Chapter 11
BLUE
Breaking: Former Prince Cyrus Soltren of Sibeth Has Abdicated the Crown!
Rin lifted her hand out of the pool, water dripping from her fingertips as she reached for the remote she’d laid on the dark tile nearby, flicking the television off.
Silence settled over Rhyden’s private penthouse pool.
It had been a few days since Cyrus had abdicated the crown, and it had finally hit the news. It was everywhere. They all knew now.
After Cyrus had formally sealed his abdication decree, his father had taken it upon himself to announce to galactic news channels that the former Prince Cyrus Soltren of Sibeth had made his home on Earth, in Solar City.
Rin knew Cyrus hadn’t yet left Rhyden’s penthouse, but it was only a matter of time—and when he did, reporters would descend like vultures, desperate for the no-longer-protected playboy prince.
Rin dove beneath the water, closing her eyes so the chlorine wouldn’t burn them.
She swam to the bottom, fingers brushing the cool tile.
She stayed there for a moment, lungs tightening, before pushing back up.
She emerged with a gasp, pushing away her wet hair as she lifted her arm to stare at her watch.
Only a minute.
She huffed in frustration.
The large window revealed the shining full moon.
Her heart pounded in her chest, so she let herself drift for a moment, kicking her feet up to float on her back.
Neon strips of blue light lined the ceilings, reflecting against the water, making it feel like she was on another planet.
The sides of the pool curved, and she let her fingers drift over the slippery tile as she floated.
Lucien had been the one to suggest swimming to meet her training hours. It was supposed to be lower impact, but she still struggled.
The water lapped at her ears, drowning out the surrounding city noise as curfew approached. Car horns honked, and she heard the distant drone of ships leaving and returning.
Slowly, her heart rate evened.
Her thoughts drifted to Kit—what he was doing, how he was. He’d hurt her, and yet she couldn’t help but love him still. Their Souls were tied.
Her thoughts then drifted to Cyrus, who had given up everything for her.
Though he’d lied, Rin wasn’t angry. His quiet lies—like failing to tell her he’d recognized the succubus on television when Lunar City news interviewed a bystander after Kit’s…
rampage—had only drawn them closer. Yes, he lied, but he’d made up for it tenfold, throwing everything he’d ever known to the wind, all to have her.
She wondered if she should be angry, but how could she be when he’d given up his entire life for her?
The water shifted. Her side bumped into the tile as a new current displaced her. She blinked water from her lashes and saw Lucien approaching. Her feet touched the tile beneath her.
Lucien moved slowly, his bare chest pale and toned with lean muscle.
She saw ripples of his lower half through the water, his borrowed swim shorts hugging his thighs.
From his height, he stood easily; whereas, she strained to keep her mouth above the water, calves burning from standing on her tiptoes.
Gentle waves formed from his movements, pushing her nearer to him.
Lucien caught her elbow beneath the water, steadying her. "I thought you’d be out by now. Auren said you came in an hour ago." He lifted her hand from the water, trickling over her pruned fingertips.
She felt like a mess—wet hair in tangles, wearing a simple black one-piece, the thin straps digging into her shoulders.
The front was cut in a straight line over her breasts, while the middle was ruffled.
Her nipples brushed the thin material, pebbling under his attention and the coolness in the room.
"When did you get back from the hospital? I thought you weren’t going to be able to come tonight." Water brushed her lower lip and entered her mouth as she spoke.
Lucien lifted her hand, pressing a gentle kiss to her pulse. "Just now."
The chlorine masked the sterile scent that usually clung to him after a shift.
Rin’s breath hitched as his teeth grazed her palm. "I missed you."
The space between her thighs clenched in sudden need as his lips traced over the veins on the inside of her wrist, chasing after water droplets that slid down to her elbow.
It had been so long since they’d had each other—since they’d done more than kiss. She constantly thought about the day he’d had her in truth. When she’d found him after a nightmare, and he had found solace inside her.
"I missed you, too, my V girl."
The space beneath his eyes was darkened with exhaustion.
She knew he stayed here sometimes at Rhyden’s penthouse, when the nights were too long, and he was too tired to bring himself to drive to his apartment.
Sometimes, she liked to think he stayed here in one of the guest rooms because it was closer to her…
"Have you been sleeping, Lucien?"
