Page 6

Xenobia

T he gunshots tore through my dreams, jolting me into a waking nightmare. I bolted upright, heart hammering against my ribs. Darkness pressed in, suffocating. I was disoriented as I listened to the pop, pop, pop outside. Where was I? What was happening? Reality quickly crashed over me in sickening waves. I was in my room, in my father’s mansion, and someone was attacking us.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I hissed, fumbling for the lamp. My fingers trembled, knocking it to the floor with a crash that made me flinch with fear.

Fuck the light. I had to see what was going on.

I crawled over to the window, ducking low as I yanked back the heavy curtains wide enough to peep through. The garden below erupted in chaos. Muzzle flashes lit up the night like deadly fireflies. Dark figures darted between shadows, locked in a lethal dance of destruction and survival.

And there, in the thick of it all, was Adonis. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him, eyes stuck like glue. He moved with deadly grace, barking orders to his team even as he returned fire. He was always in control, even when the world was falling apart around him. Part of me wanted to curl up and hide under the bed like a scared little girl. But a more prominent part couldn’t look away. This was my world—it had always been my world, even if I’d been sheltered or too defiant to accept the truth. The violence. The danger. The constant threat hanging over us all.

“Dammit, Donny,” I whispered, pressing my palm against the cool glass. “Please be careful.”

My scars itched, a phantom reminder of the last time our enemies had come for us. I’d survived then. We’d survive now. We had to. Another explosion rocked the night. I stumbled back from the window, my heart lodged in my throat. This was bad… really fucking bad.

“What the fuck do I do?” I muttered, forgetting every safety protocol Adonis had gone over with me so many times it was practically baked into my brain. “What am I supposed to do?”

Stay put and hide like a good little mafia princess? Or grab the gun he’d placed in my nightstand drawer and join the fight? I raced back to the window, eyes once again searching for Adonis until I found him. He was a force of nature, all coiled strength, and lethal precision. The way he moved, it was like he could predict where the bullets would fly before they even left the chamber. I’d seen men twice his size crumble under less pressure, but Adonis? He was crafted from something more brutal.

“Shit,” I breathed out, my nails digging into the windowsill.

Part of me wanted to scream at him to get to safety—to stop being so damn heroic. But I knew better. This was who he was—The Guardian, the shield against the darkness my father had hired to watch over me. My heart raced with fear and something I didn’t want to name. Couldn’t name. If I put a name to it, everything would change. But watching him out there, risking everything to keep me safe… it stirred something in me I couldn’t overlook.

“Panic room,” I muttered, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. “I have to get to the panic room.”

I found myself at my bedroom door, reaching for the handle, my body moving before my brain could catch up.

The night exploded into a symphony of violence. Gunshots cracked through the air like thunder. Each blast sent a jolt through my body. My breath came in ragged gasps as I crept down the grand staircase, my bare feet silent on the cold marble. All I had to do was make it to the panic room.

Boom. Boom. Boom. The rhythm of death pulsed in my veins.

I pressed myself against the wall, peeking around the corner. The garden was still a war zone. Muzzle flashes lit up the darkness like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

“Two on your six!” Adonis’s baritone voice cut through the chaos, sharp and clear.

I inched closer to the door leading out to the garden, my eyes finding him instantly. He’d moved from the statue, now crouched behind an overturned table. Even in the madness, he was a rock, steady and unshakeable.

“Copy that,” one of his men growled, pivoting smoothly to eliminate the threats.

I should’ve been terrified. I should’ve run to the panic room as intended and barricaded myself behind the door or hid under the covers like when I was a kid. But watching Adonis command my father’s team and seeing their absolute trust in him was all too breathtaking to miss.

“Wow,” I whispered in awe.

Adonis’s head snapped toward me as if on command, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. “Xenobia! What the fuck? Get to the panic room. Now!”

