Chapter 53. Complete

Lotus’s POV

Levi’s heartbeat steadies beneath my cheek. His skin is still warm from my mark, the bond a living pulse between us. For the first time since the raid, I feel almost safe. Almost.

The door opens without a knock.

I lift my head. Two shadows fill the doorway. I would recognize their rough edges anywhere. Lennox and Louis. Their eyes are edged with hunger and something I don’t yet have a word for. The air seems to shift with them, colder and hotter all at once.

They stop when they see us. I feel it. A snap, like invisible threads tightening. Power spills into the room in a low, rolling tide. They are jealous and sated. Their emotions are struggling to come to terms with what this means for all of us.

Louis’s gaze flicks from my face to Levi’s arm curled around me. “You marked him.” His voice is rough.

“And you felt it,” I whisper. My own voice shakes. “I wasn’t sure I knew how, but somehow, I managed.”

Lennox steps forward f