"As long as I remain in the Stonewall manor... a place where my father was burned to ash and a place where I and my mother were locked and kept as slaves, I will always think of death. This is not, and will never be my home," Elian replied, pulling his chin out of Lucien’s hold.
Lucien’s jaw tightened, his head buzzing with those loud voices pushing him to say the unthinkable. He was trying to fight them off, but the more he stared at Elian’s pristine face, the louder those voices got.
"What did Lysandra say?" Lucien forced himself to return to the matter at hand, looking away from Elian.
"She said a man raped her and killed another woman," Elian reported.
Lucien suddenly gasped, taking a staggering step back.
"Are you alright?" Elian asked, quickly moving to hold Lucien’s arm. "Your Grace?" He called, placing Lucien’s arm over his shoulder.
"Stay away from me!" Lucien suddenly pushed Elian away, sending him colliding with the solid wall before he fell to the floor.
Elian groaned, his sides feeling heavy and painful. He stayed like that, waiting for his head to stop throbbing before he could stand.
Now, he had just confirmed that the only person with Lucien’s original detail of his past was Lysandra. She knew too much, and she might just have seen too much.
"Shit," Elian closed his eyes as he groaned, the pain shooting through his head again.
The moment Lucien heard Elian’s groan, he snapped out of it and hurried over to Elian.
"Are you alright?" He asked, reaching out to touch Elian.
"I am fine, Your Grace," Elian said, slowly moving away from Lucien.
He grunted, standing on his feet. "You can rest assured, Your Grace. I will never use my gifts on you. I just want my justice," he said and turned away, heading toward the door.
However, a hand moved over his shoulder and pressed against the door, stopping him from opening it.
He felt Lucien’s presence behind him and sighed.
"Can I leave?" He asked without turning.
"Turn around," Lucien whispered.
"Can I just leave?" Elian muttered, his heart aching so much from Lucien’s hot and cold signals.
"Please, Elian," Lucien murmured lowly.
Elian stilled, his heart ramming against his ribs like a bird in a cage. Immediately, he turned, locking his eyes with Lucien’s unguarded ones.
"You—" Elian paused, staring at Lucien’s slightly moistened eyes in utter shock.
Whatever encrypted message was in Lysandra’s message surely landed hard on Lucien.
The Duke had tears in his eyes!
Without thinking, Elian hugged Lucien, wrapping his arms around Lucien’s shoulders and burying his face in his broad chest.
The moment Lucien felt Elian’s softness against his body, he let everything go.
His arms slowly found their way around Elian’s waist, pulling him flush against himself. He shut his eyes as his nose lowered, sinking right into Elian’s soft curls to inhale that soothing scent that had been teasing him all day.
For once, he let this feel right.
He let the world outside his chamber die away, locking himself in with Elian’s addicting hug.
He could not even recall the last time someone hugged him, and he could not understand why Elian hugged him despite being a very cold and unfeeling man toward him.
He shuddered, tightening his arms around Elian as if the smaller man would disappear if he held him loosely.
After all this, Elian thought he could leave?
The thought triggered his obsession, suddenly making him desperately think of what he could do to make Elian never speak of leaving him again.
"Are you feeling better?" Elian lifted his face, looking at Lucien’s handsome face.
Lucien gulped, not used to kindness, especially from Elian. "Why did you hug me?" He whispered, eyes lowering to Elian’s lips for a split second.
"You needed it," Elian replied, "And it’s a thank you... for getting my mother out of the dungeons," he murmured.
Lucien was practically struggling to breathe. Elian stole his breath with his words and gestures. Elian made him feel too strongly emotions he wasn’t accustomed to.
"She is not free. Why are you thanking me?" Lucien asked in a shaky voice.
Elian smiled, "You’re mean to me. Hell, you want us dead. Still," he chuckled, "I will always thank you whenever you deserve it. I’m no hypocrite like the nobles; I’ll hate you when you’re mean and I’ll—" he held Lucien’s gaze, his heart thumping.
