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“What happened?”

He sinks down until we are eye-level but maintains his hold on me. “You tell me.”

I groan in frustration. “Can’t you just answer the damn question instead of throwing it back at me?”

“I will when you don’t go as still as death,” he says, his tone carrying a sharp edge. “When you don’t inhale deeply and release a scream loud enough to wake the dead or shove them further into their graves. Now tell me what the fuck just happened.”

We stare at one another, with me in shock and him enraged. His heart pounds crazily, matching the insane gleam in his eyes. I flinch when he leans closer, and his gaze narrows infinitesimally. I’m not scared by his forcefulness, yet I can’t explain why it affects me.

Similar to how I can’t explain why I’m more attracted to him with each passing moment.

“I don’t know what happened,” I whisper. “One second I’m fixing tea, and the next I’m somewhere else.”

“Where?”

“A bedroom with gold and garnet decorations. There was a man there.” I scrunch my face in concentration. “Lord Tyson, I think was his name.”

Is he the person I killed? If it was his blood found splattered against my clothing, then that would explain why it couldn’t be linked to anyone in the other realm. My feelings toward the man didn’t include rage, but I have no idea what transpired afterwards. Anything is possible.

Lucien leans closer, his gaze no less angry. In fact, it might be more so. “What did you see? What transpired?”

“I—” I drop my head, avoiding his probing stare. “It was nothing.”

“If you lie to me again, I’ll take you over my knee until your ass matches the pretty pink hue of your cheeks.” His fingers twitch where they grip me as though he’s tempted to, regardless of whether or not I tell him the truth. “I’m not a patient man, and I certainly don’t have an unhealthy relationship with time like the Queen’s Messenger, so be quick with your answer.”

My thighs grow damp at the idea of Lucien spanking me, and I squirm in my chair. He arches a brow, and my pussy weeps all the more.

“I can’t talk when you speak to me like that,” I say, keeping my focus on my lap. “It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Or does it make you uncomfortable because you’re aroused?” he asks.

At the feel of his fingers gripping my chin, my gaze zips to his. “Both.”

“Finally, the truth.” Lucien’s kohl-rimmed eyes stare back at me, making my heart race. “Now, back to the matter at hand. What did you see, concerning Lord Tyson?”

When I don’t immediately answer, Lucien’s grip tightens painfully. I squeeze my thighs together to stifle the ache growing in my core, brought on by his ferocity, but there’s no relief to be found. Unless I finish what he started in the foyer earlier today. The thought is tempting. Very much so.

Maybe I am a whore.

Is that really such a bad thing?

“I was intimate with Lord Tyson in my vision,” I say. Lucien licks his lips, drawing my attention to his mouth. It’s beautiful, like the rest of his face. “It stopped when I heard you calling my name.”

“Is that all?”

My brows snap together. “Isn’t that enough?”

He gives me a smile, full of sympathy and something else. Something more gentle, perhaps even affectionate. “Adelaide, taking pleasure for one’s self is not something I judge to be in the wrong. In fact, I make it a point to indulge in every opportunity made available to me.”

“I’ve noticed,” I mutter under my breath.

Lucien releases my chin to skim his knuckles over the side of my face. “I don’t understand why you’re distraught over the idea of having a string of lovers.”

“I… I don’t know. I guess it’s because I’ve been told it’s wrong and immoral not to commit to a single partner.”

“Your mother has had no issues with that.” He scoffs. “I believe she is one of the few people who has outperformed you on the number of lovers taken. It’s no secret she invites a fair amount of people to her bed.”

“Were you one of them?”