Victoria's POV
Okay, look — I know I was walking on thin ice here. Like razor-thin, might-snap-at-any-second kind of ice.
But come on. You try waking up from the dead of sleep — period pain still clawing at your insides — only to find yourself face-to-freaking-face with glowing red eyes and razor-sharp fangs hovering in the dark like a damn horror movie jump scare. My body reacted before my brain even booted up.
Of course I screamed.
Loud. High-pitched. Definitely startled-my-own-damn-soul kind of scream.
It took me a second to realize it was Lucian. Freaking Lucian.
He was crouched low, eyes burning like twin embers, fangs out and breathing like he’d just run a marathon. His face was twisted in something between fury and... restraint?
I couldn’t tell if he wanted to murder me or t
