章 55: Chapter Fifty-Five
Lucian slept soundly as his head lay in Serena's lap. She dozed against the couch, her fingers running lazily through his dirty hair. It was soft to the touch, unlike its coarse appearance, and brought back a sense of nostalgia with it. The times at the packhouse with Venus as well as times with her mother in that very cabin played in a loop in her dreams.
Lucian rolled over, pressing his nose into her thigh. She inhaled sharply and tensed, her leg muscles flexing and removing the comfort factor. Lucian grumbled, frowned, as his pillow was no longer comfortable, and sat up.
Serena released his hair and immediately rubbed the sleep from her eyes, avoiding looking at his groggy appearance. She held a smile back as Lucian yawned widely and stretched.
"That was the best sleep I've had in a very long time." He yawned, his arms so far outstretched, they almost poked Serena's eyes.
"Watch it." She warned. The evil look in her eye was directed toward the man that had kept her from sleep all night and slept on her lap for the rest of the morning. "I saved you, remember?"
Lucian waved a hand and pushed out from the blankets.
"Yes, I remember." He wandered out of the living room toward the bedroom, leaving Serena baffled on the floor.
She shook her head and sighed. It was too much to ask for a thank you, wasn't it?
Lucian poked his head through the doorway, this time with his hair brushed and a shirt on.
"Thank you." He said, his voice low and thick from the aftermath of his morning voice. Serena's heart froze as he spoke to her. "You saved my appendages, and I am grateful."
Serena dipped her head in a mock bow.
"You're welcome. But you do have some explaining to do about the marks on your back." She waved a finger, outlining his body with the tip of her finger. Lucian froze for a brief moment, his eyes opened wide before he shook his head and replied.
"Not after breakfast, woman. A man needs his food." He waltzed down the hallway toward the kitchen and began the morning rummaging.
The eggs and bacon crackled in the butter as they fried to a nice golden crisp. Lucian hovered over the pan, his mouth watering, as Serena flipped the bacon and eggs one last time. His chin rested on her shoulder, literally watching her every move.
"No!" He cried. "You're gonna burn it." He slapped a hand over his eyes, blocking out the now dark brown bacon.
"I am not." She rolled her eyes and shrugged his head off her shoulders. "And you know it. This is the perfect combination of crispiness and chewiness. Now go set the table." She waved the spatula toward the small kitchen table.
Lucian rolled his eyes and flicked up a still pink finger at her back.
"I saw that." She growled, still facing the stove. "Do you want food?"
Lucian bit his lip and quickly ran to set the table. Serena chuckled and smiled at her place by the stove.
The two ate their breakfast in silence. Serena waited patiently for him to explain last night, but he kept his focus only on the food before him. He inhaled the food as though it was the only meal he had had within the last week. The plates were cleared before Lucian had said a word other than food.
Serena stacked the dishes in the sink and set to warming water at the stove.
"Why are you warming water? Is the water heater not working?" Lucian asked, running his hand under the faucet. He quickly retracted his hand as the water trickled over his skin.
"No. It's not. It hasn't since yesterday." Serena placed the lid on the pan and crossed her arms. She was tired and grumpy. Lucian had kept his actions hidden from her and was skirting the questions. This was no different than with Atlas and her father. She pressed her fingers against her temples and sighed. "We need to talk about what happened to you while you were gone."
Lucian turned from her and headed toward the basement.
"Lucian!" She shouted, chasing after him. "You can't shut me out. I am tired of people lying to me and avoiding telling me things because they think it'll hurt my feelings. It hurts more. Tell me why you were gone so long." She grabbed his arm and whirled him around.
Lucian pressed against her, backing her against the wall. His arm pressed over her head, his presence dominating the space. His face was stern and blank.
"You don't need to know."
"Yes." She stared at his chest, avoiding his blue-green gaze. "We live together, and I rely on you. I deserve to know what happened to you."
"No, you don't. It is my business." Lucian leaned his head back and sighed, irritated by her persistence.
"Yes, Lucian. I fucking deserve to know. You came back here half-dead from frostbite with marks all over your back. If I hadn't known how to treat you, then you would have probably died or had some major tissue damage." Her voice rose as the anger of being left out again boiled inside her gut. She lifted her eyes to meet his, expecting something angry. Instead, they were vulnerable and nervous. Scared of what would happen between them. He bit his lip and shook his head. "I deserve that much." She said meekly.
"I..." Lucian paused, searching for the right words to say and the order to put them in. He backed away from her and plopped on a nearby chest. "I'll start at the beginning. I left you and shifted. I ran around the edge of the Riverwood Pack territory. Sometimes there is good prey. There's just something comforting about that part of the forest. You know what it's like."
Serena nodded and leaned against the wall.
"I was heading back when the blizzard came. I couldn't see or hear anything. The wind blew away all of the scents that I knew, and I couldn't pick up on anything. My footprints were gone, filled in by the snowfall, probably. I was stuck. Lost in that abyss of winter. I wandered for a few hours, but my wolf began to tire. It had been out for longer than it should have in the cold air. I can't handle the cold like other wolves can, so I can't be out for as long as someone like Venus could. But as I was going to shift, a strange scent hit my nose. It was upwind and didn't know I was there. It was another pack. Our rival pack. The Blood Moon Pack Alpha."
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