Seducing The Dark Prince
Lucien sighed, glancing down at the floor, where droplets of blood had dried around him. “First of all, my interest in having you join the genome project at Smok Biotech was genuine. Is genuine. That has nothing to do with any of this.”
“Any of this? You mean the trying-to-kill-members-of-my-family this? Did you think I’d just be like, ‘Oh, that’s okay, Mr. Smok, let me map these triggers for you. I don’t need time off for the funerals. Can I get you a coffee?’”
“I didn’t think you’d find out,” Lucien burst out.
Theia unfolded her arms and clenched her fists, tempted to add to his bruises.
He had the sense to look embarrassed. “I mean, this is what I do. It has nothing to do with anything else. I compartmentalize the Lucien I have to be for the company so I can do this. You have no idea how dangerous these inhuman abominations are. Revenants rip people limb from limb. They’re unstoppable. They’re not human, and they do not experience empathy or remorse. My work with Smok Consulting means letting creatures like these walk free, and I was tired of being the cause of it, so I decided to take matters into my own hands—unofficially. I’m sorry it happens to affect you personally, but I can’t let my feelings for you get in the way of what has to be done.”
Through the haze of anger, Theia’s airway did that funny tightening thing again. “Feelings for me?”
“I didn’t mean feelings, I just meant—I mean, of course I’m attracted to you, that’s not... Fuck.” Lucien threw back his head in frustration but clearly regretted the movement as soon as he’d made it, judging by the sharp cry.
“What was that? What’s wrong?”
Lucien looked a little green. “Nothing. I think I might have... I just have a little...” His eyes fluttered shut, and his head slumped forward.
“Lucien?” Theia tried to rouse him with a gentle shake, to no effect. She raised her voice as she turned her head toward the door. “You guys? I think I need some help in here.”
The door opened abruptly, Rhea’s palm flat against it as though she’d been standing just on the other side with her ear pressed against the wood. “What did he do now?”
“I think he passed out. He moved his head sharply and it jarred some injury.”
Leo grunted from the doorway. “Probably his broken arm.”
Theia whirled on him. “You broke his arm?”
“Arrow,” Rhea reminded her. She pointed at the table with a glare. “Crossbow.”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t warranted, but you don’t tie up a guy with a broken arm and torture him for information.”
Rhea snorted. “Nobody tortured him. He’s a big goddamn baby.”
“You have to take him to the hospital.”
Lucien stirred and groaned. “’M fine. No hospital.”
Theia rolled her eyes. “You’re not fine. You got the shit beaten out of you by a Viking. Deservedly, it sounds like.”
Lucien gritted his teeth like he was struggling to stay conscious. “Call Lucy.”
Theia looked at Rhea, who shook her head and shrugged, then glanced back at Lucien. “Khaleesi?”
Lucien groaned, this time a sound of frustration rather than pain. “Call. Lucy. My sister. Number’s in my phone.” He paused for a breath. “Under ‘Bitch.’”
“Um...” Theia raised an eyebrow.
Rhea picked up the cell phone lying next to the crossbow. It was a bit dented, and the glass cracked, but apparently it still functioned.
“Password?” Lucien gave it to her and Rhea typed it in. “Yep. Here it is—Bitch.”
“She’s my twin,” said Lucien.
Rhea shared a look with Theia. “Seems about right,” they said together.
* * *
Lucy Smok was at the door twenty minutes later. She had the same ice-blue eyes and long lashes as her brother. The same dark brows and darker hair—though Lucy’s was considerably longer and hung in a loose braid—contrasted starkly with the porcelain-fair skin in a slightly more feminine frame.
Lucien’s twin leaned casually against the entryway, a black leather attaché case in her hand, glancing from Rhea to Theia as they opened the door. “Which one of you is the biologist?”
“I’m Theia.” She stepped forward and shook Lucy’s hand as though they were meeting in a normal social situation. “This is Rhea. Please come in. He’s in the kitchen, through here.”
Rhea had agreed to let Theia untie Lucien, but he still sat in the chair, guarded by a scowling Leo.
Lucy took in Leo’s size with a glance and burst out laughing at her brother. “God, you’re an idiot.”
Lucien glared, holding his right arm awkwardly in his lap. “Thanks.” His voice was tight and clipped. “Knew I could count on you.”
“You’ll have to forgive my brother.” Lucy smirked at him from the doorway. “He thinks he’s some kind of vigilante superhero.” She stepped into the kitchen and set down the bag to look him over, clucking her tongue at his bruises.
He swore loudly when she touched his arm. “I think it’s broken,” he said through gritted teeth.
“That’s what they told me.”
“Did you bring it?”
“I did. You sure you want it?”
Lucien nodded curtly.
Lucy straightened. “We’re going to need to get that shirt off.” She looked around. “Got any scissors?”
