"Let go," Lilian said, her voice sounding a lot harsher than she wanted it to.
"Make me," Lucien challenged. He had that annoying, playful glint in his eyes that made her want to scream or melt.
She yanked at her wrist, then tried to twist out, but that didn't work. He was holding her effortlessly, and the demonstration of his superior strength should have annoyed her. Instead, it sent an unwanted shiver to her body.
"Use your other hand," Lucien suggested. "Or your legs. You have more weapons than just the limb I'm holding."
Lilian swung her free hand, aiming for his face, but he caught that wrist too, locking both of her hands in his grip. She tried to knee him, but he just shifted his stance smoothly, trapping her legs between his.
Just like that, she was stuck, both her wrists held in his hands, their bodies pressed together from chest to thigh, and she could feel every inch of him.
"There are several ways to escape this," Lucien said, his voice voice dropping lower now, and rougher. "But I bet you can't think of a single one right now."
He was right. Her mind had gone completely blank, every thought was consumed by the feeling of Lucien's body against hers, the cool touch of his skin, and the way his pupils had dilated until his eyes were more black than green.
"Lucien," she breathed which was sounded like a plea, though she wasn't sure what she was begging for.
"You're not supposed to let yourself get caught like this," he went on, though his grip loosened, his thumbs now stroking small circles on her pulse points. "In a real fight, this gets you killed. Your opponent has complete control over you."
"Then let me go..." Lilian said.
"You first," Lucien replied, and it took her a second to understand what he meant.
He was giving her the choice, asking her to be the one to step back and redraw the line between teacher and student, between potential mates who weren't quite ready to cross that line yet.
But Lilian didn't want to step back, and she wanted to lean in instead.
"This is a bad idea," she said, even as her body swayed closer to his.
"Absolutely terrible," Lucien agreed, but he didn't move away either. "We should stop."
"Yes..."
But neither of them did.
The door to the training room slammed open with a bang sharp enough to make them jump apart like they had been caught doing something illegal.
Adrian stood there, his one eyebrow raised, his expression split between amusement and tired disbelief. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Training," Lucien blurted out, backing away and frantically messing with his hair. "Just training."
"Sure," Adrian said flatly, clearly not believing him. "Training that involves full-body contact and mutual combustion?"
Lilian's face felt on fire as she tried to explain. "He was teaching me escape techniques."
"Escape techniques," he repeated, his lips twitching with suppressed laughter. "That's what we're calling it?"
"Fuck off, Adrian," Lucien grumbled, though he didn't actually sound mad.
Adrian's attention softened as he turned to Lilian. "Dante sent me to check you. He wanted to make sure Lucien wasn't pushing you too far."
His eyes flicked meaningfully at Lucien. "In training, specifically."
"I'm fine," Lilian said, trying to calm her racing heart. "Lucien's been a good teacher."
"I'm sure he has," Adrian said, deadpanned. "Well, since I'm here anyway, why don't I take over for a bit? Give him a minute to cool down."
Lucien looked like he wanted to argue but gave up with shaking his head. "Yeah. Okay. Good idea. I need a shower anyway."
He grabbed a towel from the bench and headed for the door, pausing next to Adrian. The two men exchanged a look that gave a half warning and half understanding, all entirely wordless.
Then Lucien was gone, leaving Lilian alone with Adrian.
"Sorry about that," Adrian said as he stepped fully into the training space. "Lucien's has a tendency to forget himself around you."
"It wasn't his fault," Lilian said quickly, feeling guilty. "I was the one who~"
But she couldn't finish the sentence without making it worse.
"Who what?" Adrian prompted gently, stepping closer. "Who wanted him just as much as he wanted you?"
Her breath caught. "You can tell?"
"You forget our senses are sharp," Adrian said calmly, his expression more sympathetic rather than judgmental. "Your arousal, his. It's pretty obvious~"
He paused for a beat. "Is that why you've been avoiding me and Dante today? Because you're afraid of where these leads?"
"I'm not afraid," Lilian protested, but then reconsidered and sighed. "Yeah, maybe a little. Yesterday was... Seeing all of those evidence, understanding what I am, what I need, making everything feel way too real."
"And more inevitable?" Adrian guessed.
"Yes..." she admitted quietly. "Like I don't really have a choice. Like this is just going to happen whether I'm ready or not."
Adrian reached out and took her hand gently. "You always have a choice, Lilian. Who you bond with, when it happens, how it works, that's all yours."
"It doesn't feel like a choice when my body reacts like this..." she said, feeling frustrated.
"Do you mean when you want all three of us and feel guilty about it?" Adrian said. "When human morality tells you that's wrong even though your vampire biology says it's right?"
"Yes," Lilian said, relieved that he understood. "That."
He squeezed her hand. "I can't make that internal conflict go away. But I can promise this. We're not leaving. Tomorrow or ten years from now, we'll still be here. Choosing you."
His voice was firm and his blue eyes looking at her with intensity but also kind. "So stop pushing yourself. Stop feeling guilty for having natural desires. Just feel what you feel and trust that we'll follow your lead."
The compassion, sincerity, and the patience in his face made Lilian want to cry and kiss him at the same time. "Thank you," she whispered.
"No need to thank me," Adrian said, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a way that was calming and far more intimate than it should have been. "Now, shall we get back to training? I swear I'll keep my hands to myself."
"Do you really have to?" Lilian said without thinking, making his eyes widened slightly in surprise before warmth replaced it.
"Careful, Lilian. That sounds a lot like an invitation."
"Maybe I am," she said, feeling a sudden surge of boldness. If she was destined to have three mates anyway, then why was she still resisting so hard?
"Lilian..." Adrian warned softly.
"You're the one who told me to let myself feel what I feel," she said, stepping closer and closing the gap between them. "And right now, I feel like I want you to touch me. Is that wrong?"
"Not wrong," he replied, his voice turning rough. "Just risky. For both of us."
"Why?"
"Because once I start, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."
The words lingered between them, and Lilian knew she should pull back and draw the line again, giving herself more time to think about everything.
But she didn't and closing on the remaining distance, then placed her hand on his chest, feeling the cool firmness beneath his shirt.
"Then don't stop," she whispered.
For a long moment, Adrian just stared at her, the conflict written all over his face. Then his expression shifted, sharpening with intent, and he reached up to cup her cheek.
"You're going to be the death of me," he murmured, and then he was kissing her.