Page 8 of Lucian's Soul

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“No, you’ll not be going back to that tiny thing you call home. You can wear the clothes I bought you and come to work with me. I want you close where I can see you, and I don’t care what people say at my office.”

“I can’t do that. I care what they say and I need to work. I need the money. I have debts to pay.”

“I’ll pay your debts and you don’t need to work. I will provide for you. You’re mine. I don’t want you to work. I need to see you to know you’re safe.”

“There is no way you’re paying my debts. I was stupid enough to get into to debt. I want to get myself out. They’re my responsibility. And I can keep myself safe. I’ve survived all my life without you, I think I can last eight or so hours at work.” She stormed away, only to be picked up and thrown over Lucian’s shoulder.

So now Tessa sat in his black Lamborghini as he drove them to work. Lucian drove fast, brooding next to her. “I’m not the type of woman who is happy to have everything handed to her, or have a man do everything for her and expect her to wait around for him. That’s not me, Lucian. I’ve had an awesome weekend, but I’ve only just met you. I want to get to know you before we take this relationship, or whatever it is, further. Let’s go on some more dates. I have a Vision Australia park day this Saturday and you’re welcome to come with me, but how about we go to the movies or out on a picnic? Rolling blading, ice-skating…crap, I don’t know, anything on any of the other days this week.”

“We went out on the weekend.”

Tessa rolled her eyes. Yeah, they’d gone out. Saturday they’d gone to her little flat and ended up leaving with nothing, then they’d gone shopping and he’d spent an obscene amount of money on her. The rest of Saturday, they lazed around, having sex. Sunday they had gone to the beach for a couple of hours, but again come home and had an amazing night filled with sex. This morning she found out Lucian had a cook. The chef had Saturdays and Sundays off, or so she’d been told. The guy she’d seen didn’t look like a cook—he was tall and beefy, but everything was muscle. He reminded Tessa of a body builder or bodyguard. His food was okay, but not the quality from a chef she thought would be in Lucian’s employment.

“We left the property twice. Otherwise we spent most of our weekend fucking.” Nibbling on her lips, she felt her cheeks heat. “Oh, I forgot the movie. We stopped long enough to watch that.” She turned to face him as he focused on driving. “Look, I think we need to go slower. I know your reputation. Everyone knows your reputation. I think we should take this day by day if you’re serious.”

Lucian’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering well. “Okay, we’ll go slower…for now.”

* * * *

Taking things slower, her arse. It had been almost five days since Lucian told her they’d take their relationship slower, and if this was slow Tessa would hate to think what fast was. Tonight Lucian was taking her out to a new restaurant.

This morning she’d tried to have another discussion about taking it slow and going somewhere beside work and his house. Lucian had dodged the subject until she’d told him she was staying at her flat tonight. He’d changed his tune then, telling her he was taking her to dinner tonight and to the movies this weekend.

Tessa wondered if Lucian was embarrassed to be seen with her. Maybe that was the reason why he didn’t take her anywhere. But, that theory didn’t work because he dropped her off right at her desk every morning and picked her up every afternoon, kissing her in front of everyone.

Greg had been super nice to her, and for once actually did his own work and not fobbed it off on her. Come to think of it, everyone was nicer to her. She knew why, and it worried her because she knew when Lucian got sick of her it would go back to what it was or probably worse.

Tessa wasn’t fooling herself that Lucian would keep her. He was way out of her league, and he had a reputation of never keeping a woman. He was the playboy billionaire.

* * * *

He was a demon, for Christ’s sake, and right now he was in the park watching his mate laugh and play games with a bunch of blind and vision-impaired children. Last night he’d taken Tessa out to the exclusive restaurant Life Eats. It was the first time in a good century he’d been in a restaurant alone with just one woman. Even more, with a human. He didn’t like Tessa out in such an open space. He worried an angel or one of his many other enemies would target her. The shifters helped him with protecting her when he or his demons couldn’t.

A little boy stepped up to him, his head to the side. “Hi, I’m Zane. I see you.”

Lucian looked at the boy for a moment. The kid kept cocking his head and blinking. The boy was studying him like he had no idea what Lucian was. Weird. What the fuck was Lucian supposed to do or say? He wasn’t a kid person. Seth was the last child he’d been around, and that was a good century or so ago. “Argh…I er…I see you, too, kid…Zane.”

Turning his focus back on Tessa, Lucian ignored Zane and hoped he went away. Children were trouble, and anywhere kids were it seemed to follow.

“No. You don’t understand. I see, see you. You’re the color of hot. Can you fly with those?”

What! Shooting his gaze back to Zane, he really studied him. The kid was about six, maybe seven years old, with bright red hair and freckles. His skin was white like porcelain and he looked skinny, but healthy. Quickly looking around, Lucian let his demon out enough to take stock of the child before them and breathed in. Lucian smiled when he took only a couple of sins. Ah, a good boy. Lucian gazed down, noticing Zane’s hand gripped hold of the reins linked to a yellow Labrador. Fuck, the kid was blind. What was going on?

Standing up, he stared down at the boy, hoping to intimidate him. Lucian hadn’t been around faulty children or adults before. He’d never seen the need for them. Back in the old days, if it was known from birth a child wasn’t perfect or what they considered perfect, most species—especially the humans—killed them. This was the first time in all his centuries he’d willingly spent time with a faulty being. Lucian was curious. “Are you the only one who can see me? Has another pointed me out?”

Zane shrugged. “We can all see you, I think. I know everyone I’ve asked said they can. It’s why you’re by yourself. We’re all scared you’re like the color of the cold ones. Jenny, who used to be able to see, said they were white.”

Holy shit, they’d seen angels.

“The white ones killed our friends. My Mum said that I’m imagining things and that Billy and Rachael were accidents, but I know. We are being watched. We are all scared and no one will believe us. I told the others that Miss Jackson was nice and wouldn’t ever bring anyone who could hurt us. Jenny said to leave you alone. She said that Miss Jackson probably can’t see, see you like we do. I don’t think you’re bad like the white ones, though, because Frodo likes you. He hasn’t growled at you once. None of the dogs have. They all growl when the white ones are around.”

Zane kept talking, but Lucian was on high alert now. Yanking out his phone, he called Sullivan, the new country’s alpha wolf.

“Lucian, long time.”

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