He sighed, and she felt it against her palm. "No, I have been having nightmares still. I thought they would stop, but they’ve been plaguing me." His brows furrowed, glasses slipping down his nose.
She reached up with her other hand, water trickling between them, as she slowly righted his glasses, her fingertip lingering on the tip of his nose, then dropping to the bow of his lips. Her heart sped up, and it wasn’t from exertion.
"I’m sorry—I wish I could take them from you." Rin let her feet lift from the water as she wrapped her ankles around his calves to stay afloat.
"You’re like a siren, calling to me." As Lucien spoke, her finger slipped inside his mouth.
"When I’m with you, I forget about my dreams. I never want you to feel the burden of such nightmares, Vesperin.
They are not for you." His words were slightly mumbled with her finger in his mouth.
His teeth grazed her knuckle, and she gave a stuttered exhale.
In this moment, in the coolness of the water with the slumbering city outside the large window, she wanted him. She grew emboldened by the heat in his eyes, a twin to her own. "If you don’t want me to feel burdened by them, then use me to forget."
His lips wrapped around her finger. As he groaned, she felt the vibrations shiver up her finger bone to her wrist.
Lucien reached down to place a palm on her thigh, lifting her until her legs were wrapped around his waist, her ankles locked at his back. The curved sides of the pool hugged her back as he pressed her against the tile.
From this angle, she could only see the sparkling city lights beyond his wide shoulders.
Lucien grabbed her wrist so gently, tugging her finger free from his lips. "I do not wish to be intimate with you if you’re tired. I know your training has been exhausting for you." He placed a hand flat on her chest. "The last thing I want is to put a strain on your delicate heart."
She pushed her chest up into his hand, wondering if he could feel the beats.
"Use me to forget, Lucien. I’m not as delicate as you may think," she lied, because even now, she felt worn-thin, like she could fall asleep at this very moment.
The only thing that kept her wide awake was the desire burning in his green eyes.
His finger skimmed beneath her swimsuit top. He let her thigh go, reaching to cradle her cheek. His hips pressed her into the side of the pool, holding her aloft. The water lapped at her collarbones.
Lucien tilted her face up to kiss her, and she melted into him, sighing as he parted her lips with his, tongue seeking entry. He swept inside her mouth and tasted every inch of her. When he pulled away, she gasped, breathless, and he groaned raggedly.
"You don’t know how much I needed that—to feel you, my V girl. To feel you are here, and this is real."
Something about his words sounded strange. She was too overcome to care.
This time, it was she who kissed him. Her teeth dug into his lower lip, then gentled at his masculine sound of surprise.
His fingers pushed down the straps of her swimsuit.
The wet material clung to her chest, and he grumbled into her mouth, hooking his fingers in the elastic band as he rolled it down beneath her breasts.
Lucien pulled away from her, chasing after the water dripping down her exposed breasts.
His mouth enclosed around her nipple, and she groaned at the feeling, fingernails biting into his bare shoulder.
She tried to push at him, wanting his lips on hers again, wanting him inside her already, but his palm landed on the side of her thigh in reprimand, forcing a gasp from her swollen lips.
"When I say, Vesperin. Remember who it is that leads this." Lucien’s wet hand cupped her cheek, and her mouth was open, blowing air against his palm. "Answer me."
Her mind struggled to untangle the meaning of his words. All she knew was him.
"You. You lead," Rin whispered.
Satisfaction fell over his features, loosening the tautness of his shoulders.
It was as though her obedience was all he wanted, but not in a roughly commanding way like Rhyden, or playful like Cyrus—more like he loved her so much he just wanted what was best for her, yet couldn’t imagine anyone knowing what was best for her more than he could.
Like every bit of control she willingly gave him only made him want more and more.
Dazed with lust, she wondered what else he’d want from her.
To choose what she ate? He already did that.
Remind her of her medicines? He did that, too—sending her messages if he wasn’t around, or staring at her as she drank water to chase her pills down, even making her open her mouth and show her tongue so he’d see she swallowed it.
Monitor her sleep and exercise? He did those things as well.
The data gathered from her watch synced to his phone, so he always knew what her heart rate was or how many hours she slept.
She could hide nothing from him, and she didn’t want to.