The Beast

Chapter 5

Xavier's POV
It had been three years. Three years since the first time I had seen her. Three years since I had first looked into her sweet chocolate coloured eyes, seen the way the air flew through her soft looking chocolate waves. I had secretly been watching over her, getting my people to check in on her every few weeks.

Sometimes even being pathetic enough to just happen to go to the cafe in the hopes she would be there. I had never acted this way for anyone, but she wasn't just anyone, one glance and it was clear that she was special. Something extraordinary, and so very far from reach.

She was the only one I would ever act this way for, she made me want to be a better man and over the years I had tried to be, just so I could be closer to being worthy of her. I would never truly deserve her but I couldn't help myself. All along I knew that soon a day would come that I'd go barging into her life like the selfish man I was. She was like a breath of fresh air, made of the sweetest of ironies. Seemingly so delightfully cold, yet comfortably warm.

I yearned for her to show me the light, to maybe even bring me out of the darkness I was surrounded in. I'd set myself a timer, and it was nearly up now. I threw myself my own little party by allowing myself to indulge in my pathetic desires and check in on her myself today.

I sat in a meeting with one of our most important clients which I had conveniently set in a restaurant near where the only party in the small town and consequently she would be. Her friends had dragged her to a party and I was on the verge of pulling my hair out at the idea of her getting hurt while attending.

Parties like that were full of danger, drunk boys, spiked drinks and glass bottles held by drunk people. Boys pining to dance and surely I wasn't the only one who saw how beautiful she was. I knew my angel didn't like parties she was probably bored out of her mind and how I wished I was the one she called in that state, but I was comforted by the thought that perhaps one day I would be.

Perhaps one day I would be apart of her life, for now I could only get a glance at from afar if I happened to stumble across her. Although my eyes would seek her out always and everywhere, we didn't particularly participate in the same events, or speak to mutual people. As tempting as it was I couldn't intrude on her privacy as to follow her around, but I was forced by my own beastly nature to ensure she was at the very least safe. To keep it strictly that way I hired others, to check in on her, others who would keep it very professional.

I got a call from one of my men telling me Raine had left the party alone and was heading for the cafe. Only serving to worsen my panicky state. I quickly wrapped up the meeting and left getting into my car and breaking nearly all traffic laws on my way to the cafe.

I sat in my car which was parked far away from the cafe waiting for her to come out so I could see her safely go to her home. She walked out and I felt my breath catch in my throat. She was absolutely breathtaking in her little black dress. She always looked beautiful but tonight she looked breathtaking, one glance at her and I had forgotten what purpose oxygen served in the human body. How I longed to be by her side, to be the one who's arm she clung to if she ever stumbled, her inability to walk on straight surfaces without falling was both endearing and another reason for me to feel as if she needed me, to always be there to catch her.

But no matter how I indulged myself I'd always know an angel didn't need a beast, it was the truth that I couldn't hide from. The  light doesn't need to be submerged in darkness, the dark should always only hover, never to engulf. But how difficult it was to not take her into my arms to not take her for myself to hold the angel captive for myself, away from the world, the patience it that it took, a beast did not have.

She walked towards her car completely lost in her own world, her big chocolate eyes trained on the street before her, as if the world around her didn't matter, it's cruelty unable to touch her, and I'd make sure of it.

Her delicate hands reached towards the purse that hung off of her dainty shoulders. So completely entranced by even the slightest of things she did, I nearly didn't notice the burly figure that came up behind her. I wasn't a devoted follower of the one above but at that moment I prayed for him to simply walk past her. My chest rumbled with anger as he came up close behind her his dirty hands clamping onto her. A hand coming to cover her red mouth as another clamped onto her waist, my own hands nearly ripping my car door off in my haste to get to Raine.

My heart beat frantically in my chest as my legs pumped faster than they ever had before. The muscles contracting near painfully as I pushed myself to animalistic limits closing the distance between us as fast as I could. A growl ripped from within me as I watched her struggle to get away from him, my vision blurring as I watched him whisper something into her ear.

I came up behind them ripping the man away from her, and my heart constricted when I saw Raine panting for air, she had a weaker heart than the normal person. It beat more times then the average person per minute and any type of fear or exertion didn't help her case. Her big chocolate eyes were wide, a heart wrenching fear displayed clearly in them.

A rage built within my chest and I grabbed the man from his battered collar pulling back my fist, before letting it collide with a very satisfying crunch to his nose. A primal urge to protect being fulfilled making me want to growl out my satisfaction. I let my senses take over me as I mauled his dirty face with my fists, keeping a tight hold on his collar not letting him slip out of my grasp even as his struggle began to die down. My goal was to kill, kill the thing that tried to diminish the bright light, the one that tried to hurt my Raine, and kill him I would.

The pants coming from Raine got more urgent before starting to slow down and slowly my brain started to refocus, my priorities becoming straight again. I turned towards her to see her rock backwards on her feet, her little nose scrunching as she tried to stay awake. She was about to collapse,my heart stopped in my chest as I watched her body begin to fall backwards and without having to think about it I was there to catch her. My arms wrapped around her waist as I crushed her soft cold form to my chest, her eyelids slowly beginning to flutter to a close.

"You're safe amica mea." I whispered to her softly as her eyes completely closed and she went limp in my arms. I hoisted her into a more comfortable position, holding her little form close to me to warm her body up, to be able to feel that she was really here. That she was alright, she was safe in my arms.

I let my eyes trail over her delicate facial features, indulging my desire to see her so up close and finally be able to observe the little things that added up created Raine. Like the way her lashes brushed against the soft creamy skin of her cheeks, her dainty slightly reddened nose, the tantalizing red mouth parted slightly in her peaceful state. I made my way to my car, setting her in carefully, brushing her chocolate coloured waves out of her face. The man unconscious on the street no longer on my mind. I kept my eyes trained on the beauty that lay on my car seat so as to not go back and end the man who'd dare to touch her in a harmful way. Who'd dared to frighten her, who'd dared to touch her without her consent, who'd dared to hurt what was mine.