Page 72 of Necromance
”I love you, witch,” he continued, voice raw, cracking at the edges. “I’ve loved you from the moment your grandmother told me your name. I loved you the day you stormed into this wretched castle with your snark, your stubbornness, and your light. Even when you tried to push me away, when you hated that I would appear to ruin your night… I loved you and I will love you until my soul fades from this plane and even then I will find you in the afterlife and I will continue to love you.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I smiled through them, leaning into his touch. “I love you too, Lucien. I think I always have.”
Before I could say anything more, his lips found mine. Lucien kissed me like he was drowning and I was the only thing thatcould pull him to the surface, emotion pouring out from us both. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tangling through his hair. His hands roamed my back, gripping, anchoring, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. My body burned where he touched me, and my magic pulsed through us both, crackling like lightning under my skin.
I pulled back, taking a deep breath. “How long do we have here?” I asked quickly, my voice husky and ragged.
He grinned, slow, and deliberate. “As long as you wish.”
”Good,” I said, pressing my lips back to his, desperate now. His hands moved over my body, sliding up my sides, burying them into the fabric of my nightgown as if he couldn’t get close enough. I responded just as fiercely, curling my fingers into his shirt, dragging him closer, gasping as his mouth left mine to press kisses down the column of my throat.
”You don’t know what you do to me,” he murmured against my skin, sending a shiver through my body.
His hands moved with reverence, his lips following the path of my body as he slowly undressed me, peeling away the fabric like a secret. His mouth found my collarbone, my ribs, the inside of my thigh, kissing me like a man desperate to memorize every inch. I tangled my fingers in his hair, gasping his name as he touched me, and he breathed mine in return—like a spell, like salvation.
He pulled back causing a whimper to escape my throat, but he simply chuckled softly before flickering, vanishing, then reappearing, his clothes now absent.
He stood before me, taking my hand in his as he sank to his knees then pulled me to him. With one swift movement, I was beneath him, being laid gently on the billowy void floor. His hand caressed my thigh, gently urging them open and when his fingers found the center of my desire, I moaned, pressing my hips into him.
”Please, Lucien,” I managed in the faintest voice and I felt his lips curve upward against my neck where he was placing gentle kisses. His fingers moved against me with skillful, enticing circles that made my whole body heat and tremble.
”You’ve learned that word so well, love.”
His fingers slipped away and I nearly cried out, but then I felt him shift, positioning himself at my entrance.
And when he finally pressed into me, we both stilled, breath caught, eyes locked. It was like something inside me split open, and I knew, deep in my bones, that this was never just desire. This was something ancient and inevitable, something neither of us had words for.
We moved together in rhythm, in fury, in grace. A slow burn building into wildfire. Every kiss, every touch, every sigh was a promise unspoken. His curse wrapped around my magic, sparks igniting alongour skin, illuminating the shadows.
“Lucien…” I gasped, nails digging into his shoulders as I broke apart beneath him.
He followed me moments later, his head buried in the crook of my neck, a whispered “Mia” escaping his lips like a prayer. And then there was only the sound of our breathing, tangled bodies, and the fragile quiet between heartbeats.
We lay there until our breathing eased, my head resting on his chest now, my fingers making lazy circles over his muscular chest.
“We still have to break your curse,” I said softly, my thoughts turning back to the curse now that my brain was not awash with our lovemaking.
”We will,” Lucien assured.
”What did Serena say to you in the ballroom?”
He was silent for a long moment, his hand coming up to mine, catching my fingers before gently stroking them with his thumb. “She said if I didn’t make you leave the castle, she would kill you.”
I lifted my head, resting it on my arm so that I could look at him, my brows furrowing. “She’s been trying to kill me since I got here. She hasn’t succeeded yet.”
Lucien gave me a look, one that held all the concern I saw in his eyes. “I’m growing weaker, Mia. She knows that… She knows that soon I won’t be able to help you when you call for me.”
He was right. Here in the void, Lucien appeared completely whole. He didn't have to use energy here like he did when I summoned him.
”What are we going to do?”
He stared up into the darkness as if lost in thought for a moment before taking a deep breath. “I have a plan, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
I narrowed my gaze on him and he shot me an apologetic look. “What is this plan?”
”You have to leave the castle.”
I sat up, glaring at him now. “No! I’m not leaving you.”
