It almost looks like… No. No, it can’t be.
My stomach growls angrily again, and his gaze snaps to me. His red eyes collide with mine, and I gasp, stepping back and stumbling into a hard chest.
Arms circle me.
“I thought the smell of food would tempt you out. Come, my pet. Eat.”
Lucian takes my hand in his and leads me into the room. My heart races even more erratically the farther we walk. All eyes land on us.
No, not on us.
On me.
I’m vaguely aware that I’m holding Lucian’s hand in an iron grip.
“Calm yourself, my little pet,” Lucian tries to soothe, but I find myself leaning closer to him for support. The man I should be most terrified of.
Oh, the fucking irony.
The one with the red eyes approaches us, his gaze taking in every inch of me, hunger flickering in his eyes for the briefest moment. He stops in front of us, his tongue gliding across his bottom lip.
This is it. I’m about to be brutally gang-raped. That’s the only reason they’ve been so nice. The bath. Oh God.
“Please don’t rape me,” I blurt out on a whimper.
The man with red eyes recoils, almost taking a step back.
“I would never,” he snarls.
“Look at me,” Lucian instructs.
I turn my head and look up at him. His hand still holds mine firmly while the other clasps my chin.
“No one will ever touch you or harm you. Understand me?” he hisses, the amber in his eyes burning furiously.
I give a small nod.
He releases my chin but keeps my hand securely in his. I swallow and look back at the one with the red eyes. He doesn’t have a cut on like the others.
“Sorry,” I mumble, fear and embarrassment washing over me. “I didn’t mean?—”
The corner of his mouth curves slightly, and the red in his eyes glimmers. “Don’t worry yourself about it.”
A small amount of relief soothes me—only briefly—before he steps aside and I see the rest of them, all watching me.
“Go sit yourself down, doll. I cooked you up a feast,” the one in the kitchen calls cheerfully over his shoulder. His warm tone eases some of the tension in my chest.
Lucian leads me to the chair at the head of thetable and pulls it out for me. I pause, feeling like I shouldn’t be sitting there, but Lucian gestures, and I don’t protest. I take my seat, and Lucian sits beside me.
I cast my gaze down at the table. I’m normally a confident person, not afraid to speak my mind, never scared to tell a man where to go, but this is different. All of them look at me like they want me dead, and I believe, given the chance, they would.
Someone clears their throat, and I look up. The one with the red eyes stares at me intently.
“You got family?” he asks.
I swallow, doing my best to avoid looking at the others, even though I can feel their eyes on me. “No,” I answer truthfully.
“No?” He presses. “So, you were just magically formed?”
