LUCIAN
I knew she wouldn’t show, and it still pisses me off. I warned her what would happen if she didn’t listen, and now it’s time to show her I always keep my word.
“Where are you going?” Nox asks, taking his face out of his phone for a brief moment.
“Out,” is all I say.
“You’re going to get her.” He knows me too well. “Try being nice. Give her a little of that Southern charm Mom always swore by.” He’s lying on the sofa in the billiard room, where we spend most of our time, while watching me intently.
“She also said a good crack on the ass would straighten anyone out. Should I try that too?”
“If she’s into it, I’m down, but I still think a less threatening approach might win you some favor.”
“I want answers, not her favor.”
“It’ll be easier for me if you’re a dick anyway.” He shrugs, sitting up.
“What the fuck does that mean? Easier for you to what?”
“Tell me how it goes,” he says and glides out of the room without giving me an answer.
“Nox. Nox! What the fuck, man?” I yell at his back as an idea takes root in my mind. Nox hasn’t been interested in anything in a long time, but he was willing to go to the school and meet her. I assumed that had more to do with me than her, but maybe I was wrong. The way he touched her that day and seemed worried about her didn’t have anything to do with me.
Could it be that she might be the one to wake my brother up and give him something to fight for so he will stop slipping away? I shove the strands of hope down. He doesn’t know her, and he has only seen her once. I’m just desperate for something to bring him back to me, even if it is her for now.
I stalk through the dark house. I am going to get her, and when I do, she won’t be leaving until I allow it.
Lucian
The bar is packed, and the smell of food reminds me that I haven’t eaten yet. I push through the crowd waiting to be seated and stand in front of the girl holding menus. Her eyes go wide when she sees me. I wasn’t sure if she would know who I am, but I needn’t have worried.
I about swallowed my fucking tongue when Nox told me it was going around on social media that she was spotted working here. It was almost unbelievable that an Umbra would be working in a townie beach bar, but I confirmed the truth last night.
I watched her from the beach, giving smiles freely to everyone who spoke to her and working her ass off in baggy shorts and that tight shirt that stretched across her tits. I don’t know why she bothers with loose clothes, since they do nothing to hide her hips and ass. Hell, I caught myself watching the jiggle when she would lean over to clean the counter, which was why I was still there when she got off work.
I had no intention of approaching her when I went there, it was mostly to see for myself what she was up to, but I planted my ass on the sand for a few hours and watched her and the waves. Nobody even approached me. It was fucking bliss.
“I want a seat at the bar.”
She snaps her head to the left to examine the stools, then she returns her gaze to me while biting her lower lip. “It might be a minute, but I’ll find something,” she replies as if I might just go knock someone off their stool and take it if she’s not quick enough.
I nod once and lift my gaze, so she knows to get going. True to her word, she’s back in under a minute to guide me to an empty stool at the end of the bar. Nova’s face goes pale for a brief moment when she sees me approach. I pretend to ignore the man seated next to me, who leans to the side and eyeballs me, but I’m aware of his every move.
My lamb’s hand trembles when she extends a bottle of beer to a man farther down the bar, and I get a thrill from knowing I’m the one causing it. The older man who kept calling her darlin’ ambles over to me and tosses his towel up over his shoulder, even though it’s clear I’m watching and waiting for his coworker.
“What can I get ya, fella?”
“I’ll wait for her.” I don’t even look in his direction.
“She doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get down here.” He leans his elbow on the bar and looks in Nova’s direction as if he’s admiring the view while rubbing in the fact that she’s ignoring me at the same time. It pisses me off.
“Lamb.” I don’t say it loud, but it’s enough to have her head snapping in my direction and her sea blue eyes slitting. “Don’t worry, she’ll take good care of me.” The inuendo is intentional, even if it’s misleading.
With a roll of her hips, she pivots and stalks toward me, giving the other bartender a silent signal to move along with a nod of her head. He waits until she’s standing in front of me before saying, “Let me know if we’ve got a problem, darlin’.”
