Page 72 of King of the Unsightly

The atmosphere was off, or maybe Lucien was off. I mean, why would he say something so ...unsettling?

I gulped at the realization of what he meant.

I eyed Lucien, slightly guarded. “Leave your fetishes for your next girlfriend.” I squinted and scanned him over again; his eyes were more animated than before. “Are you on drugs? Honestly, I thought I would be the one more likely to be tripping, but who knows.” I shrugged, and I sank more into the couch to evade his touch. “Maybe you’re testing the waters.”

Lucien traced his fingertips on my knee and I retreated inward, but he snatched my waist and pulled me close.

My stomach lurched, and I wanted to vomit or pass out. God, why did I feel this way?And why couldn’t I remember anything?

The side of Lucien’s body was firmly pressed against mine as his head rested on my shoulder. “Why are you so nervous? Testing the water is only natural after all,” he murmured into my neck.

His voice was smooth and seductive as he ran a hand down my spine. With the other one, he pinched my cheeks and turned my head to face him.

I froze from shock.

From how forward Lucien was.

From how his body mashed against mine and how close our lips were to touching.

Each breath he took tickled my skin and sent gooseflesh down my body.

Lucien didn’t sound like himself. He was as dense as a rock. Hewouldnever ... not after all these years.

“You’re ... this isn’t like you.”

“How so?” Lucien let go of my cheeks and nuzzled his nose into my neck.

His soft lips brushed against my skin, but it felt rough and devoid of any real tenderness.

Chills rose all over my body as I tried to push Lucien back. “This isn’t right,” I said, a little more assertively.

The pounding on the door amplified with my throbbing temple as if they were in sync—both lashing out at me.

Lucien dug his nails into my back, and I cried out in pain as they punctured my skin. The warmth of the blood soaking my shirt quickly turned cold. I slammed my hands hard against his chest, desperate to push him off.

I lifted my chin and met his glowing eyes.

“How inconsiderate of you ... even when I have been so attentive.” Lucien’s voice was laced with so much hostility as he squeezed his nails deeper into my ribs.

The pain spread through my body as if he dipped his nails in poison to ravage my mobility. “What the fuck are you?”

The smell of nectar became so strong it turned repugnant—until a heavy stench of moss and honey overtook my senses.

The knocking on the door wouldn’t let up as the fierce pulsing muddled my concentration.

All my memories flooded back in ripples of agony.

Lucien flared his nostrils in annoyance and snapped his fingers.

The whole room warped and melted away along with his hair, face, and clothes as if someone doused him in acid and his skin dissolved off his bones.

Lucien morphed in front of me.

His deep red hair draped down to the ground as the floor spun and turned to stone. His blazing gold eyes twisted into an animalistic crimson as he emitted pure chaos from his body pulsating in red waves.

The man dressed in a metal-gray garb, concealing his body, but his bestial features couldn’t be hidden. His thick black claws tore open my skin as he yanked them out.

I winced from the throbbing and anxiously looked around as Lucien’s place transformed into a throne room with corpses adorned with rubies and diamonds impaled on the walls.

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