But I was rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the lethal dance unfolding before me. The air crackled with tension, thick enough to choke on. “I—”

“I said move!” Adonis snarled, his voice carrying a ferocious bite I’d never heard before. It sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat as I saw the change come over him. His eyes hardened, becoming chips of ice in the darkness. When he spoke again, it wasn’t to me.

“Flank left,” he commanded, his tone allowing no argument. “We end this shit. Now.”

The gunfire faded, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Adonis as he stalked through the garden, his movements predatory and precise as he took in the carnage.

“Secure the fuckin’ perimeter,” he barked, his voice unnaturally calm. “Dispose of the bodies. I want this place spotless.”

My stomach churned. Bodies. Plural. How many people had just died outside my window? Adonis’s men moved with grim efficiency, dragging lifeless forms into the shadows. I caught glimpses of blood-stained grass under the moonlight and heard the soft thud of dead weight being loaded into unmarked vans. It should’ve horrified me. Instead, a vile fascination took hold. This was my reality, stripped of its golden facade. Raw. Brutal. Real.

The commotion of my father’s voice through the speakerphone drew my attention. “What in the fuck—” he roared.

“Toussaint,” Adonis answered simply, wiping blood from his knuckles. “They’ve gotten bold.”

My father morphed into rage. “So soon? We were still negotiating terms over an agreement.”

I snorted. Agreements. As if those mean anything in our world.

Adonis’s jaw tightened. “With all due respect, Don, agreements can be broken. Your daughter’s safety is my priority.”

“Your priority?” my father spat. “My home is a fucking war zone again!”

I tensed, waiting for Adonis to snap back. But he stood there, taking Daddy’s anger through the receiver without flinching. His loyalty was disturbing. It made me want to scream, to shake him until he showed some goddamn emotion.

“We’ll finish this conversation tomorrow, Adonis. I’m flying back into New York in the morning,” my father announced before ending the call.

I slowly retreated to my room, the taste of copper on my tongue. I knew sleep wouldn’t come easy after everything that transpired. I heard the heavy tread of footsteps coming up the stairs behind me. My heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to break free. I knew those steps. Adonis. I backpedaled from the door. Part of me wanted to hide, but I couldn’t look away.

The door creaked open, and there he was. Adonis looked like he’d been to hell and back. His shirt was ripped with dark stains that I knew weren’t oil splattered across the fabric. A nasty gash ran above his beard along his cheekbone, still oozing blood.

“Xenobia,” he said, his voice rough. “Are you alright?”

I couldn’t speak. My throat felt like it was closing up. All I could do was stare at him, this man who’d just killed Lord knows how many people for me. To keep me safe. My protector. The one person in this fucked-up world who made me feel… everything.

“I’m… you’re hurt,” I finally choked out.

Adonis’s lips twitched in what might’ve been a smile on anyone else. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.”

I wanted to laugh. Nothing? He looked like a walking nightmare. But underneath the blood and the bruises, his eyes were the same. Steady. Intense. Fixed on me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. My body moved before my brain had the chance to catch up. One second, I was frozen; the next, my hand was hovering inches from his face. I wanted to touch him, to make sure he was real, to feel his skin under my fingertips and know that he was alive.

His shoulder was inches from my lips, his skin a temptation I could no longer resist. I sighed, wanting him to take me but afraid he’d turn me down. Would finding out he didn’t want me hurt more than the overwhelming longing that filled me? I reminded myself I had to be careful. But we almost died tonight. I couldn’t let the moment pass by. Could I?

“Xenobia,” Adonis said again, softer, almost like a warning.

I should’ve stepped back. I should’ve remembered all the reasons why it was wrong. Instead, I met his gaze, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

“Thank you,” I whispered, “for keeping me safe.”

Underneath the moonlight shining through the room, I felt his gaze like a physical touch, igniting my skin where it lingered. The air between us crackled with tension. I could see the muscle in Adonis’s jaw working as he clenched his teeth. Fighting for control. Always in control. I’d never wanted to break that control so bad in my life. To see what lay beneath the surface of The Guardian, the perfect, emotionless soldier. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I stood there, trembling, caught between fear and something far more dangerous until I couldn’t take it anymore. The tension, the fear, the fucking longing that’d been eating me up inside for years. I threw my arms around Adonis, pressing my face into his blood-stained chest. He stiffened for a second, and then his arms came up, wrapping around me tight.

