CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: Knowing Where You Stand

Subway Tunnels

Lucian held her there in his lap, savoring the feel of her in his arms. His head rested against her chest and he could hear her heart beating. He stayed there listening to it until it slowly regained its normal rhythm. Her head had fallen so that it rested against his shoulder, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his back. He would enjoy this moment as long as he could, for he knew this was about to end.

"Lucian," Alex murmured.

"Yes, Princess," he replied.

"Do you have any chocolate around here?" she asked her voice groggy and sleepy.

Lucian laughed outloud, something he found himself doing quite often since Alex had been around. "I don't believe we do," he said kissing her shoulder.

"Damn the bad luck," she said, her movements sluggish, her words spoken softly.

"Are you hungry," he asked.

Forcing herself to sit up, she looked at him. Her eyes were heavy- lidded, her voice sexy. "No, not really, chocolate just sounded good," she said with a grin.

Lucian watched her as she crawled out of his lap, and laid down on the pillow beside him. He stretched out behind her, pulling her close against his chest.

"Hmmm, that feels good," she murmured, snuggling into his arms.

Lucian dropped a kiss on her head, wishing they could stay like this forever, but knowing they had a few hours at best. He felt her body begin to relax in his arms; she was falling asleep. A few moments later, her breathing slowed down and her body went limp as she finally drifted off. He spent the rest of the night, holding her and watching her as she slept.

He noticed things that he put away in his memory banks, in hopes of recalling them at a later time, when it wouldn't hurt so much. Things like, she had a tendency to steal the covers and she slept curled up on her side in a ball, with her hands underneath her cheek. He would also remember that she loved chocolate, liked to laugh, and had a quick wit. He sniffed deeply of her, smelling her own unique scent. It was like cinnamon and vanilla, a little spicy and a little sweet, just like she was.

Finally, after having let her sleep for a couple of hours, the time had come. He disliked the thought of what he was about to do, but knowing it had to be done, he moved her out of his arms, just roughly enough to wake her up.

Alex came awake with a jolt. She rolled over, reaching out for Lucian but found herself alone in the bed. She sat up and looked around the room. She located him at the end of the bed, pulling on his pants.

"Are you running to the store, cause if so, I'll take some Reece's Peanut Butter Cups," she quipped, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Lucian bent over and picked up his shirt, not daring to look her in the eye. "Actually, I have some business to attend to."

"It must be close to four o'clock in the morning, what kind of business could you possibly be doing at this ungodly hour?" she asked with a yawn.

Lucian looked at her closely, taking in the sleep tousled hair that fell to her waist, the strawberry tipped breasts peeking out from between those red-gold strands of silk, and as she stretched he caught a glimpse of the little gold hoop he had come to love.

Patting the bed beside her, Alex spoke up, "Why don't you come on back to bed. Surely whatever it is you have to do can wait until the sun comes up, can't it?" she asked invitingly.

"A pack leaders duties never end," he told her. "I have a lycan that has requested a bit of my time."

Surprised, Alex got up out of bed, and walked over to him, butt naked. Taking the shirt from him, she held it out so that he could slide his arms in.

"You're serious?" she asked him, confused.

Lucian finally glanced at her, and hated the look he saw in he eyes. "Yes. Cherise has asked that I come and comfort her now that the vampire threat has been eliminated," he told her.

"Who the hell is Cherise, and just what kind of comfort is she expecting from you at this time of the morning?" she asked, anger beginning to replacing the concern in her voice.

He began buttoning up his shirt before he finally answered her. "She's a member of my pack. She has been, lost since her mate died during the first battle with the vampires. As alpha, it is my duty to help her cope in any way I can, " he explained.

"Just what does that mean? How are you going to help her cope? Are we talking about an all night crying/consoling session, or a hey baby let's get naked kinda thing?" she demanded.

"Whatever it takes," Lucian calmly clarified.

Pissed beyond belief, she began pacing. Lucian watched her magnificent body as it moved around the room, when suddenly she stopped right before him.

"So I take it monogamy isn't practiced within the pack?" she finally asked him.

He detested himself for putting the pained look he found in her eyes; but he had to finish this. "Make no mistake, lycans mate for life. Once a female is marked by her mate, they are no longer allowed to be with other males. But, an unmarked female is shared by all in the pack."

"And me, am I to be shared with the pack?" she asked confused and disgusted.

Lucian smirked, "No, the pack will know you're mine," he told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"I marked you as my mate, when I bit you?' he told her.

Alex ran over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, there were bite marks in the curve of her neck. But she wasn't surprised; she knew they would be there. After all, she was the one that had asked him to bite her.

Catching a glimpse of him in the mirror she asked, "Are these the marks you were referring to?"

"But of course," he replied.

"So what, the world's most erotic hickey marks me as your territory?" she retorted. "What happens when it fades away, am I considered fair game then?"

With a sigh, he said, "It will never fade away."

Turning to face him, she yelled, "You mean, this will always be here, just because you bit me!? Not believing him, she ran back over to the mirror. She carefully looked over the other side of her neck. She found the two bite marks he had previously left on her; they were faint, but discernable.

"Look, these marks have faded!" she pointed out to him.

"Alexandra," he replied impatiently. "I don't have time for this. Listen to me closely, for I will explain this to you one time only. You asked me to bite you while we were having sex. When I complied, you climaxed and then bit me, causing the same reaction. This is an age old mating ritual amongst the lycans. Now, as my mate, I expect you to respect our customs and laws. I will be back once Cherise no longer requires my help," he told her turning to leave.

"Hang on there, just a minute, pops," Alex said moving in front of the bathroom door. "The last time I looked, you were no longer a lycan, and neither was I. We're hybrids remember. I'm not a member of your pack."

"Enough!" Lucian yelled angrily. "I have been lycan for more than six hundred years, and a hybrid for less than a week. During this time I have always been the leader of this pack. Don't forget, you are part lycan as well, and that part of us has mated. There is no use denying it, you can't change what has happened. I suggest you accept it, in fact I order you to remain here until I return. Is that understood?"

Furious at his condescending behavior, Alex stalked out of the bathroom and over to his dresser. Yanking open drawers, she pulled out one of his shirts and a pair of his pants. Throwing them on the bed, she then went in search of her shoes. Finding them over by the chair, she picked them up and took them to the bed where she began to dress.

Lucian watched as she jerked on his clothes, not caring that she didn't have on any undergarments. Anger and distress could be detected in each and every movement. After she pulled on her shoes and tied them, she stood up and looked over at him.

"You knew all along what you were doing, didn't you?" she asked him, her voice steady but anger lacing every syllable she uttered.

"Yes," he answered.

"And you made that decision by yourself, without even considering what I may want," she stated quietly.

Lucian could feel something inside him break when she spoke. But, he knew she hated what she had become, what he had made her. If she were to stay, she would come to detest her life with them, and everyone within the pack. Eventually she would come to hate him too.

"I did what I thought best…for everyone," Lucian told her honestly.

Alex stood there for a moment, before answering, "Fine, now I need to do what I think is best…for me."

Then, with tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she turned and walked out the bedroom door.

Lucian watched her leave, never making a move to stop her. Once he was certain she was gone, he walked over to the chair and reached down into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a cell phone and punched in a number.

"She's on her way," he spoke tersely into the phone.

Then, without waiting for a reply, he ended the connection and threw the phone against the wall, destroying it completely.