Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“ W hen were ye goin’ tae tell me?”

Alaric stood by the door inside his chambers, hovering awkwardly near it, his gaze glued to the floor, his hands hanging limply by his sides. It was a sorry sight, but Lucia didn’t care how regretful he looked or that he was wallowing in guilt. All she cared about was that Alaric had told her nothing about his betrothed and yet he had slept with her and brought her to this castle.

Was he expecting that she wouldn’t find out? How couldn’t she? Surely, he must have known that, Lucia thought, and he still went through with it.

“When were ye goin’ tae tell me?” she demanded again when Alaric said nothing. “When? After ye were wedded? Afore? Never?”

“Lucia…” Alaric started, but then his voice trailed off and he shook his head, remaining silent.

Lucia trembled with rage. She didn’t care if this was painful for Alaric. Whatever pain he may have been experiencing, whatever embarrassment, was nothing compared to the heartache and the humiliation she felt. It speared through her, like a physical wound that left her bleeding and crumbling, leaving nothing left in her to give her strength.

“Ye deceived me,” she hissed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “Ye deceived me an’ ye hid the fact that ye were promised tae another just ye could bed me? How could ye dae that? I thought?—”

Lucia cut herself short. She didn’t know what she thought, if she were honest. Perhaps she thought that she had finally found a decent man and even if they couldn’t be together, then his memory would remain alive in her mind once they parted ways. He could have been a nice reminder that not all people are rotten like she had always thought.

But now it seemed she had been correct in her assumption all along. If Alaric could hide such an important thing from her, then what else was he hiding? What else had he lied to her about?

“I didnae mean tae dae that,” Alaric said, taking a faltering step towards her. “I didnae, I promise ye. I never meant tae hurt ye, Lucia.”

“I’m nae hurt,” Lucia said on reflex, gritting her teeth. She wasn’t going to appear weak in front of him, not now; she refused to and she regretted every single moment of vulnerability she had shared with him. To her, it had all been real; her feelings, the moments they had spent together, all of it coalescing into a reality that was closer to a dream. To him, it had been nothing but a way to pass the time, something to do while he waited to return to his home, his family, his betrothed.

“Alright,” Alaric said, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, betrayed then. I never meant tae make ye feel like this.”

“I find that very hard tae believe,” said Lucia with a humorless laugh. “Perhaps ye didnae mean tae betray me, but ye didnae think twice about it, either.”

It seemed to have come so easily to Alaric, as though he hardly even knew what he was doing himself. Had he not given any thought to her at all? Had he not cared even a little what effect his actions could have on Lucia?

“I always thought about it!” Alaric said and this time, he reached for Lucia’s hand, but she was quick to snatch it back. “Lucia, ye must believe me.”

“Ye kent about this marriage,” she said, and it wasn’t a question.

“Aye,” said Alaric, swallowing audibly.

“Then ye kent ye had yer betrothed waitin’ fer ye when ye bedded me,” Lucia said. “Ye’re naethin’ but a liar. A liar an’ a cheat an’ ye think ye’re better than everyone else, but ye’re just the same.”

Lucia could pinpoint the exact moment when Alaric’s regret turned into anger. His eyes narrowed as he regarded her and his face began to take on a red tint, the blood rushing in his veins.

“Well, ye never asked if there was someone!” he shouted. “An’ I didnae think ye’d care even if ye kent.”

Lucia, shocked by Alaric’s accusation, could do nothing but stare at him, dumbfounded. Did he truly think so little of her? Did he truly think that she would put herself in such a situation, which could hurt not only her but also another woman?

“Ye dare accuse me!” she said, matching his tone. “Ye dare accuse me when ye have done naethin’ but lie? Why would I ask ye if ye have someone? Why would I even think o’ doin’ that? Ye showed interest in me! Ye wanted me! Why would I think there was anyone else?”

This was enough to bring Alaric to a stop. He fell silent, his mouth snapping shut, and at least he had the decency to look regretful for what he had said. It was not enough for Lucia, though. She wanted him to admit that he had been cruel. She wanted him to admit that he had done all this knowing he could never truly belong to her.

