Xavier: (Indestructible) (16 page)

“Good morning.” His deep baritone voice echoed through the
otherwise empty hall.

“Good mornin’, sir.” The older woman came toward him. As she
continued smiling, he couldn’t help but note the gaping hole where her two
front teeth should have been. The guileless joy on her face made him smile back
at her.

“I’m Janet, this old fart’s wife.” She reached out and shook
his hand.

The manager snorted at her description of him.

“You shouldn’t have come out in dis,” Janet scolded. “Dis storm
is now bordering on a Category 4 hurricane.”

“We needed food and light,” Xavier told her.

“Oh, my Raymond can get dat for ya. Ain’t like he doing
anyting.”

“Well, since you’re here, I can give you this basket Janet
prepared for you.” Raymond seemed relieved to hand him a large basket. “This
should last you for today. I will bring more tonight so you can have a hot
dinner.”

“Thank you.” Xavier was impressed that the frail-looking
Raymond could lift such a heavy basket. The couple had to be fairly old, but
they appeared very fit and strong.

“By the way, they found y’all pilot.” Raymond continued
speaking as he turned to gather two oil lanterns.

“The pilot? Where is he?” Xavier was now more alert. He would
love to question the bastard.

Raymond shook his head. “The wind took him south side, and he
landed in some trees. The police bringing him here when the storm pass.”

“Where is he now?” Xavier wasn’t about to take the storm as an
obstacle to a determined killer.

“They set up a shelter in the church hall in Fresh Creek.”

“How far away is that?” Xavier wanted to know.

Raymond laughed. “In this storm and the number of holes in the
road, it would take hours to get there.”

“Let me know as soon as the pilot gets here.”

“No problem,” Raymond said cheerfully.

“Y’all survival is all over the news,” Janet offered. “God
works in mysterious ways. In all my seventy-six years, I have never seen the
like.”

Xavier wasn’t feeling so blessed. He was too busy looking at
their temporary shelter for security weaknesses. Qin would know to look for
them, and Xavier was still uncertain as to where the pilot came into this. The
Triads were not known to contract out their work, and he was fairly certain Qin
hadn’t wanted Cassandra dead.

Hours later Cassandra stepped out of the bathroom after a cold
shower. Wearing only a towel secured at her breasts, she walked into the lantern-lit
bedroom. Xavier was still sitting in the same armchair in the corner of the
room where she had left him. He had been pensive ever since he’d returned to
the room.

The storm continued raging outside, sometimes with harrowing
intensity. Although she had lived through numerous hurricanes, the sound of the
constant whipping of the winds—
woo
,
woo
,
woo
—was still
unsettling. The inky darkness from the sheets of rain outside, and the
occasional loud sounds of trees uprooting or crashing through nearby structures,
made for a disturbing experience. No electricity. No communication. No hope
that it would end any time soon. All combined to send apprehensive shivers up
her spine. She doubted that this was what was on Xavier’s mind however.

“What’s going on? And don’t tell me nothing because I can see
that something’s bothering you.”

Xavier blanked his expression and twisted his lips in a smile.
“The storm seems to be intensifying.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “I told you don’t try that. I know
this storm doesn’t bother you. So spill it. What did you find out when you went
out there?’

He sighed. “I need you to stay with me always.”

“Why?” She was getting impatient with his cryptic attitude.

He stood and came slowly toward her.

Cassandra took a step back for every step forward Xavier took
toward her. “You’re not going to distract me, X. So stop right there.”

“I’m not trying to distract you. In fact, I think I’m the one
being distracted.” He smiled at her again, and this time the humor sparkled in
his eyes. “I miss you,” he said softly.

“We’ve been sequestered in this room for hours. How could you
possibly miss me?”

He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his
arms. “Let me clarify.” He trailed his lips down her cheek and the side of her
neck. “My python misses his nesting place.” He nibbled her lower lip and
reached beneath her towel to palm her naked ass, pulling her closer to him. The
rough material of his jeans scraped against the sensitive skin of her inner
thighs.

Although she saw through his diversion tactic, Cassandra melted
under the onslaught of sensations assailing her. Giving into her need to touch
him, she tenderly nibbled his lower lip.

He accepted her light caresses at first but seemed to get
impatient and covered her mouth with his in a ravenous kiss. He lifted her off
her feet to give him better access. She wrapped her arms around his neck and
her legs around his lean waist, clutching him tight against her feverish skin.

