Chapter 24

Twenty-Four

Whatever the thing in that box was, I didn't want to be anywhere near it. Not again. Not only had I been shaken to my core, but I felt dirty, filthy, like I was covered in grime I couldn't get off no matter how hard I scrubbed, or how hot the water was.

It was hours before the feeling finally began to dissipate, hours before I snapped out of the dissociative state I had fallen in to. During that time, Lucien had taken over surveillance duties. He had also kept a respectful distance.

"What's in the box, really?" I finally asked, breaking the silence we had existed in for the past few hours.

Lucien, who had been sitting at the desk, going through pictures on the laptop, stopped what he was doing and straightened up. He turned his head to the side. "A crown," he said.

"But it's more than that, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Is there a demon in that box?"

"I'm… not totally sure." He paused. "What did you see?"

I shook my head. "I would rather forget what I saw, but I don't think I'll ever be able to. It wasn't just what I saw, but how it made me feel."

He turned around fully, now, standing up and tucking the chair in. He stood at the edge of the bed, his hands in his pockets, leaning slightly on the desk. "What was it?"

"It was a scratched-up box covered in chains that wrapped around it like snakes."

"You didn't see the crown itself?"

"I couldn't see through the box, but the whole thing looked like it was alive, and it pulled me to it."

"Pulled you?"

"Like it had its own gravity." I shook my head. "I don't know what would've happened if I had let it take me." I turned my eyes up at him and locked his gaze. "I have never felt anything like that in my life."

Lucien remained quiet for a little while, digesting the words I had said. "We keep the more dangerous demons locked up behind powerful protective seals… like the one in the other room."

Fear washed through me like a cold breeze; the demon he had brought to search for the crown.

"They have it with them." He continued. "I wasn't sure how you would feel about being in the same room with a demonic lockbox… now I know."

I glanced over at the door, as if I was expecting to see the demon standing there, watching us. "I don't feel anything right now."

"I suppose that's a good thing, means the seals are working."

I shook my head. "Maybe it's because my essence was in the Ether, but… the box was so clear. Normally everything looks different, warped, like shadows until I get close enough to pick out details. This thing was clear right from the start, like a horror show in high definition."

"That makes sense, the Ether is where these entities live."

"I know. I just wasn't ready for it, I guess. As long as I don't have to go back in there anytime soon, I should be okay."

Lucien nodded. "We'll leave the box with my father's men, anyway. Since you know where the crown is, though, we probably won't need it."

"Why is there a demon in the box with the crown?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe the demon is bound to the crown … it's hard to tell. Either way, we don't have to worry about that until tonight."

"Tonight?"

"That's when we're going in."

I swallowed the ball of anxiety that had wedged itself into my throat. "Tonight is… a little soon, isn't it?"

Lucien met my eyes. "I think… we should get this over and done with as soon as we can, don't you?"

The look in his eyes… he was saying one thing with his words, but I could tell, he meant something else. I wasn't about to tell him I was in no rush to go back to his father's house, not openly, not while the bugs in the room were still active. We needed to shut those up before we could speak freely, and that wasn't going to happen abruptly. We needed proper timing for that.

"I think your father would be impressed if we could do this tonight," I said.

Lucien mouthed the word ‘good'.

I nodded. "So, why tonight?" I ventured.

Lucien turned slightly and gestured toward the laptop. "Four minutes," he said, "Every four hours."

"Four minutes?"

"That's how long the rooftop remains unguarded. I've been going over footage from last night and our surveillance from today. We have four-minute window every four hours, I suppose that's when the guards swap shifts."

"They're very precise, aren't they?"

"We're not here to question it, we're here to infiltrate that temple, get the crown, and get out without being detected. If possible…"

"If possible…" I shook my head. "I don't like that. What happens if we're caught?"

"We run like hell."

"I like that even less." I stood up from the bed and walked over to the window. The afternoon was almost gone, and a golden glow had fallen over the city. It was beautiful, the gradients created by those reds, and oranges, and yellows. "Four minutes isn't a long time for us to zipline over, especially considering I've never done it before."

"It's easy," Lucien said, "And totally safe. You may even like it."

"I'm not exactly one for cheap thrills."

Lucien's eyebrow cocked, playfully. I frowned at him and rolled my eyes. ‘Liar', he mouthed, and then he said, "We'll eat, and then we'll get ready. Get some rest."

