POV: Fiona
I woke up to the smell of lavender and the warmth of soft sheets wrapping around me. For a moment, I didn't move. I could feel the comfort of the bed beneath me, but the memories came rushing back in full force—Jeremy, his cold eyes, the sharp sting of the needle, and Xavier's voice cutting through the chaos. The images haunted me, making my chest tighten and my breath catch in my throat.
I blinked a few times, trying to clear the haze from my mind, but I couldn't focus. My head felt heavy, my limbs sluggish, like the drugs were still working against me. Slowly, I sat up, but my vision spun. I was dizzy, unsteady. A quiet groan escaped from me before I could stop it, and as if on cue, I saw him.
Xavier.
He was sitting in a chair by the door, his eyes on me, watching carefully. I froze. Not because I was scared of him—I wasn't—but because of how he was looking at me, like he actually cared, like he really wanted to help. That look made something inside me twist, and I hated how vulnerable it made me feel.
"You're awake," Xavier said quietly. His voice was calm but held something deeper, something I couldn't place.
I tried to speak but couldn't find the words. I just stared at him, my mind still trying to catch up to everything that had happened. Finally, I managed to croak out, "Where am I?"
"You're safe," Xavier said, his gaze intense but soothing. "That's all that matters right now."
Safe. The word should've comforted me, but it didn't. I wanted to believe it, but after everything that had happened, it didn't feel real. I was still reeling from the fact that I had been kidnapped, drugged, and almost used for something I didn't even fully understand. And the fact that it was Xavier, of all people, who had come to my rescue made my emotions even more tangled.
"Jeremy…" I whispered, my heart pounding as I remembered him.
"He's in the dungeon," Xavier said, his voice darkening. "He's not coming near you again."
The words should've brought relief, but they didn't. Not fully. I nodded, my chest still tight, my hands still trembling. I wanted to believe him, but a part of me wasn't sure if this was really over.
I glanced down at my hands, noticing the tremors that had taken over them. I hated how weak I felt, how small and helpless. I hadn't been the person who needed saving. I wasn't that girl, but here I was, stuck in this situation, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Xavier stood and walked over to me, though I instinctively pulled away, a reflex that I couldn't control. He stopped short, his expression softening.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Fiona," he said, his voice low and calm.
I flinched at his proximity but then told myself to stop—he wasn't going to hurt me. He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"Why are you even here?" I whispered. "Why did you come for me?"
He hesitated for a moment, but then his face hardened with something almost protective, though there was an undercurrent of something else, something more complicated. "Because I couldn't let anything happen to you."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just stared at him, trying to make sense of it all.
The silence stretched between us until Xavier broke it. "You don't need to be afraid anymore, Fiona. I won't let anything hurt you again."
His words were meant to reassure me, but all I could think about was how I had been hurt, how I had been used. I wanted to tell him that it wasn't that simple, that it wasn't just about safety, but I couldn't find the strength.
He must have seen something in my eyes because he nodded and sat down in the chair beside the bed. His movements were controlled, but his gaze never left me, like he was waiting for me to speak, waiting for me to say what I needed to say.
"I don't want to be weak anymore," I whispered, not sure why I said it.
Xavier's brow furrowed. "You're not weak, Fiona."
"But I was," I muttered, almost to myself. "I couldn't even defend myself. I couldn't stop him. I didn't even see it coming."
Xavier leaned forward slightly, his eyes hardening with something close to anger, but it wasn't directed at me—it was directed at Jeremy. "It wasn't your fault. You're not weak. No one should have to go through what you did."
I wanted to believe him, really I did. But the truth was, I had been weak. I had let myself get caught, let myself get tangled in something I couldn't get out of. The shame was suffocating.
Before I could say anything else, Xavier spoke again, his voice softer this time. "You're stronger than you think, Fiona. You don't need to prove anything to me."
I bit my lip, feeling like I didn't even know who I was anymore.
There was a long pause before I finally whispered, "I want to learn how to defend myself. I want to learn how to fight."
Xavier didn't hesitate. "I'll teach you."
The words were simple, but they hit me harder than I expected. He was willing to help me, willing to make sure I didn't feel helpless again. But that's exactly what I was—I was helpless. I didn't want to be. I didn't want to need anyone.
"Okay," I said, the word barely escaping my throat.
"Okay," Xavier repeated, his tone steady. He gave me a small, encouraging smile, though I could see the worry still lingering in his eyes. He stood up and began to walk toward the door. "Get some rest. We'll start training when you're ready."
I nodded, though I wasn't sure when I'd be ready.
****
The next time I woke up, the room was darker, and the air felt thick with tension. I turned my head to find Xavier still sitting in the chair, watching me with a careful, unreadable expression. He hadn't left, hadn't moved. It was like he was waiting for something, waiting for me to say something.
"How long have you been here?" I asked, my voice rough from sleep.
"Long enough," Xavier replied. His eyes flickered briefly to the window, then back to me.
"I don't want to keep feeling like this," I said, finally voicing the turmoil that had been spinning inside me. "Like I'm trapped."
Xavier stood up and walked over to me, his presence filling the room. "You're not trapped. Not anymore."
"I don't know what's real anymore," I admitted, my voice cracking.
Xavier didn't respond at first. Instead, he just looked at me, his gaze piercing but not unkind. Then, finally, he said, "You don't have to figure it all out right now. We'll take it one step at a time."
I wanted to believe him, but a small part of me wasn't sure if that was enough.
Just as I was about to speak, the door burst open with a loud crash, and Leon hurried into the room, his face pale.
"What is it?" Xavier demanded, standing up straight, his whole body tense.
"Jeremy's gone," Leon said, his voice tight. "He escaped."
My heart stopped.
Xavier's eyes went cold, a storm brewing in them. "What do you mean he escaped?"
"He had help," Leon continued. "He didn't do it alone. He's coming back for her."
I froze, my blood running cold. "He's coming back?" I repeated, my voice barely a whisper.
Xavier's face darkened. "He won't get the chance. Not again."
But even as he said the words, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were far from over.