She moaned as he deepened the kiss. She rubbed the throbbing
flesh of her clit against his chiseled stomach and quivered at the jolt of
piercing lust craning through her. He backed her against the wall and slipped
his hand between them to unclasp his jeans. Her head fell against the wall as
he thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth and he slid his cock up into her
dripping heat.

The feel of his thick length scraping against her inner walls made
her keen over and over again with each swivel of his hips. He showed no mercy,
holding nothing back as drilled up into her. Gone was the gentle lover of the
night before. Today, he was demanding, unrelenting, and didn’t hesitate to bury
every inch of his impressive length deep within her. Tears leaked from her eyes
at the piercing sensations flowing like electricity through her body.

He released her lips, allowing both of them much-needed air,
and trailed his lips down her neck and to the top of her creamy breast. He bent
his head and pulled the hard tip of her breast into his warm mouth. Cassandra
screamed as he drove hard and deep into her. She clung to him, screeching in
pleasure-pain, as it felt as though he was lodged in her lower stomach.

He switched to the other breast, sucking the other nipple deep
into his mouth.

She gripped his head, holding him to her breast.

His fingers tightened on the cheeks of her ass, separating them
as he slowed his hips, driving up slow, angling his hard cock to abrade against
her clit and hit her G-spot mercilessly.

Cassandra lost all reason, her senses reeling with exquisite
sensation. She screamed, climaxing for endless seconds into a mindless void of pleasure.

Xavier held her with effortless strength as he rode through her
orgasm, forcing her into another release as his seed burst from him, flooding
her womb.

Much later, when they reclined naked on the bed, listening to
the vicious wind and rain still pummeling the island, they talked and ate. He
asked her about school and about her plans to play in the WNBA.

Cassandra started laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” He turned her in his arms so she could
see his frown.

It took her a moment to sober, and then she grinned, unable to
ignore the humor in their situation.  He seemed puzzled by her laughter. “I
can’t believe that you’re now remembering my future plans when, at the rate
we’re going, they are definitely in serious jeopardy of changing.”

His frown persisted. He wasn’t getting what she was hinting at.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but we’ve been making love at every
opportunity since we’ve gotten here.”

“Yes, I thought that I wasn’t alone in wanting to make love.
You don’t want us to be lovers?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes at his growing anger at just the
thought of her not wanting to be his lover. “I’m not saying that at all. My
point is that my plans for my future haven’t changed. I’m going back to college
in a few weeks and hope to be drafted next summer. Nothing has changed there.”
She held his gaze, ensuring that he understood how resolute she was in this.

“Yes, I know. And I support that.” He nodded solemnly.

She grinned suddenly. “I just assumed that your nonchalant
attitude toward birth control had to do with you wanting to become a stay-at-home
dad,” she teased.

Xavier didn’t return her smile.

“What is it?” she asked, losing the smile on her lips really quick.

“I don’t think you understand how I feel about you, Cass.
You’re still talking about your future in the singular. Even our fictional
child has a single dad.” While they had been talking, he had been moving farther
away from her. Ever since the plane crash and they’d been in the same room, he
had maintained contact with her, even if it was only to sit close enough to her
so that their skin touched. Now he held himself coldly away from her, not
touching any part of her body. “I thought things between us were settled.”

“I don’t think that’s fair, X.” She closed the distance between
them and held his rough palm in hers. “I love you, but I don’t feel that I have
the right to plan for you too. We’ve just met, and I feel that sometimes I
expect too much, too fast. I don’t want to make any assumptions about us.”

He pulled his hand out of her reach.

Her heart started beating fast with fear, wondering if she had
pushed him too far.

Xavier picked up his phone from the bedside table. He spent
some time trying to find what he was looking for. “I’m the last person you
should doubt about feelings for you. Perhaps I’m not great with words, but this
song conveys where I am with you.” He activated the phone, and soon the room
filled with music.

At first she was shocked that he even knew such a tender song
or listened to this type of music. The smooth baritone of the male vocalist sent
shivers through her body and brought goose bumps to the surface of her skin. And
then she heard the lyrics and was overwhelmed; her eyes glistened with joy. The
song was “For You” by Kenny Lattimore. It was a solemn promise of love and commitment.

