A little while later, Lucian unlocked his bedroom door. He had intended to keep his distance from Kara until it was time for her to go, but as time went on, he felt driven to go back to her. He eventually gave up the fight. Although he realized he had lied, he pretended he was going to visit her to make sure she was prepared to depart.
With her back to him and her head cocked forward, Kara sat on the bed. Her thin, light-reflecting hair fell in big waves down her back. Her coat was next to her on the bed, and she had taken off the sweater and hung it over the chair's back. The sundress Marta had given her hugged her slim proportions and revealed the creamy flesh of her bare shoulders.
When the door slammed shut, her head raised, but she didn't turn to face him. "It's almost time to go," he said. You'll be delighted to see your brother again, I have no doubt.
She said in a tight voice, "I will."
She didn't seem to be too thrilled about the idea of being reunited with her family, which puzzled him. He turned the bed around and halted in front of her. Her expression was statue-like calm and impassive. She held her hands modestly in front of her and looked at him without showing any emotion.
It took him a while to understand that she was the submissive female hunter he had expected. It didn't appeal to him at all.
What is the issue?
That peculiar façade of calmness never cracked. "I will soon get married."
That wasn't the one thing she had said that he had anticipated she would. Her small frame and seductive breasts, which could easily fit in the palm of his hand, caught his attention. When he considered that another guy may have experienced what it was like to feel her body against his while they slept or to be inside of her, his fangs grew longer.
He was able to hold back a growl. "When?"
In the next month.
He thought back to what she had previously said: "I'm supposed to be sorry for not being overjoyed about my glorious role as the soon-to-be bride." He had first believed she meant far in the future, not in the next month.
He questioned, "To whom?"
"Logan. He comes from a strong family line and is an excellent hunter. Our kids will be good hunters. He is a decent guy and a reliable friend, and Nathan can count on him.
Your brother organized this, right?
When I was able to reproduce, the elders picked Logan for me.
You don't fucking fuck."
She blinked, but it was the only response she gave to his vehement reply.
He asked, "Do you want to marry Logan?"
"To marry a hunter and have children with him is a wonderful honor. I must be thankful that a good spouse has been selected for me and that I am of the age to do so.
She had something pounded into her brain through the years, and it sounded like she was repeating it. You concur, right?
She looked at him with vacant eyes while she talked monotonously. "Sure, that. My birth was caused by that. To continue my ancestors' legacy will be an honor.
He didn't know why this laid-back individual had replaced the feisty lady he imagined her to be, but he yearned to jolt her awake and see her for who she really was. He desired the lady only for himself.
The insane need to possess her was back, but this time it wouldn't go back into the dark corners of his heart. He caressed her face with the tips of his fingers mindlessly. At least she didn't shy away from him, even if she didn't nuzzle him as she had previously.
He approached her while knelt down and grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him directly. The question is, "Do you really accept this?"
Her eyes fluttered, but her mask remained the same. "I am powerless. What else should I do?
He had neither an explanation nor a solution for her. Nothing he could offer her or say to her would be of assistance. You may say that you're not prepared for marriage.
She laughed vehemently. He groaned quietly since he detested the sound's acridity. "I can't fight who I am or what others expect of me any more than you can. It's now my time. Since I was a little kid, I have known that it will occur. Logan is a fine guy, and there is nothing I can do to alter the situation. We've known each other since we were kids. I'm certain he won't mistreat me and will be a great parent to our kids.
Another guy would get to know her body in addition to sharing the connection of parenting their kids with her. Even though he wanted to rip the place apart, Lucian stopped at the revelation.
After releasing her chin, he swung backward on his heels. What will happen if Logan passes away? "I shall then work as a teacher. I'll impart our traditions to the next generation and protect our ancestry.
What if he passes away six months from now, or before you conceive a child?
"I may be taken into consideration to fill the role if I am still in a good breeding age and a hunter loses his wife."
He understood that there was no hope in her life, which is why she had rebelled against it.
He took his hand from her face and got to his feet to pace the floor. The idea of her spending the rest of her life behind bars was intolerable to him. I couldn't tolerate the thought of someone so lovely and alive being cruelly confined and treated like a piece of property.
She continued to sit stiffly on the bed as he turned around to look at her. He had no idea what she would encounter upon her return. He turned on his heel and continued to pace back and forth. He was unable to assist her. The hunters would go on a spree and kill every vampire they came across if they didn't bring her back. The surprise assault might cause many innocent people to be trapped in the crossfire. Many of his species could pass away.
He couldn't let it happen. It had been his responsibility all his life to keep them safe.
Her fate, her destiny, was to be married. Even if he didn't agree with the hunters' practices, who was he to oppose them?
He halted in front of her while stalking back. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."
She didn't respond to his cold comments. I didn't request it from you.
While pushing off the voices in his thoughts urging him to retain her and assert his ownership of her, Lucian disregarded the intense beating in his chest.
Perhaps your brother can stop it.
It is my destiny. I am that way, and so are my folks. Nobody can stop it, she interjected.
"Shit," muttered Lucian. As he began to pace once again, he ran his fingers through his hair. He came to a sudden halt after hearing a loud tap on the door. He growled, "What?"
Declan said in a quiet voice, "Lucian, it's time."
"We'll be there right away."
Kara got out of bed while keeping her hands poised in front of her. She looked up at him gradually. "I'll tell Nathan to go by himself. Even if he thinks it's a trap, he'll take whatever action he feels is required to win me back.
He does, Lucian understood.
"Yes."
"And you, him?"
My twin and dearest buddy, he is. We were particularly close since twins are quite uncommon among our people.
How uncommon are they?
We are the first people to be born in about 700 years, and the first boy and girl twins to be born in more than a thousand.
Lucian positioned his hands over his chest. "I see. If you asked him to, would he end this marriage?
He may try for me, but I wouldn't want him to put himself in that situation.
Is he in charge of your populace?
She mumbled something about "many different leaders in different places."
He is at least one of those leaders, and Lucian recognized that if it meant keeping her brother out of peril, she would give her life. If the leadership position was transmitted with hunters as it was with vampires, he believed Nathan had taken over when their father was slain.
"Kara." He approached her again and raised her chin after putting his finger beneath it. He would always remember every aspect of her for the rest of his life. He combed back her hair, running his fingers over the smooth strands.
He took a step closer before stopping when his chest touched hers. She looked into him as he stood over her, but her expression was unfazed. He bowed his head to hers, unable to resist the allure of her full, red lips. He just intended to taste her briefly, but as soon as his lips contacted hers, he realized he had lost her.