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“Have you seen it since then?” Riley asked.

Lukas looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes in deep thought. He clenched his jaw and then sighed before nodding in confirmation.

Kai raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Lukas said, as he put his forehead on Blaire’s shoulder.

“No, if there’s something pertinent to our situation, Lukas, then you need to share.” The professor tilted her head in his direction. “Have there been other developments?”

Lukas looked at the professor, the muscles in his jaw working overtime. Something seemed off, and Blaire wasn’t sure what to make of his sudden change in behavior. He seemed nervous.

“I didn’t see it for a while in the beginning, except I think once, but it was extremely faint… but recently I saw it like the day I saw her on the street.” Lukas looked down at Blaire’s bruised arm, not meeting the eyes of the others in the room.

The professor’s brows knitted together in confusion. “Why was that something you felt you couldn’t share with us?”

Kai cleared his throat as he looked at Lukas meaningfully. “Stimulating circumstances?” he asked as Lukas looked up at him, giving a firm nod.

They shared a look, something Blaire didn’t understand.

“Interesting,” the professor muttered under her breath as she stared between Lukas and Kai.

“What the hell does that mean?” Blaire asked in frustration. She was tired and in pain, and she didn’t have the energy to figure out vague wordplay. What kind of circumstances would lead Lukas to see her mark when other times it wasn’t there? Why would Kai know? She couldn’t wrap her brain around any of this information, and it didn’t do anything to soothe the floaty feeling she still had.

Professor Velastra looked at Lukas expectantly. “Yes. Can you share what these events were? It would help in understanding the progression of the bond between the two of you.”

Lukas dropped his forehead onto Blaire’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Tell me what it means.” Blaire turned her head and looked at him.

Lukas didn’t say anything as he lifted his head. Then, catching her by surprise, he brought his hand up to rest on her jaw, dragging his fingers down the side of her neck to rest his fingertips against her pulse point. Her eyes fluttered closed, her heartbeat increasing in response to his touch. He pressed gently for only a moment before relaxing his touch against the side of her neck.

“This…” Lukas whispered, with a gravelly edge to his voice, into Blaire’s ear as he pressed once more against her pulse point. “When I did this… I saw the mark just before I did this…”

Blaire’s mind flashed to last night when she had been ready to give Lukas everything. The gentle pressure of his fingers got her attention. A simple act, but the touch burned her skin. The passion was hard to forget. She swallowed hard.

“And now?” she rasped. “Is it there now?”

“No…”

“It feels different,” she whispered.

“How?” His voice fanned over her cheek from behind and she shivered.

“It doesn’t feel hot… your fingers.”

Aiden cleared his throat, and Kai smirked as Mera placed her hand over her mouth.

“Oh wow…” Riley said in awe, her mouth hanging open.

Blaire squirmed when Riley spoke, remembering others were there. The sexual tension in the room elevated and she was sure everyone could tell. She went to move, but Lukas dropped his arm to wrap around her. He didn’t hurt her, but it was a clear command to stay still. His hands shook against her.

The professor clapped her hands. “Well then. I don’t think we need more information regarding that. I suppose heightened sexual arousal would intensify the bond. But I find the sensation of heat associated with times of seeing the Korrena mark interesting. This is new. That said…” She stared at the way Lukas still held Blaire. “Lukas, it would seem you’re still not over last night.”

Lukas muttered under his breath, “In more ways than one…”

Blaire smiled despite her pain; he meant what had taken place between them on this very bed.

After several moments of awkward silence, Mera spoke up with a shake of her head, bringing the conversation back in a more stable direction. “I researched the phenomenon of humans having the Korrena mark when Blaire first arrived. I found texts in the old archives documenting Vasirian and human relationships, but there wasn’t much there. Most of the pages had been ripped out, as if someone didn’t want the information known.”