“I thought—” My voice cracked. “I thought they might’ve killed you.”

Adonis’s hand came up to cradle the back of my head. “It’ll take more than that to get rid of me, Nobi.”

I pulled back just enough to look at him. His face was so close I could see every tiny scar, every line of worry etched into his skin. “Don’t call me that.”

“What should I call you then?”

My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode. “Yours,” I whispered, letting the word hang between us—an invitation, a challenge.

The brush of my lips against the smooth skin of his cheek felt like the first drop of rain after a drought, soothing yet not nearly enough. For a second, neither of us moved. The faint scent of his cologne mixed with something undeniably male made my head spin.

“Adonis,” I whispered again, softer this time, like a plea laced with the raw edge of need.

Would he continue to torment us both with his stillness, or would he finally give in to the desire I knew we both felt? My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a drumroll of anticipation for the moment he decided to end the pretense and take what we both craved.

“Fuck, Xenobia. You’re going to fuckin’ kill me.”

His low growl vibrated through the darkness, stirring something primal within me as the weight of his hard body slid against mine. It sent a jolt of electricity through every nerve ending, sparking alive areas I had only dared explore alone since he left.

Then Adonis’s lips crashed into mine, hungry and desperate. It was a deep and consuming kiss that eclipsed every fantasy I’d conjured from the forbidden pages of books I’d devoured in the library. I pushed my body into his, kissing him back with the same intensity as my fingers dug into his broad shoulders. They were a landscape of taut muscle beneath my fingertips, a testament to the strength that had always protected me.

It was wrong. So fucking wrong. But at that moment, I didn’t care. All I knew was the taste of him, the feel of his hands on my skin as he lifted me, pressing me against the wall.

“We shouldn’t.” Adonis growled against my neck, even as his hands slid under the hem of my satin pajama shorts.

His voice was strained with a restraint that seemed to crackle and fray with each passing second. I refused to let that restraint hold us back, not tonight. Not when every breath could be our last.

“I don’t care.” I gasped, wrapping my legs around his waist. “I need you. Please, Adonis.”

He groaned, his forehead resting against mine. “If your father finds out—”

“He won’t,” I promised, though we both knew it was a lie. “Just for tonight. Just us. When he’s back tomorrow, we can go back to hating each other.”

Adonis’s nightmarishly dark eyes met mine, brooding and intense. Then he kissed me again, and all the darkness in the world fell away. My hands roamed over him, memorizing the hard planes of his chest and the heat radiating from his brown skin. I traced the line of his neck, the curve of his full lips, pulling him back to mine with a desire that bordered on desperation.

“Mmm.”

A groan tore from his throat as he surrendered, his mouth crashing against mine with an intensity that spoke of pent-up longing and raw need. Our kiss was a dance of tongues and teeth, a mingling of breaths that blurred the lines between protector and protected, between right and wrong.

He stumbled forward until we hit the bed, and my back crashed against the sheets. He slipped my satin tank top over my head, leaving me sprawled out in my satin shorts before he pulled off his ripped shirt. His eyes darkened as the belt of his slacks clicked, and his pants slid off. His dick was just as big as I remembered, and it made my mouth water.

Adonis had been my first lover, the man who’d taught me sins of the flesh existed and then abruptly ended it all. But I was a grown woman now and wanted him in ways I couldn’t even begin to understand back then.

“Make me yours again. Even if it’s just for tonight.” I whispered as he descended on me, his lips punishing mine.

His touch was rough, though not unwelcomed, as he ripped my shorts off and tossed them to the floor. At that moment, I knew I had him. The man who had stood by my side, distant yet always within reach, was now as lost in the tempest of passion as I was. We were two souls caught on the edge of madness—wild, reckless, and utterly free.

