Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Kalliope, Lucius, and the other three made it to the Aedridan palace within a few hours thanks to their speed. Tenia took Snow on her back while Kalliope held Ethi in a princess carry. She was too concerned that the elf did not possess the strength to remain wrapped around Kalliope's neck.

Lucius was able to rely on his mana to supplement his lost stamina and injury, though Kalliope could hear the occasional breaks in his steady breathing as he reacted to the pain that occasionally wracked his body.

Guilt threatened to overwhelm her every time they stopped for a short rest because it gave her a moment to think. Once they had made it into the palace and Ethi was taken from her care to rest in the medical ward, time seemed to be all that Kalliope had.

She numbly and quietly followed Lucius for him to receive treatment. Thankfully, the elves had a very strong healer on staff and he was able to heal the burns from the [Fire Spear] that had struck through Lucius's shadow tendrils during the fight. Kalliope had no idea what she would do if he received permanent scars because of her betrayal.

As if sensing her thoughts, Lucius gently reached out and brushed the back of her hand. "It's okay. I knew what might happen and planned for it. You did not betray me. You knew I would survive. If you thought I wouldn't, I have no doubt you would have chosen me."

All she could do was nod. If she were to try and speak, she could not guarantee the words would not be choked out by sobs. He was right, if she had believed that Itorin would have let Lucius die then she would not have hesitated to fight by his side, even at the risk of her life. She operated under the assumption that he would be fine, so she went ahead with her plan to save Ethi.

Despite him knowing her intention, it still hurt her to look at the state he was in and know that it was her fault. A tear began to form in the corner of her eye and started to trail down her cheek. She barely noticed as Lucius stood up and wiped it away gently.

She had only seen him act so tenderly towards Rena and wondered what it was that made him act this way with her…

A faint blush came to her cheeks as she remembered what was happening prior to her kidnapping. Something back then told her the conversation might have gone in a positive direction, so she had prepared certain things that never got used.

"Kalliope," Lucius's voice shocked her out of the small daze she was in. "We should talk."

Kalliope quickly scanned the room and saw that all the medical staff had left. The only two souls in the room were her and Lucius. She did not realize that her thoughts had her entranced enough to miss them leaving the room. She quickly locked eyes with the man in front of her. Kalliope felt her heartbeat quicken as the thumping echoed in her ears.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Lucius sighed. "The person who captured you. I found out who they were."

Something small seemed to break inside her as her expectations about the topic of the conversation were left broken. Though, she did find herself curious who it was exactly had captured her. She remembered while in her cell there was a somewhat familiar scent in the air, but she never truly placed where it came from.

"Who?"

"Mia."

Kalliope felt the hair on her body bristle. Her tail puffed up slightly and a low growl started to rumble in her throat. Hearing the woman's name brought her plenty of anger. Most of the damage to Lucius's body was the result of that bitch trying to blow him to pieces. Everyone expected that she had been incinerated by the blast, but somehow she had escaped.

Lucius did not have an answer for her, but apparently, she had lost an entire arm and an entire leg. When he chased her down as part of a separate investigation, he ran into her. He was poisoned during the fight and had a tough time recovering. Due to the timing, he was unable to fully question her and simply executed her.

Kalliope had to ask if she was truly dead this time, to which Lucius had replied with absolute confidence. When he caught her finally, he reportedly separated her head from her body and tossed them off the mountain in different directions.

"It's good that she's finally dead. It feels sad that you didn't get to savor it. I would have taken my time for what she did to you."

Lucius laughed at the fire burning in her eyes and heart. Despite the humor he found in the situation, he also showed that he was aware of how serious she was in her statement. Kalliope gave him a gentle smile in response and could not help but feel a slightly awkward air develop between them.

Before her talk with Lyrah, she would likely have made dozens of passes at Lucius by now. Though none of them would have been serious, and he would have absolutely rebuked them. She would have made them nonetheless. However, now things were different. She could not help but wonder if he would continue to rebuke her. She also could not help but wonder if she would even be able to say something to him.

Previously, she had been joking, and that acted as a protective veil between them. The lack of serious intent protected her from the consequences, but did that same protection still exist? Would there be consequences to her actions now?

Sensing the silence was torturing her, Lucius broke it with a simple grin. He gently grabbed her hand within his. The motion surprised Kalliope and she had to resist the urge to yelp. She barely managed to hold her voice in, but her body still flinched slightly despite her desire to remain calm.

Lucius gently took her hand and placed it against his chest. She lacked both the strength and desire to resist the small tug. Her hand gently rested above his heart. Two things immediately came to her notice. The first was the realization that Lucius was extremely well-defined.

She had seen him shirtless more times than she was able to count, but that suddenly felt different now that her hand was resting on his chest.

The second thing she noticed was that his heart was beating almost as fast as hers. He was nervous. Just as nervous as she was, maybe even more. This realization both excited and scared Kalliope for what it could mean.

"Perhaps we should have the actual discussion I wanted." Lucius said softly as he stood.

Kalliope gulped as he stood before her. Lucius was a good few inches taller than she was, and suddenly his face became a lot more intimidating, despite the soft smile he wore. At this point she could not tell whether hers or his heart was beating faster.

"Lucius…" Kalliope hesitated. She remembered being as daring as she was back in Varris, but since then she had thought about several things. Primarily, her concern was that Rena was still back in Arcadios and pregnant with their child. She felt that acting on any feelings while in such a situation would seem opportunistic.

"What?"

"I can't… You have Rena and the baby and…"

Kalliope felt the words taken from her. Lucius leaned in swiftly enough that she could not react to his kiss. She felt his tongue gently probe the inside of her mouth. It felt as though her soul was leaving her body and by the time he pulled away, Kalliope was left breathless.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I told Rena this already," Lucius said, his face holding a resolute expression. "But I love you, Kalliope. I have for a long time. The love I feel for you is different than it is for Rena. Right now, you and her are the two most important things in this world to me.

"I was going to have this conversation with you in Varris. Gods, I was going to have this conversation before that. However, I kept chickening out every time the moment arose. Having spent this long without you by my side made me realize that I could not wait anymore. Kalliope, I love you."

In an instant, Kalliope's vision blurred. She almost could not believe her ears. However, with her hand still on Lucius's chest, she could feel his heart beating faster than she thought possible. He was telling the truth and he was terrified of her response.

"But… Rena…"

Kalliope weakly tried to put up a defense despite them both knowing she did not really have one. If anything, she was simply providing him with one last chance at an escape from the situation. Lucius knew this and chose to avoid it, pressing further forward.

"I can love you and Rena. I told her how I feel about you and she told me that she supports this. Were it not for those rebels at the academy, I would have told you this when I returned from Grimspire. I will say this one last time, Kalliope. If you rebuke me, I will let you go. I love you, and I want you to love me too."

For a moment, those words hung in the air. Lucius's heart began to race faster. Kalliope wondered how she could best calm him down, and only one thing came to mind. She quickly jumped into his arms, knocking him back onto the medical bed.

Kalliope intertwined her fingers behind his neck and returned the passionate kiss he had given her only moments before. They continued to kiss one another passionately as if it were their last moments in this life.

After nearly two minutes, she pulled away and they both gasped for air. "Lucius, I love you too. I love you so much that it hurts."