The Blood Contract-Chapter 107: Get used to it

Serena stirred slowly the next morning, her body sore in places she hadn’t known could ache. For a moment, confusion clouded her mind, but as her eyes blinked open and adjusted to the soft light, reality came rushing back like a thunderclap.

It hadn’t been a dream.

The heated touches, the teasing, the denial, the overwhelming pleasure, all of it had happened. She was still in Lucian’s bed, the scent of him faint in the sheets around her. A thick duvet covered her body, but as she shifted beneath it, she realized with a start that she was completely bare underneath. Her cheeks flamed instantly.

The effect of the bracelet was gone now. And with that came a brutal clarity. Memories from the night before paraded through her mind in vivid, excruciating detail. She buried her face in the pillow and groaned. How was she supposed to face him? Shame crept up her spine, mixing with embarrassment so fierce she wished the mattress would open up and swallow her whole.

She rolled over, needing a moment to collect herself, but as she turned to face the opposite side of the room, she froze.

Lucian was seated on the edge of the bed, one leg crossed over the other, fully dressed in dark slacks and a fitted shirt. He looked as if he’d been awake for hours, his posture relaxed but sharp, attention focused on the phone in his hand.

Sensing the shift in the air, Lucian spoke without even glancing at her.

"Welcome back to planet Earth," he said, the corners of his lips twitching. "How was your journey to the other eight planets?"

Serena stared at him, speechless.

Was that... was that supposed to be a greeting?

She frowned at him, still too mortified to speak. Her heart pounded in her chest. Was he referring to last night? To her—

Oh God.

Her mind snapped back to that moment when she had collapsed against the pillows, boneless and dazed, as he’d counted each orgasm aloud like tally marks.

One. Two. Three. Four—

Her face burned.

When she didn’t respond, Lucian finally turned his head to look at her. The moment his eyes met her flushed face, he had to fight the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She looked completely divine, her face rosy, her hair a tangled halo, her lips slightly swollen. And somehow, even with the mess of it all, she looked more beautiful than she had the night before.

But he wasn’t going to tell her that.

"What, now you’re not going to respond to my greeting?" he asked, his voice laced with feigned irritation, though his eyes gleamed with amusement.

"I’m not familiar with that type of greeting," Serena replied, trying to keep her voice even despite the heat crawling up her neck. "If you’d said good morning, I would’ve responded."

Lucian scoffed, rolling his eyes halfway as he shifted his position to face her more fully.

"Boring," he muttered under his breath, leaning to grab something from the nightstand.

He extended a cold can of iced tea toward her without ceremony.

"You better get used to my type of greeting," he said casually. "Because that’s the only one you’re going to be getting from now on."

Serena hesitated for a moment before taking the can from him, her fingers brushing his. She couldn’t meet his gaze.Not yet. Not when every glance reminded her of just how vulnerable she’d been the night before, and how much of her he now knew.

"Why are you giving me this?" Serena asked, eyeing the cold can of iced tea she had just taken from him.

"Because we’re leaving," Lucian replied, his tone as casual as if he was talking about the weather. "And there’s no time to make anything hot. Also..." he paused for a moment, glancing at her as though calculating something, "...I figured you’d need some energy to get out of bed, unless, of course, you want me to carry you. I can do that too. You don’t really weigh much."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at him.

"I can walk by myself. I don’t need you to carry me," she said, pushing herself up from the mattress into a sitting position. Her body ached faintly, and she flinched slightly as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor.

Still gripping the duvet, she reached out and grabbed one of the spare sheets on the bed, wrapping it securely around her body. It took a moment for her to steady herself, her legs hesitant as they bore her weight. She took a deep breath, pausing to adjust to the soreness she could feel between her legs—a physical reminder of everything that had transpired the night before.

Lucian said nothing, but his eyes didn’t leave her. He watched her with quiet amusement, noting the way she held her head high, refusing to look rattled despite the visible discomfort in her movements. She was stubborn, no doubt.

A few seconds later, Serena began walking across the room. She didn’t look at him as she moved, going to the exact spot where her towel had been discarded the night before. She picked it up and held it in one hand, turning back to face him with a questioning look.

"You said it’s time to leave," she began, her voice more steady now, "but how do you know it’s safe outside?"

Lucian pocketed his phone, leaning back on his hands as he spoke. "Darrell came down earlier. He informed me the protesters have dispersed. Security around the city is tighter now. We won’t run into any problems."

Serena nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

"All right," she said softly. "I’ll go get ready."

Without another word, she walked out of the room, into the next one. Once inside, she took a long sip of the iced tea, its chill soothing her dry throat. Then she headed straight for the bathroom, where she allowed herself a quick but refreshing shower. The water helped rinse away the remnants of the night, though it did little to ease the soreness. She dressed quickly and efficiently, then combed through her hair, tying it back into a loose ponytail. She looked at herself in the mirror for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before stepping out.

When she returned, she was fully dressed and ready to leave.

However, as they prepared to leave the bunker, Serena noticed something that didn’t sit right with her. Lucian wasn’t heading toward the same door she had entered through the night before. Instead, he was leading her toward the opposite side of the room, the same place he came through.

She frowned, her steps slowing.

"Wait," she said. "Why are we going this way? The other door leads back into the house upstairs."

Lucian turned his head slightly but didn’t stop walking.

"Adrian has a car waiting on a particular street," he explained. "The shortest way to get there is through the tunnel I came in through."

Serena wanted to ask more questions, but something in his tone made her stop. It wasn’t dismissive, just final. There was no room for discussion. She simply nodded and followed.

He reached for her hand without a word, threading his fingers through hers as he led her forward. The gesture was surprisingly warm, and even though part of her still felt the embarrassment of earlier, she didn’t pull away.

Lucian led her through a series of dim tunnels. The air was cool and slightly damp, the stone walls closing in on either side. The silence between them was filled only by the sound of their footsteps echoing softly with each step. Serena kept her eyes forward, focusing on his broad shoulders, the confident stride of someone who always knew where he was going.

Eventually, they reached an old rusted metal door. Lucian pushed it open, and they climbed out through a hidden opening in what looked like the basement of an abandoned church. The place smelled of old wood and dust, and the floorboards creaked under their steps as they made their way up.

They exited the church through a side door that opened into a narrow alley.

Just a few yards away, parked on the curb at the end of the alley, was a black car.

Adrian sat in the driver’s seat, his arms crossed over his chest. The moment he spotted them, he stepped out and opened the back door.

Lucian didn’t pause. He led her straight to the car, his hand still holding hers firmly.

Without a single word exchanged, Serena slipped into the back seat, and Lucian followed after her.

The streets were calm but traces of the destruction from last night could still be seen at some places.

But Serena soon frowned. Something didn’t seem right.

"Where’s Darrell?" Serena asked, seeing as Adrian was already driving off.

"He’ll meet us at home," Lucian answered, putting her mind at peace.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com