Rhea rummaged through the kitchen drawers and dug up a pair. “Looks like you’ve got this covered.” She handed them to Lucy. “I think Leo and I should leave you to it.” She nodded at Leo, who pushed away from the counter with a sigh and followed her to the door. Before she left, Rhea turned back to Lucien. “And by the way? He’s not a revenant, you jackass. He’s mortal.”
Lucien hissed in pain as Lucy cut the black sweater up the side, muttering something under his breath.
Lucy shook her head, continuing to cut without pausing. “You shot a mortal with that thing, idiot. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you.”
The sleeve came away, revealing an odd twist to Lucien’s elbow that made Theia’s stomach churn.
From the black case, Lucy retrieved a small glass vial and a disposable syringe and ripped open a sterile wipe, which she used on his elbow. “This is going to hurt.”
Theia peered over Lucy’s shoulder as she opened the vial and filled the syringe. “What is that?”
“It’s like Fix-a-Flat for bones.” Without a warning, Lucy jabbed the needle directly into the joint, and Lucien let out a barrage of obscenities.
Theia had to turn away to keep the sudden lurch of her stomach from becoming something more. When she turned back, the twist in Lucien’s arm seemed to have magically straightened.
“It’s a little something we make at Smok Biotech.” Lucy nodded to her brother as he cautiously flexed the joint. “You’ll need to have it set properly before it starts to mend wrong. But for now, you should be able to use it.”
As Lucien pulled off what remained of the sweater, Theia caught a flash of blue ink on his back just below the right shoulder. Brilliant blue, like the color she kept seeing everywhere—in her dreams, evoked in sounds and words.
Lucien glanced at Lucy. “Did you bring me—”
“Of course.” She handed him the sweater she’d taken from the case, the same as the one he’d been wearing.
He turned as he stood to pull it on, giving Theia a good look at his ink.
It was a tattoo of a small web-winged dragon in flight.
Chapter 8
As Lucien struggled to pull on the sweater without showing that it was a struggle, Lucy stopped him.
“You’ve got something sticking out of your back.”
“Cactus.” He’d rolled in plenty of it. The minor irritant had paled against the other aches and pains he was beginning to feel now that his arm wasn’t killing him. He couldn’t remember ever taking such a beating, even from a raging wendigo. He’d been overconfident and unprepared.
Lucy sighed and got a pair of tweezers from her case. “Sit down. Let me get them.” She went to work pulling out the tiny spines as he eased back into the chair. “So I understand you’re going to be working at Smok’s new lab,” she said to Theia.
Lucien snorted. Like that was happening now.
Theia stayed behind him, watching Lucy from a few feet away. “I hadn’t made up my mind.”
“Well, if you don’t mind a little unsolicited advice, I suggest you don’t.”
Lucien tried to turn, but Lucy held his shoulder—the one that was still sending out flares of pain.
“Oh?” Theia’s voice was cool. “And why not?”
“I think it’s a little beyond your abilities.”
Lucien wanted to slug her, but her grip on his shoulder was firm.
“I mean, I’m sure you’ll be a fine scientist someday, but this is serious work. It’s not a graduate project.”
“Give it a rest,” Lucien growled under his breath.
“On the other hand, I hear you’ve already been in the White Room.”
“The White Room?”
“Our special project. Lucien’s special project, really.” She was yanking out cactus spines roughly to let him know she thought he’d overstepped his authority. “It’s highly classified. Even the government doesn’t know about it. But you...you know about it.”
Theia stepped closer. “Is that some kind of threat?”
“Threat?” Lucy stopped plucking and turned to look up at Theia. “No, of course not. That’s a little paranoid.” She went back to her work. “It is a warning, however. I know you’ve signed our nondisclosure agreement. Not sure if you read the fine print.”
Theia’s voice hardened. “What fine print?”
“Lucy,” Lucien warned, but she ignored him.
“The fine print that says you’ve agreed to return any intellectual property you may have removed from the lab.”
“I didn’t take anything. What are you talking about?”
“Your memories.” Lucy stood and dropped the tweezers into the case, turning to face Theia as Lucien rose, wanting to shut her up but not knowing how—and realizing as he stood that the room was spinning.
“And how exactly am I supposed to give back my memory of the visit?” Theia scoffed.
“We’ve developed a special technique.”
Lucy had a syringe in her hand, and Lucien grabbed for it, but the floor seemed to tilt under him, and he grabbed her arm instead as he pitched toward the table.
Theia stepped in to steady him while Lucy regarded him with cold eyes, as if she would have let him fall. He’d fucked up, and he was on his own.
She stood back while Theia helped him into the chair. “I suppose you got your head knocked around by that delicious Viking.”
“I may have hit my head on the concrete once or twice,” he acknowledged.
“Are you having trouble seeing?”
“Not much.” Things had been a little blurry.
“Not much?” Lucy shook her head. “Looks like you’ve earned yourself a pretty good concussion there, little brother. Someone’s going to have to keep an eye on you overnight. And it’s not going to be me. I have a date.”
“Well, he’s not staying here,” Theia’s sister objected from the doorway.
