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Turning away from him, I press my hand to my forehead when it begins to throb. “It’s perfectly normal for you to have a family, yet it never occurred for me to ask. What an idiot.”

My stomach clenches, and I close my eyes as a wave of nausea washes over me. I press my face against the windowpane, letting the glass cool my heated cheek. “In my memory, Baxter was married, and presumably still is. What about you? Darius?” I cover my mouth in horror. “Nox… what have I done?”

I turn around to notify Lucien of my need for solitude, only to find him towering over me. My gasp fills the space between us, and I back up until my back hits the wall. He watches me like a predator watches its prey.

Right before devouring it.

Holding up my hands in supplication, I search his gaze for any indication of what’s going through his mind. “Lucien…”

“I’ve finally come to understand some of the reason why Baxter hates you so,” he says. His words hit me like a knife to the gut, making me wince with every syllable. “You’re nothing but a constant reminder of the things we’ve suffered.”

“I can’t express how sorry I am.” I let my arms fall away and fist my hands at my sides. “And I won’t, not when all of you don’t accept my apologies.”

He closes the distance between us, bringing the thrumming sound of his blood that much closer to my ears. I tilt my head and drink in the way it courses through him, fueled by his anger. He stops short, inhaling sharply.

“You’ve taken control of my life force.” Lucien closes his eyes and a muscle along his jaw ticks. “I can feel it.”

Infusing his veins with fire causes the hatter to fall to his knees before me. The image of this wild, volatile man holding his hardened cock because of his desire for me is overwhelming. Seeing him at my mercy is something I never want to forget.

“My anger can burn as brightly as yours or anyone else’s,” I say. “You’d do well to keep that in mind.”

He laughs, but the sound ends on a grunt of pain. “Not only do I think about it, but I’m counting on it, little bird.”

“Good.”

I pull back my magic, and his chin drops to his chest, his breathing labored. I’m careful to step around him, keeping my skirts from slapping him in the face, and head for the door. If there was ever a time for me to be alone with my thoughts, it’s now.

Before I hurt someone on purpose.

My steps are quick and determined, and when I reach the exit, I grab the doorknob with a steady hand. Using my abilities on Lucien didn’t unnerve me as much as it did before. If anything, I’m growing more comfortable with them.

I’m unsure whether or not that’s a good thing.

Just as I wrench open the door, it shuts in my face. A pair of hands grabbing my upper arms forces me to spin around, and I stare up at Lucien as he slams me against the wall. My adrenaline surges.

“What the hell are you doing?”

He grins at me. It’s unstable, maniacal. Reflected in the gleam in his eyes. “It’s my turn to ask the questions now.”

“Go ahead. I have nothing to hide.”

“We’ll see. Tell me, what would you do if I bent you over the table right now and fucked you?”

I blink up at him, desire pooling in my belly. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Lucien quirks a brow. “What would stop me?”

His blood is like an ocean, roaring in a tempest. It beckons me, challenges me to tame it into submission. Or to send it soaring.

I grit my teeth against the pull, the temptation to bend Lucien to my will. “Don’t.”

He slides his hands from my arms up to encircle my neck, resting his thumbs directly over my windpipe. His touch sends electric currents of arousal through me, lighting me up from the inside. I bite back a groan.

“Don’t what? I’ve chased you long enough, little bird. Either you need to fly away, or I’m going to clip your wings.”

CHAPTER18

ADELAIDE