Page 15 of Claimed

“To use The Covenant of Shadows?” This is a total guess, but it feels like it fits.

“I don’t know. Darius never explicitly talked about it – at least, not to me – but maybe. Or maybe Nix learned of it later and decided it could tip the balance in his favour.” He sounds like he’s talking to himself, muttering things he’s considered and contemplated hundreds of times over the years.

“So, how did you end up a professor at a human university, in love with a human, protecting her from evil, and Nix ended up being the evil? And how are you okay with Zephyra being dead?”

Lucien stands up, braces his hands on the desk, then sits down again and flicks on the computer screen. The cameras are already turned on, and he scrolls through them until he finds the one that focuses on the gardens. Luna is in the pool house. Walking around the edge, staring at the water. Fine rain is running down the glass above her, but she doesn’t look like she cares.

“For a long time, I thought I shared Nix’s vision. Darius’s vision. When they turned me, they taught me to think the way they did and I wasn’t strong enough to resist it. They taught me to ignore the human instincts that remained, to give in to the hunger and the bloodlust, and the more I embraced it the stronger it got.”

He meets my eyes. His are watery. Do vampires cry? If they do, do they cry blood? Or is that just another urban legend?

“Something happened to tip the balance the other way. I started to question them. But that wasn’t what they wanted. It all fell apart. Darius ended up dead, and Nix and I vowed never to speak again.”

“Darius ended up dead? The ancient one?”

Lucien runs his tongue over his fangs. “I killed him.”

“Fuck. But you didn’t kill Nix?”

“I couldn’t. He’s my brother.”

I frown, open my mouth to speak, then stop. I don’t understand that kind of bond. I have no family. But it seems to me that if you’re okay with killing your dad and your sister, you’d be okay with killing your brother too. It also seems like it’ll be one big fucking problem if Lucien still refuses to fight Nix.

“After I killed Darius, I came here to start things fresh. It was Darius’ home once. I thought Nix might follow me eventually but he didn’t. Eventually, Zephyra came. She always preferred the dark underbelly of things, and we struck up a deal.” He clicks his tongue. Freckles of red sparkle in his eyes.

“I need to leave.” Lucien slams the whiskey glass down. His muscles are twitching. He’s consumed too much blood too quickly for someone who barely drinks these days. “I don’t have time to give you my family history.”

“Lucien—”

“Stay here and look after Luna.” He crosses the room in a flash and puts his hand firmly on my shoulder. “She can’t be alone, and I don’t trust anyone else.”

“Okay—”

“I’ll pay whatever you want.”

“It’s not about that, Lucien, I just think we need to talk a bit more.”

“I’m done talking.” He stalks to the doorway. “Go to your place, fetch whatever you need to allow you to live here for the foreseeable future. You have until sunset.”

7

Luna

Knowing Lucien isn’t here is a strange feeling. Part of me wonders whether I should run again. There is no one to stop me now; Kim is here, but he wouldn’t hurt me or drag me back inside. He might even help me if I told him I really, truly wanted to go.

But, the thing is, I don’t want to go.

Despite everything, this is where I need to be now. In such a short time, Lucien has mended the parts of me that Steven spent so long breaking. Or at least, he’s shown me how to start mending myself.

I am safe with him. I know that.

And I know he’s telling me the truth about The Covenant and my connection to it. I don’t know how I know, but it feels true. It feels real.

It explains so many things that I’ve tried to forget or push away over the years. So, I won’t run. But I also won’t sit here all evening waiting for Lucien’s return.

Except I will.

Because thinking about seeing him, even though it’s only been a few hours, makes me smile.