Chapter 38 038

Chapter 38 038

Claire's POV

I had given up on him.

Standing there with Austin and Shark's hands on my arms, watching Lucien lay motionless on that bed, I had actually given up.

The cure did not work, He was going to die and Cal was going to throw me in a cell and that would be the end of everything.

But suddenly, he then sat up.

My heart nearly stopped. One second he was dying, the next he was sitting upright like he had just woken from a nap. But this was not the weak, poisoned man I had poured the cure into. This was something else entirely.

His eyes were red and they were glowing red like coals in a fire. His skin had gone deathly pale and dark veins spread across his face and neck, pulsing with something that looked alive. He moved faster than anything I had ever seen, crossing the room in a blink.

The sound of Cal's back hitting the wall made me flinch.

Lucien had his hand wrapped around his brother's throat. Cal's feet were barely touching the ground as he clawed at Lucien's wrist, choking.

Oh god. He was going to kill him.

My hands started shaking, This was not relief or joy at seeing him alive. This was pure terror watching him squeeze the life out of his own brother.

The veins on his face became darker and those red eyes burned with something that looked like madness.

What had I done? What had that cure turned him into?

Cal stumbled out of the room after Lucien released him and I thought maybe that was it. Maybe he would calm down now.

Then he turned on Austin.

The punch sent Austin flying across the room. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the floor and slid several feet. Lucien was on him in seconds, dragging him up by his shirt, his fist raised for another hit.

Austin was going to die. Right here in front of me.

"Lucien."

His name left my mouth before I could stop it. My voice shook so badly I barely recognized it as mine.

He froze as His fist hung in the air, Then slowly, he turned his head toward me.

Those red eyes locked onto mine.

My breath stopped, Every instinct screamed at me to run, to get as far away from him as possible. He looked like a monster. Like something that would tear me apart without a second thought.

I had interrupted him, stopped him from doing whatever he was about to do to Austin. What if he turned that rage on me instead

My legs felt weak but I could not look away from him nor could I move or even breathe properly.

He dropped Austin.

Then he was walking toward me. Each step made my heart beat faster. I wanted to back up, to put distance between us, but my body would not cooperate.

He stopped right in front of me and I had to tilt my head back to look at his face. Up close, those veins looked even darker. His jaw was clenched tight and his hands were still balled into fists.

This was it. He was going to hurt me for interfering.

But instead, his hand came up slowly and Gently. His fingers touched my face so carefully it made my chest ache.

He traced the bruise on my cheekbone, The one from when Austin had grabbed me earlier. His touch was feather-light, like he was afraid I would break.

The red in his eyes flickered and dimmed just a little.

"Who hurt you?"

His voice came out rough and strained like he was barely holding himself together.

I could not answer, My throat had closed up completely and became dry.

He turned his head, looking between Austin and Shark. The veins on his face turned pale again and his jaw tightened.

"Who Hurts Her?"

Austin kept his head down. He was still on his knees, blood dripping from his mouth onto the floor. Shark stood frozen by the door, his face pale.

Neither of them spoke.

"Leave." Lucien's voice dropped lower. "Both of you. Now. I will deal with you later."

They did not need to be told twice. Austin scrambled to his feet and practically ran for the door. Shark followed right behind him. The door shut with a soft click and then it was just us.

Just me and Lucien in this chamber that suddenly felt too small.

His hand was still on my face. The other one came up to cup my other cheek and now he was holding my face between his palms like I was something precious.

The red started fading from his eyes, The veins on his face lightened, slowly disappearing back into his skin.

His color returned, that deathly pale washing away until he looked like himself again.

Human Almost human.

"Thank you."

The words came out so soft I almost did not hear them.

"You saved me." His thumbs brushed across my cheeks. "No one survives macphone. No one has survived it in centuries. But you did it. How?"

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "I do not know. I just saw it in a dream. A voice told me what plants to find and how to mix them and I just followed the instructions."

"A dream."

"I know it sounds insane but—"

"I believe you."

Those three words made something crack open in my chest. He believed me. After everything, after Cal had mocked me and Austin had grabbed me and everyone had looked at me like I was crazy, Lucien believed me.

Tears burned behind my eyes but I blinked them away.

His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against his chest. I froze for half a second, surprised, before my body just melted into him. My face pressed against his shirt and I could hear his heartbeat. Strong and steady and alive.

He was alive.

The relief hit me so hard my knees went weak. I had not realized how terrified I had been until now. How much the thought of him dying had torn me apart inside.

Why did I care so much? He was my captor. The man who had taken me from everything I knew. I should hate him.

But standing here in his arms, feeling his warmth, hearing him breathe, all I felt was this overwhelming need to stay exactly where I was.

His hand came up to cradle the back of my head. His fingers tangled in my hair and he held me tighter, like he was afraid I would disappear.

"I thought I lost you." My voice came out muffled against his chest. "I thought the cure did not work and you were going to die and it would be my fault."

"It worked." His voice rumbled through his chest into me. "You brought me back."

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. His face was so close to mine now. Those eyes that had been burning red were back to their normal color, dark and deep and looking at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

Something shifted between us. The air felt heavier, charged with something I could not name. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest.

His hand slid from the back of my head down to cup my face again. His thumb traced my bottom lip and I stopped breathing altogether.

He leaned down. Slowly. Giving me time to pull away if I wanted to.

I did not want to.

My eyes started to close. His breath was warm against my face and I could feel the heat radiating off his body. Just a little closer and—

His whole body went rigid.

His eyes unfocused like he was listening to something I could not hear. His jaw clenched and that peaceful expression vanished, replaced by something sharp and dangerous.

"What?" I whispered. "What is it?"

He did not answer right away. Just stood there with that faraway look, his hands still holding me but his attention somewhere else entirely.

A mindlink. He was getting a mindlink.

Finally, he focused on me again. "Shark caught an intruder on the property."

"An intruder?" I frown, obviously sad this moment was interrupted

"A human!"

The way he said it made ice run through my veins. His arms dropped from around me and he stepped back, that soft moment between us shattering like glass.

He turned toward the door, his whole body
tense like he was Ready for a fight, it was obvious the humans were truly his worst enemies and yet he just looked at me like I was the best thing in his life.