Prey

Chapter 30

Doe's POV:

Xander stood in front of the window, staring.

I could see the deep maroon moon from where I sat on the bed, both of us just waiting until the effects finally kicked in.

Even when we did this the first time, he insisted that I sat here, directly on the spot where he slept every single night.

I didn't question it, especially since it beat being pinned to the floor or wall whenever Layla had me.

My knees drew closer to my chest and I leaned forward to hug them, turning my head towards the vampire before resting against my knees.

He'd been motionless and nearly silent for almost 30 minutes now, his shoulders squared rigidly.

The only thing I could hear was his forced deep and rhythmic breaths.

Trying to keep his cool until the effects began their takeover on his body

Though try as he might, there were still things that were blatantly giving him away.

The flex and relaxation of the claws at his sides, for one thing.

My head slowly lifted as his next long exhale came with a tremor.

It was starting.

That thought became confirmed promptly.

His following breath came out with a quiet and drawn-out, "Okay," I guess to help psych himself up.

I don't know how much it helped, judging by the clawed hands that reached back to grab his shirt.

He pulled it off with a swift tug, discarding it onto the window sill only inches in front of him.

With the bloodmoon came wings. Wings that will shred through anything in their path once they get released.

His head hung low, hands running a path through his hair and stopping at the base of his neck.

The controlled breathing began again.

He tries to get this done as quickly as possible but has explained to me that the effects have to be at a certain point before he can take care of it.

With just the beginning of it now showing, I could only guess that it would only be a few minutes before that time would come.

I released my own drawn-out exhale. straightening one of my legs and setting my arms behind me for support.

There still wasn't any kind of nervousness churning through me.

Not yet at least.

I kept my gaze on him, now with the lack of a shirt, kept me examining the pale skin on his back.

The tension he held now showed more than ever, from his broad shoulders down to his relatively slimmer waist, the taught indents were visible.

I eyed over the scene before me, comparing it to the first blood moon I'd had with him.

He'd changed a lot, physically, over the time that I've known him, and I could only assume that it was just an extra grab for Layla's attention.

But you'd think that if that was the case, he'd actually show it off.

That he'd actually allow it to be seen, instead of keeping it behind the long-sleeved, and more often than not, loose-fitting clothes.

The same type of clothes ended up on him no matter the weather, despite the very wide variety I knew he had in his closet.