Page 18 of Lucien

He rose from his chair, approaching the vampire.

Luc gave him a hard look, one he clearly hoped would stop Jamie in his tracks. “What are you doing?”

“Shh,” Jamie soothed. He reached up to hold Luc’s face in his hands, the vampire’s short stubble scratching at his palms, pleased as punch when Luc didn’t move away. “Hey. Monster.”

“What—?”

“Shh. I’m not talking to you.” Jamie met Luc’s black gaze, searching for…he wasn’t sure what. “Hey, monster,” he repeated. “Sounds like you’ve been giving Lucien here a hard time. I’m gonna need you to chill. I like this guy, can’t have you driving him bonkers when we’ve only just finally met.”

Jamie had thought Luc’s eyes were a solid, flat black. But peering into them like he was, hard enough to drill a hole, he could see there were depths there. Shadows. And some of those shadows…shifted…at his words.

Jamie grinned wide. “He hears me.”

Luc, his head still gripped in Jamie’s hands, scoffed at that. “That’s nothing special. It hears everything.”

“Will he talk to me?”

“Perhaps sometime. Although, that’s not something I’d ask for, were I you. Right now, it’s watching. Waiting.”

They stood there for an endless minute before Luc shook his head out of Jamie’s hold.

“It doesn’t work that way, human. You can’t just command it to behave.”

But he didn’t look too sure of his own words, in Jamie’s opinion.

Jamie crossed his arms, his fingers tapping against his biceps. “Then howdoesit work? How do we keep you from losing it?”

Luc opened, then closed his mouth, seeming to wage an internal war with himself. “I— There—” He didn’t finish his thought.

Jamie cocked his head. “I bet Mr. Monster would tell me, if I asked nicely.”

Luc’s brow furrowed. “It’s not apet. You should be afraid.” He leaned closer, invading Jamie’s space. “Do you know what it wants to do with you? It wants to eat you up, little human. Wants to drain you dry and then make you one of us. It wants to steal your life.Iwant to steal your life.”

Jamie held in his grin at having his vampire in his space and didn’t say the thoughts he wanted to out loud.My life is already yours. It has been since the first time I saw you in my head.His dual-faceted monster clearly wasn’t ready to hear it.

That was okay. Jamie could wait.

Instead, he asked, “You want to turn me?”

The mild tone of his voice only seemed to enrage Luc further. “Why are you notafraid?” he growled, black eyes flashing. “You don’t know me. What I’m capable of. And you would be bound to me for eternity?”

That caught Jamie’s attention. “Why would I be eternally bound to you if I turned?”

Luc leaned back, startled, like he’d said too much. He didn’t answer Jamie’s question. There was clearly a fair amount he wasn’t telling Jamie—wasn’twillingto tell Jamie. But that was all right, for now.

Jamie would get it out of him eventually.

Jamie stepped back and gave in to a deep, catlike stretch, enjoying the way Luc’s gaze traveled to the bit of skin between his boxers and sleep shirt that was exposed with the gesture. “Well, now that your temper tantrum is out of the way, I’m gonna go get dressed. Got places to be.”

Luc’s lips pressed flat, the vampire clearly displeased with the idea. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got some errands to run. You’re coming with me. Unless”—Jamie shot Luc his best sultry look—“you want to take me up on my offer to get my mouth on you again?”

Luc made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, but he shook his head.

“Shame,” Jamie sighed.

Luc didn’t rise to the bait this time. He was rubbing at his chin with one hand, assessing Jamie. “You want to be seen with me? Out in the daylight? Like this?”

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