Eve POV:
The night came quickly—too quickly. One moment it was late afternoon, and the next, darkness had swallowed the sky whole. My heart thumped in my chest as I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the clock. Nine o'clock..
I dreaded this.
Not because of the blood. Not because of the deal. But because of him.
Lucius.
Even just thinking his name sent a shiver down my spine. The memory of his bite still burned faintly at my neck—sharp teeth, cold lips, the electric pull of something I hadn't wanted to feel but couldn't stop. An intimacy I hadn't asked for. I'd shoved it away from my mind ever since it happened. Pretended it hadn't affected me. Pretended he hadn't affected me.
And then Salem, with his irritating little revelations, had to go and say it: that Lucius was my mate.
Technically, Lucius himself hadn't told me. Maybe he didn't know. Maybe he didn't care. Or maybe he knew and was toying with me—he is Lucius, after all. That's what he does.
