Page 67 of Lucien

Roman huffed a bitter laugh. “A lost cause if there ever was one.”

Luc smirked at his old friend. “Hefuckedthe monster into submission. Jamie did.”

Roman’s dark brows rose in disbelief. “I almost would have liked to see that.”

“Pervert,” Luc accused mildly.

Roman waved a dismissive hand. “It would not be the first time watching you fuck some poor human. Although, it would be the first time watching yougetfucked, I admit.”

He laughed softly. Luc chuckled with him, leaning his head back against the couch. How strange, to share a laugh after everything they’d been through. How unexpectedly merciful. Even if Luc knew, deep down, this truce was temporary. There was no world in which Roman could give up the grudge so easily, was there? Life was never that kind. Not to monsters.

“Why did you ask Soren, of all people?” Roman asked after another quiet moment.

Luc shrugged. “I had his number. He gave it to me, when you all ran me out of town. I’m not even sure why.”

Roman made a noncommittal noise. “And why did you not come to Hyde Park and ask me yourself?”

Luc scoffed. “Oh, I don’t know, Roman. Because you despise me?”

“That never stopped you before,” Roman mused, studying Luc with those sharp, cold eyes.

“I didn’t want to leave Jamie,” Luc admitted after a moment. “There are other vampires here in Tucson.”

“Feral?”

“No. Protectors, of a sort. Somewhat noble, seemingly. Very concerned over their citizens. They don’t like having me here.”

“I do not blame them.” Roman’s eyes bore into Luc’s. “You found him, Lucien. Your mate.”

“You believe me this time?” Luc couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of his voice. Roman had never truly believed Victoria was Luc’s mate. It somehow didn’t make it any better that he had, in fact, been correct in the end.

It was really very annoyingly perceptive of him.

“I can see it, this time.” Roman’s tone remained mild, the vampire not rising to Luc’s bait. “And the fact that he calmed your monster… Extraordinary, really.”

“He calms the monster, yes,” Luc agreed. “But the man…”

Roman raised a brow in question as Luc trailed off.

“I worry,” Luc finally admitted. “He’s so fucking breakable, Roman.”

“Then turn him. You did me a favor, in a way. Turning Danny.” Roman leaned forward, his eyes ice-cold once again. “Make no mistake, mon ami. I hate you for it. I hate you for scaring him. I hate that his final mortal memories were of fear and pain. It should have been a beautiful moment, for he and I to share. You took that from us.”

Luc couldn’t argue with any of that. He didn’t try to. “So many reasons to hate me.”

“Yes.” A pause. “Danny introduced me to the wordfrenemies.”

“That’s a word teenage girls use, Rome.”

“Yes. Well—” Roman shrugged. “It is more than a little accurate, is it not?”

“You’re clairvoyant?” Danny’s lovely brown eyes were sparkling as he eagerly chatted with Jamie, this time seated on the couch alongside him. Luc might have been overtaken with jealousy—no one else should be sparkling at his mate like that—if he didn’t know for a fact Danny was bound to another. “So freaking cool. Is that why you smell so good?”

Jamie shrugged, his posture uncharacteristically shy. “It’s not really that cool, actually. I don’t get to do much with it. The best thing to come out of it was preparing me for Luc’s arrival. I always knew my monster was coming for me.” He turned to smile that perfect smile at Luc, and Luc’s monster rumbled in pleasure.

“How sweet,” Roman muttered, the sarcasm clear from across the room.

“Benice,” Danny hissed, swiveling to glare at him, then turning back to Jamie with a kind smile.

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