I braced for disappointment. For disgust. For that inevitable flicker of judgment in his eyes, but it never came.
Instead, a slow, cautious smile curved his lips. His sun-warm gaze softened, and his face leaned into my touch. No words. Just a silent confirmation that he didn’t see me as monstrous.
He just sawme, and he wanted to get closer. To stay by my side.
At that moment, I realized that this had to have been hard for him to say. To admit he never thought he was good enough. And in return, I gave him the truth, as sharp and selfish as it was. He was brave… so, I would be, too.
The others needed to hear it. They needed to knowwhyI was doing this.
A new breath of determination filled me, and I let my fingers trace the line of his jaw before slipping down to catch his hand in mine.
“Come on,” I whispered. “It’s my turn to be brave.”
His brow furrowed slightly, eyes filled with confusion, but he let me pull him forward.
I turned to the others and offered them a small smile. Swallowing the thudding of my heart, I opened the door.
It was time.
They silently followed me into the room, tension thick between them, eyes flicking to one another as if to say,What the fuck is happening?
“Before we get into all that…” Lucus peeled off his white mask and tossed it onto a chair like it offended him. In the next breath, he was in front of me, moving faster than my heart could process. His hands gripped my face, rough and full of pent-up emotion, his palms flush against my cheeks, fingers threading into my hair like he needed to anchor us together.
His lips ghosted over mine with the lightest touch, the tenderness in sharp contrast to the possessive grip of his hands.
“You have no idea howedibleyou look, darling,” he whispered, silver eyes gleaming like molten starlight, just before his mouth claimed mine. His kiss was brutal, all hunger and dominance, consuming me until my knees buckled. I bent back, curling under him as pleasure sparked through me, starting in my belly and spiraling low, the heat licking down between my thighs.
I wanted to let him rip this dress off and punish me for daring to wear something that stirred him up this much. Gods, I wanted it. Craved it.
But not now.
I pressed a hand to his chest and pushed, severing the connection. Our lips parted with a soft, wet sound, and his hands hovered in the space between us like he couldn’t believe I’d stopped him. A pang of guilt flared in my chest.
“Thank you,” I said gently, softening the blow. His arms dropped to his sides, but the heat in his eyes never faded.
“Look…” I took a breath, my words sticking in my throat like burrs. “I kinda… blurted something out to Ras. I didn’t think it would get to this point so fast, but…” I raised my hands, palms open. “I need to use my powers on each of you if I’m going to accept these… bonds.”
I looked at them all, one by one. “If that’s too much, if you don’t want to be seen like that, I get it. No harm, no foul.”
A lie. I’d absolutely scream foul, but I had a rep to keep. The chill, overly sexual, dangerously detached boss. I couldn’t crack now.
Ras stepped forward without hesitation. “I already told you, I don’t care what you do to me. I’m not leaving. Bond or no bond.”His grin was slow and wicked. “Besides, you let me usemypowers on you. Time to return the favor.”
Instinctually, I wasn’t worried about Rasmus. In fact, my heart fluttered at his words. If he ended up truly wanting someone or something else, I’d be more shocked than anyone else in this room.
Lucus scoffed, arms crossed. “That’s it? Ugh. I hate agreeing with the demon, but fine. If this is what you need, let’s get it over with so I can get back to what Ireallywant to do.”
His eyes went back up and down my body, and I almost laughed at the memory of how we met. Now that I saw him standing across from me, it felt like fate.
Van and Maso gave subtle nods. Their expressions said they didn’t fully understand, but they were willing. Trusting.
Then Alic. His voice came out rough, but his eyes were unwavering. “Whatever you need, I’ll give you.” Clean. Simple. Heavy with promise.
I didn’t give myself time to hesitate before I walked straight up to Alic.
Power built inside me, coiling like a storm just beneath the surface, dense, electric, and ready to strike. I closed my eyes. The air around us dropped into stillness.
With every breath, I pulled it in. Threads of illusion magic curled through me, sharp and intimate, filling every vein with a quiet buzz. My fingers twitched, then steadied, as the current pooled at my core.
