"I've missed you," he whispered against her neck, and she found herself relaxing into his warm embrace, basking in his familiar scent that enveloped her like his strong arms did.
Lucian, who felt her relax into him tightened his hold around Ave's body like he wanted to merge their bodies into one; he would if he could. As he held her and inhaled her soothing scent, he couldn't help but realize he'd missed her more than he thought was possible to miss someone you didn't even love. He had kept his eyes on her the whole time in the hall, knowing the Empress' plans for her tonight, all thanks to the annoying bastard who had told him about it last night.
