Before snuggling, I lifted the ends of his shirt and helped him out of it.Then I scooted against him, his natural scent like home.“This is the last time.”
“Maybe.”
Now that the sleepiness was finally fading like twinkling stars succumbing to the break of dawn, my thoughts strung together in a more cohesive way, and I realized what he had just told me.“Why were you at Henry’s house?You promised me.”
“And I’ve kept my promise.”
“Then why did you go there?”
“To challenge him.”
My heart skipped a beat.“What?”
“I thought about doing it, but when you told me you would’ve let me court you if Hightower wasn’t in the picture—that motivated me.”
“You challenged him to the…” I didn’t want to say it out loud.
“To the death.I gave him the option to break it off with you, but he refused.”Lucian stroked my hair.“See?I promised you I’d figure this out.”
“And dying for me is a solution?”I sat up and searched his eyes, wondering if he’d finally lost his mind.
Lucian ran his fingers through his damp hair, the black strands falling in every direction.“Are you trying to jinx me?It’s bad luck to talk like that before a challenge.He’s got power over you, and I’m going to break that power.”Lucian slid his hand behind my neck and softly stroked my nape.“Do you think he’s willing to die for you?”
“I doubt it.”
“Me too.That’s why he hasn’t accepted the challenge yet, but he has no choice but to give me an answer.I have witnesses.Hightower has to fight me, and the only way out is to leave you.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
Lucian’s hand brushed over my shoulder, calming my nerves.“Then he’ll die.”
As much as I hated this situation, I was swept off my feet that Lucian was willing to fight for me.His plan might actually work.Henry would never put his life on the line for a woman, and now that Lucian’s challenge was public, it stripped some of that power Henry had over me.If he ever targeted Lucian or anyone else in my life, he would be the first suspect with a motive.
Lucian flicked his eyes to the window when thunder rumbled like a boulder rolling down a mountain.“We only have a short time before dawn.”
I kissed him softly on the mouth.“I wish you would’ve told me what you were planning, but I’m not mad about it.Now I know.”
“Know what?”
I traced my finger over his lips.“That you’re my protector.I was lying here all night, feeling sorry for myself.Imagining you having dinner with your pack, thankful for a fresh start.But here you are, risking everything for me.Your freedom, your reputation, your life.”
He switched off the light, plunging us into darkness.“Lie down.I want to spoon the hell out of you.”
I slid down and turned on my right side.Lucian scooted up behind me and warmed my back with his body.As he wrapped his arm around me and held me tight, a future with him flashed into my mind—one filled with laughter, conversation, and happiness.Then I caught an image of his grave with Henry standing beside me.I hugged his arm even tighter.
“What troubles you, female?”
“How do you see us together?I mean, how do I fit in your life?”
“The same way you fit in my arms.Your elbows are a little bony, and I can’t get my knees where I want them, but we make it work.”
“My elbows are not bony!”
He snuggled tighter and kissed my ear.“We’ll make this work.”
“What about kids?Have you thought about that?I’m a Shifter, you’re not, so we might never conceive.”
“If you want kids, we’ll adopt them.”
