Chapter 15

CATALINA

I brushed past my mates and darted up the steps to the nearest bathroom, which happened to be Lucien’s. I made my way to the mirror. ~Another one~ could only mean one thing.

I skidded to a halt, staring wide-eyed at my reflection.

“Catalina!” I ignored Lucifer’s thundering voice, tracing the outline of my new tattoo. ~New~ tattoo. Holy cow.

It was a vine of thorns. The stem started in the center of my neck, then branched out, wrapping all the way around. Seven thorns along the vine.

What did this mean? Another mate? But what supernatural being was related to thorns?

“I swear you’re a handful.” I turned to glare at Lucifer as he casually leaned in the doorway.

“I didn’t ask for this!” I didn’t get the chance to decide if I wanted a tattoo! Or another mate, or any mates. It was like my life had been non-stop ever since I shifted into that wolf.

“No, you didn’t.” He stepped into the bathroom, walking until he was directly next to me.

I stood there as he used a finger to trace my tattoo, causing goosebumps to appear along my flesh. “These seem familiar, like I should know who it is,” he continued, following the pattern with a thoughtful look on his face.

“No wonder you were in a rush.” Nick smirked from the doorway he had just appeared in. “If you wanted her alone you could’ve just said that.”

“If I wanted my mate alone, I wouldn’t need to tell any of you anything.” He dropped his hand from my neck, taking a step back.

I frowned. Whenever I thought we were getting closer, he took two steps back.

“I know why he’s holding back.” Lucien walked into the room, making a beeline for me. His eyes zeroed in on my neck. “What’s this?”

~Why is he holding back?~ Not wanting the whole room to hear our conversation, I asked that directly to him.

~Kol isn’t the only one filled with darkness. His powers and the burdens that come with them—let’s just say I desperately want my lycan back.~ His answer filled me with a sense of dread. What was Lucifer keeping from me?

“A new tattoo, maybe even a new mate.” Sebastian’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I forgot Lucien asked me a question.

Gosh, how weird I must’ve looked to the others, standing, staring into space and not answering his question.

He spun to face Jayden. “Is this your doing? Another one of your tricks?” he demanded.

I yawned, suddenly feeling drained. Why did it seem like we were just going in circles with this conversation?

“We’ll discuss this in the dining room. For now, let’s give Catalina time to rest.”

I wanted to argue with Lucifer that I didn’t need rest, but my body said otherwise. Jayden and Sebastian left with no questions, but Lucien took this moment to confront Lucifer.

“You’re hurting my mate with your distance,” he growled, making me blush with being exposed. Damn him.

Lucifer’s eyes shifted from him to me. “She’s fine.” His words caused a slight ache in my chest that I tried to ignore.

“I’m the one with your powers. There’s no reason to hold back.” He gave me a little push toward him. “You’ll never get this chance again. So, either take it or man the fuck up!”

Why did it feel like I was being used as a virgin sacrifice? And I wasn’t even a virgin.

Before I had a chance to rip into Lucien, he left the room, obviously proud of his “get busy with me” speech. I huffed, going to his closet to find a shirt to sleep in.

“Are you planning to sleep in here?” I jumped, having forgotten he was still in here.

He had moved from the bathroom to the bedroom door. Most likely not planning to stay but wanting to know my whereabouts like always.

“I was, I mean since I’m already here.”

“Mhm, sleep with me tonight.”

My cheeks heated at his words.

“What?” I sputtered. Oh my god, did Lucien’s words work? Did he want to get closer? Wait, did he want to have sex? Was it safe for me to have sex? I wondered what—

“To sleep, Catalina, that’s it.” He gave me a bored look, no doubt having picked up on my thoughts. If possible, my face got even hotter.

“Right.” I grabbed one of Lucien’s oversized hoodies. They always fit me like a hoodie dress.

“I’ll meet you in the hallway.” He arched an eyebrow at my words but left the room.

At first, I thought Lucifer was distant because he was busy keeping my mates and me safe. Now, I wondered if it was something else—something that had to do with his powers.

As soon as I woke up, I was going to hunt down Lucien and demand answers from him.

Lucifer was still waiting for me in the hallway when I stepped out.

“Has anyone ever called you just Luce? Lucifer is such a mouthful.”

“If they did, they’re not alive today,” he answered, falling into step with me.

“Good to know I’ll be the only one then.” I smirked at him. I wasn’t kidding about Lucifer being a mouthful.

He sighed, as if being called a nickname was pure torture. At least he didn’t deny me the option.

