Page 78 of Lucien

“Does my scent have that—?” He’d asked the question before he could think better of it. He prepared himself for some berating comment, but Dane only gave him a small, sympathetic smile, the first time he’d seen either of the twins look remotely sincere. “No. You don’t have the feral rot. At least not yet.”

“That’s part of why we haven’t offed you,” Fox chimed in. “Against our better judgment, I might add.”

Luc allowed the faintest hint of relief to course through him.Heknew he had some control over himself (however slight that control may have become over the decades), but he also didn’t want Jamie to turn for him only to find out Luc had an aura of decay they couldn’t shake.

They followed the scent down the road, now that the three of them had locked onto it. They were lucky the feral vampire hadn’t driven, Luc supposed. But then again, it was highly possible their quarry had forgotten how, if their monster was running the show completely. Feral vampires didn’t have the greatest luck with technology, depending on when they’d been turned and how ingrained it was in their nature.

As they approached the edge of town, Luc started to feel…itchy. Unsettled under his skin, with his monster twisting restlessly inside him. This whole hunt—the rotting scent, the knowledge he’d be putting one of his own down at the end of it—was a reminder of how lucky he was to have found Jamie when he had.

Luc had been so close to reaching this state himself. He had felt the pull for what felt like endless years—the monster’s seduction, its plea to take over completely. Its promise that Luc didn’t have to think anymore if he didn’t want to, that he didn’t even have tofeel. All he had to do was let go. He could just slide right into it, give in to his baser urges, leave his humanity behind.

And then Jamie had appeared, full of brightness and light, with that beautiful fucking smile that had made Luc feel warm and whole for the first time in his entire existence. And the monster had just…fallen into line. Like time had run backward and he and it were able to go back to how it had been before, the monster a part of Luc but not consuming him.

Would it improve even more after Jamie turned? Jamie had seen Luc’s human face the other night. He’d asked, and he’d received, if only for a moment.

I’d like to see Lucien’s eyes, monster. Will you let me?

How could it be that that was all it took? Jamie wanted, and the monster gave.

It was as baffling to Luc as the easy forgiveness Danny offered, the kind Luc knew came only once in a lifetime, even a lifetime as long as his own. What would it be like to be so forgiving? Luc couldn’t even begin to imagine.

He had a moment of sympathy for Roman, even as a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. Such a pissy, moody bastard—it must drive him crazy that Danny wouldn’t let him take it out on the world around him.

As they left the outskirts of town, venturing into the desert, the strange, putrid scent began to grow stronger. Fresher.

Away from prying human eyes, they would be able to move much more quickly, traverse miles in mere minutes. They might even overtake the feral vampire soon.

They stopped to strategize at Dane’s insistence.

Luc wasn’t sure how much finesse really went into it, but perhaps they knew better.

“How many times have you two done this?” he asked, eyeing the two of them critically. The twins looked strong enough, but that didn’t always mean much in the vampire world. Age added strength even as it took away control.

Dane raised a brow. “Taken out a feral vamp? Twice before.”

“And you’ve only been here two decades? That seems a high number for such a relatively short amount of time.”

The twins shared an unreadable glance. Dane cleared his throat. “We’re pretty sure some places attract our kind more than others. Not exactly sure why though.”

That wasn’t a theory Luc had ever heard before. “Seems counterintuitive to our very nature. Most vampires I’ve met don’t like sharing territory, your charming selves included.”

Dane rubbed his chin with one hand, considering. “Well, sure,unbondedvamps don’t.”

At Luc’s expression, Fox let out an exasperated groan, one that made it clear exactly how much of an idiot he believed Luc to be. “Are you fucking kidding me? Were you and your friends raised by goddamnwolves?”

Luc ignored him and looked to Dane, who gave a sigh, then launched into his explanation. “Bonded vamps are inherently more stable. They tend to get along with one another. A lot of them even form dens. Like, whole communities of bonded vampires living together. Although, den size tends to be limited by the size of the city they’re in—only so much food to go around without raising suspicion. There’re even examples of single, unbonded vamps joining dens like that, to help stabilize them while they search for their own tethered souls.”

This was all fucking news to Luc.

Were he and Roman that cut off from their own world? Or were these twins just particularly knowledgeable about vampire society? “Why aren’t you two in a community like that, if you know so much about it?”

“We were. But—” Dane looked to his twin, at a momentary loss for words.

“It can be tough, seeing everyone so lovey-dovey.” Fox’s voice was softer than usual, but he hardened it in the next second. “Not that Iwanta romantic mate. Boning one person for all time? No fucking thank you.”

Luc thought the vampire doth protest too much, but he didn’t say anything. He personally had absolutely no issue with the idea of fucking Jamie for all eternity. He relished the idea of exploring every inch of that perfect, tawny body.

Speaking of… Luc reached for his phone, wondering if his mate had tried to contact him and he’d missed the ding in the focus of the hunt. He wasn’t used to paying much attention to them, before Jamie.

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