Dudes, Alabaster's and Cassius' bond is stronger than his and Lux's.

Allow me to explain.

Cassius and Alabaster marked each other. They are a fully mated couple. And while Lux is Allie's true mate it doesn't change the fact that he is already mated, making that bond much stronger.

Which is why Alabaster loves Cassius more.

I'm not saying he doesn't love Lux, because he's actually starting to. I'm just saying he can never love him as much as he does Cassius because he has already been marked, which, no matter what you say, does make their bond stronger.

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His back was towards me. But I knew it was him. And I could only wonder if this was really a dream or not.

"Cassius?" I called and walked towards him. But he didn't get closer. I tried running but he was always the same distance away. "Cassius!" I reached for him.

He turned to me. Face grave, no emotion. My breath caught as I stumbled backward. In his arms, he held a bundle.

Wrapped in a baby blanket.

I was terrified of what was inside it. Would it be my baby? Or something... worse?

He took a step towards me. I took one back.

This was not Cassius.

And the wailing started.

It slammed into me like a truck and I was left gasping for air. The screams were painful. I fell to my knees

And Cassius was before me. A panic flooded my body but I sat still. Unable to move. Unable to think.

The screaming was closer. Right in my ears. I could almost feel breath on my neck.

Cassius began to extend the baby towards me. I stopped breathing.

And then it all vanished.

"Cassius!" I yelped and threw myself upwards. It was pitch black just like in the dream. Was I still dreaming? Was he still here?

I thrashed against something retraining me. My lungs near bursting with terror and exertion. And I was pinned down by my shoulders.

"Alabaster!" Lux. "Alabaster, it was a dream."

I panted and hesitantly stopped struggling. Lux eased his weight off me.

"Lux?" I whimpered, my voice cracking and reached for the sound of his voice. He took my hands in his and laid down beside me.

"I've got you, Alabaster," he cooed and brushed his fingers through my hair. I could feel my body trembling with aftershocks of terror. Lux pulled me close to him and I buried my face in his chest.

"He had my baby," I sobbed and the vampire held me tighter. "I could hear it crying."

"Shh, it's over now," he hushed me and kissed the top of my head. I shivered and closed my eyes.

"I don't want to dream about it again," I whispered and felt my lip tremble.

"I'll be here, I'll stay with you," he promised and ran his warm fingers down my back.

And maybe it was how tired I was or the soreness in my muscles, but I was out like a light.

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"Alabaster," Lux murmured in my ear and brushed his knuckles against my cheek. My eyelids fluttered open to see him leaning over me, fully dressed. He looked quite nice in his uniform if I do say so myself.

"Lux?" I croaked, my voice was hoarse. Possibly from screaming. I don't know.

"I have to report since Bane was throwing a hissy fit," he whispered and let my hair out of my face, "will you be alright by yourself?"

I knew by the tone of his voice that if I said no he wouldn't leave me.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I yawned and rubbed my eyes, everything hurt. Especially my core muscles. The blankets fell off my shoulders as I sat up. I noticed as Lux's eyes flickered from one bite mark to the next.

"I'd let you come with me," he assured me with a small nod.

"Take your mate to work day," I laughed weakly without even thinking about it. His eyes sparked at my use of the word mate. Lux leaned over and peppered my face with gentle kisses. I laughed again and fell back on the mattress until he was done. My hands rested on his broad shoulders as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

"You'll be fine? You're sure?" Lux reiterated and looked down at me with his amber eyes that looked golden in the dusk light.

"I can manage a day alone," I nodded and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Okay," he murmured and kissed me one last time on the tip of my nose, "I'll be back around midnight."

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I hid behind a couch in the living room. Waiting patiently.

It was around... eleven? Only a couple hours after I'd gotten up and it also meant Lux would be back soon. But I wasn't waiting for him. I was waiting for the woman.

She was a servant no doubt, and I saw her come in here every day at the same time. At this particular time, I decided that I wanted to meet her. There were other servants, of course, flitting about the house doing what was necessary. But she was the only one who I saw routinely.

It was about time I became acquainted with someone other than Lux. Maybe I could get a ground view of where I was.

My limbs tingled with anticipation. To talk to someone for once. I was ecstatic. Not that Lux was boring or anything but I'd like to have a friend who doesn't fuck me.

The door pushed open and I saw her walk in. She looked generally the same as always.

Her chestnut hair knotted up in a messy-but-professional bun and her dark, dark blue-green eyes shone with an ever-present determination. She was dressed in a faded pair of jeans that were rolled up a few times at the bottom and a plain grey tee shirt. With her, she carried a broom and dustpan.

I also noticed a pair of white fangs poking out from her lips, a vampire of course. But despite that, her skin was a rich caramel brown color, not pale. Unlike the few vampires I already knew.

I took that fleeting moment as an opening and popped up from behind the couch.

"Hi!" I smiled and she jumped at my sudden appearance, a short noise of surprise escaped her.

"I didn't know you were in here," her tone was rather flat as she looked at me curiously. Like I might jump at her again.

"Oh, yeah, I was waiting for you," that sounded creepy. I placed my palms on the back of the couch.

"For... me?" She asked and crooked a brow.

"I see you come in here every day and I just wanted to meet you," I admitted with a shrug, she blinked and took another step into the room.

"Oh, so you must be the one who Lux keeps at his side," she stated more to herself and gave me that curious look again. I could only imagine what it meant.

"I didn't realize you knew who I was," I responded and cocked my head to the side.