“I see ye have naethin’ tae say,” she scoffed, shaking her head. “Why would ye? I’m sure ye think ye never have tae answer fer yer actions. I’m sure ye never have tae think about others.”

“I dinnae ken how ye came tae this conclusion,” said Alaric, lips pressing into a firm line, “but ye’re wrong.”

“Am I? Truly?”

“Aye,” he said. “Ye are. Ye are wrong because all I ever dae is think about ye! Ye’re always in me mind! Dae ye ken how how frustratin’ that is? Ye’re all I can think about! I dinnae care about me betrothed or me marriage or any o’ that because I am fallin’ in love ye!”

It was the second time that night that Lucia thought she must have misheard something. She froze, blinking a few times in surprise, unable to process Alaric’s words.

“I love ye, Lucia,” Alaric said.

Did he… did he say he loves me?

He moved closer to her to take her hands in his and Lucia allowed it, too shocked to even pull back. “I mean it. I have never felt like this fer anyone else. Ye’re infuriatin’ an’ a madwoman an’ ye’re the only one I want. I never wanted this marriage, ye must believe me. I never wanted any o’ it. I would have done it fer the clan, but now that I have met ye, I couldnae. I couldnae replace ye with anyone. Ye’re the only one fer me.”

Lucia was stunned speechless. She had never expected anyone, let alone Alaric, to deliver such a confession to her. She had never expected to hear such words, not even in her wildest, most private dreams. And yet there Alaric was, confessing his love as if it was easy, as if it wasn’t such a terrifying thing.

Before she knew it, Alaric was kissing her. It was barely more than a brush of lips, but it was enough to set her heart beating wildly, her entire body trembling with need rather than anger. She couldn’t resist. Wrapping her arms around Alaric’s neck, she pulled him close and deepened the kiss, parting her lips to let him lick into her mouth with a moan.

She didn’t want to think too much about any of this. In that moment, she wanted to believe everything Alaric was saying was the truth. She didn’t want to consider any of the consequences either. His betrothal, Kayla, the aftermath of what they were about to do all seemed too far away. All that mattered to her was that Alaric was kissing her and his hands were on her waist, pulling her flush against his body.

Lucia needed him, her need almost overwhelming. Alaric seemed to be similarly affected, the two of them tearing each other’s clothes off with little care about where they ended up or in what state. Lucia could have sworn that she heard a patch of fabric rip in the quiet of the room as Alaric tore it off her, but neither of them paid it any mind. It was only when they were both naked, Alaric’s manhood already hard and straining between them, that she pulled him to the bed, lying on her back as he hovered over her.

Alaric took his time scattering kisses over her neck, her collarbone, her breasts. When his lips wrapped around one of her nipples, sucking hard at the pebbled skin, Lucia arched into the touch of his lips with a breathy plea, asking for more. Her fingers threaded through his hair, tugging at the strands, and when Alaric groaned against her, she could feel the reverberations through her entire body.

“Ye have nae idea what ye dae tae me,” Alaric said, whispering against her skin. “Ye could never ken.”

Pulling Alaric back up to her, Lucia kissed him deeply, her moan swallowed by him when he reached between them to brush his knuckles over her opening. She was already aroused, parting easily for Alaric’s finger as he pushed inside all the way to the knuckle, the sensation tearing a gasp out of Lucia. Nothing had ever felt as good, as right, as having him inside her like this. Nothing had ever felt more pleasurable, and she couldn’t help the way she clung onto him, kissing him everywhere she could reach as she let him pleasure her.

It wasn’t long before Alaric added a second finger, her wetness making it easy for him to slide them both deep inside her. Slowly, he kissed his way down her torso, stopping here and there to deliver a soft bite to her skin, and Lucia writhed underneath him, muffling her moans with a hand over her mouth.

When he reached her mound, Alaric pushed her legs farther apart with a confident hand and then buried his face between them, licking around where they were joined. The warmth of his tongue, the soft brush of his lips against her most sensitive spot was a sweet torture the likes of which Lucia had never felt before. She lost herself to the feeling, to her pleasure, allowing herself to just receive everything Alaric was giving her without a fight or trying to take over.

