Page 40 of Lucien

“Jamie never learned fully,” his mom complained. “His father”—Jamie’s muscles tensed at the mention—“didn’t allow it when he was young. He didn’t speak it himself, and he thought it would confuse Jamie or something.” She gave a little gasp, her eyes lighting up. “Maybe you could practice with my Jamie sometimes.”

“Má,” Jamie whined, not liking the direction of this conversation. His Spanish wasn’tthatbad. He’d been picking it up a little more as an adult, trying to hold simple conversations with his mom when he could remember to bother. And of course, he understood much more than he could speak, having listened to her talk to her side of the family all his life.

He didn’t waste too much time protesting though. He was too focused on the sight of Luc taking a delicate bite of his mother’s cooking.

Would Luc’s monster allow it?

Jamie wasn’t sure what he was expecting—maybe for Luc to go fullExorcistand projectile vomit all over the table—but his vampire just chewed, swallowed, then glanced at Jamie with a look in his eyes Jamie couldn’t fully decipher, before turning back to Jamie’s mom. “Delicious, Mrs. Hernandez.”

She grinned happily. “No, no. You call me Elena. Please.”

When Jamie’s mom had turned her attention over to Izzy, Jamie leaned over close to whisper in Luc’s ear, “What a good monster you are.”

Luc cleared his throat, stabbing his fork at another bite. Was Jamie’s vampire embarrassed by the praise?

But it was true. He was the very best monster.

Because not only was Luc the man facing his fears meeting Jamie’s family like this, but Luc’s inner monster was also apparently making a special effort, allowing Luc to consume human food just to please Jamie’s mom.

A gesture from both sides of his lover, the man and the vampire.

Jamie thought of what Luc had said the other night. About not fucking Jamie until they were both ready for permanent attachment. So it was going to be a claiming?

Fine by fucking Jamie.

He was ready. And it wouldn’t be one-sided either. Luc might claim him as his mate, but Jamie was claiming him right back.

This vampire was his.

By the time they returned to Jamie’s place, it was fully dark, the desert air finally a tolerable temperature on the walk home. Once they’d made it inside, Jamie shepherded Luc into the overstuffed armchair, where he remained while Jamie grabbed them both drinks.

No wine tonight. It wasJamie’sseduction this time.

He tossed a beer to Luc—laughing inwardly at the way his snobby vampire wrinkled his nose at the dented blue can even as he caught it easily—then connected his phone to the little portable speaker he kept in the living room. He stayed standing, cocking a hip against the side of the couch facing Luc, and selected a playlist.

He hummed in delight as the intro of the first song—just piano chords and the singer’s dulcet tones—washed over them, and Luc cocked an eyebrow.

“What are you playing for me, flower?”

Jamie swayed a little to the music. “King Princess. You like it?”

Luc ran a finger over his beer’s condensation. “I expected something…noisier…from you.”

Jamie gave an exaggerated sigh, halting his movements. “Just because I have dyed hair doesn’t mean I’m into screamo. Your sense of culture is outdated, old man.”

Luc just smirked at him before giving his own little sigh and resting his head against the back of his chair. “I like it,” he conceded.

“I likeyou,” Jamie declared.

He’d already known he did, but that afternoon had cemented his feelings into something solid, immovable, indefinite. He liked every bit of this vampire. The vicious, the gentle, the seductive, the macabre. It wasn’t just that subconscious pull Jamie had always felt anymore—it was genuine affection.

His declaration had Luc raising his head right back up. “You do?” He asked the question lightly, but there was tension in his seated frame.

Jamie took a casual sip of his beer. “You were awfully nice today. With my family.”

Luc waved a dismissive hand. “They were easy to be nice to. And they’re important to you.”

“They are.” Jamie set his beer down on a side table, stepping closer to the seated vampire. “And you care about what’s important to me. Because you want to make me happy, don’t you?”

---