Louisa's POV
"Why are you smirking like that, little nymph?" Lucas looked at me and asked while walking me into the bath.
It was an open-air hot spring spot located in a secluded spot in the forest.
"I like you better when you're around Lucian. You look very delightful and relaxed." I said.
"Really? You should see him when he gets fucking mad." Lucas said while removing my clothes.
As soon as he peeled off the jacket from me, he gasped in pain and waved his hand.
"Ouch! It hurts!" He said.
I immediately realized what happened.
Alpha Zackery's ring was in the jacket. When it came off me, Lucas could feel the pain I was going through.
I jumped off him quickly and searched for the ring in the jacket's pocket. As soon as I picked it up in my hands, Lucas calmed down.
"Sorry." I apologized to him, holding the ring in my hand.
Lucas looked at me and asked curiously, "Is that the ring? I thought you had swallowed it."
"I spat it out when I got... you know, changed..." I said.
"You can keep it. But as soon as your hand's healed, I'll confiscate it," he said.
Then, he took off his clothes and got into the hot spring bath.
His muscular torso looked so tempting in the hot steamy air.
He turned back, looked at me, and said, "What are you doing there? Standing like a tiny little fawn? Come down here and help me rub my back."
I frowned and remained still.
"Come here. You've heard Lucian. We've only got less than 30 minutes." Lucas said and splashed some water at me. "The water is good and I won't bite. Come here, little grasshopper."
I wiped the splashed water off my face and carefully moved forward, tipping my toe in the water.
Lucas grabbed my feet and pulled me into the hot spring.
The water's kind of deep, so I had to bat my arms to stand up straight.
Lucas lifted me up and pulled me into his arms and said, "Wrap your legs around me, you little thing. You know how to do it."
I had to do what he had asked. I didn't want to drown.
He rubbed my hair and my neck, wiping off the blood smear and tear marks.
I looked at him. He looked like a little boy carefully washing his favorite toy doll.
I placed my hands over his broad shoulders. He looked so gorgeous in the water that I just couldn't take my eyes off him.
The hot steamy water was waving. His touch was gentle. My heart was pounding so fast that I almost fainted when he lowered his head and pecked my lips.
I was so embarrassed that I turned my head away.
"What? You don't want to kiss me back?" he asked.
"No," I replied, submerging my mouth in the water.
"That warlock has to go if that is on your mind now," Lucas said in a detached voice. "He betrayed me. I can't forgive him."
My heart sank. That was exactly what I was about to ask him.
I lifted my head and said, "Darren just wanted to bring his brother back to life. I would do the same if someone important to me passed away."
"Why do you like him so much?" Lucas asked.
"He's like a brother to me..." I whispered.
"Well, he isn't!" Lucas interrupted me impatiently.
I was scared by his sudden burst of anger.
He looked at me, took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to intimidate you, but I just don't like my woman hanging out with other men."
"But why did you agree to let me get into Alpha Zackery's carriage? What if he wanted to...?" I didn't finish my sentence, because his eyes were glaring at me.
Then, he burst into laughter.
"That fucking gigolo won't do anything to you," he said. "He doesn't do women."
"What do you mean?" I frowned.
Lucas said, "He only likes boys. I don't know. Lucian said it's a fucking artistic thing. Apparently, everybody knows about it. I don't know why he takes interested in you, though. I don't have a fucking clue what's going on in his twisted mind. Lycans are weird."
"You like boys as well," I murmured. I regretted it immediately after I mentioned this. I knew what he had done to Darren. The thought was very disturbing whenever it occurred in my mind. I shouldn't have brought it up.
What am I thinking? Why can't I just shut up and enjoy the brief moment of happiness in my life? Why do I have to ruin everything? I thought to myself, feeling terrible.
But to my surprise, Lucas wasn't offended or cross. Instead, he stroked my hair and said, "I don't like boys. I only fuck them when I'm bored."
I asked, "Are you feeling the same about me? I'm just something you play with when you're bored?"
"You're something different," Lucas stared into my eyes and said. "You're something that keeps me busy all the time."
"Did you really kill Darren's brother? Did you peel off his skin and rip off his arms?"
"I didn't want to kill him. I was a thousand miles away when he ripped off his own arms and threw himself off the cliff. I certainly didn't order anyone to peel off his skin. But when his body was brought to me, it was unskinned. So for my justification, it's not only entirely my fault."
"Why did you torture him like that?" I asked.
"I didn't torture him. I only locked him up, so that he wouldn't do anything to endanger himself or others. Lucian said that I have some unresolved brother issues, but I think it's just total bullshit." Lucas started to get emotional.
"What really happened?" I asked.
Lucas was silent for a while and then said, "Derrek, the warlock's brother, was a fucking degenerate. He got something cloudy rotten in his bones. I took him in as my younger brother, pampering him with everything he wanted. I was... too tolerant for him, so he started to show his true self. He used to be so fucking full of life. But in the end, he became nothing but a fucking disgrace."
Lucas said with tightened fists. He paused for a while and continued, "People say that I locked him up and tortured him because he betrayed me by fucking one of my maids. It's not like that. I've got plenty of maids. I don't give a shit about who's being fucked. It's not about betrayal, Louisa."
"So what is it about?" I asked.
Lucas looked at me as if he was about to say something, but eventually, he gave up trying.
He held me tightly in his arms and said, "It's all in the past. Anyway, I don't want that fucking warlock to get any closer to you anymore."
"Please don't hurt Darren," I placed my head over his shoulder and begged in a trembling voice.
I could tell that he was hiding something from me, but I wasn't sure what it was.
I wished I could tell him that it was OK to let me share some of his burden with him, but I just couldn't articulate my thoughts.
Lucas looked at me and said, "I won't kill him, but that doesn't mean that he won't be suffering. That's just the way it is. He has to be punished for failing his mission. You can go treat his wounds and spend some time with him in the next few days. Give him some of your voodoo potions to help him recover or whatever. I don't care. I want him gone by the end of next week."
Then, he pushed me away and got out of the hot spring.