Page 22 of Necromance
I swallowed, my grip tightening slightly. A lover. This letter was from someone who had loved Lucien enough to put it into words, someone who had belonged to him in a way that sent an ugly, biting feeling curling in my stomach.
I shouldn’t care. And yet…
I cleared my throat. “There’s no name.”
Lucien leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched me closely. “I noticed.”
I forced my voice to remain neutral. “Do you remember anything?”
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “No.” He gestured to the letter. “But it could be a clue. You did say that I betrayed a heart… perhaps this is the woman.”
A strange, unreadable look crossed his face. If it bothered him that he couldn’t remember who they were, he didn’t show it. Iforced myself to hand the letter back to him, ignoring the way my fingers hesitated at the last moment. “Maybe there’s more in the study.”
His gaze flicked up to mine, sharp, assessing. For a moment, I thought he might smirk, might tease me for the way my voice had softened, but he didn’t.
Instead, he took the letter, folded it neatly, and tucked it back into his pocket.
“Perhaps,” he murmured, watching me too closely.
I turned away, pretending to smooth the blanket over my lap, pretending I didn’t feel something bitter curl beneath my ribs.
I cleared my throat again deliberately, pushing away the ridiculous twinge of jealousy and focusing on the matter at hand. “Well, if you would leave, I could get dressed.”
Lucien’s lips curved into that slow, wicked grin that always made my stomach tighten. He didn’t move. “I could turn around,” he offered, entirely too pleased with himself.
I gave him a flat look. “Out.”
He tilted his head, considering. “You do realize I can see through the wall, don’t you?”
“No you can’t,” I muttered, crossing my arms and shooting him a glare.
His grin deepened. “I can see under that blanket too.”
I sighed, exasperated. “Lucien.”
He chuckled under his breath, then finally pushed away from the bedpost. As he strolled toward the door, hepaused beside me, lowering his voice just enough to make my pulse jump. “Don’t take too long. I’ve been quite bored waiting on you.”
I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction, keeping my expression carefully neutral as I pointedly looked away.
His laughter was soft, almost fond, as he stepped out into the hall. The moment the door clicked shut, I let out a breath, pressing my hands against my flushed cheeks.
Damn him.
I washed and dressed quickly, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of my gown in my haste. The sooner I got to the study, the sooner I could focus on what actually mattered. The letter. Not the lingering heat of Lucien’s gaze or the way his voice curled around words like sin.
Once I was presentable, I grabbed my candle and hurried down the dim corridors. The castle was unnervingly quiet at this hour, the usual distant creaks and whispers absent.
I found Lucien exactly where he said he’d be—lounging in a high-backed chair near the fireplace, one leg draped casually over the other. He turned his head as I entered, his warm eyes flicking over me with slow appreciation that made my skin burn.
“I was beginningto think you’d gotten lost,” he drawled.
I scoffed, setting my candle down on the desk. “I wasn’t that long.”
He arched his brow. “Long enough.”
I ignored that and instead reached for the letter he’d left unfolded on the desk. I was careful when I lifted it.
I exhaled sharply. “Whoever wrote this was in love with you.” I glanced up at him. “Or at least they wanted you to think so.”
