Choosing Theo: The Clecanian Series Book 1 Victoria Aveline (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📖

Jade stepped to the side of Xoris so she could keep Theo in sight. Theo was fuming, his glare fixed on the back of Xoris’ head. If looks could kill.

“How are you, Xoris?” she asked politely.

“I’m well,” he said in an unusually raspy voice.

Curious to the change in his tone, Jade glanced at Xoris and noticed that he was surveying her body.

“You look very beautiful tonight.” He said this more as a statement to himself then a compliment to her.

“Thank you,” she said, slowly crossing her arms in front of her body. Something about his gaze made her skin crawl.

“I was quite surprised when I heard your choice of husband,” he said, looking in her eyes again. “Theo is rather…jarring to most.”

“Not to me,” she countered.

As though she hadn’t spoken, he continued, “It’s his mixed blood, you see. His mother was Traxian. It causes him to be erratic.”

Xoris looked like he had a very bitter taste in his mouth when he talked about Theo’s “mixed blood.” Was he racist? Or a bigot? Did he have something against Theo?

Stepping closer to her, his eyes grew heated. “I intend to court you, Jade. You deserve an honorable man. Not an animal.” He ran his cold palm up her bare arm, and she recoiled.

She heard a low, dangerous growl from behind Xoris and knew who it belonged to.

“He isn’t an animal. He’s my husband, and I intend to stay with him for good.” She began laughing. “Did you think you could lure me away from him?”

Xoris looked enraged by her laughter. He grabbed her painfully by the nape of her neck, bringing his mouth close to her ear. “He’s Traxian filth, and soon you’ll realize you’ll be better off with me.”

Xoris was wrenched free in an instant. She saw his body fly across the room. Theo stood in front of her, his eyes black and his fists clenched.

Chapter 33

The whole room had gone silent. Everyone watched Theo now, their eyes wide. Some glanced down at his clutched hands; others were exchanging hushed whispers.

Xoris struggled to stand, his normally smoothed back hair disheveled. “You’ll pay for that!”

Theo grabbed Jade by the arm and pulled her along as he made his way to the exit. He knew he held her too tightly, was probably hurting her, but he needed to get her out of here.

“Theo! Stop!” Asivva yelled from behind him.

Jade let out a sharp cry of pain when he increased his pace, all but dragging her with him.

Outraged yells started up behind him, but he couldn’t distinguish them. His ears were ringing, and his only purpose was to remove his female from that male’s presence.

Xoris had touched her! Clutched her to him! What had pushed him over the edge was her smiling, laughing face.

He loaded her into an available cruiser, set the controls to transport them at the fastest speed and then sat back, trying to regain some composure.

“Theo?” Jade whispered. She reached out to touch him. “Are you okay?”

He gnashed his teeth. “Do not touch me!”

She jumped back, and the scent of her fear washed over him. “What’s wrong?” she asked shakily.

“Wrong?” he bellowed. “Wrong?”

She shrank back further into her seat. Away from him.

“You were smiling and laughing with Xoris! You let him touch you!”

Understanding lit her features. “Theo, no—”

“You did it within plain view of me! Don’t lie!”

Her mouth snapped shut, but he saw her temper flare.

“You’re mine, Jade! You won’t talk to another male again.”

“Excuse me?” she said in a deadly calm tone. “You cannot tell me who I can and cannot talk to.”

He lunged forward and fell to his knees in front of her, boxing her in with his arms. Pinching her chin and forcing her gaze to remain on his, he said, “Oh, yes I can. You’ll be staying with me, Jade, and I’ll make sure you never so much as set your eyes on another male ever again. I’ll lock you away if I have to.”

She tried to break free, but he held her firmly. “That is absolutely not going to happen! Let go of me, Theo!” Her hands began clawing at his. When he didn’t budge, she shot them out to scratch at his face.

He caught her hands and secured them in one of his own.

She glared at him. “This isn’t you.”

His head felt like it was in a fog. Was she right?

Theo tried to shake his mind clear, but fury and lust roiled within him. He crushed her mouth to his in a punishing kiss. Instead of returning his kiss, she squirmed under him and bit him.

He drew back, licking away the trickle of blood oozing from his injured lip.

“No,” she said sternly.

He leaned toward her and nuzzled her neck more gently this time. “I need to feel you, Jade,” he rasped desperately.

Her breathing became labored, and he knew he was having an effect on her. “No,” she repeated. “Not until you pull yourself out of this.”

The vehicle came to a stop. Jade tugged at her hands in his grip. “I’m going to go up to my room now. Alone,” she said slowly. “And you’re going to go for a run or something and work off this mood.”

He needed her right now. Needed to hear her feminine voice moan his name. He kissed a spot on her neck he knew was particularly sensitive.

He growled against her skin when he scented her arousal. Still, she tugged at her hands.

Breathlessly she said, “Theo, I said no.”

Pulling back, he looked into her resolute eyes. She’d told him he could touch her unless she said no. She was saying no now. If he pushed her, took her against her will, even when she was aroused, would she ever forgive him? He sensed she wouldn’t.

He released her hands and she scooted by him, leaving him alone.

Gripping his head in his hands, he willed himself to calm. Why did he feel like this? The rage was overwhelming.

Jade’s mind was clearer than his at the moment. He decided to