As the song continued to play, she was overwhelmed by the
tender message and tears obscuring her vision. Xavier couldn’t ignore her
distress. He folded her against the hard wall of his chest, enveloping her in
his masculine warmth, soothing her as nothing else could. By the time the last
note was sung, her face and his chest were drenched. He took the edge of the
sheet and gently dried up her tears. Cupping her cheeks, he held her still to
receive his soft kiss. He released her lips a few moments later.

“Do you understand now?” he whispered.

She nodded, still too choked with emotion to speak.

“You made me believe in love. I’ve never felt like this before,
Cass.” His voice suddenly cracked, and he had to clear his throat.

That momentary glimpse of his vulnerability made her love him
even more.

“I promise to love you always,” he continued hoarsely. “Can you
promise me forever?”

“Oh God,” she sobbed and pressed her lips close to his. “I love
you, X. Of course yes, I promise you forever,” she whispered against his lips
and kissed him tenderly to seal her vow.

He took over the kiss, but she would have none of it. She
pushed him to his back, picked up his belt from where he had thrown it on the
floor, and secured his hands with the belt to the headboard. She climbed back
onto the bed and proceeded to kiss, lick, suck, and nibble, showing him with
infinite tenderness how much she returned his love. Only when he was spent and
listless beneath her did she crawl to lie on top of him, her long hair draping
around them like a thick fragrant curtain as she slowly joined their bodies. 

Xavier woke with his skin tingling in alarm. Cassandra’s slender
limbs were draped over him. He slowly and gently rolled from beneath her, not
wanting to wake her. It was still the middle of the night, but the wind and the
rain had completely stilled, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Xavier sensed an ominous presence nearby. As he came more fully
awake, he even smelt the presence.
Yes, the African pilot is close, too
close. This time I’m ready for his ass!
Now that he had become more familiar
to the small room, Xavier very quickly located his jeans, pulled them on, slid
on his boots, and palmed his gun and knife. He had only a limited amount of
bullets, so he had to be economical about the use of his gun.

He carefully lifted a sleeping Cassandra from the bed, covers,
pillow, and all. She snuggled against him and slept blissfully on. Easing open
the bathroom door, he took her inside and slowly lowered her into the bathtub,
making sure she was comfortable before leaving the room again.

Xavier silently moved across the room and pressed his back
against the wall by the door, knowing already that the African stood right
outside of it. He could smell him and could also hear his anxious breathing. He
very slowly slid the lock open and turned the doorknob. He wasn’t worried about
the other man seeing the knob moving; it was too dark for that. With the
element of surprise on his side, he swung the door open and kicked the African
in the middle of his chest.

The African stumbled back into the courtyard but remained on
his feet.

There was only enough light to see the other man’s silhouette.

“Did Qin send you?” Xavier asked.

“I work for no one,” the African wheezed out, still trying to
recover from the brutal kick to his chest.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“You survived a drop from the sky,” the African stated instead
of answering Xavier’s question.

“You don’t sound surprised,” Xavier said calmly, and now Neo’s
warning was coming back to him. Was this the guy tracking them? He eased away
from the door of their bedroom and moved deeper into the shadows.

“I’m not surprised. You and your friend Neo have been on our
radar for a few years. We had to wait until you both stopped playing soldier.”
The African started toward him.

“Waiting for what?” Suddenly Xavier wanted to know more about
his unnatural state, but then he was aware that curiosity might just get him
and Cassandra killed. For this man to know so much about him and Neo, it was
possible that he could also be like them. Xavier moved again, this time going
into the courtyard and standing behind a large tree that had fallen in the
storm.

The African laughed; there was no humor in it. “We have waited
to remove your inferior births from this world. You are a half-breed, not
worthy of our ancestor’s gift!”

Xavier saw the weapon seconds before the African pulled the
trigger. He barely avoided being shot by the high-powered weapon.

“I know a normal bullet won’t kill you, but have you been hit
by Teflon bullets?” the African asked silkily.

Xavier had learned his lesson and didn’t answer him. From his
new location, he watched the African move toward the fallen tree.

“You and Neo should not have made it out of your cribs. But
don’t worry, my brother will take care of him just as I will take care of you,”
the African said coolly. “But I’m interested, Xavier, how did your woman
survive? I get you were lucky to avoid the water, but your woman should have
died.”

I’m not wasting a bullet on this ass. For even the thought
of killing Cass, he needs to feel my blade.
Xavier picked up a stone and
threw it across the courtyard away from him. The African immediately fired into
that corner. Xavier launched toward the African, driving him to the ground and
knocking the gun from his hand.

