62 After The Attack
Mara
Lucian was still tense about the attack, and honestly, so was I. I couldn’t believe we survived. The goddess must be preserving us for a reason, because those men had every opportunity to end us. They didn’t. That alone felt like a miracle.
Lucian’s anger was justified. I knew using a cab was his way of staying unpredictable-his quiet attempt to keep us safe. Still, the weight of what could’ve happened lingered.
When Darian came to see me, I was cautious. Not because I feared him, but because I knew Lucian didn’t like it when I got
too close to his brother. Even though he had let him in, I knew boundaries mattered. And Darian… he made it hard to keep
those lines clear.
He approached slowly, the usual confidence gone from his step. His eyes were red, his expression strained.
“Mara,” he said softly.
I looked at him, unsure how to respond.
“I was scared,” he linked, his mental voice cracking like his composure. He knelt before me and took my hands. “Are you
okay?”
His concern was real, but all I could think was: Why now?
Why not when I was still free-before everything?
He held my hands a little too tightly, then whispered, “Don’t die on me, Mara. We may not be together, but you still hold my
life in your hands.”
I didn’t breathe until Lucian cleared his throat behind him.
Darian stepped back, and the moment was gone.
They spoke after that-quiet but serious. I could tell Lucian was filling him in. What surprised me was how open Lucian
was with him. I had thought Darian was the wedge between us, but maybe I was the wedge between them.
When Darian left, Lucian returned to me, and I said nothing. We climbed into bed and let sleep take what exhaustion
hadn’t already stolen.
I woke up to the scent of eggs and something warm and buttery on the dresser nearby. A breakfast tray sat waiting.
Lucian was beside me, shirtless, his laptop balanced on his thighs, brows furrowed in concentration.
“Breakfast?” I asked, voice still husky with sleep.
He looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Mara.”
I flushed, realizing I hadn’t returned the greeting. He leaned down to kiss me, and I let him-reluctantly, because I hadn’t
brushed yet.
He chuckled against my mouth. “Still not a fan of morning breath kisses, huh?”
I narrowed my eyes, trying not to laugh. “It’s unhygienic.”
“I think it’s love.”
He sat up again, nodding toward the tray. “Father spared us the misery of another family breakfast.”
I beamed. “Bless the man. I hate those breakfasts.”
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62 Anes The Attack
“They’re a minefield,” he agreed.
I stretched, slowly easing my body upright. “So… we’re not going to the office today?”
Lucian shook his head. “No. I told Mary to send everything here. I’ll work from home from now on-at least until we make progress on the investigation.”
I frowned, a little surprised.
He glanced at me, already reading my mind. “It’s not fear, Mara. It’s caution. And there’s another reason.”
He paused, his tone shifting from serious to amused. “Your heat’s due soon.”
I stilled.
Lucian grinned like a wolf with a secret. “I don’t want you out there when it hits. I can’t be chasing off every horny i***t in
the city.”
I rolled my eyes, but he wasn’t done.
“I’ve never been with a woman in heat before,” he said, tilting his head. “You’ll be my first. And I can’t lie-I’m a little
excited.”
I laughed, but inwardly, I was nervous. First heats were no joke. Five days of uncontrollable waves of desire. Lucian and I were already intense together, but this would be something else. Something not entirely fun.
Not when it becomes a need.
Not when you can’t turn it off.
Lucian caught the hesitation in my silence.
“Don’t worry, Mara,” he said gently, sliding the laptop aside and leaning closer. “I’m not just going to endure it. I’m going to
make it worth it-for both of us. I’ll turn five days of madness into five days of magic.”
His eyes held promise-and hunger.
I smiled, even though I was still anxious.
Because if anyone could make me forget the chaos around us, it was Lucian.
I got up and headed for the bathroom. After washing up, I changed into a cropped t-shirt and white lace hipsters. I’d
noticed Lucian liked them-really liked them-and today, I wanted to tease him a little.
With no plans to go out, I had energy to burn. Between the adrenaline crash, healing, and hours of sleep, I was wide awake
and restless. And the best way to burn energy with Lucian? Was exactly the way we both wanted.
He was still on the bed, laptop in his lap, jaw set in concentration. His eyes flicked up as I walked past him.
“Mara…” he groaned.
“I need to work.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I said sweetly, grabbing a croissant from the breakfast tray like I was completely innocent.
I bit into it. Buttery, flaky, warm-it tasted better than it ever had. Probably because I wasn’t sitting through one of those
toxic family breakfasts. Honestly, Alpha Vander should cancel those. If we kept going like that, there’d be no Nighthorn family left to save.
Lucian looked up again.
“Turn around for me.”
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52 After The Attack
I obeyed slowly, letting him take in the view.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, voice low and thick with heat.
I picked up the juice and took a sip, holding his gaze the whole time.
He closed the laptop without a word, set it aside, and walked toward me. My pulse jumped. I could already feel the anticipation gathering low in my belly.
He took the glass from my hand and set it down gently, then leaned in and kissed his mark on my neck-slow, lingering.
“I’m glad we’re alive, Mara,” he whispered.
“I am too,” I breathed, and meant it with everything in me.
He backed me slowly against the wall, his hand sliding down my body until it slipped into the front of my panties. I gasped softly, heat shooting through me.
He nibbled gently on my earlobe, and my knees threatened to give out..
I wasn’t sure if we were about to make love or burn the rest of the day away in each other.
Either way, I was ready.
“Stand,” he ordered, voice low and full of heat.
I took a shaky breath. “Lucian…”
He kissed the mark on my neck-his mark-lingering there as if it anchored him.
“I want to show you just how grateful I am to be alive,” he murmured against my skin. “And to have you, here with me.”
Then he sucked gently at the mark, and I closed my eyes, already trembling.
His fingers slipped lower, rubbing that sensitive bundle of nerves like he knew exactly what to do with me-which, by now, he did. My knees threatened to give out.
“I went cold turkey for two days, Mara,” he whispered, lips brushing my ear. “I need my fix.”
The truth was, so did I. My skin ached for him, for the connection only he could give me. I reached out and ran my hands over the hard lines of his chest, feeling the way his muscles flexed beneath my fingertips. He was carved, controlled, and
all mine.
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