Claimed by the Soroity Daddy

Chapter 7 : Grabbed in the dark

*Chloe*

The man, who wears a mask to cover his face, suddenly rushed out of basement and took me by the scruff of neck. Then he turned to somebody chasing at his feels, with a ghost smile in his eyes.

My gaze snapped up to the man just behind him. Unlike the masked man, this man kept his face uncovered. A face, it turned out, I recognized. One I was quite familiar with, considering I’d been fantasizing about it for days.

Alexander Cross, Sylvia’s father. I didn’t know why he stood there, but it seemed pretty likely that Alex had something to do with the mask man.

“Back up!” The intruder said, with the other hand holding a knife against my neck, ”Otherwise, you know what will happen.”

I’ve never seen such an anxious expression on Alexander’s face. He is always so calm as an ocean that  people will never expect to see any wave in those depth-filled eyes.

“This thing has nothing to do with her,” His voice is trembling, like a leaf in the wind, “Let her go.”

“Fine, I will,” said the intruder, ”But before that, throw your mobile phone away. ”

I knew why he asked Alexander to do so. He was afraid that Alexander would call the police and stop him from leaving here.

“No!” I shook my head to Alexander, and tried to persuade him, ”Don’t listen to him! Call the police right now!”

I had no idea why the intruder appeared here, but it absolutely was not just an accident. I could not leave any threat to my roommates, and I was also unable to tolerate seeing Alexander got hurt just in front of me.

The intruder was not satisfied with my words, so he smiled nastily and pushed the knife. The sharp blade scratched the skin as easily as scissors cutting through silk. I had a piercing pain and could not help to scream.

“Don’t touch her!”Alexander roared angrily and took out his phone, ”You want this? You get it.”

He threw the phone away forcefully, which landed on the ground next to the shoes of the intruder. The man stepped on the phone and kicked it away. I saw it disappear in the shadow of the corner.

“No!”

“It’s OK.” Alexander tried to comfort me,”It’s all my fault, and I will handle it.”

I almost cried. Did Alexander have any idea what kind of danger he put himself in? Why an intruder dealt with a student, who had to earn tuition for herself? Alexander was the target that people would spend time dealing with!

“Don’t come!” I shouted at Alexander with all my strength and preyed he would listen to me,”Go outside! Call the police with the landline.”

“No!” Alexander and the intruder yelled at the same time.

Before I pressed again, the intruder seized me by the throat so I could not say any word.

“Now turned around and let me look at your back. ” He threatened, ”Don’t try and trick!”

Alexander gave me a soothing smile, then slowly turned around. The intruder released the hand squeezing my throat. Instead, he picked up a vase.

Suddenly I realized what he wanted to do. A huge concern for Alexander’s safe drove me to struggle. Like a hurricane sweeping through my head, at that moment I couldn’t remember anything except to grab the intruder’s hand holding knife, and bite down hard.

“Ouch！”

His screaming alarmed Alexander. Then he turned around and saw what I did. I knew it looked bad but I had no other choice. I could not let him hurt Alexander, even if I had to risk my life.

The intruder was so angry that he almost forgot Alexander just stood nearby. He raised the vase high and tried to hit me with it.

I was so nervous that my heart almost jumped out. I wanted to do something to defend myself, but there seemed to be something wrong with my arms and hands. Blood was pounding in my ears. I saw the vase smashing down like a meteor falling, and I almost could imagine blood splatted everywhere.

I closed my eyes, and heard a silence. It seemed like everything moved in slow motion, because only in that way could a second last as long as a century.

I tried to look, and could not help to widen my eyes the next moment. I saw a strong arm hang the vase, just like a haven blocked the strong wind.

It’s Alexander.

I didn’t know when he rushed over. All I knew was he grab the hand holding knife against my neck and gave a forceful twist. The intruder made a miserable scream like a whistle, and the knife fell to the ground with no suspense.

Alexander pulled me behind him. His muscular arms around my shoulders, which seemed like to block any danger outside. Then he aimed a great blow, and struck the intruder on the head. This is the first time I saw this guy. He nearly killed me with his hand, which looked like eagle claw. I caught a glimpse of a colorful neck tattoo just sticking out of the collar of his shirt. I didn’t even have time to scream before he was gone. I stared after him as the sounds of his footsteps on the stairs echoed down into the basement.

