"Is there a reason why you're sneaking around my house in the middle of the night, Ariana?"

With a gasp, I spun around and blinked at him.

Grayson raised an eyebrow as he lounged comfortably in the chair. My eyes dropped to the glass he had in his hand and then darted up to the bottle that stood on the small wooden table next to the lamp.

I could smell the strong alcohol he was drinking but I had no clue whether he was drunk or not.

It set me on edge.

"You should be asleep."

I swallowed. "I-I can't sleep."

"Nightmares?" he questioned.

"Y-yes." I shifted from foot to foot. "Can I see Lucas? I know—"

"He went home," Grayson interrupted.

I sucked in a breath as my heart dropped to my stomach. He left without saying goodbye. How could he do that?

Stumbling forward, I sunk down on the edge of the couch across from him.

"D-did he say anything?"

"No." Grayson raised the glass to his lips and swallowed the last of the alcohol. Placing the glass down next to the bottle, he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and silently watched me.

"What's on your mind?" he asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

"W-what makes you think that I have something on my mind?"

He shrugged. "Call it a hunch."

My eyes dropped to my hands. I entwined my fingers, cracked them but then gripped the hem of my shirt instead.

Everyone else was asleep and since Lucas had left, I might as well talk to Grayson about the shit going on inside my head. He'd saved Lucas after all.

"I..." I swallowed loudly. "I asked Ethan to call Dad but he told him where we were instead and then the Hunters found us too and...shit happened."

He only stared at me.

"You s-said that you'll help," I muttered. "I was wondering what kind of help you meant."

"Is it because you're curious or because you already have a plan of your own?" Grayson sighed. "Ariana?"

"I don't want my family to get hurt because of me," I told him. "I don't want Lucas to fight for me either. Oliver wants me and I was thinking of confronting him on my own."

"There's a big flaw in your plan. He wants to kill you and nothing's going to change his mind about it."

"I know," I whispered.

"He will kidnap you and go through with what he had planned before Lucas rescued you."

My eyes dropped to my lap. "I just don't want them to get hurt."

"They'll hurt if they find out that you're gone."

"I know." I looked up at him again. "I'd rather have Oliver hurt me than have them be killed because of me."

Grayson growled. "You're either extremely brave or really stupid."

His hand shot up when my lips parted. I pursed my lips and frowned at him until I realized that he was staring at the doorway. Grayson growled a low warning that made the hair on my arms raise.

A whimper came from the hall and a second later a woman stepped into view. She kept her head bowed and her hands clasped in front of her body.

"What do you want?" he questioned.

"I...Beta E-Emeric send me," the girl answered. "He said that you need my...services."

"My brother is delusional." He stood, making the girl flinch. "I have no need for you. You're dismissed."

She hurried away after giving him a low bow.

Grayson turned and stared down at me with a frown. "Go back to your room," he ordered. "We'll talk about this in the morning after you think this crazy plan of yours through."

***

Sleep was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no choice in returning to my room because Grayson personally escorted me back to the bedroom.

I closed the door behind me, took two steps and then froze. When I left the bedroom earlier, I had turned the bedside lamp on. It was off now, leaving the room in complete darkness.

My heartbeat increased as my eyes darted around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so maybe someone else had switched it off when they realized that the room was empty.

I sucked in a breath.

And then a sound from behind me reached my ears, but before I could turn around, a hand was clasped over my mouth and a hard body pressed to my back.

"It's me."

My body slumped against his the moment I recognized his voice.

Lucas pressed a kiss to my cheek before he stepped away from me. I spun around and watched as he locked the door and switched on the lights.

The moment he was within reach again, I slapped him.

He frowned at me. "What was that for?"

"For scaring me!"

The frown slipped away as he closed the distance between us and cupped my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Forgive me?"

He pressed a kiss to my lips, my cheeks, my nose and my eyelids as he continued to apologize.

When his lips moved to mine again, I slipped my hands into his hair and deepened the kiss. Lucas groaned. The tip of his tongue traced my bottom lip but I denied him entrance. His hands slid down my back and grabbed my ass, making me gasp. It was the opportunity he was waiting for because his tongue slipped into my mouth.