The constant drag of his fingers against her inner walls, coupled with the soft, rhythmic laps of his tongue over her folds, quickly brought her to the edge. Alaric worked her expertly, drawing her orgasm out of her, and Lucia reached a shaking climax with the sound of his name on her lips.

When Alaric slowly moved back up, once again kissing his way up her body, Lucia hooked her legs around his waist and flipped them over so that she was on top. Letting her hands roam all over his torso, she felt the rigid muscles under her fingers rippling as he moved, honed by years of training and battle. It was dark in her chambers, the room illuminated only by the fire, but it was enough to see the spark in his eyes, that molten desire that she knew was reflected in her own.

Reaching between them, she took Alaric in her hand, giving him a few firm strokes. Underneath her, Alaric groaned, hips bucking, his hands flying out to grab Lucia’s face and bring her close.

For a few moments, they shared the same air as Lucia stroked him, staring into each other’s eyes, their lips barely brushing with every breath. Then, Alaric craned his neck to kiss her, still cradling her face in his hands, and it was the most tender gesture anyone had ever given her.

Lucia craved to have Alaric inside her. She couldn’t take it anymore, and so she brought his manhood to her opening, rubbing the tip over her wet folds. With a quiet moan, Alaric rolled his hips helplessly, just as eager as Lucia was, but she kept teasing him for a few moments, not allowing him to enter her just yet.

“Ye’re such a bonnie thing,” Alaric said, sounding as breathless as she felt. “An’ such an infernal creature.”

Lucia couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Am I infernal because I’m takin’ me time?”

“Aye,” said Alaric. “I need ye. I need ye more than I need air, please. Please, lass, dae it.”

Lucia could hardly refuse such a plea, and so she slowly, torturously so, sank onto Alaric’s manhood. The moment he was inside her, twin moans escaped them, the sound soft in the small space between them. Lucia could feel him stretching her walls, filling her up completely, and the feeling cut her breath short, her entire body trembling as she finally took him all the way to the hilt.

For a moment, she merely sat in his lap, catching her breath. Alaric was writhing under her, unable to sit still, but he only placed his hands on her hips and held on, waiting for her to do as she pleased. Then, Lucia began to roll her hips in a slow, sensuous rhythm, planting her hands on Alaric’s shoulders to steady herself. It was easy, then, for the two of them to move, their rhythm second nature to them, as they fit perfectly together. Alaric’s hands roamed all over her body, sliding up her waist, cupping her breasts, his fingers pinching and rolling her nipples between them. The attention drove Lucia crazy with need, and she bounced on Alaric’s length with abandon, the slick sounds of their coupling and their soft, ragged breaths filling the otherwise quiet room.

It was the way Alaric was looking at her, though, which affected Lucia the most; like she was someone worth loving, like she was not so strange or different or monstrous, after all. He was looking at her with so much love that it brought a knot to her throat, one that threatened to choke her if she examined that feeling for too long.

She, too, loved him. She knew it in her very core, a fact as immutable as any law of nature.

Lucia’s hands found Alaric’s as she rolled her hips again and again, lacing their fingers together. The friction was delicious, that pressure building up inside Lucia once more, and she held onto Alaric’s hands with all she had as she bounced on him a few more times before once again reaching her climax. This one was even stronger than the last, wave after wave of pleasure crashing over her, her entire body trembling over Alaric as she rode her orgasm. Alaric, too was close behind. Letting go of her hands, he grabbed her hips instead and thrusted up into her once, twice, three times, before emptying himself inside her with a groan, satisfied and exhausted at the same time.

Lucia collapsed on top of him, unable to move any farther, and Alaric was quick to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Neither of them spoke; they didn’t have to. Even though Lucia hadn’t said it since Alaric had confessed his love to her, she wanted to believe she didn’t have to. She wanted to believe he already knew just how much he meant to her without her having to say it.

I love him, I truly dae. An’ he must ken that.

Perhaps one day, soon, she could utter those words too.