have no control over.

“I have no idea what's happening to me,'' I whisper, my hand touching my chest.

“What did the two of you talk about?” I question, his head nodding.

“We-” he stops, biting his lip out of frustration.

“Do you trust me?” he questions, unable to give me a straight answer to my question.

I’m ready to say no and run away from all of this.

“Yes,” I say, my throat burning with the need to scream. “And I have no idea why.”

Kai and Hunter join us in a fit of laughter, both men clapping Xavier on the back.

“Your cups are empty!” Kai gasps, managing to get a smile from Xavier.

I look to the alleyway Fallan had disappeared into, sensing the walls in his mind slowly breaking away.

“I need a moment,” I say, backing away from Xavier, giving him no time to react as my brother and Hunter hang onto him, shoving another drink in his hand.

Moving past the other party guests, I disappear into the mess of the crowd. Moving towards the alleyway, the connection to Fallan grows stronger as I approach. Xavier’s words cloud my mind. His meaning is lost to me.

But slowly, all thoughts of Xavier leave me, my eyes set on the pair of blue ones that watch me now.

Fallan’s mind is filled with nothing but thoughts of me.

Chapter forty-nine

Forest

He’sleaningontooneof the brick walls of the alleyway, his hand dragging up his shirt, wiping at his face. His torso is exposed for a moment, and I take a second to appreciate his body. His head is cocked while he watches me observe him. I sense thoughts of me swirling around in his mind. The alcohol aids in weakening his mental walls against me. He thinks of how my smile curves my lips perfectly and the places his hands have explored my body. He moves closer to me and lets out a nervous laugh. His hands move across his abdomen, dropping his shirt before pointing to me with a frown.

“Are you just going to parade men in front of me all night?” he questions, his voice rough and sinister.

I touch the portion of my neck Xavier had made his, feeling Fallan’s hateful thoughts toward him intensify.

Taking another step, liquid courage envelopes my body.

“You want to talk about parading someone around? What was that little display with that woman? Or Valerie before that? All you’ve done is show off other women and torture me in the process,” I say, nudging my hand hard into his chest. He stays still, his eyes lowered as he watches me.

“You're the tortured one?” he scoffs, shaking his head angrily. “Clearly, you haven't been listening.”

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