I pulled away before things could go any further and frowned up at him. "Grayson said you went home."

"He wouldn't let me see you so I left and then snuck back to come see you," he explained.

I gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up to take a look at the wound. To my surprise the wound was healed and only a white line remained.

"It'll be gone by morning," he muttered.

My eyes stayed glued to that spot for a few more seconds before they darted away to the exposed skin. My cheeks heated as colour flooded them.

"Ariana," Lucas rasped.

I swallowed as my eyes darted up to his. "I-I want to do it again."

"Do what?"

"I want to have sex," I whispered, "with you again."

"Now?" he sounded surprised.

My brows dipped when he said nothing after I nodded. I thought that guys were all for having sex, that they never said no when you offered it to them, but clearly I was wrong.

"Forget it," I hissed as I turned around.

I was halfway to the bathroom when Lucas reacted. He grabbed my wrist and spun me into his chest as one hand slid to the back of my neck. I only had time to suck in a breath before his lips captured mine.

Lucas kissed me the way he had that day in the shower when we first met.

A moan slipped from my mouth into his.

Gripping my hips, he pulled me closer as his tongue forced its way into my mouth. I loved the way he took control. I loved his dominance.

Lucas picked me up and carried me over to the bed where he slowly lowered me onto my back. I broke the kiss when his hands slipped underneath my shirt.

"T-the light," I stuttered.

"Not tonight, doll." He smiled at me. "I want to see you."

Nervousness. Excitement. Fear. All those emotions flashed through me as Lucas pushed the shirt higher and higher. But I didn't object when he pulled it over my head. I bit my lips and watched him as he pulled his own shirt off before he leaned down to kiss me again.

Warm skin brushed against mine.

"Your hands are warm," I whispered. "They're usually cold.

Lucas's lips curled up against mine. "It's because of Grayson's blood."

"How do you know that?"

Shifting, he lay down next to me but kept one hand on my stomach. His eyes darted over my face and then slowly trailed down my body. They lingered on my chest for a few seconds before darting back up to mine.

"Because I know."

My lips parted, but the words died down when his fingers brushed the underside of my left breast. I swallowed and held as still as I could when his hands slid higher.

"I'm not exactly sure what to do," he whispered. "Well, I know what to do; I'm just not sure if you'd like it."

"My instincts are telling me to touch you where you'll like it," I whispered back. "Why don't you follow your instincts?"

Lucas smiled. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. He hesitated a few more seconds before he moved. Lucas kissed me again, slowly and then with more confidence. Moving on top of me, he broke the kiss to move his lips along my jaw and down my neck in almost the same way he'd kissed Eva in the motel room.

My body jerked in surprise when he nipped my skin with his teeth and then sucked on the spot. Goosebumps broke out over my skin as he continued giving the same spot attention for a few minutes before his lips slipped lower.

He hesitated a moment, mouth hovering inches from my nipple, but seemed to make up his mind because in the next second his tongue flicked out to lick the tip of my puckered nipple. My mouth dropped open in a silent gasp as his lips closed around my nipple.

Pleasure shot through my body straight down to my pussy. The sharp tugs of his mouth made me squirm and moan.

When he pulled back, I slipped my hands into his hair to pull his lips back to my breast. My back arched and a whimper fell from my lips. Lucas quickly caught on. He turned his head slightly and captured my other nipple, repeating what he'd done to its twin.

My breathing sped up as the need grew.

"Lucas," I breathed.

"Mm?" He raised his head and glanced at me even though he continued to move lower.

The air got locked in my throat when he started kissing the scars on my stomach—every single one of them until he reached the band of my pants.

Sitting up, he gave me a small smile and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I really want to take you up on the offer to kiss every inch of your body," he rasped.

"I want you inside me."

"Soon." He hooked his fingers into the band of my pants and slowly pulled them down my legs. "No panties?"

"No," I breathed.

Lucas's lips curled into a sexy smirk as he settled on his stomach between my spread legs. But the moment he lowered his face, I scooted backwards and slammed my legs closed.

"I don't want you to kiss me there," I lied.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Why?"