“I’m fine,” Lucien insisted. “It’s just a little vertigo and blurred vision.” He stood again but couldn’t seem to find the room’s level.
Theia grabbed his arm once more. “I’ll give you a ride home. I’d like to discuss this intellectual property issue a bit more, if you don’t mind.”
With both Rhea and the Viking now standing in the doorway, Lucy was reluctant to make a scene. Lips pressed together, she discreetly dropped the syringe back into her attaché case as she picked it up. “Suit yourself. But I warn you, he’s a pain in the ass when he’s convalescing.”
“Thanks for all your help,” Lucien said to her sweetly. “I think we can take it from here.”
Lucy shrugged. “Get that bone checked tomorrow. And don’t come crying to me if you slip into a coma.”
“If I slip into a coma,” said Lucien, “I promise you will be the last person to whom I come crying.”
Lucy gave him a saccharine smile and headed for the door.
Theia’s sister frowned at the two of them. “You sure about this, Thei?”
“No. But I’m doing it anyway.” Theia picked up the crossbow and gave Lucien a stern look. “I’m going to hold on to this for you. If you can convince me you’re not a danger to my family, maybe I’ll give it back.”
Leo stepped in the way as Theia led Lucien toward the door. “Don’t come at me or mine again. Next time you won’t be walking away, with or without assistance.”
Lucien was too tired to argue with any of them. All he wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. He let Theia walk him to her car without comment or protest, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes once he was inside.
“I’m going to talk to Rhe for a minute,” Theia said. “Don’t fall asleep.”
“That’s not actually a thing,” he murmured. “It’s a myth that you shouldn’t fall asleep after a concussion.”
“I meant because we’re going to have words. A lot of them.” She slammed the car door, and Lucien wanted to grab his head to stop it from ringing, but his arms were too tired.
* * *
Theia glanced back at the car as she gathered the scattered arrows. Lucien might be dangerous, but his sister was definitely more so. She hadn’t exactly been subtle in her threats. Smok Biotech might not literally have a way to wipe Theia’s memory, but she wasn’t about to give Lucy the chance.
The rhythmic snap of a pair of flip-flops announced Rhea’s approach on the stone path. “You’re not really going to give those weapons back to him?”
Theia straightened and put the last one in its quiver. “Not if he doesn’t give me some satisfactory answers. But I’m sure he’s got plenty more where these came from.”
“He just tried to kill Leo.”
“I know. I’m going to try to talk some sense into him about this obsession he has with Leo being a revenant.”
“You realize there’s a good chance that he’s actually unhinged.”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to read that tattoo of his? I caught a peek from the doorway. Maybe we can verify his motives, see if any of this stuff about hunting down ‘unnatural creatures’ is true. And maybe find out a little more about him, if you know what I mean.” Rhea raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Theia was 99 percent certain that whatever Rhea might read in Lucien’s ink was the last thing she wanted her to see.
“Maybe some other time. I’m not sure how his mental state right now would affect it. And I’d prefer if we had his consent.” Which Theia was going to make damn sure they never got.
Rhea studied her for a moment, her expression suspicious. “You call me when you get home. I want to know you’re all right before I go to bed.”
Theia booped Rhea’s nose, guaranteed to distract her with aggravation. “You got it, Moonpie.”
Rhea rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “Gross. Weirdo. And stop calling me Moonpie.”
Theia headed for her car. “But you look like a Moonpie.”
“What does that even mean? I look like you.”
“Go play with your Viking.”
Theia tossed the quiver onto the back seat and climbed in. Lucien’s eyes were closed, his head lolling against the headrest. Theia reached over to draw the shoulder belt across him and fasten it before starting the car. With a wave at Rhea, she headed out, only to realize once she’d exited the gates that she had no idea where Lucien lived.
“Lucien?” She nudged him gently. Nothing. God, he wasn’t slipping into a coma already, was he?
His phone was propped in the cup holder under the dash. Maybe his address was in it. Theia pulled over and entered the password on the cracked screen and found the address in his contacts, committing it to memory. Before she set the phone down, a message notification appeared from Lucy. Theia couldn’t resist taking a peek.
This one’s for the little pixie girl.
Pixie girl? Theia glared at the screen and continued to read.
No doubt he’s sitting next to you in the car snoring right now.
He was, a little bit, now that she listened for it.
Make sure you wake him up every two hours to check his responses. I don’t like the blurred vision. If you can’t wake him, call me. I’ll send one of our doctors. Lovely to meet you. Finish our talk later.
Every two hours? She tried to respond, but the keyboard wasn’t letting her press most of the keys. Theia sighed. She was going to have to take him to Phoebe’s place. She’d left the house without feeding Puddleglum.
* * *
Someone was shaking him.
“We’re here. Come on.”
After a more vigorous shake, Lucien opened his eyes and focused on Theia’s face. Still a little blurry. But eminently kissable. Shit. He was really out of it.
“Hey.” She peered at him. “You awake? It’s Theia Dawn. We’re here. Time to get out.”
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