Prey

Chapter 26

Xander's POV:

She didn't speak to me for the rest of the night, or for what's already passed of this morning.

Not that I could blame her. In fact, this wasn't the first time this has happened.

Every once in a while she just needs a break, and she doesn't need to voice it for me to figure it out.

I could just sense it in the way that she'd solely keep to one side of the room, avoiding any kind of eye contact.

It was different than when she'd avoid me just out of anger or annoyance.

If that were the case, you'd be able to see her thoughts in her eyes.

I'd be able to smell the frustration on her.

This was different.

With this, there was no readable emotion that I could discern from her, just a far-away look in her eyes.

I tried my best to hold back that thing in my brain that made me want to understand everything.

I knew she didn't appreciate it when I delved further into her than what she was willing to show with the senses that she didn't have.

With all that she needed a break from, there was no doubt in my mind that I was included.

And even though our current living situation didn't allow me to fully give that to her, I tried my best to make it work.

I'd have her meals brought up here and set them on the coffee table for her to grab whenever she was ready

With the work that I still needed to get done, it kept me from procrastinating... Or at least kept me from moving from this chair more often than I should.

I'd keep out of her space, and stayed out of her way whenever she needed to momentarily come into mine.

It was a process we'd fine-tuned throughout the months she's had to deal with me.

She usually came out of it within a day or two, although with the blood moon approaching within the week, I hoped she'd be out of it sooner rather than later.

I blew out a quiet sigh, forcing myself to focus back on the file that I had barely touched in the past two hours.

Just two days ago I was doing so much better at keeping my focus on what I needed to do, but that all fled, my thoughts being overtaken so much easier now with all of the current events.

What I did to Khloe, why Nico wasn't even acknowledging it, and how Doe ended up taking a part of the blame.

How all of this ended up being so much more of a mess than I had intended.

My elbows found the top of the tables before my face planted itself within my hands, that thought alone infuriating the already existing sting in my chest.

Part of me just wished that this guilt would eat me alive at this point, or rather that Nico would come and finish me off himself.

Instead of getting at it through Doe.

I turned my head just a bit, straining my eyes to try to sneak a glimpse of her without her noticing.

She sat still at the window sill, her eyes still holding that far away look.

It was hard to see with her head lolled to the side away from me to view the outdoors, knees bent with one crossed over the other, and her hands intertwined at her stomach.

Even so, I could still see the darkened skin from the bruise on her jaw, more visible now than the one on her neck.

The sting jumped to my throat this time.