Chapter 17 - What Are We?

Xavier’s POV



I wouldn’t have minded killing Stella riight then and there. She always had a bad habit of not knowing when to shut the hell up.



My eyes shifted to Vick as he watched my hands that were wrapped around his daughter’s neck. It must have sucked to have felt so useless that he couldn’t do anything to save his own daughter.



Vick started to cry and begged harder. "Please, my Lord! Don't do this to my Stella! She had nothing to do with this plan; it was all my idea! Please, let her go and we will leave immediately!"



I stopped for a moment and looked at the pathetic man who wept in front of me. Not long after, I loosened my grip on Stella. "You are to never set foot on Leonard territory again or I will not be so kind next time."



After the two fled, I was able to return to my study so I could begin the day's work. I needed to regain my focus on more important matters.



The day was filled with meetings with my generals and we finally came to an agreement on defense strategies for Noah and Normand. They ended up being deployed around the territories and borders that needed strengthening.



Thoughts about Adam in Douglas's territory rubbed me the wrong way. If they’re working together, I need to make sure that all of my family’s territories are protected well…



Afterwards, I paid a visit to a nearby camp that recently got new recruits. I needed to ensure that they were getting the proper training they needed, so I ended up staying until it got dark. Their progress was coming along nicely, though I knew they needed all of the training they could get.



Adrian looked at me. "My Lord, you know you don't have to visit the barracks in person, right?”



"They’re still my soldiers. It never hurts to ensure that they’re being trained properly.”



“That’s true…” He smiled. “Well, I think your presence helped them out. It gave them a morale boost and they knew to perform better.”



I nodded in acknowledgment. “They are serving the Leonards after all. I only desire the best."



I knew that I didn’t have to be at the barracks and I wasn’t lying when I said I just wanted to see how their training was coming along. But after what happened last night, I was at a bit of a loss on how to truly treat Eloise.





I recalled the events of last night. The thought of her soft, delicate body beneath my large frame. Her flirtatious voice and how hot her body was to the touch. While I ended up not taking it all the way with her, I had already explored every curve and part of her body.



I couldn't get the musical sound of her moans out of my head. The way her naked body shone under the moonlight that came in from the window.



It was so sudden and I was so close to losing my mind. Damn drugs…



Even after they wore off, I wasn't able to get over everything from that night. Madness should've taken over. I was so close to being inside of her.



But I was being far too rough for her delicate body to handle. I thought.



Without even realizing it, I looked up to see that I had arrived in front of my bedroom door. It was already midnight and Eloise should've been asleep by now.



However, I saw that a light had seeped from underneath the door. Has she been waiting for me this entire time?



————



Eloise’s POV



I sat on the other side of the door at the table next to Xavier's bed. I wanted to go to sleep but it was hard for me to do so.



My cheeks would get warm every time I recalled what happened last night with Xavier. I knew that being married meant we were going to be intimate. I just didn’t think it was going to happen like that.



Yeah, sex is a sure thing between married people but did it have to be so fast?



The door jiggled and opened with Xavier on the other side.



I stood up. “Welcome back, my Lord.”



“Eloise.” He gave me a small greeting in his usual indifferent tone before heading straight for the bathroom.



I had thought of several scenarios in my head on how to confront Xavier to see if anything changed between us. His indifference made me glad. Maybe last night didn’t really affect him all that much… He was drugged after all.



When Xavier came out of the bathroom, he looked at me without saying a word.



The tension between us was weird so I quickly forged a sweet smile. "How was your day?”



"Fine. Long. Just please turn off the lights and go to bed." He said.



I nodded my head and did as I was told. When I climbed into bed, I couldn’t find it in myself to go to bed. I looked over at Xavier who had already gotten himself comfortable and closed his eyes.



"Is something wrong?"



I looked back at him to see that his eyes were wide open.



“Are you not going to bed? Is something wrong” He asked again.



“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just…” I hesitated. “Your mother sent for me this morning. She wanted to chat, apparently. She ended up asking if anything happened between us last night.”



Xavier shot up from the bed. "Did you tell her I was drugged?"



“No. But I did tell her about your ice bath. Aside from that, I didn’t really say anything to her.”



There was a moment of silence between us. I looked up at Xavier and saw how his face had gotten stiff. A sudden courage took over me and this time, I wasn't scared to joke around with him.



We almost had sex last night—we got close. What was there to be afraid of now?



I wanted to laugh at his expression but fought against the wide grin that began to form. "You know, it's really weird to have an ice bath in this weather. I get the Noah isn’t as cold as Normand but even then, it was pretty obvious what you were trying to do—"



"That's enough!" Xavier's tone was a little harsh. His cheeks were flushed pink from embarrassment. "Please, just go to bed."



I nodded my head and replied softly. "Yes, my Lord. Of course."



Well, that didn’t last long…



I laid down and closed my eyes. The day's events were beginning to catch up on me as I was already close to falling asleep.



Suddenly, I felt Xavier’s body leaning against me. He had also wrapped his arm around me, too. "You know… now that you mention it." He whispered in my ear. "What did you tell my mother about AFTER I had my cold bath?"