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He shrugged and smiled down at me. “You seemedsodetermined.”

Easily picking up the sword, which was almost crushing me, he placed it back on the wall effortlessly. Did he have to be so strong on top of everything else? It was unfair. He pulled down two wooden swords, each well-worn from training. Though not as heavy as the metal one, it provided an unfamiliar weight on my arm.

“You sure you want me to teach you?” He smirked, likely knowing my arm already shook from holding up the unfamiliar weight. I clutched it even tighter, gritting my teeth.

I sent him an answering smirk and said, “Bring it on, Father Time.”

He gave me no quarter, and within an hour, my muscles collapsed from the unfamiliar use. “Mercy!” I begged, falling onto my back on the floor, unable to stand straight anymore. “I hate you,” I muttered without heat, especially as he leaned over me with a smirk.

He poked me in the side with the wooden practice sword. “Giving up so easily?” he teased.

I huffed, my limbs spread across the floor, doubting I would be able to move from that spot for a while. “I demand a rematch with my powers.”

He scoffed, “Such a sore loser.”

“You’re damn right I am.”

He returned the wooden swords to their spot on the wall before reaching down to help me to my feet. When I wobbled, he swept me into his arms and carried me back to his bedroom. He went straight into the massive en suite bathroom. The shower was large enough to fit ten, the bathtub sunken and carved out of the obsidian rock.

Lucien set me on my feet, and when he fiddled with the controls of the shower, I realized he wasn’t planning on leaving. I shrugged and stripped off my soiled clothes, pretending like he wasn’t there. When he turned around, likely to announce the water was hot, I strutted past him fully naked.

His jaw dropped as I closed the glass door of the shower, leaving him on the outside but fully able to see me. His eyes were glowing red with lust, but I turned my back to him. I noticed that he’d already placed my shampoo and conditioner on the black tile floor. My lips twitched at the presumptive action. He just thought he wassoirresistible, didn’t he?

I heard the door squeak open, and his voice rang with rage. “What forces do you play at?” His accent was heavier than ever.

I whipped around, not even remotely surprised to see him naked. I might just combust if I couldn’t touch him.

“What do you mean?” Imbuing my voice with as much innocence as I could muster. I wanted to demand that he fuck me, beg him to get inside me. I needed more of what we’d done earlier.

He pushed me against the wall, the cool tile shocking against my heated skin. Too many males thought I was fragile and needed to be handled with care. All I wanted was someone so out of control that tempering their strength was impossible. I glanced at Lucien’s glowing red eyes and thought,Ding! Ding! Ding!

“You’re provoking me on purpose.” His face was an inch from mine and my entire body quivered with anticipation. I had been aroused before sparring, but naked and this close to him, I was a mass of quivering need.

“Maybe I’m testing your restraint,” I whispered huskily, licking my lips slowly, drawing his gaze.

His eyes went an even brighter red, and he grabbed my wrists, pinning them above me in one hand. His touch was light over my curves, my back arching for more. He smacked my breast, the sound startling loud. I knew he’d likely left a red handprint on the delicate flesh.

“You’re testing my restraint? I’ll punish you for it.”

I recalled the last time he’d punished me, and the thought made my thighs clench and moisture fill my core. His nostrils flared, and he growled, “You like when I punish you?”

I moaned instead of answering, his hand drifting down to palm my ass, pulling me against his hardness, forcing me to feel every inch of him.

“If you agreed to stay, I’d be so deep inside your pussy that you couldn’t breathe without me feeling it.”

“You know I can’t,” I murmured.

His palm left me and slammed into the wall, cracking the tile. “Why not?”

I glanced away, aware of my vulnerable position. “I can’t tell you,” I bit out.

Rule No. 3: Don’t Tell Anyone Anything. Ever. Even vampire kings, who look at me with possession and desire.

His jaw tightened as he ground his teeth. “Won’t tell me,” he corrected, releasing my wrists and stepping back. Was he just going to leave me turned on to the point of pain?

Without thinking, I reached down to touch myself. He was in front of me, with my arms pinned above me again in a blink. “This is your punishment. You are not to touch yourself. Ever. Every time you come, it will be with me, or not at all.”

He was planning to leave me like this? I whimpered. “But…”