The African hissed and pushed him away with surprising
strength.

Xavier bounced to his feet, and so did the African. The African
charged him and drove his fist into Xavier’s stomach. Xavier barely flinched
before bashing his fist into the other man’s nose. The fight was on. Xavier
learned very quickly that the other man was a skilled fighter. He was dealing
with an expert in sambo. The African had obviously trained with the Russians
and had excelled.
It’s a good thing that I’m better.

For long minutes, both men went through a vicious series of
punches, kicks, head-butts, and strikes. While Xavier admired the man’s skills,
he knew that he was the better fighter and could end the fight anytime he
wanted, but he wanted the bastard to suffer. His years as US Special Forces and
as a DEA agent had honed his skills in traditional Japanese Jujutsu, Russian sambo,
and some not so traditional street fighting. With his eyes adjusting to the
night light, he could now clearly see his opponent. He was enjoying this little
scrimmage just a little too much.

“You are much better than when I saw you a few years ago,” the
African observed with obvious apprehension in his voice.

This sucker has been watching me. Where the fuck were my
instincts
? Xavier didn’t acknowledge the observation but knew that the
other man was right. Tonight he felt invincible, lighter on his feet, stronger,
and his senses were more alert. He pivoted out of a nasty blow and instead
delivered a roundhouse kick to the African’s head. The other man hit the ground
hard.

When he got back up, he had a brutal-looking knife in his palm.
“It’s the woman! She has given you something to live for. She is your queen and
has enhanced your ability.” The African launched at him with the knife, trying
to slice the blade across his throat.

Xavier wanted to snort at the man’s fancifulness.
If he
wants to believe such drivel, I couldn’t care less.
Moving with fluid
agility, Xavier swerved backward, bending his knees until the back of his head
almost touched the ground, and smoothly avoided the blade to his throat.

“After I’m finished with you, I’m going to teach your little queen
what it means to be with a real black man,” the African taunted.

“Wait, who said I would be interested in your black behind?”
Cassandra’s voice came out of nowhere, surprising Xavier.

Xavier forced himself to not react.
Shit, I have to end
this!
Xavier wasn’t about to get distracted by Cassandra. He barely glanced
in her direction to make sure she was out of harm’s way.

The African wasn’t so lucky however. He had immediately looked
in Cassandra’s direction and seemed to be mesmerized by her wild appearance.
Xavier used that brief moment of inattention to bury his knife in the other
man’s throat.

Blood immediately gushed from the wound.

Xavier jumped back, not wanting the other man’s blood on his
only pair of pants.

The African thrashed on the ground, the whites of his eyes
clearly visible as he stared up at Xavier in shock.

Xavier smiled grimly. “I bet you didn’t know that we could die
like that, uh? If we can drown in water, we can sure as hell drown in our own
blood.”

The African fought the inevitable, but moments later, he
stopped moving and stopped breathing. He was dead.

Xavier glanced at Cassandra, who stood looking down at the
African in stunned silence. “What the hell are you doing out of our room?” He
was pissed that she had seen the monster in him.
How can she still love me
after that?

She raised her head and gazed up at him, the horror of what
she’d just witnessed evident in the stiffness of her body and her voice. “I
couldn’t see all of it, but you were amazing.”

“You shouldn’t have come out here,” he muttered but was
relieved she wasn’t repelled by him.

“You’re kidding right? I heard a gunshot. Did you really expect
me to ignore it and go back to sleep?”

“I put you in the bathtub. You shouldn’t have been able to hear
anything.”

Cassandra snorted and started back to the room. “Don’t you
think you should check out that pilot’s ID? I, for one, would like to know who
will be coming after our sons.”

Just the thought of her swollen with his son short-circuited
his brain for a brief moment. It gave her time to re-enter their room and close
the door behind her with her head held high. He shook his head at her cool in
the face of the recent violent scene. She continued to surprise him with her
strength on dealing with the varied dangerous situations that they found
themselves in.

Xavier searched the African for information. By the time the
wind and rain started again, he had removed the body from the courtyard and
dragged it deep into the forest behind the hotel.

Xavier returned to the room to find Cassandra in the shower.
With the adrenaline of the fight still pulsing in his veins, he needed her
under him in the worse way. He entered the shower and took the soapy sponge
from her. He stood behind her, running the sponge over her breasts, her stomach,
and between her legs.

