Page 14

Xenobia

A donis’s father’s goons were closing in, their faces twisted with sick glee as if they knew they’d be the victors. My heart pounded, but I couldn’t let them take me down. I raised the gun, finger trembling around the trigger.

“Stay the fuck back!” I shouted, my voice steadier than I felt.

One of them lunged, a knife glinting in his meaty fist. Time slowed as I squeezed the trigger.

POW!

The gun kicked in my hand, and blood sprayed as the bullet tore through his throat. He dropped, gurgling and clutching at the gushing wound.

Oh shit. I just killed a man.

My stomach churned, but there was no time to process. More were coming. I steadied my aim, ready to fire again if I had to.

“Xenobia!” Adonis’s familiar voice cut through the chaos. He appeared at my side, his weapon drawn. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head, unable to tear my eyes from the dying man at my feet. “I… I killed him.”

Adonis’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “You did what you had to. Stay focused, alright baby?”

A slow clap echoed through the room. The remaining thugs parted as a distinguished older man stepped forward—the head of the Toussaint family himself—Adonis’s father. Rage fueled me as I stared him down. His piercing gaze spoke volumes; although he was older, he had an aggressively authoritative presence. He was balding with salt-and-pepper hair, a well-groomed beard, and dressed in an expensive, dark suit.

“Well, well,” he snarled. “It seems the little Hawthorne princess has claws, after all.”

“I’ve got teeth too, mothaf—”

Adonis pushed me behind him before I could finish my sentence, squaring off against the much older man whom he faintly resembled. The air crackled with tension.

“Leave her the fuck alone.”

“You’ve made a big fuckin’ mistake coming back here, boy,” he growled, lips curled into a sneer.

“Nobody’s gonna stop me from protecting her. Not even you.”

“Turning your back on your family is a death sentence.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve never considered you my fuckin’ family.”

He scoffed. “And Don Hawthorne is? You’re nothing but a guard dog hired to watch his pampered bitch.”

I bristled at the insult, but Adonis remained unnervingly calm. His voice was ice. “Last chance. Leave now, or there won’t be enough left of you to bury.”

My eyes darted between them. Adonis was good, but we were in deep shit. Toussaint’s men flanked him, and what was left of ours stood ahead of us, guns drawn. What the hell was his plan?

The man’s laughter sent chills down my spine. “Big words from a man about to expire.” He raised his hand, signaling his men. “He’s no fucking son to me. Kill them both.”

My heartbeat rang in my ear as panic coursed through me. It was now or never. “Please don’t shoot, I’m pregnant!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Silence fell like a heavy blanket. My ears rang in the sudden quiet, peaceful enough to hear a pin drop. Adonis and his father traded glances before turning their attention to me.

“Xenobia, are you sure?” Adonis inquired softly, his voice filled with emotion.

“It’s true.” My father’s voice boomed behind us. “And it’s time we call a truce.”

We turned to see him flanked by a set of men I’d never seen before. Each was strapped with bullets and had their weapons drawn, ready to fire on my father’s command. The way they moved alongside him was militant, calculated even. Could this have been the business deal he was working on all along?

Adonis stood frozen, eyes wide in shock, while his father’s expression took on a more frustrated look.

My father inched forward, men still at his side. “Cecil, we’ve been at each other’s throats for years. Blood has been shed on both sides, but now, things are different. My daughter and your son have fallen in love with each other, and soon, there will be a new life—a grandchild that’s half your blood and half mine.”

Adonis’s father narrowed his eyes. “A grandchild is one thing, but a baby won’t erase my son’s betrayal.”

“Please, Mr. Toussaint, our families have already suffered too much,” I pleaded while stepping from behind Adonis. “Adonis is the father of my baby, and I love him. I won’t let you take him from me.”

My father moved closer. “I understand your doubts. I have mine as well, but think about it, Cecil. Their child will represent a new chapter, a chance for peace between our families. We can end this war today and walk away knowing we called a truce for the sake of the future of our bloodlines.”

“And what fucking assurances do I have that this isn’t some ploy? That you won’t betray me and shoot me where I stand the moment I order my men to lower their weapons?”

“My word, as a man of my honor. You know the code I live by, even if you weren’t the man to instill it in me.” Adonis interjected. “I’ve proven time and time again that my love is reckless behind this woman, and now that she’s carrying my child, I won’t hesitate to rip you apart, blood or not.”

“Is that a fuckin’ threat, boy?” Toussaint growled.

My father cut in. “It’s time we put an end to this senseless violence. Adonis and Xenobia deserve a true shot at happiness, and their child deserves to grow up without knowing the carnage of our war.”

After a drawn-out pause, Toussaint nodded slowly. “The baby can live, but Adonis still has to pay for his betrayal. There will be no mercy,” he proclaimed.

The air exploded with gunfire with the wave of his hand. I ducked behind an overturned table, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. Adonis was a blur of motion, his shots precise and deadly. Bodies dropped, but more goons kept coming.

“Fuck,” I muttered, popping up to squeeze off a few rounds. The sharp smell of gunpowder burned my nostrils.