“There’s no problem here, Mickey,” she tells him in a soft, unsure voice. He lingers, but I’m too busy staring at my lamb to give him any attention.
“I have a problem,” I tell her once he’s gone.
She ignores me. “This seat is reserved for customers.”
I lean over the bar and keep my words pitched low so only she can hear me. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t haul your ass out of here right now.”
“I’m working.” She looks around. “You’re going to get me fired.” She says the last part under her breath.
I love leverage, and she just gave it to me. “What do I get in return, little lamb?”
Her shoulders rise sharply with her intake of air. “What do you want from me?”
I don’t think it’s a direct response to my question. It seems to be much too open-ended for that, as if she can’t understand what I want from her at all, let alone what I want in the moment. If I gave her the real answer, that I want to own her, she would laugh, or maybe she would surprise me and sense the truth of my words, and she would run like hell. “I told you we need to talk.”
“I can’t talk while I’m working, we’re busy.” She’s glancing all around, nodding her head and giving away smiles that these people don’t deserve. The fact that she’s avoiding looking at me and that I don’t have her entire focus almost has me reaching over the bar.
I let my eyes roam down her neck, imagining my fingers wrapped around her throat, forcing her to look only at me. “You’re not giving me an incentive to let you stay, little lamb.” I sound like a spoiled child, but she’s making me feel neglected and shit.
“I’ll meet you when I get off,” she finally concedes, flashing her eyes at me briefly.
“Not good enough.”
“I’ll be right there.” Her light voice filters past me, talking to someone else, and I know it’s fake. I get the real her, raw and full of fight. “If you leave, I promise I will meet you when I get off.”
“I’m not going anywhere, but I like the pleading. It’s a good start. Give me a glass of Gentry.”
“I can’t pour liquor, I’m not old enough.”
“Then you can pour it for me when I take you home.”
“I’ll get it,” she snaps, then leans over the bar, getting all up and personal in my space. Her blue green eyes are finally where they belong—on me. “You have to promise to let me finish work and not to cause trouble first.”
“Are you making demands, little lamb?”
“I’m asking you to be civil.”
I suck in air through my teeth on an exaggerated wince, then answer, “I’ll put as much effort into being civil as you put into taking care of me.”
Her eyes flash with so much heat, I bet she would knock me flat on my ass if she had the chance. She’s probably going to try to make me pay later, and I can’t fucking wait. “Coming right up, pretty boy.” Her smile is as sharp as her tongue, but I don’t care. I have every bit of her attention, and I plan on keeping it.
NOVA
I don’t know how one individual has the capability to piss me off so badly, but Lucian Morningstar knows every button to press. How he always seems to get me at the disadvantage shouldn’t be surprising, since it’s clear he’s used to having a leg up in everything, but it baffles me that I’m so damned unlucky.
“Mickey, sorry to bother you. Can you pour me a Gentry? I can deliver it if that’s okay.”
“He giving you a hard time, Nova?”
“No, I just wasn’t expecting him,” I lie seamlessly.
“That’s a Morningstar, right?” He flips a short glass over and reaches for the heavy bottle.
“Uh-huh,” I reply.
“Be careful,” he warns, meeting my eyes.
“I’m trying,” I promise softly, then take the drink to the end of the bar.
“I’m not serving you any more if you’re driving.” I set the glass near his tattooed hands, noticing the thin, delicate cross on his thumb as he wraps his fingers around the glass.
“Anytime you’re ready to stop serving me here and go home is fine with me.”
I click my tongue at his words and move on to other patrons at the bar.
When I move to pass him several minutes later, he grabs my wrist gently and stops me. “Have you forgotten me already?” His voice is dark.
“No, your drink’s not empty.”
“I need food. What’s good?” His thumb skates over the inside of my wrist in a soft sweep.
“I’ve haven’t eaten here yet, but the burgers are really popular.” My reply is soft, lulled by his touch.
“What else?” He keeps me trapped in his grasp.
“I can get you a menu.”
