"What will you do if I do that?" Leia asked.
"This," Lucien murmured, leaning in.
His face nestled into the crook of her neck, and he pressed a soft kiss to her skin. Leia's breath caught in her throat.
Her legs weakened, and she felt dizzy as if the world around her had momentarily melted away. The mate bond was at the root of it, pulling her into him with invisible threads she could no longer ignore.
Lucien straightened, his eyes searching hers. With a playful flick, he tapped the bridge of her nose.
"You're not resisting me anymore," he said quietly. "Is it the mate bond… or do you actually feel something for me?"
It wasn't just a tease, there was something vulnerable behind his words. He had asked before. He needed to hear it again. Her earlier words had planted seeds of doubt deep inside him, and he couldn't shake them without her truth.
Leia met his gaze, her answer honest. "Both."
