And she did.
Somewhere between Shreveport and Alexandria, she’d decided that she wanted to get closer to Clay. She still hated people, but she knew that nobody could go it on their own, and that even the strongest person needed allies. And she decided that of all the people she’d ever hated, Clay was the only one that she’d been able to tolerate.
And certainly the only one she’d ever looked forward to seeing.
At one point, Clay had offered her asylum in his pack. Then again, that was before she’d nearly caved his face in.
Would he be able to forgive her?
Lucidia Draxos had never begged a person for forgiveness in her life. She’d never begged for anything.
She wouldn’t even know what to say.
“You start with ‘I’m sorry’,” she muttered to herself, pulling over on the shoulder.
Duh. Put like that, it seemed simple.
But as she held the phone she was faced with that prickling fear that Clay would hear the clumsy words and laugh at her, or accuse her of insincerity, as so many others had.
She hemmed for only a moment longer, before dialing the number Megan had given her.
It rang, and rang, and rang.
And then, the call disconnected.
She frowned. Clay had hung up on her.
Lucidia stared at the phone for a moment before biting down on the inside of her cheek to quell the rage and embarrassment. She felt a bitter smile emerge on her face, full of self-loathing and-
Her burner rang loudly, nearly causing her to throw it out the window. She flinched, and then pressed the green button and held it up to her face.
“Clay?”
“Lucie,” he said, equal parts caution and relief. “I accidentally cut that call, sorry.”
“That’s…” she started. “That’s alright.” Lucida ran a hand through her hair pulling it and trying to focus her mind. “I wanted to say something.”
He paused, waiting for her reply.
“I- I’m sorry. Megan told me about Adonis, about why you did it, and then I beat your fucking face in, and I was yelling and-”
“Lucidia,” he said softly.
She took in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “Yeah?”
“I understand.”
She felt the tension drain out of her shoulders. “You do?”
“Yes. It was a horrible situation. I knew you weren’t really mad at me.”
“Oh,” she said, unsure of what to say next.
“I would have caved your face in too, if it makes you feel better,” Clay said with a breathy laugh.
She frowned, feeling uncomfortable and out of familiar territory. “Thanks.”
His voice shifted to genuine concern. “Where are you?”
“I’m going on a mission,” she said in a level voice. “To get Robin back.”
“Where?”
“I know why you’re asking.”
He sighed. “How dangerous is it?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Is that why you’re calling to wrap up loose ends?” he said, anger welling up in his voice.
Normally, if someone snapped at her, she’d slam it back in their face five-fold. Now, though, she felt only calm. “I’m not wrapping up loose ends. The opposite, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“You once offered me asylum,” she said, trying to test the waters.
“Yeah?”
“Does the offer still stand? After everything, I understand if-”
“Jesus, Lucie. For one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, you can be pretty thick. You’re a friend of the pack. That’s a life sentence.”
She found herself smiling, despite the stakes. “Okay, then.”
“Besides, I still haven’t gotten my date.”
“Christ, Clay,” Lucidia said with a light laugh.
“No, I’m serious. I take bets very seriously.”
“When all this is over,” she said earnestly, “and when we go on our date, it won’t be for a bet.”
Clay paused for a moment, and even in his silence, she knew he was smiling. “I’ll hold you to it.”
“I’m counting on that,” she whispered.
“See you soon, Lucie. Kick ass and take names.”
“You too, Clay.”
She hung up and let the phone drop into her lap, a long sigh escaping her lips. She’d lived her whole life in service of another, never bothering to care about what she wanted. Even Robin’s protection seemed to be born out of compulsion.
But Lucidia wanted Clay.
She wanted to be with him. She wanted him to be her person, and her to be his.
And even though the entirety of House Demonte stood between her and Clay, now that she’d set her sights on it, nothing would come between Lucidia Draxos and what she wanted ever again.
Robin
Reykon had left her to find alcohol, and it had only taken a brief moment for the panic to set in. The once stunning ocean had now begun to terrify her, because with each wave that lapped against the edge of the boat, she was getting closer and closer to the vampire that wanted her.
She couldn’t breathe.
Everything was too wide open, too fast for her. She wanted to curl up and hide, and felt a vain, childish impulse to pull the covers over her head; that maybe if she wished hard enough, she would just disappear.
Robin tore away from the edge of the boat and went down the tight stairs, into the cabin. There was a bed across the room with a window next to it. Various pictures and boat decorations hung on the dark wooden walls. Gerber carpet, the felty kind on boats, covered the floor.
Even in here, everything was cramped to conserve space. The bed and the wall were too close together, the furniture fitting in like someone had played Tetris with it.
She pressed a hand to her mouth, the pressure and emotion in her lungs increasing. Robin didn’t want anybody else to hear her, so she shut the door and hunched down on the stairs, hugging herself tightly.
She felt the sobs wrack through her now and fought to keep her breathing under control.
But even here, in the claustrophobic cabin, it was better than being up there, with so much space and sky and water and nowhere to run.
A minute later, someone knocked on the cabin door.
She didn’t answer, burying her head in her knees.
“Are you okay?” Reykon asked, voice tinged with concern.
She drew in a deep breath, holding it steady. “Yeah,”