"I...because I..." I trailed off, unable to find an excuse. "Why am I the only one naked?"

"Because I want to snack on you first before I take you."

His words made me giggle. "You want to eat me?"

"Yes," he said with such seriousness that my laughter died down. "Don't knock it until you've tried it. Come on doll, give it a try. I promise that if you don't like it then we won't have to try it again."

"H-have you done it before?" I asked him.

"We both know the answer to that." Lucas sat up and then climbed off the bed. "But I've listened to the locker room talk and I've watched videos...I know how it's done. Let me make you feel good."

"And if it doesn't feel good?"

"Then you tell me and I'll stop."

My eyes dropped to his hands when he hooked his fingers into the band of the grey sweats he wore and pushed them down slightly until a few dark curls were revealed. I licked my lips.

"O-okay," I whispered. "But only if I can taste you too."

The bulge in his pants twitched. "Deal."

He pushed his pants down his legs and stepped out of them but before I could take a good look at his hard length, he was on his stomach again.

"Come closer."

I bit my lips as I slid down the bed closer to him. When I was within reach, Lucas gripped my legs and pulled me even closer with a sharp tug. I barely had anytime to second guess things.

My hips jerked with the first swipe of his tongue over my slit.

I pushed myself onto my elbows to get a better look at what he was doing. Lucas shifted slightly, glanced up at me and then used his fingers to spread my pussy lips apart. Licking his lips, he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around my clit. A moan fell from my lips when his tongue flicked up and down.

My arms gave way beneath me as he started sucking on my clit, similar to the way he'd sucked on my nipples earlier. Heat flooded me. My fingers curled into the sheets and my hips started moving.

The sharp tugs of his mouth felt fucking incredible.

Lucas hooked his fingers around my legs and moved his lips from my clit.

My hands shot down to push his face away but I ended up burying my hands in his hair instead. I spread my legs a wider and pressed his head tighter against my pussy. His teeth nipped my labia before his mouth moved lower and lower until he reached my entrance.

A low groan fell from his lips, making my stomach clench. His tongue entered me and swirled around, but he pulled back all too soon.

The whimper died down when I felt a finger entering me. His lips moved back up to suck on my clit as he started fingering me. A few thrust and then he added a second finger, followed soon after by a third.

Lucas increased the thrust of his fingers as he circled my clit with the tip of his tongue. My moans increased as I got closer and closer to the edge.

And then it was there, making my vision blacken and my body arch as I crashed over the edge.

As I slowly came down from the high, I blinked up at the face hovering inches from mine.

He looked like the cat that ate the canary. I raised a shaky hand to flick a few strands of hair from his forehead. "Wow," I breathed after a few minutes of silence.

His smile widened. "Are you with me?"

I nodded, unable to utter a word.

Lucas shifted above me and reached down between our bodies. The first brush of his dick against my pussy made me tense. My hand shot up to grip his shoulders. I held my breath as he slowly pushed forward, entering me slowly. He paused, and then pulled back before thrusting forward.

My body relaxed when I realized that it wasn't hurting as much as it had the first time we had sex.

Lucas leaned down to capture my lips in a sloppy kiss as his movements sped up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and slipped my arms around his neck.

His tongue danced with mine, mimicking the movement of our bodies for a few seconds before he broke the kiss to stare down at me.

I couldn't make sense of all the emotions flashing through his eyes—not that I really wanted to at the moment.

My eyes dropped to follow a drop of sweat as it rolled down the side of his neck. It lingered at the crook of his neck where he'd wear my mark before dropping onto my chest.

I lifted my head to pressed kisses down his neck to that spot. Something inside me shifted, urging me to bite and mark him as mine.

As if sensing it, Lucas slipped his hand into my hair and tugged until I was forced to follow his silent instruction.

"No biting," he groaned.

"Mine," I hissed at him. "Mine."

"Yours," he whispered against my lips.

His words made my pussy clench. Lucas kept hold of my hair as he lowered his head and started sucking on a spot on my neck. He shifted his hips and increased his thrust.

I cried out and clung to him as my orgasm hit. Lucas muttered a curse, pressed his face against my shoulder and then groaned as he followed me over.