Apparently he didn’t.After wiping his jaw, Lucian’s gaze lingered on his bloodstained hands.He finally stood and walked into view, the bruise on his eye from earlier already fading.“I couldn’t have done it,” he said, clutching the back of his head.
“Multiple witnesses on the scene testified that you threatened to kill Marcus Seaborn at Dragonfly’s.Do you dispute that?”
“No.I wanted him dead.”
Tears brimmed in my eyes.“How could you put me in this situation?You left my house to go do something.What did you have to do?”
He stared at his bloody hand.“Hunt him down.I tried, but I couldn’t find him.Then he found me.”
“So killing a guy who set my shed on fire is how you prove your worth?”I growled with frustration.
“He attacked you!”Lucian roared.“I would’ve killed him for that alone.”
My anger dissipated like air escaping from a deflated balloon.Fear overwhelmed me, and I squatted while gripping the bars.“If you murdered him without provocation, you could be in here for alongtime.Who got physical first?”
“I did.”
“If his Creator shows up and asks for your head…” My voice trailed off, and I buried my face in my arm.
Lucian wrapped his hands around mine and spoke in a soothing voice.“I didn’t do it.”
“You were the only one on the scene.People saw.”
“Saw what?Nobody told me anything.”
I raised my head.“They found you on top of his body with blood in your mouth.He had a tire iron in his hand.”
“I don’t remember a tire iron.Eden, I didn’t flip my switch.I blacked out.It’s not the same.The last thing I remember was a flash of white light before everything tilted.Then I woke up with a crowd around us.”He let go of my hand and touched the back of his head.“My head feels like it’s about to explode.Milly stitched me up.”
“I’ll have her send over pain medicine.”
Lucian dropped to his knees and sat back on his heels.“Do you believe me?”
I searched his eyes while trying to weigh the facts against the Lucian I knew.“It doesn’t matter what I believe.You need proof, or I can’t release you.”
He smirked.“At least I’ll get to see you every day.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I know.”
His scent enveloped me, imbued in the fibers of my shirt.“My car smells like you.All this time, I thought it was your cologne.Did you mark it?”
He shrugged one shoulder.“Before I left.I can’t help it.It’s like me asking you not to shift.”
From my squatting position, I rested my arms across my knees.“They found Chitah bites on his neck, Lucian.”
“Someone else was involved.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, but I own their scent.”
I jerked my head back.“What do you mean?”
He clutched his T-shirt and drew in a breath.“It was all over me.I already know what the Mage smells like, but this smell was different.”
“I thought you only did that with family?”
