Page 155 of Iris
Rue bounds off, and go to I follow, but someone grabs my arm and I’m yanked to a stop.
“Hey, saw you getting cozy with the other Black Briar dude,” Jerome says, smirking, reeking of booze.
I pull at my arm, but he grips it tighter. “Let go.”
“Don’t let her go, Jer. Silly slut owes us.” Donegal walks out of a shadowy place between the trees.
The two of them bring a nasty, bitter taste to my mouth because I remember what they tried to do to me at the other ball. We’re in the delicately lit garden, down by a pond, all around us laughter and chatter rises; the glow of the house isn’t that far. Music dances in the air, too.
But I’m not on a path, just the grass, and Rue is skipping ahead, blissfully unaware she’s left me behind.
As Jerome reaches for me, I kick him in the shin with my pointed heeled shoe, but Donegal grabs my hair and yanks.
Tears spring to my eyes at the pain, but I refuse to show these two cretins fear.
I twist and drop, swinging my elbow right into Donegal’s balls. He squeals like a pig, and the sound gets Jerome to loosen his grip.
Jerome growls. “Stay down you bitch.”
“Let my sister go,” shouts Rue, who’s got her phone up, the flashlight on the back shining brightly down on us. “Or I’ll plaster this video everywhere. I’ll send it to the QB, or…or the police!”
The two Alphas freeze and their eyes go wide, but it’s not because of Rue’s threat.
It’s because of the big, silent shape emerging behind her.
The two guys let me go immediately and run.
Grinning, Rue lowers her phone. “Yeah, you better run!” But then she turns around and looks up to see Xavier standing there, menacingly. She ‘eeps’and jumps back, almost tripping over me as I try to stand again.
“Who-who are you?” she stammers.
Of course he doesn’t speak, but his expression softens a little.
“Uh, he’s one of the caterers,” I lie. Sort of. I try to fix my dress and hair. “I saw him bringing in the liquor was the party started.”
“Oh.” She lifts her phone again and snaps a quick picture of him. The sudden flash of light is blinding. “OMG you’re tall! Maybe the tallest person I’ve ever seen! And you scared off those jerks.” She waits for him to speak, but when he doesn’t, only hovers, she goes on, “Thanks for your help. They are probably pissing their pants right now. And I got it all on video!”
Xavier nods and walks away, back toward the house.
When we’re alone again, Rue hugs me close. “Wow, he was a strange one. A giant but strange. But we’re lucky he was around.”
Tell me about it.
She lets me go and bounces with excitement. “I can’t believe I got those losers on video. That was sooo cool. Bam! Release this and they’re mud!” Glancing at me, she frowns. “Maybe we should just go back.”
I’m trembling, and I hate that those two affected me so much. “No, I’m not letting them ruin my night. Let’s go check out the pond.”
Rue nods, and we get back on the lit path.
My heart starts to slow back to normal when my mini lights up. I hold it close, and everything goes into freefall.
Xavier
Mr. Scarsby wants his cupcake to know that she’ll never have to be afraid again. Miss Cupcake and Miss Firefly are safe for as long as he’s here.
I think I fall for him, then and there. Totally and completely.
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