“Since I’m your queen, does that make you my king?” she teased.

He dropped the sponge, trailed his lips down her back, and
slipped his fingers into her folds. “I’m no king.” He gently nipped her skin
with his teeth, her shoulder and her back. “But you are a queen, my beautiful,
amazing queen.” He bent her over and cocked her hips toward him. He kissed her
lower back, biting and sucking her soft skin, and he sank his teeth into the cheeks
of her ass.

“X?” she whimpered.

“I’ve got you, baby.” Xavier smoothly slipped into her heat. He
braced his legs apart, gripped her ass, and powered into her.

***

By noon the next day, the altercation with the African behind
them, Xavier and Cassandra were able to leave their bedroom and walk around the
area between the small airport and the hotel.

“I’m shocked by the state of this island,” Cassandra told the
hotel manager as they entered the lobby of the hotel following their walk. “The
destruction is beyond anything I’ve ever seen before. Trees are toppled where
they stand and sometimes into nearby buildings. The electrical light poles are
down everywhere. I don’t think I saw one that was still standing.”

“I have never seen anything like this either,” Raymond agreed
sadly. “This came with no warning, so we didn’t have time to plan
appropriately. The storm wasn’t supposed to come this way.”

“It looks as though the airport is completely flooded. Even the
paved roads and the runway are uprooted. It’s as if a bomb has exploded on the
island to create this scene.” Xavier frowned, puzzled by the level of desolation
everywhere.

“It doesn’t look as though the airport will be operational for
at least two days,” Raymond told them.  “The meteorological department said
that there were probably a number of tornadoes in the storm. Hurricanes here
normally don’t occur like this.”

“When do you expect the electricity and telephones to be back
on-line?” Xavier asked.

“Well, you should have cell phone use before the day is out.
But electricity and landlines may take another day or two,” Raymond advised.

As Raymond predicted, Xavier was able to call Neo by late
afternoon.

Xavier: “What transportation can you send to get us out of
here?”

Neo: “Dominic is reaching out to the US military base in Andros
to pick you up. We were just waiting to make contact with you to find out where
you were. Can you be ready in an hour?”

Xavier: “Sure. I don’t trust that that bastard Qin won’t send
someone here, despite the transportation challenge.”

Xavier glanced across the room at Cassandra, who was lounging
on the bed gazing back at him. She was listening to his side of the
conversation with avid attention.
I won’t let that bastard near her!

Neo: “Yeah, that’s our concern as well. That guy is seriously
sick. I will tell you about it once you get here.”

Xavier: “Okay, thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I also have
to tell you about our African pilot.”

Neo: “Damn, I was hoping we were wrong in being suspicious of
the bastard.”

Xavier: “No, we were spot-on. Unfortunately, he wasn’t working
alone. You need to be careful. Apparently he was supposed to kill me while
there’s another who will come after you.”

Neo: “So this is about our brotherhood?”

Xavier: “Yes, be on your guard.”

Neo: “Always.”

“So are we getting out of here tonight?” Cassandra asked as
soon as he hung up from Neo.

“Yeah, our ride is coming in the next hour.”

“Good, I feel like we’re sitting ducks for Qin and his men.
There’s something irrational about his pursuit of us.”

“I agree.” Xavier nodded. “From here on out, I don’t want you
out of my sight. Stay close to me until we can get rid of Qin and his men.”

“While I agree with you, you and I both know that that’s impossible.
We don’t know how long this will take, and there’s no way you can watch over me
twenty-four-seven.”

“We can damn try,” Xavier muttered. “Gather everything you wish
to take with you and be ready to leave shortly. I’m going to settle our bill
and advise Raymond that we’re leaving.”

“Yes, sir.” She saluted him as he left the room.

Cassandra started packing their meager belongings in a plastic
bag the hotel manager had provided. Less than five minutes later, a knock
sounded at the door of the hotel room. She looked up, puzzled why Xavier would
knock on their door. She looked at the gun sitting on the bedside table that Xavier
had confiscated from the African. When the knock came again, she quickly
grabbed the gun and turned toward the door just as Dylan came barreling through
the door. Her emotions immediately went into overdrive on seeing him, at first
shocked, then happy, and then suspicious.

Dylan used her moment of indecision to grab her.