I touched my neck because it felt hurt, and I was not surprised to see a hand of blood. I looked around to find paper tissue so that I could try to stop bleeding and make it not so scary. Alexander seemed to know what I wanted and pressed on the hurt with his handkerchief.

“What the hell was that? Some stupid frat boy stunt?” I breathed, clutching at my racing heart.

I could believe some of the frats on campus would pull something ignorant like a panty raid. I’m about halfway convinced that this was the case, and I could return to the safe and well-lit environment of my bedroom.

“Chloe, I am really sorry.” Alexander looked at me with apologetic tone,”It’s all my fault. I should not get your involved.”

“So can you tell me now what just happened?” I tried to ease the atmosphere.

Alexander didn’t say anything, and just looked down the staircase, which was toward the basement. Suddenly, I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

“You must be kidding me...”

I descended the staircase with no hesitation. Alexander tried to stop me, but I had to know what happened in my house.

I came around the corner, and my mouth flew open. This time, I didn’t suck in a ragged gasp of air. In fact, I found myself unable to breathe at all.

A man lay on the floor, his eyes wide open through the slits in his mask. I didn’t have to check his pulse to know he was dead. His eyes had an unseeing quality to them, and his ungainly position could not have been comfortable for a living person.

I turned to Alexander who was just behind me, and looked at him with an unbelievable expression.

‘Did he just kill a man?’ I thought, still unable to speak.

My eyes went to Alex’s face, then dropped down to the dead man at his feet. Alex looked horrified, maybe even more so than me.

At last, my body ended its fugue. I drew in air deep into my lungs, intent upon letting it back out in the form of a terrified scream.

Alex moved…or should I say, he flowed. His body moved with a sinuous, liquid grace that belied his bulk. In an instant, he crossed the concrete floor separating us. His hand clamped over my mouth while he simultaneously pushed my body against the wall.

“Quiet!” he hissed through clenched teeth. I didn’t detect any anger in him, only desperation. Desperation that I remain silent.

My eyes went wide over his hand, nostrils flaring as I stared up at him. He’d caught me so effortlessly and now held me hard against the wall. I could feel the strength in his hand, and the firmness of his body as he kept me confined against the wall.

Was I afraid? Oh yes, I was terrified. And yet, Alex pinning me to the wall, dictating whether or not I could even speak, carried an electric thrill that shot through me like lightning. I felt my body responding to being so tightly pressed against him.

The smell of his adrenaline-infused fight sweat, the sheer physicality of his thick chest pressing into me, and his wide, fight-aroused pupils meant he was a man on the edge of action.

Alex could have done whatever he wanted to me at that moment, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him.

He licked his lips and swallowed audibly. “Do not scream,” he said in a much calmer tone. “I know this looks bad, but I promise you it’s not what it seems.”

His gaze flicked toward the basement exit. I wondered if he was thinking about the man who escaped. The one with the neck tattoo who had nearly killed me.

And Alexander saved me.

Thought of here, I calmed myself down miraculously.

Alex leaned in close enough that I could smell his minty aftershave.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Chloe,” he said barely above a whisper. “You understand? I won’t hurt you…but I need to make sure you’re quiet. If you’re not going to be quiet, I’ll have to gag you.”

My heart skipped a beat. Would he really take control of me like that? I was still scared, but that part of me that felt turned on by the whole thing only grew more out of control. I’d thought about Alex pinning me just like that, a lot. Our faces were so close we could have kissed…if only his hand wasn’t over my mouth.

“So please, please be quiet so I don’t have to do that, okay?”

His expression changed, and tenderness reigned in his gaze even more than desperation or fear. Was it the softness, or…the affection I saw in his eyes that made me relax more than anything?

I gave as much of a nod as I could with him covering my mouth and pinning me to the basement wall. Alex carefully removed his hand and stepped away, but I knew he could be on me again in an instant if he wished.

I took in a breath of air, and he tensed up like he was going to jump me again. “Hold up,” I said in a shaky but soft voice. “I’m not going to scream, I promise, but…what happened here?”