his home, effectively stealing the only thing on this godforsaken planet that brought him comfort? Her.
“I would have called, but I was in the middle of impaling my brother’s killer on the front lawn of my estate. I felt I needed to send a message to others that what is mine…” He locked eyes with her. “Is mine. And it does not get fucked with. Unless it is I who is doing the fucking,” he whispered. “Where is your handbag?” He traced the collar she still wore with a steady gaze and then with a finger. “I left the key to this treasure in there but neglected to tell you. Forgive me.”
Yasmeen blinked rapidly, and her chest rose and fell as if she’d only now dared breathe. “Um, my stuff is in the car. Lucian?” She circled her fingers around his forearm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you.”
His held his expression. Why did she have to remind him of that while Sorin still stood next to them? To hide his fury over her second attempt at desertion, he gathered her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. When her scent invaded him, he had to make a conscious effort not to curl his fingers into claws to hold her in place. “You are here now.”
She sighed and returned the hug. He felt her nod and knew she was releasing her guard.
“I will get her things,” Sorin murmured.
The corner of Lucian’s mouth tipped up, and the minute the door closed behind them, he drew back and let his mask fall away.
“What a bad, bad girl my precious pet was while I was away.” He latched onto her wrist when she went to stumble back, her face falling. He held fast as he stepped over to throw the lock on the front door.
Then he dragged his naughty pet toward the rear of the castle.
TWENTY-FOUR
Yasmeen tried to dig her heels in as she shouted for Sorin. Oh, God. This was bad. This was really, really bad. “Sorin!”
She squeaked in fear when Lucian turned on her. “I will kill him if he tries to keep me from you.”
A shockwave slammed into her. “No! No, you won’t. He’s your friend! He loves you like a brother. How could you even say that?”
“He is my employee,” he growled.
“No. He’s your friend, and he loves you,” she repeated.
With a withering glare, he turned and pulled her along. They traveled two long corridors that grew darker and darker before they reached a long curved set of stone steps. Down they went with her trying anything to get free. She talked to him the entire way and felt her panic rise as the temperature dropped the deeper they descended into the bowels of the massive structure.
“Please don’t take me down here. I’m scared. I don’t like spaces like this. You know that.” She was having a hard time catching her breath.
He jerked on her wrist when she tried to resist. She stumbled down the remaining steps and tripped on her own feet as she tried to keep up with his long strides.
“Lucian. You have to hear me. Please!” Nothing. “I’m sorry.” She encircled his wrist with her fingers and tried to slow him. “I shouldn’t have gone, but I thought you’d forgotten about me. I thought you went back to your life and left me here. Lucian! Look at me!” Her voice cracked at the end. Not in fear for herself but in fear for him. She jammed her feet into the stone floor and yanked on her arm hard enough to cause pain to shoot through her shoulder. “Stop and look at me!”
She might as well have not bothered because he didn’t even acknowledge she’d spoken let alone stop moving. He threw open one of the many doors whizzing by and pulled her into a large window-less room before slamming the door so hard her ears rang. She bit her lip so she wouldn’t cry out. The sound escaped anyway when she saw the only thing within these craggy walls was a large standing structure. It was made of a smooth wood that looked aged and gray and was in the shape of an X. Goddamn shackles and chains were attached to the four ends.
A St. Andrew’s cross.
No, no, no. She didn’t want him to take her like this. She would accept him, probably enjoy the hell out of it, but she didn’t want to look into his eyes as she came apart