FIVE

MARWA XAVIER NIXON.

Victoriano met me halfway, challenging me, and I poked my finger into his taut muscled chest, my neck craned up to keep eye contact. My tall frame- compared to his- did nothing to intimidate the unnaturally tall buff fucker.

"WHO.THE.FUCK.DO.YOU.THINK.YOU.ARE.TO.TELL.ME.WHAT.TO.DO?" With each word, I dug my finger into his chest with far more anger than I wanted to show him.

He glared more heatedly down at me but I didn't recoil, I didn't show how much those blue eyes affected my being and made my cunt pulsate with need. Their palpable rage setting my insides on fire.

"Oh fuck, here we go again," Enzo's voice rang in my ear and Dalton laughed quietly my eyes drifted to the opened door as new people walked in to witness the scene he created.

I turned to the fucker facing him with equal heated vigor.

Crouching down till our noses touched, my heartbeat accelerated in anticipation, bloodlust and my intent was anything but good right now.

"You're in my fucking house, Amor. That it means that-" he pointed his finger in my forehead and I fought the urge to bite it off for him, "You, abide by my rules," he whispered with that smirk that made me want to cut him a new one.

His heavy breathing and hard eyes clashed with mine.

He didn't anticipate my next move until my ring-clad fist landed on his face. The satisfactory crunch was heard and my venomous grin was back in place as I shook my hand wondering if his face was made of fucking hard cement.

Victorian grunted and stumbled back wiping the blood leaking from the corner of his now busted lip and bleeding nose.

I arrogantly raised a brow and the scolding words muttered in Arabic did nothing but fuel my anger, the gasps heard in the room made me cross my arms over my chest with a roll of my eyes.

The perverted fucker's eyes drifted there. And he wiped the blood off of his nose to lick the remnants of the coppery red liquid off of his lip not taking his eyes off of my chest.

My disgusted frown clashed with the smug look on his face appearing unbiased with my attack.

"Feisty, just how I like them," he husked but his actions stun me as he came at me. He threw me over his shoulder and I trashed around.

"LET ME FUCKING GO!"

I kicked my legs and flailed as he caught them.

"No, can't do, Amor."

I then remembered that I had my knives with me. My trashing dissolved slightly before I sneakily grabbed a hold of one of them from my bra and twisted my body in a weird position on his wide shoulder.

The sharp blade was to his throat in a millisecond.

"Marwa, No!"

"Mar, stop this nonsense!"

"Dear God, they never learn."

They all moved to break us apart but the fucker just tightened his arms around my legs to an unimaginable extinct, my hiss of pain earned me to press the blade made for sick fuckers like him into his skin more urgently.

A drop of blood coated the blade in my hand with the pressure that I put on his neck, my intention was to rip his carotid artery to rid humanity of his existence.

For once and all.

"Put me the fuck down before I rip this pretty throat of yours," I hissed menacingly and he chuckled.

The asshole chuckled mocking and taunting...me. I had his fucking life in my hands and he fucking laughed!

"I don't want to, what're you going to do about it?" He challenged turning me to straddle him.

Fuck, he was hard. No, like hard, hard as in his fucking cock has brushed up against my tummy when he turned me to face him.

Jesus, what kind of shit is his dumbass on?

I opened my mouth tightening my grip on the sharp Kershaw Emerson knife in my grasp. I head bumped the fucker causing him to lose his grip on me for a second before blood gushed out of his nose, once again.

The shit-eating grin he gave me and the blood that streamed to his white teeth did nothing but make him look anything less of a psychopath.

Masochistic bitch.

I winced as he started pressing his arms against my legs rougher, the yells and protests of our parents and the other people in the room going silent.

Those deep blue eyes exhibited a hint of sadness deep within at my struggles and trashing to be set free but they change to heated, blazing blue like dark skies on a stormy night.

I hated how his eyes bore into me. How they saw me. How they saw the real me. I fucking hated it with a passion.

"STOP THIS SHIT SHOW RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!"

The booming voice caused us both to freeze, my eyes widened for a fraction as Vincentius stood up from his seat abruptly, his brother tensed gripping me tighter.

The powerful but sinfully arousing saunter did something to my insides.

He looked like a leader. An alpha predator. One that would've bent me to his will. One that would've had me on my knees if he asked me to. One that would have my total submission at the slight command.

I clenched my jaw at the intrusive thoughts regarding the blue-eyed God.

Geez, I, so so need to get laid.

"Hermano, put her the fuck down. NOW!" Vincentius growled.

The tense but quiet climate in the huge room rendered it more awkward than it was. And not a word was said as they all froze. A pin would have heard as it dropped.

The fucker set me down.

I shook my head, my eyes straying away from his as his fingers skimmed over my exposed thigh sending shivers up my skin. Those jolts of electric shots turned my core into a fucking furnace.

"Don't fucking touch me," I growled pushing his huge unmoving frame from mine.

"What are we here for?" I questioned as the people around us tried, keyword, tried to act like the giant baboon and I didn't just try to kill each other.

I rubbed my forehead. And the once quiet, outgoing atmosphere changed to a tense, sour one, like it should be when you're with your rivals in a fucking meeting room.

