Chapter 74

Chapter 74
The elevator hummed quietly as we ascended, the numbers above the doors ticking up one by one. I pressed the button for my floor, feeling Lucien’s presence beside me like a storm waiting to break. The small space somehow felt even smaller with him in it, the air thick with everything that had been building between us over the past few months, all of it leading to this one moment where the truth no longer felt so far away.

Lucien glanced around the elevator, his gaze sharp and assessing. “How old is this apartment building?” he asked suddenly, breaking the silence and making my heart do a small, stupid flip.

“Probably twenty years,” I said, offering a small smile. “Maybe even thirty.”

“Twenty years?” Lucien echoed, one eyebrow lifting slightly. “So you’re older than it.”

“You too,” I shot back, trying even harder to lighten the mood.

He chuckled quietly, and despite everything, I found myself smiling too.

“I’m glad you’re smiling now,” I said softly.

His eyes met mine, and for a moment the tension between us eased.

“You never thought to ask anyone how old this place really is?” he asked.

“What good would that do me?” I shrugged. “It’s not like I could find a place that’s less old and still close to uni anyway.”

“A lesser old place,” Lucien repeated, faintly amused.

“Yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes a little. “Anyway, this was what I could afford.”

Suddenly his expression shifted, the warmth fading from it. “Let’s continue this in your apartment.”

I frowned, about to ask why, when the elevator jolted to a stop. The doors slid open, and Mrs. Baker, my elderly neighbor, stepped in with her little dog, Scoob, tucked under her arm.

“Hi, Mrs. Baker,” I greeted quickly, forcing a smile.

“Hello, Allison,” she replied warmly. Her eyes flicked toward Lucien, curiosity immediately lighting up her face. “And who is this fine young man with you?”

Before I could answer, Scoob suddenly twisted violently in her arms. The little dog went rigid, then let out a sharp bark, his tiny body trembling as his eyes locked onto Lucien with obvious fear.

“Scoob, hush!” Mrs. Baker said softly, stroking him. “Why are you so scared, baby? Calm down.”

I glanced at Lucien, my heart pounding hard against my ribs. His face remained calm, but I saw it, the brief flicker of red in his eyes, gone almost instantly, like something monstrous slipping through a crack.

Scoob kept barking, shaking even harder now. Mrs. Baker looked between him and Lucien, confusion spreading across her face.

“I’m sorry, dear. He never behaves like this.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” I said quickly. “He’s probably just hungry or tired.”

“But he just ate,” she replied, sounding more concerned now.

Scoob whimpered and buried his face into her shoulder as if trying to hide from something only he could see. At least he had stopped barking though, and it helped my own heart settle slightly because I had not even realized how violently it had been racing inside my chest.

I looked up at Lucien, and he smiled faintly at me, one hand resting lightly on my arm.

“He’s acting so strange,” Mrs. Baker murmured again.

The elevator dinged as it reached my floor.

I stepped out quickly, Lucien following close behind.

The moment the doors closed, I turned toward him, my voice low but sharp. “That was dangerous, Lucien. What if Mrs. Baker had seen your eyes?” I asked as we made our way toward my door.

He did not answer immediately. He only watched me struggle with my keys using that same unreadable expression.

Then slowly, he smiled.

A dark, chilling curve of his lips.

“Then I would have killed her.”

I froze, the keys slipping slightly in my hand as I turned to stare at him.

“You’re joking, right?” I whispered.

But the hallway suddenly felt colder than before.