Lucifer had a spare bedroom directly next to mine. Apparently, his main one was in the mansion somewhere, and he refused to tell us.

“I don’t want more unwanted guests in my living space,” were his very rude words to us the day we discovered this. I just assumed that excluded me, being his mate and all. But I was wrong.

“Should I tie myself to the bedpost to make sure I don’t touch you in my sleep?” I joked, flopping down on his bed.

“I didn’t know bondage was a kink of yours,” he said calmly, walking to the dresser and pulling out a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else.

Maybe I would need to tie myself up if that’s what he was going to sleep in. “Such a dirty mind.”

“I think that’s more of Kol’s kink,” I said, ignoring his comment. It’s a shame when you have no privacy in your own damn head.

“Do not speak of the demon’s sexual preference to me.” My mouth went dry with a response at the sight before me.

His back muscles flexed as he removed the white shirt he wore under his suit. Unmarked tanned skin was all I saw.

He unbuttoned his pants, and I bit my lip to keep from moaning as he bent over to pull them off. Now I saw why he was the king of sins.

“You have drool on your mouth.”

I wiped my mouth without thinking. It took me a moment to realize he wasn’t even facing me.

I started fake coughing to cover up my mistake. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Looking over his shoulder, he winked at me, grabbing his boxers and a towel before heading into the shower.

I fell back against the bed. He was teasing me with that strip show. There was no reason he couldn’t have gotten undressed in the bathroom, with the door closed and away from my prying eyes.

~Pup.~

I rolled my eyes at Lucien’s nickname. He was calling me pup when I knew my lycan was stronger than his.

~Yes?~

~Are you naked?~ I snorted.

~Why would I be naked, Lucien?~

~Listen to me, pup, because apparently your stubborn ass mate won’t. Lucifer needs you.~ He sounded worried, and not like my possessive lycan.

~You all need me. That’s why we’re mates.~

~If you don’t mate with him now, pup, you’ll never get the chance. You are truly half of his soul, more so than the rest of us. There’s a piece of him missing, and it’s slowly starting to fill with darkness. I know that piece has to be you.~

I bit my lip, suddenly getting worried. ~How do you know all this?~

~His powers, they hold his secrets, and his memories. I know more about him than I’d like to. Like how he’s scared to mate with you because he believes his darkness will consume you. But now I’m in control of that darkness.~

~So, you want us to mate now because there are no barriers? Nothing to hold him back.~ I sat up in bed, looking toward the bathroom.

Could I really do this? Convince Lucifer to mate with me?

~Of course you can, no one can deny that ass, kitten.~ Kol butted in.

~Shit, I thought this was private,~ Lucien muttered.

~No worries, wolf, your lycan let me into this conversation.~ I started to feel antsy the longer this conversation carried on.

He wasn’t going to be in the shower much longer.

I shook my head at him. Kol and his romantic words.

Getting up from the bed, I nervously made my way to the bathroom.

“~Wait!~” Kol shouted, making me freeze. “~What are you wearing?~”

“~Really, demon?~” Lucien hissed.

“~This is important! Don’t go in wearing something belonging to your other mates. It’s not the best ego booster.~” He did have a point.

“~Should I put on one of his shirts?~”

“~There’s no point. The goal here is to get you naked,~” Lucien argued.

“~Shut up, wolf. Most men like unwrapping their gifts,~” Kol snarled back. I stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“~He’s in the shower already. Do you think he’s going to get out to undress her, then get back in?~” I waited for Kol to respond, but he was silent for a few seconds.

“~You’ve won this battle, wolf, but you won’t win the war.~” I giggled at his words.

“~Take the shirt off, pup. Leave your panties on.~”

“~No, take everything off. Show him what he’s missing out on.~” Once again, they started going back and forth, giving me a headache.

“~Both of you just shut up and go away! I’ll handle things from here.~” Pulling the shirt over my head, I tossed it to the side, then removed my underwear.

Kol sniffed. “~Our little girl has grown up into a beautiful whore.~”

I blushed at his words. “~Fuck off, Kol!~”

“~Love you too, kitten! Now show him what that mouth can do!~”

“~God, kill me now,~” Lucien sighed.

I stood there for several more minutes to make sure neither one of them would be listening in.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the bathroom door. The room was steamy, making it hard to make out much in the shower.

All I could see was the outline of his body.

Before I could lose the courage, I quickly walked over to the shower.

Taking another deep breath, I slid the door open and stepped inside.