8. Amber

Chapter 8

Amber

X avier's history was so sad and I wanted to comfort him, only I didn't know how. Well, I did, but I wasn't sure I had the confidence to do so.

It had been a pleasant evening to that point. The initial panic that had consumed me when the doors locked had faded, replaced by a warmth that seemed to grow with each passing moment. Xavier's thoughtfulness in preparing this picnic, his patience, and the way he gave me space when I needed it went a long way to easing my fears.

When he shared information about his family, though, I felt his pain as a visceral reaction deep inside, almost as if I was experiencing it with him. My heart ached for the lonely boy rejected by his mother, watching his father fall into darkness as the curse took his town. No wonder I sensed sadness cloaking Xavier, despite him trying to be kind and protective.

I felt I owed him something in return, a sharing of information, and I wanted to. I wanted him to understand me and how I got here, even as I was embarrassed about how I had fallen into the situation with Kevin. But I wasn't ready yet. I was falling under his spell, feeling more for Xavier than anyone else I had ever met, and so quickly. It scared me, because every single time I fell for someone, they betrayed me. But I sensed I could trust Xavier.

"You scare me, Xavier." He started to pull away, but I grabbed his arm and held him in place. "Not in a bad way. Well, maybe it is. I'm not sure. You make me feel things that I swore I would never feel again. It's only been a couple of days and I already care for you, deeply. The last time I trusted my feelings, I got hurt. Badly."

Xavier cupped my cheek and stroked his thumb along my lower lip. "Amber, I'm not pushing for anything you're not ready for."

"You're too kind, Xavier. Almost too good to be true."

I sucked in a deep breath. I had to tell him about Kevin, about my reasons for being here. "I'm not sure how I got here. I've been on the run for a few months from my ex-boyfriend, Kevin. He started out so sweet. Sending me flowers, gifts, picking me up at work, taking me out to nice dinners. He seemed like a dream come true after so many loser boyfriends. He had a good job, a nice apartment, didn't play video games all the time, drinking beer and leaving clothes everywhere. He seemed like an adult."

Xavier grew still under my touch and I pulled my hand back, folding them in my lap in a rigid fist. "It started so slowly that I never saw it. I stopped seeing my friends, stopping going to happy hour at work. If there was a male clerk at a store, I would find another aisle or I would not make my purchases because he would accuse me of flirting with the clerk. At restaurants, I would pray we had a female server and if we had a male, I would ask Kevin to order for me and never look at the server. It never mattered. He always accused me of coming on to them. "

A low rumble grew in Xavier's chest and, when I glanced over, he stopped. "Sorry. Please continue."

"The day he punched me in the stomach and backhanded me across the face, I left," I continued. "I didn't dare go home or to my friends. He'd isolated me by then and I didn't have any friends left I trusted. My family hated him and told me that I wasn't welcome if I was with him. Not to mention I was afraid of what he'd do to them. So I ran. But he followed. He always followed. I haven't felt safe since then, always moving, worried he'd hurt anyone I got close to. So, I just stopped making friends."

Silence reigned in the library for several minutes, then the glass in Xavier's hand shattered. I jumped and cried out. He quickly gathered up the shards of glass and cleaned the wine that had splattered everywhere, careful not to look at me.

I despaired the longer he avoided my gaze. Had I scared him away? I knew he could handle Kevin, but was I too messed up for him? Had I shared too much? I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. My situation was too fucked up for anyone to deal with.

Tears blinded my vision, and I began to clean up the food. Xavier's hand settled over mine. "Amber, stop. Please."

He tilted my chin to face him. "I'm sorry for not talking sooner. I was so angry, and I didn't want to scare you further. I didn't want you to think I was like that other male, that dishonorable male, but I scared you anyway. I'm sorry."

I blinked, clearing the tears from my vision. No one had ever apologized to me before. "You're sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn't have told you."

"No, you should have told me. If that male comes anywhere near you, I will protect you. You're safe here. I promise. Whether by my hand or those here in Beastly Falls, he will never hurt you as long as you are here," he vowed.

"Maybe I'd better stay forever, then," I joked.

Xavier swallowed hard and avoided my gaze. "I hope you can, Amber."

I narrowed my gaze. His words seemed ominous, but I didn't understand. I had a job, a place to live. Why wouldn't I be able to stay? Though Anya had said my job was provisional for seven days. "What aren't you telling me, Xavier?"

He sighed and settled back on the blanket, staring up at the ceiling of the library that resembled the night sky. "You know about the curse, but you may not know everything. We have not found our fated mates because they're not here in town. Only recently have newcomers been allowed into town, allowed to find their mates."

I nodded, remembering something either he or Esme had told me. "I think you told me this before."

"But it's not that simple. They were trapped here for seven days until they accepted their mate, unable to leave until that time was done. If they do not accept their mate by the end of the time, they are expelled from Beastly Falls, unable to return."

My blood chilled. I might not be able to stay in Beastly Falls, even if I wanted, unless I accepted my mate? This had quickly become my sanctuary, the one place Kevin could not catch me. What would I do if I couldn't stay?

He settled his somber gaze on me. "Amber, you're my mate. You're the only one who can break my curse."