"Well, I don't. But the other servants have all been talking about you. It's really just gossip," she waved her hand with a roll of the eyes, "my name's Fiorella."

"Alabaster, can I call you Fio?" I chirped and extended my hand to her. Fiorella took it with a nod. "So what's the gossip?"

"Oh, lots of stuff, but it's probably not true," she stated almost nervously. Now I was curious.

"I don't mind if it's vulgar," it was my turn to roll my eyes. If only she knew how my name had been dragged through the mud.

"Uh, well, some of them say that you're his lover, but we all know that Lux doesn't do lovers or boyfriends or flings or... anything really," Fio began, "others claim that you're an 'enemy spy' come to seduce him."

"Fascinating," I smiled and plopped down on the couch. She took a seat adjacent to me, "do go on."

"Well, some of us were there that night he took you to the hospital, although no one knows why," she didn't hide the hint of curiosity in her voice. "And those who have an especially good sense of hearing say that you scream in the dead of day. Like you're terrified."

"Well, let me debunk some of those for you," I gave her a toothy grin as she seemed to relax a little bit. "I'm no enemy spy for one, or his lover, I am Lux's mate."

Her jaw quite literally dropped and she gasped, but otherwise remained quiet.

"I don't like to talk about the hospital incident but it was... mentally and physically scarring," I reminisced to that day, to the days after it and suddenly felt myself in a foul mood. It was like a stone in my heart, growing larger each passing day and eating me alive. My hand trailed to the scar on my stomach. "As for the screaming, they're nightmares. Awful ones. Sometimes it takes him hours to calm down. Sometimes it's in a matter of minutes."

"Y-you're his mate?" She sounded aghast at the idea.

"Yes, but it's... it's complicated," I lamented with a sigh and crossed my arms over my chest.

"How can it be complicated?" Fio stared at me with that questioning look in her eye.

"It just is," I sighed and felt my shoulders slump, she knew not to push me it seemed.

"I can't believe they called you an enemy spy, whatever that means," she snorted in order to change the subject. I was grateful for it.

"What? I am a master of seduction," I boasted, and it wasn't really a lie either, I was just naturally good.

"Oh, really?" The vampire teased and crossed her legs over each other.

"Really, I was born for it," I replied with a shit-eating grin, and I quite literally was.

"Pfft, whatever," she rolled her eyes playfully, but she didn't need to know. Not yet. Not what I was. I couldn't lose my one chance at having someone to talk to.

"Fio, do you have a mate?" I asked and cocked my head to the side, there was no visible mark on her but it could've been like mine.

"Uh, no, but there's always hope I guess," she shrugged but didn't sound very convinced.

"Well you're very pretty, I'm certain she'll be lucky to have you," I nodded as I said it to reinforce my opinion.

"I'll be lucky to have her too, believe me," she grinned, "it takes a special kind of person to deal with this." Fio snorted and motioned to herself.

We carried on the conversation for a long time actually. Longer than I had anticipated. It ranged from politics to mates to my favorite color, by the end of it I felt like I knew her a lot better. We were drawing it off with a story about how she got arrested for stealing a cat.

"-and then the owners came out and saw me holding her, so I panicked and bolted," she laughed as if it were a very fond memory. "Before long-"

The door pushed open and Fio stopped to see who it was, my attention was drawn as well. Lux poked his head inside and my body tingled pleasantly at the sight of him. He looked at the both of us and then back to me.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked and stepped into the room. Fio was looking incredibly uncomfortable now.

"Nope, I was just getting acquainted with Fio," I smiled and sauntered over to him. We were only about a foot apart when he loosely wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. I placed my hands on his shoulders and gave him a peck on the cheek. Which was slightly difficult because of the significant height difference, even on the tips of my toes my lips barely reached his jaw.

"Well I'm glad someone is keeping you occupied," he mused and looked over to Fio, "thank you, Fiorella."

She just gave him an awkward smile and nodded a little bit.

"How've you been today?" Lux asked and gazed down at me with his amber eyes. I felt his fingertips ghost over the place where my scar laid.

"I was fine," I murmured slowly and gave him a nod of affirmation, I was doing better, I had to. I had to be better. "Are you going back after?" I asked, knowing he was here to feed me. To make sure I was well cared for in his absence.

"Unfortunately, it appears Bane is terrible at organizing soldiers," he rolled his eyes, "everything is a mess. Which also means I'll be back late."

"Oh, okay," I blinked and scolded myself for feeling so disappointed. Again I leaned against him on my tippy toes and whispered in his ear, "then we'd best make it count."

His eyes flickered the same as they had last night, an animalistic need. I was starting to enjoy the way I turned him on so easily.

"Er- I'll see you later Fio," I gave her a little wave goodbye as Lux began to drag me out of the room by my wrist. She returned the gesture as the door shut behind me. I began to follow him up the stairs. "You know, I think I liked the way you carried me yesterday, so commanding." I gave him a lazy smirk, but it was true. I loved being held and pet and coddled. It was a guilty pleasure.

I suppose it came naturally to him. Being dominating, giving orders. It's basically what he did all day, I assumed, being a general and all.

A short yelp of surprise bubbled from my lips as he swept me off my feet the same way he had yesterday. I hadn't expected him to move so fast.

"You like that, do you? Being commanded?" He grinned and that same spark of lust flared brighter in his tawny eyes.

"Love it," I returned and ran a hand down his chest as he carried me the rest of the way to the bedroom. I wasn't lying when I said he looked damn good in uniform.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Lux murmured and kissed my ear, I squirmed in excitement.

He was going to be the death of me.