Adonis’s lips left mine, trailing a path of fire down my neck, pausing to brand his claim on the sensitive flesh where my pulse beat wildly. I arched into him as he continued his descent, each kiss, each nibble sending jolts of electricity through my veins. When he finally nestled between my thighs, the heat of his breath teased over my skin, and I couldn’t suppress the shiver that wracked my body.

“Mmm, shit,” I whimpered, anticipation coiling tight within the pit of my stomach.

“Shh, just feel.” He murmured against the trembling tenderness of my inner thigh.

My body jerked forward, my spine bowing off the bed as his tongue touched my raw flesh, right where I was most exposed—most needy. It was both a discovery and a homecoming. His mouth moved with an expertise that contradicted the emotionless mask he wore daily.

He didn’t stop, his lips suckling, pulling sensations from me I didn’t know were possible. When two fingers slipped inside, stretching and filling me, I cried out, gripping the sheets for dear life. My world narrowed down to the relentless pleasure he drew from me, the way he worshiped me with his mouth, the steady thrust of his hand. It was too much and not enough all at once.

“Fuck, Adonis, I’m…” The words broke off into a gasp as another wave of pleasure crashed over me, leaving me drenched in its wake.

My thighs trembled as he snaked up my body, his movements predatory yet achingly tender. His eyes locked onto mine, dark with lust and something fiercer, something that said he knew exactly what he was about to take and give.

“Are you sure?” he rasped, poised at my entrance.

“Please,” I whispered, not caring about anything but the need to have him fill the aching emptiness deep inside me.

He didn’t ask for any more permission; he just took me, burying himself deep inside me with a low growl that made my toes curl. His thick erection stretched me in a delicious way, one that made my skin crawl from the tension and pleasure. He groaned as he snapped back and pushed forward. I locked my legs around his waist, urging him deeper. He began to move, his hips rolling in a rhythm that felt as ancient as time. Each thrust nudged me closer to oblivion, his body a perfect counterpoint to my own.

“God, yes.” I panted, meeting him thrust for thrust.

“Fuck.” Adonis panted as his hips moved even faster. “You feel so fuckin’ good, Xenobia.”

He loomed over me, a silent promise etched into every line of his face. As we moved together, I realized that this was more than physical. This was surrender, acceptance. We were two halves of a whole, dancing on the edge of forever.

Adonis’s movements stilled, and he hovered above me, eyes searching mine for an answer to a question he hadn’t asked. The raw need in his gaze was something I’d never seen before, something that told me the man who had always been a fortress was now laying himself bare.

“I’ve always wanted you, Nobi. Always,” he confessed through a rough whisper, his lips brushing mine with every word.

The intensity of his admission sent shivers racing down my spine. “I’ve always wanted you too.”

His breath fanned hot against my skin as he leaned in closer. “Take me, baby. Fuck me. Move with—me,” he commanded as his voice broke.

Something primal within me ignited. His plea sent a thrill that spiraled through my veins. I arched my back to meet his thrusts, desperate for more. I couldn’t get enough of him. His hands caressed my C-cup breasts, squeezing them roughly as he continued to pound into me. Pain and pleasure swirled together, an intoxicating mix that stole my breath.

“Harder,” I whimpered, pressing my nails into his back. “Don’t stop, Adonis. Fuck this pussy harder. I can take it.”

Adonis obliged, shattering my name between gritted teeth as he pounded into me mercilessly. The world narrowed to the intensity in his eyes, a stormy color that seemed to pull me deeper into the tempest of our passion. Our hands roamed with reckless abandon, mapping the landscape of once-claimed territory, his rough palms igniting fire trails on my skin, my fingers tangling in his dark curls, reeling him closer.

My hips rose to meet his, matching the urgent rhythm he set. Each movement was a discovery, each connection a revelation. The sensation of him filling me completely stole my breath away. It was more than physical. It was elemental.

Sensation after sensation coursed through me until I couldn’t take it any longer.

