leaving,” I announced, barely above a whisper, only for Lucian to laugh coldly at my words. He carefully undid the cuffs of his dress shirt, rolling up the sleeves. Dismissing him, I started for the doors.
I didn’t care if the Devil himself was waiting outside for me. I needed to get away from here, away from him. Lucian hadn’t even cared enough to tell me why he’d done it. They were my family. The coven hadn’t needed to die to protect him or me. Innocent lives were lost so that we wouldn’t be inconvenienced? Fuck that!
The moment Layton pushed me forward, the doors opened, and Lucian grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder. I screamed, gasping as the air was sucked from the room. Power rushed through me, forcing my hands to slide together by my wrists behind my back. I struggled as a throbbing started in my chest, burning my lungs. Shadows slid against my lips, and then air slowly filled my lungs while Lucian continued walking to the hallway with me awkwardly flung over his shoulder, my hands still locked behind me as if held in chains.
I couldn’t move, and the more I tried to break free of the magic holding me, the more painful the throbbing in my chest became. When we were out of the bar area, he dropped me to my feet, slamming me against the wall. His fingers curled around my throat, forcing my gaze to meet his.
“I do nothing without a good reason, Lena. Do you think you get to run away from me now? You don’t. Lucifer told you that to hurt you, so don’t start assuming he’s your fucking savior,” he snapped, his eyes glowing blue as he glared at me. “Now walk, or I’ll make you walk. It’s your choice. Decide now.”
“You fucking killed them! They were my family, Lucian!”
“I didn’t kill them. I just didn’t stop them from dying. Now walk, or you can get where we’re going thrown over my shoulder,” Lucian growled, stepping back to glare at me.
I stared at him, shaking with anger, while he waited for me to choose. I lifted my hands to shove him away, but his magic wrapped around me, preventing me from forcing him away from my trembling form. I fought against it, screaming with frustration and rage at being denied the ability to move. I felt his hold tightening, and then I broke free with a smile curving my lips. He grunted, biting his lower lip as his eyes began glowing with liquid blue flames.
His entire body vibrated with power, sending his magic directly at me until I dropped to my knees, crying out. Lucian kneeled, lifting my chin with a single finger, surveying my face. His lips curled into a devilish smile, and he spoke in a strange language that had me rising to my feet with his fingers still on my chin.
Lucian’s massive body crushed mine against the wall hard enough that my teeth clattered together. A groan slipped from me as he cradled my jaw, stroking my lips. He lowered his mouth, brushing it against mine before nipping my bottom lip while his power wrapped around me, enveloping me in the sheer force of it.
I couldn’t move a muscle or push him away as he held total control over my mind. He touched his forehead to mine, still speaking in the foreign language that held me silent, awaiting his command. Numbness filled me, consuming my mind, and his voice soothed me from within, as my eyelids grew heavy and my body grew pliant against his.
“You don’t get to leave me, Lena. I warned you. You are mine, and that which slumbers within you was created to stand beside me—only me, which makes you mine regardless of how you feel or what you want. Stop thinking with that useless human heart of yours before I rip it out and remind you that you no longer need it. Now, move your sore ass back to our bedroom, where you will wait for me in our bed. Move, woman,” he snapped harshly, his voice layered as if the souls within him spoke at once.
My body obeyed, jerking forward and immediately walking toward the staircase that led to our bedroom below. I could feel Lucian’s stare burning my back. Anger rushed through the air between us as magic forced me to do as he’d commanded, with no control over my mind or body.
I was nothing more than a mindless toy,