Lucian covered her nose, taking her breath away.
His other hand wrapped around her nape, tilting her head, her gasp swallowed by his suffocating kiss.
He held her pinned. His lips moved with a ferocity that matched the storm inside him, fueled by the warmth of her mouth.
Celine's fingers clawed at his chest, trying to pry him off, the air slipping from her lungs.
He expected her to use the curse on him, and she seemed to have the same idea.
He started to feel weaker, but not weak enough to lose his grip. Her curse wasn't as powerful as before; it was weaker and weaker, until he couldn't feel it anymore.
It seemed it depended heavily on her mental state. The more distracted she was, the less effective it became.
She tried to bite his lips, but he moved his face away in time.
"Crazy....Mmpf!"
Her words were cut off by another kiss.
He avoided the slap that was meant for his cheek by grabbing her wrist.
Celine's other hand came to slap him, but Lucian pinned it down too.
A knee to the stomach sent him flying off the bed; her curse working again.
He landed on the floor with a thud, panting, looking at her with a crazed smile on his face.
Celine continued to cough, massaging her throat as she took in his expression from her bed.
"My Lady, is everything okay? We heard a loud noise." A guard's voice came from outside, making Lucian's face drop.
Celine got down from the bed and straddled Lucian's stomach, her hands pressing on his chest to keep him down.
"Lady Celine?" the guard asked again.
She leaned down, "Kiss. Me. Properly. And I will not scream for help."
"Lady Celine, if you do not respond, we will have to break down the door," the guard warned.
"HEL─"
Lucian's lips crushed against hers before she could utter another word, pecking her, once, twice, then three times. Each one soft, sweet, and heart-melting.
Celine took her sweet time as he kissed her gently, his tongue tasting every corner of her mouth, then she let him trace her jaw with soft kisses, all the while his stress over getting caught grew.
"Celine..." Lucian warned, his breath hot against her jaw.
She pecked his lower lip before turning toward the doors, "Return to your post! I was just testing you!"
"Yes, my Lady," the guard answered, and the footsteps outside faded away.
Celine returned her attention to him, the adrenaline in her eyes almost scary, "That was close."
Lucian's expression was not as playful. He didn't like how she held his life in her hands, ready to ruin him if she wanted to.
She lay on top of him, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, which was so loud and fast, she could feel the vibrations of it on her cheek.
"Are you staying the night?" she asked when he submitted to her whims, her voice soft. Her pointer finger traced circles on his shirt.
She got what she wanted, so she turned sweet, until the next time he did something she didn't like, then she'd turn ruthless again.
"Do I have a say in the matter?"
She rested her chin on his chest, her blue eyes looking up at him. "You don't want to stay?"
"You just tried to have me killed."
"You just tried to kiss me to death."
"..." He had no counter for that. "Do you want me to love you still after everything?"
"Love is to be trusted as much as a hungry dog with meat." She rested her head back on his chest. "I'm just making sure it stays on a leash."
Lucian failed to change her view of love, and the cold moonlight agreed with her statement, the way it cast a dull light over them.
"So, you don't love me anymore?" he asked.
"Apparently not, by your standards. Love is respect, kindness, caring, gentleness, bla bla...right?"
Sighing, Lucian carried her back to bed. "How are we going to raise our child together if we don't get along?"
She didn't resist, her hands wrapping around his neck for support, "We? There is no we; I will raise this child. Your only duty is to please me, and I'll let you see the child from time to time."
"..." He placed her on her back, his body on top of hers, taking a deep breath, "Come with me to the South. I will take care of both you and our child. Nobody will dare to harm you there. Those who try will die."
She looked at him in silence, her eyes searching his face. Instead of the usual bickering, he looked dead serious. A rare sight for her, and she didn't know how to respond immediately.
"Leave everything behind? For you?" she whispered.
"For our family," he replied, making a decision, "You, me, and our child."
This might work. They could fight, keep things between them hot and heavy. Celine didn't seem to care if they had a happy relationship anymore, as long as they stayed together.
Lucian could offer her that. A little hurt here and there was a small price to pay to escape the wish, no? He could endure it. Anything for his little family.
Celine looked away, thinking, "What about marriage? Would you give me that, too?"
She was probably still under the impression that he was not being serious, and resumed her torture of his heart, "A bastard child is not the life I want for our child, though my surname would surely sound better than yours."
Lucian's hand reached for her chin, gently turning her face back to him. His thumb caressed her cheek instead of pushing her buttons back with a snarky comeback.
She leaned against his palm as if she could feel his soul's silent plea for help.
The redness in her eyes grew, but she didn't shed a tear. The blue in them deepened as if she could tell that the shackles around his neck were growing tighter with each day, and his desperation to escape them was leading them both into ruin.
Her little vocabulary she had built over the years of being with him was translating his actions and words into a different language, one that didn't speak of lies and deceptions. The language of his soul, begging for her to understand.
As fast as it appeared, it disappeared. A scoff escaped her lips, "Kneel and beg, maybe I will consider it."
He cuddled closer, his head in her neck. "Anything else you want to torture me with, my lady?"
"A kiss."
"Another? I can't feel my lips anymore."
"That's your problem, not mine."
He was about to kiss her when a loud bang came from the door. Both of them froze.
They heard the lock turning, the wood cracking, and the footsteps of guards coming in.
╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Explanation, for those who want more clarity:
It's hard to describe what's going on. They both are more aware of each other's intentions now, and are trying to find a way out of the shackled situation.
It's causing Lucian's boundaries to break, becoming more tolerant of her behavior. And the more tolerant he becomes, the more extreme Celine's actions have to get in order for the wish not to activate.
It's a downward spiral they try to pull each other out of, and I hope you can see it more clearly now. Lucian's victim mentality, Celine's confusion, and now her path to villainhood. 🥲
By the time the heroine appears, Celine should be the villainess, and the prophecy will be set in motion, or maybe it already was.
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