Page 52 of Coveted

Why did I come here? Being alone with Lucan in his territory is a bad idea. It was a bad idea at Altar and it’s a bad idea now.

The trouble is, everywhere seems to be his territory.

Water rushes from inside the bathroom, steam billowing from the doorway like graveyard fog.

I wish I had stayed in the foyer. Of course he wasn’t being murdered. This place is a compound, and Lucan’s built like a superhero.

Too bad he’s got all the makings of a supervillain.

Within minutes, Lucan emerges damp from the shower. His onyx hair is slicked back and his black shirt clings to his muscles.

I don’t give him the satisfaction of looking anywhere except at his face.

“Ready for the armory?” he asks, strutting past me with almost disdainful confidence.

“I suppose,” I say, the hesitation in my voice revealing my nerves.

He leads me deeper into the house.

“I tried to delete the tracking app you put on my phone,” I say.

“Yeah?” he asks without turning around. “How did that go?”

I hear the smirk in his voice.

“I think you know,” I say, rolling my eyes at his back.

“I don’t feel guilty for guarding your life.”

“Lucan Hale doesn’t feel guilty. Least surprising thing ever.”

“Sadie Marlowe acting like she knows it all. Even less surprising.”

As he takes me down a set of concrete stairs, the walls seem to press in. I cling to the strap of my bag as if it might protect me.

Should I trust Lucan enough to let him bring me underground?

Definitely not.

But dangerous times call for dangerous measures.

At the bottom of the stairs, a cold-white bulb hums over Lucan’s head. The light transforms his chiseled features into severe angles.

I stay on the step above him and he’s still taller than me. The space feels so small and confined. There’s no escaping him.

His voice is barely above a murmur. “Last chance to back out.”

When I’ve come this far?

“I’m not backing out,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “So this is the armory?”

“This is the armory.”

A hint of what might be pride threads his voice. Or maybe it’s just sociopathy.

He presses his palm to a black rectangle next to the door, making the pad glow green. Metal spins and lurches inside the doorframe, rearranging to let us in. The door releases with a hiss.

I jump slightly when Lucan puts his hand on my back to coax me inside.