Page 25 of Lucien

“See that you don’t,” Lefty said with a sharp nod.

“Because we’re not afraid to tear you apart with our bare hands if you get out of line,” Righty added.

Lefty shot his brother an exasperated look. “Jesus, Fox, it wasimplied. Where’s the subtlety?”

Righty shrugged, unrepentant. “He doesn’t look like subtlety is his strong suit. Just wanted to help the guy out.”

Luc felt their eyes on him all the way to his car.

Well, then.

Luc had a new, compelling reason to move forward, didn’t he? To turn Jamie immediately and leave this town in the dust. And wouldn’t it be wonderful? Even if Jamie rebelled at first. Even if he hated Luc for taking him away from his life, he’d get over it eventually.

And then Luc would have him. Forever.

That lovely face. Those long limbs. That smile.

Thatsmile. The one that lit up his entire face. The one that lit up everything around it.

Would he still smile at Luc like that if Luc took his humanity away?

Luc didn’t want to think about Jamie without that gorgeous smile. Without that vibrancy, that joy he seemed to carry without effort. Luc wouldn’t be the one to take that away from him. Hecouldn’t.

He slammed his hands against the steering wheel. “Fuck!”

So he had to lie low. Stay out of the vampire twins’ way. No maiming or killing. No losing control of his temper.

And what was Luc known for if not for his uncanny ability to control his own fucking temper?

The laugh that came out of him was as bitter as anything he’d ever tasted.

seven

Lucien

Itwasn’tJamiewhoanswered the door.

Luc eyed the female bartender from the night before, doing his best to keep his lip from curling. He had nothing specific against her per se—nothing except her closed-mindedness about supernatural powers and the fact that she was another recipient of Jamie’s smiles—she just wasn’t who he wanted to see right now.

Monique tilted her head back into the house without taking her eyes off him. “Jamie! Your dude’s here!” She lifted a brow at him. “Rehearsal run late?”

It took a moment for Luc to understand the reference. Rehearsal? Ah, yes. He hadn’t put his sunglasses back on.

He knew Jamie liked to see his eyes.

“Something like that,” Luc answered, listening for the sounds of Jamie approaching. He found himself almost breathless with anticipation at the soft thuds of footsteps, the monster inside him whining softly with need.

Which was ridiculous, honestly. They’d seen him only hours before. It wasn’t like they were being reunited after years of separation.

And then there he was, green hair mussed, wearing loose, soft-looking shorts and a short-sleeved button-up left carelessly unbuttoned and fluttering loose at his sides, slim, tawny chest on display.

Luc growled softly at the sight.

Monique stared. “Dude.”

Jamie grinned around the toothpick he held between his teeth. Cinnamon-flavored, from the smell of it. His smile didn’t reach his eyes though. It wasn’t therealsmile, the one that Luc saw every time he closed his eyes now. “Oh, don’t mind him,” Jamie said flatly. “He’s just frustrated with what he can’t have.”

Luc was too distracted by the sight of the man in front of him to take proper heed of the warning. Was Jamie’s scent saturated with cinnamon because of all the cinnamon-flavored accessories he put in his mouth, or did he gravitate toward cinnamon because that was his underlying scent? Luc wasn’t sure the order of things. He felt a strange urge to know for sure. He wanted to taste Jamie’s skin. His blood. His cum.

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