Page 11 of Yule Be Mine

The office blurred around us as I surrendered to him completely. I didn't fight the dark thrill of Krampus and Lucian becoming one.

Why would I?

Being consumed like this was everything I’d ever wanted and more.

It might’ve been the first time he claimed that single, untouched part of me, but it wouldn’t be the last, if I had any say in the matter. I’d beg him for this mind-numbing mix of agony and ecstasy whenever I was given the opportunity. I’d never felt so deliciously possessed.

And no one would ever own me the way my boss did. Irrevocably.

The glowof the city lights outside barely penetrated Lucian’s office. The only illumination came from the small lamp on his desk, casting golden light over the dark leather chairs and the rich wood paneling.

The air was heavy and charged from our fucking, as if the room could barely contain what simmered between us.

We both sat on his leather sofa with me curled up on his lap as we faced the windows.

The intensity of his presence was always so palpable. I stared down at the mask, which now sat on the glass-and-steel coffee table right in front of us. The horns arched menacingly, and the detail of sheer craftsmanship made it seem almost like a work of art.

“Ich liebe di meh, als du dir je chönntsch vorstelle.”I love you more than you could ever imagine.

I closed my eyes and exhaled as I snuggled in closer to him.

“I love you more than you’ll ever know, Lucian.”

“Weisch, was du mir bedeutisch?”Do you know what you mean to me?His words were sweet yet laced with a darkness that sent a shiver down my spine. Before I could respond, he said, “You are everything I desire… and everything I want to ruin.”

My breaths came shallow and fast, each one a struggle as I tried to ground myself in the moment. But Lucian didn’t allow me that reprieve. His fingers slid beneath my chin, tilting my head up and back to meet his gaze.

“You think you’ve seen the depth of my need, Sophia,” he said, his voice a rumble that resonated deep within me. “But you haven’t. Not yet.”

I swallowed hard, my fingers curling into his chest like he was my anchor.

That’s because he is.

“What makes you think I don’t crave that, too?”

His chuckle was deep and rough and filled with satisfaction. “My good girl.”

The room seemed to close in around us, the charged silence swallowing everything else.

As his arms tightened around me, securing me to him, I knew there was no going back. But I didn’t want to. I was right where I needed to be.

EPILOGUE

LUCIAN

The following year

The snow fell in thick, silent flakes blanketing the mountains and ground that surrounded my home in a pristine white.

Through the wide windows of my home in the Alps, the world outside looked untouched. Beautiful. But not as gorgeous as the woman I now called my wife.

Sophia sat on the loveseat in front of the fire, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a glass of mulled wine cradled in her hands while she stared at the flames. She looked so at peace with the firelight dancing along her features and her guard completely lowered.

She was my everything.

The very sight of her filled me with such a sense of completion that it wasn't anything I could ever put into words.

She was mine. Entirely.

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