Page 64 of Inheritance
Luce sighed and looked at Ama, “Your daughter is extraordinary, Alaric. I didn’t think I would ever find my mate, and I feel blessed by the Fates that it ended up being Ama. I know this is probably upsetting on your end, but just understand that I...” he paused and looked towards me, “wewill always protect and take care of her.”
Ama stared up at him with so much emotion that it had me almost smiling. Honestly, I somewhat understood why she felt that way she did, considering what they had gone through. Something she had fully explained to me on a late-night walk. You could hear the sincerity radiating off of him, and Ama’s father shook his head, mumbling something under his breath before looking at Ama.
“I won’t kill them, but that is all I am promising.”
“Okay, Dad,” She grinned.
Her father began walking towards the door with her mother, then he smiled and turned back, “You know what Drayven, I think now is the time for that talk.”
Ama squeezed my arm, “He said he wouldn’t kill you.”
Somehow, that didn’t make me feel better.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Ama
The door to the meeting hall closed, and I offered Luce a small smile, sitting on the edge of the table. I had to admit, this stolen moment between the two of us was one that I was eager for. I could feel adrenaline running through me from that meeting, and I found myself feeling almost hyper because of it. When he approached me, I felt that energy change to something else, something darker that had my toes curling. His magic saturated the air and ran against my skin as he put his hands on either side of my hips.
“You did amazing today,” he stated quietly, brushing his nose against mine and causing my breath to catch. The past three days, we hadn’t been left alone once, and now that we were, I could feel him take full advantage of it, filling the entire room with a barrier of magic that I knew locked the doors. He might not have been the devil anymore, but he still had really fucking intense magic.
“Because I have an amazing council,” I teased, “with lots of experience.”
“Are you calling me old, Little Temptress?” He chuckled, running a hand over my waist. I had chosen to wear a simple black sweater, leggings, and boots, all of which suddenly felt like far too many clothes.
“I mean…” I hedged, “I’m just saying, your advice comes in handy with how old you are.”
“Oh, so it’s the whole ‘with age comes experience’ thing?” He flashed a smile.
I pressed a finger to his chest, “Now you’ve got it.”
“I wonder what other experience I could impress you with.” He leaned forward and deepened a searing kiss that had every part of my body lighting up. I ran my fingers up his jaw and deepened the kiss. Things were still growing between Luce and me. There was, of course, that instinctual reaction, almost primal, that told me he was my mate and urged me to get as close as possible.
We were still getting to know one another, but what I knew about Luce when he wasn’t being a possessive bastard were things I really liked…actually, I even liked the possessive part when it wasn’t towards my other men. He had kept to his word so far, and while he’d been grumpy about not being left alone with me, he hadn’t tried to steal me away or any shit like that. Hell, last night he’d even played a game of chess with Adrien while I was taking a long bath and trying to relax from the day.
Maybe there was hope…which brought me to the question that was important to me because it was more telling than anything. It was what gave me the most hope and told me that I could trust Luce.
“Did you mean what you said about ‘we’ to my father?” I asked softly, pulling back.
Luce’s eyes darkened as he nodded, “I told you I was in this Ama. I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I promised I would do this and honestly…it’s not as bad as I thought. Although, if Finias doesn’t stop calling me ‘Gramps’, I may lose my shit.”
I smirked at that, “I think it’s kinda funny.”
“Exactly why he does it.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Ama, what I feel for you isn’t the start or even the definition of love. It’s a devotion that has nothing to do with being your mate and everything to do with the woman I know you are. When I put you through that portal, I realized how clouded I was by my own selfishness. I realized that I would rather share you than ever lose you. So yes, I meant ‘we.’”
“Luce,” I breathed, “I know I am falling for you at an alarming rate, and I need you to promise me that you won’t make me regret it. That you won’t suddenly leave or try to rip me away from all this—”
“Never again,” he promised before smirking, “Plus, I am damned positive you could kick my ass now.”
Now, why did that sound sort of hot? I was picturing us battling, all hot and sweaty, grappling with each other...
Letting out a small amused sound, I leaned back forward and met his lips, wanting to feel his touch again now that we had talked. But the tone of this kiss was drastically different, and I let out a soft whimper as he tugged my hips closer, making me moan at how hard he was against me.
The man had this boiling energy under my skin, almost explosive and volcanic, and the way he slipped his hands through my hair to grip it caused every nerve ending in my body to spark with electricity. My nipples hardened against my lace bra, and I felt my pussy grow wetter just from the way he pressed against me, his tongue slipping into my mouth as he claimed it.
He had such a possessive edge to him, like he had been waiting to do this forever…because he had. I surrendered into it, wanting to be completely his at this moment and wanting to know how he liked me. How he wanted to experience the two of us together.
My hands tightened on his shoulders as I rocked my hips against his once, arching and locking my legs around him. “Luce.” It almost sounded like a plea and whimper, “I need you.”
