Page 6 of Inheritance
Pushing myself out of bed, I gave a self-satisfied nod of my head, pleased with this plan of attack. Luce had made it so obvious what he wanted. I'd answer his questions and allow his soft touches. I'd give him the conversation he wanted at meals. I'd be out of here and on the front lines in no time once I blasted through the barrier he'd constructed around the castle.
As I shrugged back into my dress from this morning and smoothed it down, a thought occurred to me, and I groaned in annoyance.
Fuck.This plan was not flawless.
He could teleport and just grab me wherever I went. Even if I managed to escape and fly to my mates in Pura, Luce could just grab me in an instant when he found me missing. Plus, then he really could hurt my mates—especially since they would be right there—and something told me he wouldn’t miss out on that opportunity.
"One step at a time, Ama," I breathed out, reminding myself this wasn't hopeless, but that I just needed to be open to adapting the plan along the way as I thought of better ideas.
First things first. Get my magic back and feed for energy reserves.
As I took the same path from this morning into the dining hall, I prepared myself to don my new persona. I'd grit my teeth and make it through this because I had no other choice. I wouldn't be a damsel in distress waiting for my mates to come get me.
I plastered on a fake smile as I entered and met Luce's eyes. His own narrowed in response, clearly confused by my change in demeanor.
Shit.Okay, maybe I was coming on too strong. I'd need to be more subtle with my change of personality, otherwise he'd read right through my bullshit.
"I just had the best nap," I gushed, covering up the real reason for my smile in a way that hopefully wouldn't cause any suspicion.
He eyed me warily as I took the seat next to him instead of the one at the opposite end of the table and asked me, "Why did you nap after you had just woken up?"
I stared at the pasta on my plate and quickly weighed the pros and cons of telling him partial truths. Could I gain sympathy from him by telling him I didn't feel well without my magic? If he cared about me as much as he claimed, it could be a viable option.
Gingerly, I moved my hand to rest on top of his while widening my eyes innocently, I sighed, "I understand why you wanted to take my powers. You wanted us to be able to focus on each other without worrying about me escaping...but I don't..." I trailed off, slightly unnerved by the intensity radiating from his golden eyes. Okay, maybe this acting thing wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d assumed. When his eyes were on me, I felt like he was stripping me bare—and not in a sexy way. This was more in the “I can see directly into your soul” kind of way.
His face hardened immediately, and he turned his hand over to hold mine, "What is wrong, Little Temptress?"
My heart did a flip in my chest, which annoyed me because it proved I cared just a tiny bit about Luce. It felt good to know that he genuinely cared about my wellbeing, and that wasn't something I could give in to. I couldn't become distracted from what I needed to do, which was escape. I couldn't allow him to worm his way into my heart.
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear with my free hand, I licked my lips nervously before answering honestly, "I don't feel well without my powers. I feel utterly drained, and my Succubus needs are still within me, even with my magic gone. I need to feed."
All of that was the truth, and I was finding it quite shocking how easy this situation had been so far. He seemed very receptive. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as I’d initially thought. Perhaps there was a logical side to his brain, in addition to the overbearing caveman one he'd shown me thus far.
Compassion I hadn’t thought he was capable of flashed across his face, making my mouth part in shock. He was so damned handsome when he wasn't rambling about killing my mates and forcing me to love him.
"Come here, love," he pulled on my hand gently as he slid his chair back.
He wanted me to sit on his lap?That was a little weird, but I told myself I would go along with his request so I could try to get what I needed. I also refused to consider why I found the idea of being that close to him so damned appealing.
Focus, Ama. Fucking focus.
I had to force myself to keep the confusion off my face, opting instead for a neutral look as I hesitantly stood and closed the space between us. When I turned to sit on him sideways, he grabbed my hips and tugged me so I was straddling him.
A soft gasp escaped me as our noses brushed and his hands tightened on my waist. I didn't want to think about how my arms naturally went around his neck or how well we seemed to fit.
His golden eyes filled with desire, and I felt exactly how much he wanted me with my core pressed so firmly against him. The only things separating us were his dress pants and the thin scrap of material that was my underwear.
My eyes fluttered as I focused back on what I needed. But maybe I could use this to my advantage. I'd always been against using my Succubus allure to get what I wanted—had utterly despised even the thought of it. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
His hand lifted, and he trailed his fingers softly down the side of my face, "Such a beautiful Little Temptress," he muttered, and my breath hitched as his thumb rubbed across my bottom lip.
I resisted the urge to bite his thumb and kept my breathing even as his eyes roved over me with a dark intensity. His hand drifted to my throat and applied pressure to the sides as he leaned in to whisper into my ear, "Love, I may have just woken up again recently, but that doesn't mean I was just born. I know you're trying to play me."
My heart hammered in my chest as I tried to recover, "No! Everything I just told—" my words were cut off as he sealed his lips to mine. A growl rumbled from his chest, and he pulled back so quickly I wondered if the kiss had even happened.
Pushing me from his lap, he stood quickly, making me stumble and grip the table. I swallowed nervously as he growled out, "If you weren't playing me, your body wouldn't have frozen in shock when I kissed you!"
He had me there, but I couldn't let him know that.
