“I’m going to roll us over so you can rest,” Marcus told him. “Don’t struggle. I don’t want you to hurtyourself.”
Lucian wanted to reply, but he couldn’t. The sounds were lodged in his throat, stuck. Marcus didn’t seem to mind. One moment Lucian was on his knees with his chest on the mattress, and the next, Marcus’ arms wrapped around his stomach, pulling him close. They fell together ontothebed.
“You did an amazing job,” Marcus whispered. He spoke into the hairs on the back of Lucian’s head. While he peppered the back of Lucian’s head with kisses, he went back to massaging Lucian’s sore wrists. “Sogood.”
The praise resonated inside Lucian, and he basked in it. The void he’d found himself in during the height of their encounter began to close in, and reality started to make more sense. He was still blindfolded, and Marcus’ touch still sent sparks through him, but the atmosphere hadchanged.
Itwasdone.
He’dbeengood.
Lucian smiled. He nuzzled back against Marcus as Marcus worked his tired wrists. The blindfold remained in place—Lucian wouldn’t have taken it off even if Marcus had granted himpermissionto.
It was Marcus’ decision to make whether he sawornot.
“Sleep now,” Marcus said. “You’re safe with me, fledgling. I take care of what’s mine. And in the morning, when you’re rested, we can talk about how we shouldcontinue.”
Continue?
What had once been blissful joy soured. Dread curled in Lucian’s stomach, and the word returned to haunt himagain.
Continue?
As much as he’d enjoyed Marcus’ company, the thought of officially committing himself was terrifying. The fantasy was fun in small doses, but permanently? To consider himself officially owned by another alpha after everything he’d gone through at The WhiteLotus?
Lucian didn’t sayanything.
Marcus kissed the back of his head and drew him close as he settled, and it wasn’t long before Lucian heard the steady rhythm of his breath slow as sleep claimed him. Lucian lay by his side as Marcus’ knot recessed and his cock slipped free from Lucian’s ass, then he wormed out from beneath Marcus’ arms and pulled the blindfold fromhiseyes.
Hecouldn’tstay.
Heart racing with fear, dread joined by regret to poison what had once been a high unlike any other, Lucian slipped out ofMarcus’room.
Tonight had made their back alley adventures too real. It had driven home a message that Lucian wasn’t ready to hear—he’d found someone he wanted, and someone who wanted him just as badly, but he couldn’thavehim.
Notlikethis.
Marcus had stripped away the residual ills inside of him, but only temporarily. Faced with the idea of permanent ownership—of letting another alpha take control of his body and his mind—Lucianfolded.
So he did what he’d never been able to dobefore.
Heran.
21
Marcus
Morning came.Marcus woke, groggy, and reached for the omega whose scent perfumed his sheets. He was met by a pile of blankets,nothingmore.
Concern didn’t strike when Marcus cracked open an eye to find the bed empty. It inched into the forefront of his mind when he checked to find the bathroom empty, then blossomed into mild panic when the kitchen wasdeserted,too.
Lucian’s clothes were gone from thelivingroom.
The front door wasunlocked.
There was no note, no text waiting on Marcus’ phone, and no sign that Lucian had ever stayed the night—save for the pair of lace panties that had been leftbehind.
Marcus scooped them up and brought them back to his bedroom, crestfallen. His thumb explored the design of the lace as he walked, allowing himself to process the complex maelstrom of emotion that ravaged him from theinside.
