"We don't know," one of the girls finally replied, her voice quivering. "We...we saw him head into the storm." Xaverick felt a cold hand of fear grip his heart. "What?!" he shouted over the cacophony of the storm. "Is he crazy?!" The second maid nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "Yes, sir. He said... he said the mansion could withstand anything. That it was our safest bet." Xaverick's face softened, the anger draining from him like water from a punctured wineskin. "Hay, I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell," he said, rubbing his forehead. The pain from his hangover was a dull throb compared to the fear for Dorian. Despite everything, he hadn't wanted him to come to harm. "But your boss is a fucking idiot."
The maids nodded in silent agreement, their eyes wide with terror as they clung to each other. Xaverick knew he had to find Dorian. The mansion might be strong, but it wasn't invincible. And if Dorian was hurt, Xaverick didn't know if he could live with the guilt. With a heavy sigh, he turned to Sheriff Jenkins. "Sheriff, I'm going out to find Dorian. Make sure everyone's taken care of here." The lawman looked at him with a mix of admiration and concern. "You're a damn fool, Xav," he said, his voice gruff but his eyes soft. "But you always were." Xaverick smirked and stepped out the barn, into the raging maw of the sandstorm. The wind and dust hit him like a freight train, stealing the breath from his lungs. His eyes watered and stung, making it near impossible to see anything but the vague outline of the mansion in the distance. He squinted, his jaw set with determination as he trudged through the shifting sands, the storm's fury seemingly taunting him with every step.
The mansion loomed in the dust, a dark silhouette against the angry sky. It stood tall and proud, a bastion of wealth and secrets amidst the chaos of the desert's wrath. Xaverick's heart raced as he approached, the wind's howl mixing with the beastly growl of his own thoughts. He knew Dorian was in there, and despite his anger and fear, he couldn't leave Dorian to face this alone. The doors to the mansion were shut tight, as if the very house itself was bracing for impact. Xaverick pounded on them with the butt of his gun, the sound muffled by the storm's fury. "Dorian! Open up!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the wind's cacophony. The sand stung his eyes and clung to his clothes, making every movement feel like he was wading through quicksand.
Finally, the doors creaked open, revealing Dorian's silhouette, a candle in hand, casting eerie shadows across his face. He looked surprised to see Xaverick, his expression a mix of fear and something Xaverick couldn't quite place. "What are you doing here?" Dorian yelled, his voice strained by the wind. Xaverick pushed past him, the fury in his eyes burning like the embers of a dying campfire. "You're the one who decided to leave everyone behind!" he roared, his voice hoarse from the sand that had invaded his throat. Dorian's eyes widened, the candlelight flickering in them like a trapped bird. "I had to protect them," he shouted back, his voice carrying over the storm's din. "The town... they're scared of me!"
Xaverick took a step closer, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Look, blockhead," he said, his voice a mix of frustration and something else—concern? "You can't just ignore everyone and hide here!" Dorian's expression was a mask of defiance, his vampiric eyes flashing in the flickering candlelight. "I'm not ignoring anyone," he yelled back, his words sharp as shattered glass. "This house is built to withstand the storm! I've been through worse, believe me!" Xaverick's hand remained firmly on his hip, his jaw clenched as the wind howled around them. "Well, that's just peachy for you," he said, his voice rising above the storm. "But what about the people in town? They're your problem too, now!"
Dorian took a step back, his eyes never leaving Xaverick's. "What do you expect me to do?" he yelled, his voice edged with something that could've been fear. "I can't control the storm!" "You could've brought the people with you, birdbrain!" Xaverick yelled back, crossing his arms over his chest. The wind ripped the words from his mouth, sending them spiraling into the storm like lost souls. Dorian's eyes searched Xaverick's face, a look of dawning horror etched upon his features. "I didn't... I didn't think," he stuttered, the candle in his hand trembling. Xaverick's gaze remained on the mansion's grand entrance, his thoughts a tumult of anger, grief, and disbelief. "Guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from a goat murmurer," he said, his voice thick with sarcasm as he looked away, his brow furrowed."What did you just say?" Dorian's words cut through the storm's rage, his eyes narrowing into slits. Xaverick felt the heat of Dorian's anger, despite the biting cold of the desert sand that whipped around them.
"You heard me, Blackwood," Xaverick shot back, not backing down. The wind was a furious beast, but the anger between them was a more primal force. "You've got the nerve to talk about not thinking when you're the one that brought all this on us!" Dorian's eyes flashed with a hint of the predator that lurked beneath his refined exterior. "I brought this?" he spat, stepping closer, the candle casting eerie shadows across his face. "This is the desert's fury, not mine!"
But Xaverick was already turning away, his shoulders slumped with defeat. "You know what, Dorian," he said, his voice thick with pain. "I shouldn't have come here. You're right, it's none of my business."
Before he could take another step, Dorian's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, spinning him back around. Xaverick's breath caught in his throat as Dorian pinned him against the cold, stone wall, his eyes burning with a fiery intensity that seemed to cut through the storm's darkness. "You think I wanted this?" Dorian demanded, his voice a thunderclap in the quiet hall. "You think I wanted to come to this godforsaken town and deal with your petty squabbles and your irrational fears?"
To be continued
