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Blaire laughed softly and met Lukas’s eyes. “I know. I’ve been awake for a while.”

Lukas raised a brow at her, pulling his hand from his pants. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t want to wake you. And… I was comfortable. Did you bring me home last night?”

Lukas nodded, before resting his forehead against hers. Blaire closed her eyes. He caressed her cheek gently, moving his fingertips across her jaw, before running a finger over her lower lip. She parted her lips as he pulled his touch away.

“Blaire,” he whispered. He leaned in to kiss her softly once, then pulled back to look into her eyes.

Blaire swallowed audibly and Lukas leaned back in to kiss her once more, deepening the kiss as he pulled her body against his with the arm wrapped beneath her. He trailed his other hand down her side and over her hip. She moaned into his mouth as he lifted her leg over his hip, pulling her lower half flush against his hardness with a firm grasp. Her breath hitched.

Lukas kissed down her jawline to her neck before biting gently, not with his fangs, just a gentle nibble with his normal teeth. Blaire gasped, laying her head back in silent invitation. He leaned in and sucked on the delicate skin on the side of her neck near her pulse point.

Blaire ground her hips against him, not realizing what she was doing anymore, lost in the moment as she panted, clinging to Lukas’s body. He lapped at the abused flesh of her neck, groaning at her movements before dragging his lips to her ear.

“If you don’t stop now, I won’t be able to control myself from claiming you right here and now,” Lukas whispered with a rasp, growling low in his throat into Blaire’s ear.

She shuddered and moaned, then snapped her gaze up to meet Lukas’s eyes, which were glowing dimly. She could still feel the warmth of his need against her throbbing core, making it difficult to focus, but she wasn’t ready for this. Claiming involved him taking her blood. While she let him clean her arm, she wasn’t ready for more. Wasn’t ready to be bitten. The panic building inside her made her freeze and look away.

Lukas’s face fell. He kissed the top of her head before whispering, “I understand. When you’re ready, I’m here.”

Blaire slowly looked up to meet his eyes as she lowered her leg. “I’m sorry…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Lukas said, the strain still obvious in his voice. “I won’t lie and say I don’t want you,”—he motioned to his obvious problem—“but I would never take what isn’t mine to take.”

Lukas closed his eyes. Clearly, it pained him to say that right after he told her she was his. “I would never force anything on you,” he added with conviction.

Blaire looked at him with pinched brows, but she believed him. He’d had more than enough opportunity if he wanted to force himself on her. He was not Caleb. She rested her forehead against his chest, sighing before pulling back.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she said quietly as she sat up. “We probably need to go see the professor soon.”

Blaire was still a mess from the club. Her hair looked like a couple of badgers got into it and had a fight. She wore a large t-shirt she assumed was Lukas’s. He must have put it on for her when he brought her back to the dorm.

Lukas nodded. “Take your time. I’ll call Aiden and get the others ready.”

Blaire climbed out of bed and padded across the floor to the bathroom to shower as Lukas reached for his cell phone on the nightstand.

Clean again, she came out wrapped in a fluffy black towel. Lukas paused mid-sentence, lying still, holding his phone to his ear, staring at her. He sat up quickly on the bed as he ended the phone call.

Blaire blushed and disappeared into the closet to find her clothes and shoes. She decided to go casual; she couldn’t be bothered to do much else, picking a pair of dark wash jeans and a long-sleeved mint hoodie. She didn’t feel like putting in the effort after everything that happened, and the hoodie would protect her from the rain. She didn’t even bother hiding the ugly bruise on her cheek from what Caleb did. Everyone knew what happened. There was no reason to hide, and she was honestly tired of hiding all the time. She left the closet after changing and carried a pair of socks and sneakers to the bed. She sat down and waited for Lukas to finish showering.

When Lukas stepped from the bathroom wrapped in a towel low on his hips, Blaire’s mouth went dry. He had tied the towel low enough that his well-defined V showed with a faint dusting of brown hair leading down into the towel. She swallowed hard as she took her fill. He was gorgeous.

She averted her eyes, tucking her wet hair behind her ear as warmth crawled up her neck and over her face. She needed to focus on things other than his body. What was wrong with her?

“Pull your hair back.”

Blaire looked up at Lukas and wrinkled her brow in confusion, caught out by the sudden seriousness of his tone. “What?”

Lukas knelt on the floor in front of her. She gasped and looked down at his half-naked body as her heartbeat raced. The heady scent of his body wash was more potent fresh out of the shower and with no clothes on. He reached up and moved Blaire’s hair away from her neck.

“I thought so. It’s faint, but it’s there.”

Lukas trailed his finger over the side of her neck. His fingers lingered over the minor bruise left from when he had his way with her neck earlier.

“What is it?” Blaire whispered, her eyes fluttering closed at his touch.

“I can see my mark again.” He pulled his hand away, looking up into her eyes as she opened them again.