He shakes his head. “I want you to tell me.”
“This is only my third shift, so I don’t know the menu that well yet.”
“What would you order?”
“The kung-pow shrimp pasta,” I answer.
“Spicy?”
“Maybe a little.”
“I’ll take that, and a beer.”
I slump my shoulders. I just told him I wouldn’t serve him any more drinks if he’s driving, but it’s just a beer, and I work for a few more hours, so he’ll have time to sober up. “Okay.” I give in.
His lips quirk as he finally releases me, but his touch lingers as he pulls away, making sure he brushes his fingers all the way down my hand. What the hell is he doing?
I make eye contact with Jimmy at the opposite end of the bar, and he gives me a scowl that almost rivals Morningstar’s, but I don’t have the urge to challenge him. Maybe it’s because he didn’t call me names the first time we met, or maybe it’s because Lucian just gets under my skin.
I put Lucian’s order into the computer, then keep my distance from my handsy neighbor while tending to all the other people seated at the bar, which is pretty easy since we are fairly busy. Mickey was right—it’s busier than yesterday.
“Here you go.” I slide the large bowl of breaded shrimp and pasta in front of Lucian, then pull a rolled up set of silverware from my apron.
“Looks good, want a bite?” He swirls up a forkful of pasta and skewers a fat piece of shrimp on the end before offering it to me.
“No thanks.” I shake my head in denial, even though my mouth is secretly watering. I probably wouldn’t trust him not to poison me any other time, but since I know where the food came from, it’s even harder to pass up.
He tilts his head to the side, then turns the fork to his mouth and eats the bite. It’s weird that I’m standing here watching him, so I pretend to wipe down the counter until he swallows, then I ask, “Good?”
“Not bad. Are you sure I can’t convince you to have a taste?” He offers me another bite, this one a little smaller.
“No thanks. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.” The last part comes out from habit, and I finally step away from him.
The next few hours pass too quickly. With each minute I get closer to the end of my shift, I get more nervous about my promise to talk with Lucian. Thankfully, he’s given me some space to do my job, but I can feel his eyes on me every time I move, which makes me hyperaware, not to mention Jimmy seems to be just as interested in my performance.
When I eventually clock out, another waitress taking over for me behind the bar since I only close on Saturdays, Mickey asks, “You all set? Do you need Jimmy to walk you to your car?”
“No, I’m okay.” I flatten my lips, trying for a smile.
“Ready, little lamb?” Lucian makes his presence known, not that I could have forgotten he was here.
“Yeah.”
“See you tomorrow, darlin’. Be safe,” Mickey reminds me loudly.
“That old man needs to find something else to fixate on,” Lucian mumbles as we walk side by side to the door.
“He’s not fixated on anything, he’s just looking out for me,” I argue.
“You’re none of his business.” He shoves the door open, waiting for me to exit under his arm.
“That’s rich coming from you.”
“Get in the car.” Lucian nods his head toward his SUV.
“I’m parked over here.”
“I know, but you can ride with me,” he counters.
“I can drive myself.”
“I don’t know that I can trust you to uphold your end of the bargain.”
“I told you I would talk with you, and I meant it.”
“Are you getting in or am I putting you in like last night?” He takes a step toward me as if to prove he’s ready to grab me and make good on his promise.
“Then you can ride with me. I’m not leaving my car here to get towed or for someone to steal.”
“Why do you have to argue with everything I say?” He looks more curious than angry, so I reply.
“Why do you have to be so mean and ornery?”
Lucian’s lip peels back in a sneer. “If I were mean, I would have gotten you fired tonight. Your boss was just waiting for an excuse.”
I can’t really argue with that, since I’m pretty certain he was. “If he did, it would be your fault.”
“I don’t care if you get fired.” He shrugs. “Why do you work anyway? Is your granny refusing to shell over the trust fund?”
“No, and I don’t expect her to,” I grit out through my teeth.
“And she hasn’t offered? The blood test must not have come back yet, otherwise she’d be buying you any way she could.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I turn to face him with my hands on my hips.
