Dante opened the door to reveal Adrian standing in the hallway with his one eyebrow raised as if he had been waiting for this exact moment. The two men exchanged a look, and Adrian's lips curled into an amused smile.
"Took you long enough. Lucien and I were starting to think you were never going to break the rules you're always talking about," Adrian said with a playful smirk.
Dante straightened, quickly fixing his serious expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with his usual pride. "I was just giving her some emotional support."
Adrian glanced at Dante's mouth, then back to his eyes. "Is that what we're calling it now?" he asked dryly. "Because your emotional support left your lips looking like they've been thoroughly kissed."
Dante's hand went to his lips instinctively, finally noticing how swollen and warm they felt. "Shut up, Adrian."
"Never," Adrian laughed as he walked past him into the room. "Get some rest. You look like you seriously need a cold shower."
"I hate you," Dante muttered, though he didn't actually sound angry.
"No you don't," Adrian replied easily.
The door closed after Dante left, and the room became quiet. Without him there, the air felt a bit different, but his warmth still lingered.
Lilian remained where she was, her heart still beating a little too fast and her thoughts still tangled in unfinished desire.
Adrian settled into the chair by the window where Dante had been sitting earlier, looking relaxed and comfortable.
"So," he said lightly, looking at her. "You kissed Dante."
"He kissed me," Lilian argued quickly, feeling her face turn bright red.
Adrian's expression stayed calm. "Did you kiss him back?"
"...."
The silence stretched, basically giving him the answer he wanted.
"So you kissed him too," Adrian said, looking satisfied. "Good. It's about time. He's been acting so stressed out for days."
Lilian squeezed her blanket, unsure whether she wanted to laugh or hide. "You're not upset?"
"Why would I be?" Adrian asked, looking genuinely confused. "I kissed you this afternoon, Lucien nearly lost control this morning. We're all dancing around the same inevitable concussion. The only question is when, not if."
He leaned back into the chair, utterly at ease. "Besides, I know my turn is coming. Or maybe Lucien will just jump the line. Either way, we're done pretending."
"That should bother me actually," Lilian said slowly. "About how chill you all are about sharing me."
Adrian looked at her closely now, his voice getting softer. "But it doesn't, right?"
She didn't say anything because she was right. The discomfort she expected to have simply wasn't there.
"You know you're not meant to choose one of us," he added gently. " You're supposed to have all three."
He was right, and Lilian was done pretending otherwise. She exhaled, finally letting go of the resistance she had been clinging to just because she thought she had to.
"Tell me about your human life," she said, changing the subject before she could overthink it. "Dante shared his story. Now I want to hear yours."
Adrian's expression softened as he remembered the past. "I was a diplomat's son in France, trained to be a negotiator since I was a kid. My father wanted me to enter politics, but I was more interested in art and music."
He gave a small smile. "I was turned during the French Revolution, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. My sire saved me from the guillotine by turning me in the prison cell. When I woke up three days later, the prison was empty and Paris was burning."
Lilian tried to imagine it. The smoke, the fear, the silence after chaos. ""That must have been terrifying."
"It was," Adrian admitted. "But it was also a fresh start. I was no longer bound by human politics or family expectations. I could be whoever I wanted to be. But I chose to continue doing what I was good at like mediating, negotiating, or helping people find common ground. Now, I just do it for vampires."
"Do you miss your human life?" Lilian asked in a low voice, feeling touched by the story.
"Sometimes," he replied. "I miss how simple it was. You had maybe seventy or eighty years and then it was over. Immortality is a strange burden as you have infinite time, which means nothing ever feels urgent. It's easy to procrastinate when you have centuries."
He looked directly into her eyes. "But I don't regret it. If I'd stayed human, I never would have met Dante and Lucien. I wouldn't be a prince. And I never would have found you."
"You really think I'm worth waiting three hundred years for?" Lilian asked, realizing that these three men had waited this long time to find their mates.
"Totally," Adrian said calmly. "I'd wait three hundred more if that's what it took."
His words felt like a deep promise. These ancient, powerful, and beautiful men, really had chosen her, and would wait however how long it took for her to be ready.
It was overwhelming, humbling, terrifying, and perfect all at once.
"Get some sleep," Adrian said gently. "We have all the time in the world to talk, but you need rest now."
"Will you..." Lilian hesitated, then continued. "Will you sit closer? Not in the bed, just... closer. I sleep better when you're near."
Adrian smiled warmly. "Of course."
He moved into the other chair, next to her bed. He was close enough that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted. She could hear his breathing now, and smell his familiar scent, which made her feel safe.
"Better?" he asked.
"...Yes," Lilian whispered, her eyes already closing.
As she drifted toward sleep, she felt Adrian's hand take hers, feeling the touch of his palm on her skin.