Page 30 of Semi-Fallen

Lucien didn’t feel the need to tell her he was millennia older than her and certainly not a boy by any stretch of the imagination. “Can you help us find it?”

She scowled at him like he’d just pissed on her shoes. “Of course I can. The damn place shines brighter than the sun. I don’t know how everyone else can miss it. I can spell the location into your subconscious mind so that all you have to do to get there is think of it. But there’s the matter of my payment to consider first.”

“We’ll pay anything you want,” Hunter said without hesitation. “Money is no object.”

The gleam in her eye clearly said money was not the kind of payment she had in mind. “That’s good,” she practically cooed. “Because there is something I’m in need of.”

CHAPTER 16

When they got back to Vampire Council headquarters two hours later, a slightly disheveled Hunter grabbed two fistfuls of Lucien’s T-shirt and hissed, “We never speak of that again.”

Lucien merely nodded, because he had no desire to ever remember Celeste making Hunter narrate an erotica book to her book club. He would pretend he’d never seen how handsy some of the ladies had gotten. He supposed they should both feel blessed Celeste’s request had been fairly tame and not…way worse. He shuddered.

Hunter let him go with one last stern look that promised hellfire and retribution if anyone found out about their adventure that evening and turned to head into the compound.

Lucien cleared his throat. “The location isn’t all we’ll need to get into the records room. We’ll probably need Harper’s help.”

Hunter waved him off. “Fine. But not tonight. I need sleep and the world’s hottest shower. Tomorrow. Meet me at Section 8 this time tomorrow.”

Lucien nodded his agreement, but before he could leave, Hunter stopped him. “I saw it, you know,” the vampire said quietly.

“Saw what?”

“What you didn’t want Celeste to see. Why you think Lane is special.”

Fuck.

He’d let his guard down and forgotten that Hunter could read minds as well. When he’d allowed Celeste to read his intentions, Hunter had gotten a free glimpse into his mind without Lucien even realizing he’d been there. “It doesn’t change anything.”

Hunter raised a brow at him. “You thinking my daughter is your fated mate doesn’t change anything for you? How does that work exactly?”

Lucien shoved a hand through his hair. “Fate isn’t inevitable. Mates can be rejected.”

“So, your intention is to reject fate?”

Why did everyone have to say it like that? “Well…yes.”

For the first time in their acquaintance, Hunter looked at him like he felt sorry for him instead of like he wanted to break him into little pieces. Then he left him standing alone on the porch, but only after muttering, “What an idiot.”

Yeah. He’d heard that a lot lately.

* * *

“You need a what to do what now?”

Lucien rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. He had no idea why this was so difficult to understand…and explain. “Only the pure of heart and body can open the door to where the heavenly records for this dimension are kept.”

As Harper and her whole team stared at him like he’d sprouted a third eyeball, he realized just how much he was really starting to hate this conference room and everyone in it.

Well, except for Lane, who seemed to sense his tension and laid a hand on his bicep.

It felt way better than it should have.

Benny glanced over at Harper and shrugged. “Body, huh? Yeah, I’m out.”

Seven blinked at him. “We’re all out if ‘pure of body’ means what I think it means.”

All eyes turned to Lane, who glared back at them before signing, We’re all just going to pretend no one asked me if I was a virgin at work.

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