Chapter 247

Chapter 247
Vivian

We were all gathered in the wooden cabin well after 2 AM, still too wired to sleep despite the exhaustion weighing on our bones.

No one had eaten dinner, and our stomachs were making their displeasure known, but food seemed trivial compared to what we'd just witnessed.

Lucas had done something unprecedented—he'd exposed the hunters to the entire world. The footage Grace had released was spreading like wildfire across every news outlet and social media platform.

The President himself had been implicated. The internet was exploding with reactions, theories, and demands for justice.

Vortend sat heavily in an armchair. "You've put targets on all our backs."

"They already had targets on our backs," I countered, surprising myself with how quickly I jumped to Lucas's defense. "At least now the world knows who's really been pulling the triggers."

Selene remained quiet. I could see the conflict in her eyes.

"He's right," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We can't keep hiding forever."

Lucas caught my eye and gave me a small, private smile that made my heart skip. Despite the chaos he'd unleashed, I couldn't help feeling proud of him. Proud and something else entirely that made my skin flush hot.

I reached out through our mental link. 'You hungry?'

'Starving,' he replied, his mental voice carrying a hint of amusement. 'But not just for food.'

I felt my cheeks warm and quickly changed the subject. "Caleb's bringing pizza. Should be here soon."

"Thank god," Selene sighed. "I'm famished."

I suddenly remembered Grace, who'd been instrumental in getting the footage out.

'Grace, come join us for pizza,' I sent through our mental link. 'Caleb's on his way back with food.'

There was a pause before her response came. 'Hey... I still have some things to take care of. You guys go ahead. Can you ask them if Gia is safe though...'

I relayed the question, and Selene nodded. "She's fine. We have her secured at a safe location with medical care."

'She's safe,' I told Grace. 'Are you sure you don't want to join us? We owe you for what you did today.'

'Yeah, that's great news. Enjoy your meal. I don't really fit with your group anyway.'

Her words made my heart ache. I shot a glare at Archer, who I was certain had made her feel unwelcome.

'I'm sorry. I'll make sure Caleb brings you some pizza. Thank you for everything you did, Grace.'

I turned to the others. "Grace isn't coming."

Archer's brow furrowed, and he quickly looked away. Lucas snorted softly.

"Not surprising," he commented, then stood up. "I'm going to shower."

Twenty minutes later, Lucas emerged from the bathroom, wearing nothing but gray sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips.

My mouth went dry. I couldn't tear my eyes away, and from the amused glint in his eyes, he knew exactly what effect he was having on me.

He makes me burn. Honestly, I want to...

My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting my increasingly inappropriate thoughts. I pulled it out to find a barrage of texts from Kate.

Kate: [OMG VIVIAN]
Kate: [THAT MAN OF YOURS]
Kate: [I can't even process what I saw today.]
Kate: [He's terrifying and hot and I don't know whether to be scared or turned on.]
Kate: [How do you function around him???]
Kate: [Those MUSCLES]
Kate: [That INTENSITY]
Kate: [I'm having a sexual crisis here help!!!]

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, feeling a mixture of amusement, a twinge of jealousy, and an overwhelming possessiveness.

The final text made me bite my lip to suppress a laugh:

Kate: [God, he must be AMAZING in that department too! Girl, you hit the jackpot in every way! I can only imagine what he looks like when he's excited during sex! Like a freaking stallion!]

I quickly locked my phone before anyone could see, but not before Lucas caught my expression.

'What's so amusing?' he asked through our link.

'Nothing important,' I replied, but couldn't keep the smugness from my mental voice.

I watched Lucas move around the room, my body responding to his every gesture.

Lucas caught me staring and his lips curved into a knowing smile. 'Want me to take you away from here and properly take care of you?' his voice purred in my mind.

'Am I that obvious?' I replied, embarrassed but not enough to look away.

'Your eyes have been undressing me since I walked out, and you've been squeezing those gorgeous thighs together. Stop teasing me. If I take you now, you won't be able to walk for days.'

My breath caught. 'Why does that only make me want it more?'

He crossed the room to me, his finger tracing a line from my chin to my lips. The simple touch sent electricity racing through my body.

"What are you two doing?" Vortend asked.

I didn't care. I was beyond caring about propriety or timing. Lucas pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply, his lips claiming mine with a hunger that matched my own. I kissed him back with equal fervor, only breaking away when I needed to breathe.

Somewhere during our embrace, Archer had silently disappeared from the room.

"Glad you finally stopped," Vortend said dryly. "This isn't a small matter, Lucas. What's your plan?"

Lucas kept his arm around my waist as he turned to face Vortend. "I don't plan on sharing. Just watch what happens. The truth is out there now, and the public is more powerful than you think. They won't risk a mass uprising... this is the end for the hunters."

"You killed quite a few people today," Vortend pointed out.

Lucas's expression hardened. "And I'll kill the rest of them soon enough."

"Or," Selene interjected, "we could put them in prison?"

Lucas gave her a cold smile. "How about this? You catch them, handle them your way. I catch them, I kill them."

"Let's not discuss this anymore today," Selene said, cutting off the brewing argument. "I'm exhausted. It's been such a long day, hasn't it?"

"Besides," I whispered, leaning against Lucas's warm chest, "they're sick and twisted... honestly, I don't care if they die. They're too evil."

The door burst open, and Caleb entered with Dominic, both carrying stacks of pizza boxes. "Pizza's here!" Caleb announced cheerfully.

I shifted against Lucas, the friction sending a jolt of pleasure through me that made it hard to focus on food.

Selene looked around the room with a frown. "Where's Archer?"

"I'm guessing he didn't want to watch us kiss," I said with a shrug.

Lucas leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "I doubt that's the reason."

I looked at him curiously, then remembered Grace. "Caleb, make sure you take some pizza to Grace, okay?"

As Selene put on a movie to help everyone relax, I couldn't stop thinking about Lucas's comment about Archer. I reached out through our link again.

'What's going on between you and Archer? I really don't understand. How did your relationship get so bad?'

Lucas's mental voice was thoughtful. 'Do you know why Grace left Mist Mountain that night?'

I frowned. 'I assumed Archer didn't make her feel welcome?'

'Archer discovered they're mates,' Lucas replied, his mental voice tinged with disgust. 'And like the coward he is, he didn't want to face his destiny, so he ran from it instead.'

The revelation hit me like a bucket of ice water. My heart rate spiked as I processed this information. Grace and Archer were mates? My brother had a beautiful, powerful mate, and he'd rejected her? The disappointment I felt was crushing.

'Oh, Archer, you idiot. You big, stupid idiot.'