"You’ll what?" Lucien whispered huskily, his fingers gently digging into Elian’s waist. He was scared of what he thought Elian was going to say.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but somewhere deep in his soul, he was begging for Elian to say it.
"I’ll hate you when you’re mean to me, and I’ll appreciate you when you show me kindness," Elian muttered, sadness coating his voice.
Once again, he dared not utter the stupid words in his mind and lips, for they would be a lie and foolishness.
Lucien, on his end, felt a sting of disappointment, his hands loosening around Elian.
"I am not a kind man," he stated, looking away.
"You are not," Elian shrugged, causing Lucien to clench his jaw in anger, "But you released my mother. Not entirely free, but free nevertheless," he whispered.
"You are kind. Only when you think it’s worth it," Elian mumbled.
"What made it worth it? Her release?" Lucien asked, watching Elian’s beautiful face.
Elian shook his head, "I do not know, Your Grace. That is a question only you can answer."
Lucien stared, always embarrassed by how he let himself be mesmerized by Elian’s beauty each time he got too close. ’That was a question only I can answer?’
Well, he did not know why. He did not want to know why he let Elian’s teary face haunt him overnight until he ordered Edgar to bring the woman out.
He didn’t want to know; it was best not to know.
"You didn’t kiss me last night," Elian suddenly said, biting his lips.
Lucien scoffed in surprise, tilting his head to watch Elian. "I don’t have to."
"Your body is mine to use however I want. I told you, I am not a kind man," he stated coldly.
"I just want to thank you—properly," Elian said, slowly sucking his lower lip between his teeth.
Lucien looked away, refusing to let Elian seduce him. It should be on his terms to kiss or have Elian whenever he wanted. Not the other way around.
"You can go now," Lucien hissed softly, seeing how slowly Elian’s wet lip got released from between his teeth.
He made no move to release Elian’s waist—he couldn’t. He felt like he could hold him that way till the next morning.
Elian smiled innocently, "Do you want to kiss me, Your Grace?" He whispered, leaning closer, "Because I would want to feel your lips on mine."
"Fuck," Lucien muttered under his breath, fists balling in restraint at Elian’s side.
This was going against his rule. He was letting Elian control him and he had absolutely nothing to do about it.
"You don’t want to? Oh—I forgot," Elian scoffed, letting his arms fall from Lucien’s shoulders, "I am not your man. How dare I ask—" he gasped as Lucien’s hand shot up to his chin, pulling him in.
"Shut up," Lucien warned huskily.
Elian gulped, "Your words, Your Grace, not mine—" he was cut off by the firm press of Lucien’s lips on his.
He froze, feeling the slow, wet movement of Lucien’s lips on his. But just when he wanted to kiss back, Lucien pulled away, staring at him with glistening eyes.
"You don’t ask to be kissed when you won’t bloody react," Lucien was about to turn away when Elian caught his wrist, tugging him back to face him.
"If I kiss back—will there be more?" Elian’s hand moved to Lucien’s shoulders, sliding them down until he reached Lucien’s chest, his thumbs instantly locating Lucien’s nipples and rubbing them slowly through his shirt.
Lucien grunted, his eyes fluttering shut for a second before he caught Elian’s wrists and pinned them on the door behind Elian.
"You do not touch me unless I permit it," his breath fanned Elian’s hungry lips.
Elian moaned softly and leaned his face in, wiping his tongue over Lucien’s lower lip, "I permit you, Your Grace. Touch me however and wherever you want; show me how obsessed you are with my body—" Elian’s adulterous voice slipped smoothly out of his lips.
"I’m obsessed with you?" Lucien chuckled darkly, one hand going down to Elian’s waist, "Perhaps you’re right." In one swift tug, he ripped the soft cotton fabric of Elian’s pants, making the buttons pop and fly.
"I’ll show you the proper demonstration of your word, Elian," he whispered breathlessly and slammed his lips against Elian, sucking the moan that escaped Elian’s lips as he devoured Elian’s mouth with his bruising, obsessed kiss.
This time, Elian kissed him back in fervour, moaning shamelessly as he opened his mouth to Lucien, offering himself to be ruined.
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