LUCIUS POV
She finally fell asleep.
Her breathing evened out. Her small body tucked between those ridiculous dragons, her face soft and peaceful in the dim glow of the dying flames. I should have taken comfort in it. I should have watched over her like I always do, content just to know she was safe.
But instead—
Her scent hit me like a blade to the spine.
Warm. Sweet. Alluring.
And threaded under it… a sharper note.
Blood.
Her blood.
The moment it reached me, my vision snapped white.
I was on my feet before I realized I moved, every muscle in my body going rigid. My fangs punched down, carving into my lower lip without permission, and a vicious growl escaped my throat.
—her scent, sharp and intoxicating, thick with something primal, something raw. It hit me like a wave, crashing over me, drowning out everything else. My body tensed, a feral instinct rising inside me that I had long buried under centuries of restraint.
Her blood. Her blood.