I nodded at him, and then Lucien waved his hand in a sweeping motion. All of the lights in the room flicked off. I felt his magic wash over me, exciting the thin, little hairs on my arms. "That was not smooth at all." I said.

"Probably not, but I wanted to talk to you without anyone listening in."

I swallowed hard again. "Really?"

Lucien pushed himself off the bed and walked over to me. He placed a warm hand on my shoulder and gave me a comforting gaze. "Are you okay?"

I looked at his hand on my shoulder, then turned my eyes up at him. "I think so." I paused. "I'm okay. I was just a little shaken up earlier."

"You've barely spoken all afternoon. You weren't just a little shaken up."

"Okay, maybe I wasn't, but I will be."

He took a deep breath in through the nose, then exhaled. "Look, I was prepared to let this thing drag until at least tomorrow… I'm not in a hurry for you to go back to the mansion. But after what happened today, I think it's best to get this thing over with. What do you think?"

"I'm not ready to let this thing we have here end…" I said, taking his other hand, "Going back to your mansion means I lose my—" I paused, "—well, not freedom, but this is better than what I had there. Plus, there's demons back at your place, too."

"They're mostly harmless, little more than parasites who like to scare the unwary because they have nothing better to do."

"They pushed me off the side of the building, remember?"

Lucien nodded. "Right, yes. So much has happened since then…"

"It's okay. I know we have to go back, and I guess you're right. There's no reason to prolong this…"

"Exactly."

I licked my lips. "But what happens to us after we get back to the mansion?"

"Us?" he asked.

I slid my hand up his arm and held his cheek in my hand. "I won't be able to touch you like this once we're under your family's watchful eye…" I trailed off.

Lucien shut his eyes and caressed my hand with the side of his face. He paused, then exhaled. "I'm not going to let you rot in my family estate. I'm getting you away from my father."

"I want to believe that."

"But you don't?"

"It's not that I don't. I just think… your hands are tied when you're with them. As long as we're here, and they're not around, the only hands that should be tied are mine."

Lucien took both of my hands in his, crossed them, then he held them above me. "Are you asking me to tie your hands up?" he asked, bringing his lips closer to mine.

"Please tie me up…" I whispered. "It's why you killed the electricity in the room, after all, isn't it?"

"Maybe." He paused, brushing his lips against mine. "How do I know you won't try to break out of your binds?"

"Because I'm your good girl, remember?" I asked, flicking his lower lip with my tongue.

"It seems we have a few hours to kill…"

I tried to kiss him, but he took hold of my face and pulled it to the side. My body followed, and in a moment, I found myself getting ushered toward the bed, my arms still held firmly above my head. When I reached it, Lucien pressed himself against my back. He worked his free hand under the hem of my t-shirt and pulled it up and over my head.

My heart started to pound. For a moment he stood behind me, exploring my abdomen with his hand, running it across my stomach, up along my ribcage, cupping my right breast and gently squeezing it.

Excitement filled me, now. My breath hitched.

"Are you going to be quiet?" he asked.

"If you want me to," I said.

"I want you to be quiet… I don't want anyone to hear you but me, is that understood?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Lucien pulled his hand away from my skin, then proceeded to remove his tie, which he used to bind my hands above my head. The level of excitement I had already reached was fever pitch. I didn't think I could get more worked up than I already was, but that was just a lie I told myself.

One that I kept telling myself.

With Lucien, it was clear, there was no ceiling.

Once my hands were tied, and securely fastened, Lucien shoved me onto the bed, face first. I couldn't see what he was doing behind me, and for a moment, I couldn't hear anything either. Then I felt his hands on my body again, his fingertips sliding down my back and dipping into the line of my pants, hooking into my underwear.

Lucien very carefully began to pull, and as soon as my pants were down past my thighs, I felt my cheeks flush red with hot blood. There was something about being exposed in front of him, and helpless like this, that made my entire body react in a way I had never experienced before.

Just like last night, even though I was doing what he told me to do, I still felt like I was in complete control—like I could tell him to stop, and in an instant, he would. With my pants and underwear removed and cast aside, I felt more vulnerable than ever before, but I was also way, way wetter than I had ever been before.

Lucien placed his hands on the backs of my thighs and gently pulled them apart.

"What are you going to do?" I breathed.

"Only ask questions when I allow you to ask questions," Lucien said.

"Right…" I shut my mouth and gripped the bedcovers with my bound hands and waited expectantly, in a moment that seemed to go on for three lifetimes.