“Donny,” I whispered, voice trembling as pleasure built, coiling tight within me.

His heavy gaze never left mine, even as his movements grew more urgent, our bodies moving together in a rhythm that sent us both higher. I felt the rush of my release approaching like a wave ready to crash over us, and I clung to him, desperate to stay connected to him and only him.

“Fuck! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! I’m about t-to—”

My breath caught in my throat as my orgasm hit me hard, carrying me over the edge together.

“Nobi,” he groaned, his voice strained as if he was fighting battles only he could see. Then, as I shattered around him, he succumbed to his own climax, joining me in the exquisite oblivion.

He pulsed within me, each throb making me his in a way that words never could. We were entwined, hearts syncing, breaths mingling, a perfect union of chaos and calm. His lips moved down my neck, biting and sucking, marking me as his possession. We lay there for a moment, panting and spent, and then Adonis pulled out and collapsed next to me on the bed. He was still hard, his dick leaking cum onto the sheets beneath us.

As our breathing slowed, he kissed me softly, a tender contrast to the fervor that had just consumed us. His lips were a soothing balm to the raw energy that still buzzed beneath my skin. He pulled me into the curve of his body, our limbs still entangled, his presence an unspoken vow of protection. The tension between us had always been there, simmering just below the surface. Now that it had boiled over, I wasn’t sure how we’d ever return to normal or if I ever wanted to.

Adonis picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bathroom. The shower hissed to life, steam billowing around us after a few minutes as he pulled me under the hot spray.

I winced. “Ouch!”

“Shit, sorry,” Adonis muttered, adjusting the temperature.

His hands were gentler, so different from the fierce warrior I’d seen earlier. He grabbed a washcloth, carefully cleaning my body from head to toe as if he were in my servitude.

“I’m fine,” I insisted, but my voice shook. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving me shaky and raw. “You were the one who was actually fighting. I should be catering to you.”

Adonis’s lips quirked into a half-smile before he looked down at his arms. “Trust me, Nobi. I’ve had worse.”

I wanted to tell him not to call me that again, but the word sounded different now. Softer. Almost like a caress. We didn’t speak much after that, letting the water wash away the night’s horrors. I traced the scars on Adonis’s hard, tatted chest, wondering how many times he’d nearly died protecting my family, protecting me.

“What the hell are we doing?” I whispered finally, resting my forehead against his shoulder.

Adonis’s arms tightened around me. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I can’t stay away from you anymore, Xenobia. Even if it fuckin’ kills me.”

The water ran cold, but I shivered for a different reason. Reality started creeping back in as we stepped out, wrapping ourselves in towels.

“They’ll try again,” I said, staring at our reflections in the foggy mirror. “The Toussaints. They won’t stop until—”

“I know,” Adonis acknowledged, his voice hard. “But I won’t let them hurt you. I put that on everything I love.”

I turned to face him, my heart aching. “And who’s going to protect you?”

He didn’t answer; he pulled me close and kissed me softly. But as I clung to him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were living on borrowed time. How long could we keep this up before everything crashed around us? I closed my eyes, trying to memorize every detail of the moment. Because deep down, I knew the truth. In our world, there were no happy endings.

We made our way back to the bed, and I lay there with my leg draped over his hips. Adonis kissed me again. The kiss was different—deeper, hungrier as if he wanted to memorize the taste of me. He was ready to lose himself in me again, to chase the dawn with the heat of our bodies. And I couldn’t wait to feel his dick nested inside me again. It was where he belonged.

Adonis was a dangerous man. A protector. His body was a shield, his loyalty unbreakable, and it was all for me. At that stolen moment, I knew he was mine unconditionally and indefinitely. No matter what my father might think or what consequences awaited us when dawn broke, Adonis was mine. Always.

“Again,” was all I managed to utter, the word a breathless invitation.

“Again,” he affirmed, his lips curving against mine in a promise.

Why the fuck not? If death were waiting beyond the mansion walls, we’d at least go out with a bang.