“We can talk about it when we get back on the island.”
“Why the secrecy, and what do you know about my mom?”
“Come find out,” he says, walking backward toward his car.
If there was a way to make him leave without me, I don’t know if I would take it at this point. I want answers, and he’s the only one who seems to be giving me any, or telling me he will anyway. Besides, I know he won’t stop hounding me until he gets what he wants.
“Lucian.” I jog after him. “I don’t want to leave my car here.”
“I’ll send someone back to pick it up.”
“It’s my first car,” I admit. “Can’t you ask them to get yours?” Give me something here, I plead silently.
He watches me for a long second, and I fidget under his gaze.
“I’m driving.” He extends his hand for the keys.
I’m reluctant to give them up, but I eventually place the fob in his palm. “You better be careful.”
He smirks and folds his fingers over my little black heart keychain.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes since I opened my door for that lawyer a few weeks ago, but trusting him right now might be the biggest.
I don’t even look at the guard in the shack as Lucian pulls up to the bridge, centimeters from the gate blocking the entrance to the island. I’m too busy trying to catch my breath. He drives like he’s the only person on the road, or maybe it’s just that he thinks he’s the most important person on the road and assumes everyone else will get the hell out of his way.
I didn’t bother asking him to slow down. For some reason, I feel like it would have just made him go faster, so I silently gritted my teeth and held onto the door handle.
The gate lifts without the need to speak to the attendant, making we wonder if he took note of my car and plate the other day, or if it’s the fact that Morningstar is driving that allows us quick entrance.
“Where are we going to talk?” I ask, hoping he’s not really expecting me to go to his house.
He looks over at me. “At mine. I know my security is good.”
“We could go to campus,” I offer. Alden once implied that Lucian couldn’t hurt me on school grounds, and that sounds smart right about now.
“Scared?” He flashes his teeth at me while coasting down the road in the direction of our houses at a reasonable speed. It makes me even more nervous.
When he slows and turns to the left, my heart starts thundering in my chest. “Why can’t we talk here?”
He hits some buttons on the box, and the gate rolls back slowly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Says the guy who almost ran me over when I was walking.”
“Lie, and you know it. I was nowhere near you.” He sounds defensive.
“You revved your engine.”
“I changed gears.” I can’t really argue with him, considering I did overreact.
“You tripped me.”
“That was an accident. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.” His tone is incredulous.
“You didn’t apologize. Why does it need to be here? Are you going to let me leave when I want to?” I turn to look out the back window as the gate closes us into the Morningstar estate.
“Not if that’s right now. You made a promise.” He glances over at me briefly before watching the long winding road. “It’s safe here, and there’s no one to interrupt us or listen into our…conversation,” he finishes as if there was something else he was going to say instead.
“Where’s your family?” Surely his parents, or even his grandparents, might be around.
“It’s just Nox and me. We have some staff, but everyone’s gone home for the night.”
I swallow as a big Victorian house comes into view. Unlike the Umbras’ estate, there’s no drive in the front. Instead, there’s a lush green garden lit up with tiny lights, making it look like something out of a fairy tale. The grass looks like plush green velvet with islands of plants creating an oasis among the heavy forest.
Lucian parks my car at the side of the house near a garage and a smaller entrance decorated with a covered porch hung with even more greenery.
Tiny shimmery shells crunch under my feet when I step out, but the opalescent color disappears when the headlights turn off, leaving only a lighted path to the house.
Lucian’s dark figure is standing on the edge of the drive, waiting for me, and I have the distinct impression that I’m being tracked, though I can’t make out his face or if he’s even looking in my direction.
“What happened to your family?” I ask the darkness.
“The Umbras killed them.” He says it so plainly, I must have heard him wrong, but as his words sink into my mind, I know I didn’t.
I swallow the denial and the questions burning on my tongue. How? Why? Is that why you hate me? Will you do the same to me?
“Come, little lamb,” he instructs, and I’ll be damned, I listen.