And you can guess whose fault is that.

Not mine.

Enzo and Dalton each took a seat on each side of mine. Victoriano and Vincentius faced us along with their parents, my own mother sending me a troubled look as she took a seat on Enzo's left.

"We are all aware of the current threats surrounding us. Aren't we?"

Gabriel's nonchalance from before turned into one of complete seriousness but I didn't give a single frig as I wiped my blade from his son's filthy blood tucking in my bra.

"Marwa," my mother whisper-hissed causing me to smile sheepishly seeing all of the people in the room staring at me. Or at my chest.

Perverts.

"Sorry, go on. Don't let me stop you," I gestured and Gabriel sighed rubbing his temples to continue with his speech.

Twirling the sliver ring in my middle its beautiful green ruby glinting in the heavy-lit room. My lips upturned slightly remembering how my father had made it for me.

He knew how much of a jewel collecting freak I was and how much I liked rubies. So, he made me this ring, one that would have far more significance than others.

He was the best father anyone could ask for and I was grateful for him. He was. I hated those two words and the way they reminded me that he was gone. Dead.

My lips downturned the longer I thought about my father.

I was far into zoning out, not heeding anything till that last word he said.

"-Deal."

Wait what?

I perked up at the last word I heard, my eyes wide as saucers.

Raising my hand, the two fuckers on each of my sides held back a laugh at the impatient, exasperated look Gabriel sent me.

"Yes, Marwa?" He grunted and my mother sighed knowingly.

"It's Miss Xavier to you. Care to repeat the last thing you said?" I gave him a hard serious look and he looked confused before Vincentius' voice rang out.

"You're moving in with us."

Did he just-?

I chortled out not believing my fucking ears, "Good joke, but I'm leaving," I stood up but I was pulled down by Dalton that had a stern look on his face.

"What?" I rolled my eyes.

"This is about your safety. Sit your ass down," Victoriano muttered and I glared at the fucker with an eye roll.

"Says the man with an 80 million dollar hit on his head," I scoffed, flipping my hair over my head with sass.

"Can't you two, please, be civil for once?" Enzo sighed.

Thing One and I glared at him.

"Nevermind."

"Marwa, this is a serious threat that needs to be taken seriously-" Vincentius gruffed out and I suddenly wished I listened to his father before, "You'll be moving in next week. And that's that." he completed.

"No." my monosyllabic word reverberated through the closed space with a growl and my mother and Althea spoke at the same time.

"You have no choice."

"Marwa, you will do as told and stop being so stubborn."

"I can protect myself, I don't need their protection nor anyone's. I'm not some fucking damsel in distress that needs saving every fucking time," I growled throughout-fully done with this shit.

"Ms. Xavier, for one fucking time in your life, listen and don't argue. We're not caging you. This is a mutual understanding and you, the twins, Enzo would be better if you're all in one place to be protected better," Gabriel said diplomatically.

My skin went hot with anger and I feared that steam might have puffed out of my ears.

"Hon, I don't want to lose you too. I need you safe while I'm away. I know you can protect yourself but this is a serious and highly concerning threat and we're not going to just let you fend for yourself when the shit storm hits," my mother pleaded with a soft tone.

But she wasn't done and the people in the room were interested in our conversation.

"Habibeti, min fadlik. Ahtajoki bi aman la uridi an yantahi biki Al amr mitil abiki, anti kolo ma lady hata law yajibo aalayna an ntsaada maaa aadaina," Mama voiced mournfully, eyes filled with sadness and absolute determination.

(Love, please. I need you safe, I don't want you to end up like your dad, you're all I have and if it means that we have to partner up with our rivals)

She then switched to English, "Then, so be it. Your safety is all that matters to me, my love. And your father would've thought the same, please."

I never was one of those girls that cried too fast nor liked crying for any reason but at the mention of my father. I felt my heart prickle with pain.

And that grief-filled saline brimmed in the corners of my eyes with a vengeance.

I crumbled.

"Okay," with that last word I stormed out.

My hands hadn't stopped shaking as my heavy ragged breathing started echoing through the long hallway and angry, fat tears leaked out.

"Mar, wait up!"

Dalton's voice and footsteps caught up to me. His strong arms hugged me from behind as I frigidly and silently sniffled through the wave of tears and choked sobs raking my form.

"Take me home."

He knew that I didn't like to be asked if I was okay because I truly wasn't near the word okay or fine. With that, he held my hand and we neared the lot where his slick BMW was in.

My skin turned gooseflesh and I felt eyes on me. Dalton got into the driver's seat. My door opened, slightly, and I stood wiping the remnants of my breaking down but not before I caught those eyes.

Those intense blue eyes stared at me. Assessed me. Washed over me from head to toe as if trying to read through me. Break through my strong façade. And diminish all the air around me just to suck me into their depths.

They were like the ocean on an angry, tidally, furious day and I hated how they made me feel. Exposed, fragile and fucking concerned for.

Tipping my head back, I just nodded at him snapping him out of his daze to get into the car with a sigh.

Vincentius watched us leave.