My father’s militia wasted no time popping off. Toussaint was outnumbered and outgunned. Adonis was holding his own, but I could see the strain on his face. I scrambled to a better position, taking out a thug who’d edged Adonis. He flashed me a quick nod of thanks before diving back into the fight.

Toussaint’s cold voice rang out amid the gunfire. “You can’t win this, Adonis! Traitors of the Toussaint family are shown no mercy.”

Adonis’s reply was lost in another burst of gunfire. I saw him stumble, his left shoulder jerking back. Blood bloomed across his white shirt.

“No!” I screamed as fear and rage tangled in my gut.

But then he stood, motioning for Titus to watch his back while he sprayed bullets into the line of men pushing forward. He dropped several as Titus came from behind. They were brilliant as a unit, following each other’s lead.

Between them and my father’s army, most of Toussaint’s men had fallen, and he was losing ground. He must’ve seen it too.

“That’s enough!” he barked, seemingly satisfied that his son had been hit, even though he was still breathing.

As quickly as it started, the gunfire tapered off. The Toussaint forces melted away, leaving destruction in their wake. Broken furniture, bullet holes, and blood, so much blood, painted a grim picture of the battle we’d barely survived.

I scrambled to my feet, rushing to Adonis’s side. “Say it’s over!” I screamed at Toussaint’s back. “For our child and our future, say it’s over!”

Toussaint turned back to me, assessing my shaky hands as I tried to see how bad Adonis’s wounds were. “I will agree to this truce. But know this: Any sign of disloyalty, and I won’t fuckin’ hesitate to return,” he warned before disappearing with what was left of his men in tow.

“Shit, shit, shit,” my father muttered as he made his way over to us. “Shit, how bad is it? Is he going to be okay?”

Adonis grimaced, cracking his usual stoic mask. “I’ve had worse,” he grunted, but I could see the uncomfortableness in his eyes. “The bulletproof vest helped.”

My father and Titus helped Adonis to his feet, supporting his weight as they stumbled to a nearby bedroom. My heart raced, fear and adrenaline making my hands shake as they eased him onto the bed before leaving the two of us alone.

“Let’s get that shirt off,” I muttered, fumbling with the buttons. “Fuck, there’s so much blood.”

Adonis hissed as I peeled the fabric away from his vest. “It’s not as bad as it looks, Xenobia,” he said, but his voice was strained as he pulled the bullet fragment out.

I grabbed a first aid kit from the nightstand, grateful for Adonis’s paranoid preparedness. As I cleaned his scrapes and cuts, I couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles tensed under my pressure. Even brutalized, this man was a work of art.

Adonis’s hand suddenly covered mine, stilling my movements. “Xenobia,” he said softly, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “For what?”

He swallowed hard, his stoic mask crumbling. “I failed you. I was supposed to protect you, and I couldn’t—”

“Don’t.” I cut him off, my throat tight. “You didn’t fail me. You saved my life and put life inside me too.”

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant, Nobi.”

“I know. I never intended for you to find out like that, but I couldn’t hold it in. Not when I knew everything was on the line.”

“I bet you feel it now, don’t you?”

“Feel what?” I quizzed.

“Important. Standing up to my father the way you did? I hate you for playing the hero, but I’ve also never loved you more.”

My eyes welled up with tears. “I do. I do feel it, but all I care about is you… and our baby,” I choked out, tears threatening to spill.

“I never imagined it would happen so fast, but I couldn’t be happier. You’re the only woman I want to bear my children.”

A wave of relief crashed over me as I leaned into him, feeling his warmth and love. “I really did want to tell you first,” I admitted.

Adonis eyed me with a stern yet tender expression as he shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know the first thing about being a good father. What if I’m not strong enough to protect our child? Not fast enough. What if—”

I pressed my hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at me. “There is no one I trust more than you to look after me and this baby, Adonis. No one.”

I held Adonis’s gaze, my thumb tracing the scar on his chest. His vulnerability hit me hard, laying bare the feelings he had to hide around his men. Around my father. This was the man who’d faced down death a hundred times, who’d stood between me and danger without flinching. To see him doubt himself like that fucking hurt.

“Don’t talk about my bodyguard like that,” I said, my voice low and fierce. “You’re the strongest person I know. And I’m not some delicate flower that needs protecting. And yet, you do it anyway. Selflessly. You stand in the line of fire so I don’t have to, and I love you for that.”

Adonis’s eyes widened, and I saw a flicker of something there—a mixture of hope and surprise.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I continued, pressing my lips to his heart. “You and me, we’re a team now. Whatever shit your father or anyone else throws at us, we face it side by side.”

A ghost of a smile touched Adonis’s lips. “You sound like a proper mafia princess now,” he murmured.

I snorted. “Fuck that. I’m my own woman. But I’m choosing to stand with you.”

Adonis’s hand slowly came up, fingers tangling in my hair. The tension in the room shifted, electricity crackling between us. I leaned in, my breath catching as our foreheads touched.

“Xenobia,” he whispered, his voice rough. “I—I love you. You and our baby are my top priority now. I’ll protect you both with every breath left in me,” he promised.

“I love you too.”

Our bond, forged in the heat of battle, felt unbreakable now. As long as we had each other, we could face whatever the world—or the mafia—threw at us.