Lucas barely waited for Cealen to finish screaming into the night before he unlocked his car and jerked his head toward the passenger seat.
"Get in."
Cealen slammed the door behind him like the car insulted his ancestors. He buckled up with the anger of a man whose kiss had been snatched out of his mouth.
Lucas rounded the front, slid into the driver's seat, shut the door softly, too softly and turned to him with that expression he reserved only for when he found Cealen funny but refused to admit it.
"We're going to my estate," Lucas said, voice calm like he wasn't about to change someone's entire destiny.
Cealen froze mid-grumble. "The estate? why would I be going to the estate?" Cealan asked lazily looking for cigarettes "I need you to be at the meeting with the entire familia" Lucas said handing him the cigarettes"That's your family meeting. I'm not part of that circus."
"You're coming," Lucas replied, starting the engine. "I need to clarify something before my father gets dramatic and the rest have something to try and drag me down."
Cealen blinked. "Clarify what?"
Lucas glanced at him, jaw tight, tone low.
"That I didn't kill Darian on my own."
Cealen's mouth actually fell open. The exhaustion, the disappointment from being denied a kiss gone.
What replaced it was… shock.
"You… you're serious?" Cealen whispered blowing out the air from his cigarette.
Lucas didn't respond immediately. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles pale, eyes fixed forward like he was staring at the future and didn't like what he saw.
"Nobody believes me," Lucas murmured. "And honestly, I'm tired of explaining myself to people who think they know everything. Anytime we have a family meeting like this they always find something to use against me, to make me look bad or to try and bring me down from the position as the head" Lucas breathed out loud "when I'm talking about a family meeting I'm talking about the whole familia coming together, people from far and wide, people you would never even expect to be in the empire, so they're always looking for one way or the other to bring me down, last time when I did something I didn't also do it alone but because they were afraid of my family or maybe they were threatened it was easy for them to blame a lot of mistakes on me but this time I have you, you seem not to care about anyone or anything whether their status or how though they pretend to be"
Cealen stared at him… really stared.
This wasn't the Lucas who threatened people with a smile.
This wasn't the Lucas who held the entire underworld in check with one eyebrow raise.
This was a man weighed down by a family name that demanded too much.
"Lucas…" Cealen muttered, suddenly quieter. "You're telling me you brought me so you can defend yourself?"
Lucas's lips twitched not a smile, but acknowledgement. "You're the only witness that isn't scared of my father."
Cealen scoffed instantly. "Lucas, I'm NOT joining your family. If this is your weird mafia way of recruiting me, you can forget it. I'm loyal to my empire. My boss. Not you. Not your father. Not even Ethan can make me betray my people."
Lucas turned to him fully now, and for the first time that night, he looked genuinely pleased.
Not amused.Not sarcastic.
Pleased.
"Good," Lucas said. "I don't need you in my family. I already have too many people nagging me, I don't need more on my neck"
Cealen blinked again. "Then why...."
"I told you," Lucas cut in. "I just need you to confirm the facts. And after that? You can leave. Nobody's tying you to anything."
Cealen slowly leaned back, eyes narrowing, smoking and studying Lucas like he was seeing an entirely different species of the luthers.
"You're weird," Cealen muttered.
"And you talk too much," Lucas replied.
Then he turned down another street after a long drive and added casually,
"Before the estate, we're making a stop."
Cealen raised a brow. "A stop where?"
Lucas didn't answer, instead, he picked up his phone and typed quickly.
To Neo:
I'm outside your street. Get dressed. Nice shirt. We're going to the estate tell Aiden to also hurry up oh and dress nicely we're have visitors at the estate today.
He hit send and dropped the phone into the holder.
Cealen stared at him. "Visitors? As in… they don't know the entire Familia, and why the sudden meeting though?"
Lucas exhaled slowly, resting his arm on the window.
"It's tradition in the family that we have a family meeting in the middle of every year a rule set by my dad himself and no one gets to make any excuses for today, everyone's flying in. Father always does a headcount."
"And you're bringing the two new people?" Cealen asked. "Yes," Lucas answered, tone final. "They're familia now. They need to see what they're part of."
Cealen let out a slow, disbelieving breath.
"So this is it, huh? We're opening the gates to your world."
Lucas's eyes softened not much, but enough for someone who knew him.
"My world isn't kind," he said quietly. "But they deserve to know what's behind the name they carry."
Cealen hummed, gaze moving toward the window.
"Then let's go ruin someone's evening," Cealen muttered.
Lucas smirked. "Gladly."
And the car rolled toward Neo and Aiden's street.
The car rolled into Neo's street like it owned the asphalt. Lucas didn't park close to the house. He stopped just far enough to watch. Cealen stayed leaned back in his seat, boots crossed at the ankle, eyes roaming like he was already bored of the neighborhood.
Lucas checked his phone once. And neo's name lit up on the screen.
He sent the text.
Outside. Now. Formal wear.
Tell Aiden to hurry.
Inside Neo's house, panic bloomed.
Neo read it, his heart jumping straight into his throat. He didn't even think but his fingers flew he picked up his phone and texted Aiden
LUCAS IS OUTSIDE. FORMAL WEAR. RUN.
Aiden's reply came almost instantly.
What—?
NO QUESTIONS. MOVE.
Neo was already pulling on a jacket, hands shaking just enough to piss him off. Lucas never summoned people without reason. And when he did, it meant whatever line they'd been standing behind had just vanished.
Outside, Cealen glanced at Lucas. "You enjoy terrorizing them."
Lucas didn't look away from the house. "They'll survive." "Low bar," Cealen muttered, amused.
The front door finally opened. Neo stepped out first, breath shallow, adjusting his cuffs like that might calm the buzzing under his skin. A few seconds later, Aiden jogged up from down the street, slightly out of breath, hair still damp like he'd rushed through everything.
They stopped when they saw the car, and
When they saw Lucas.
Neo swallowed and walked forward. Aiden followed suite but stayed half a step behind him, shoulders tight, eyes flicking anywhere except Lucas or Cealen.
Cealen noticed immediately.
Oh. They are in for a ride."Well, look at that," Cealen drawled, leaning forward just enough to be seen. "They do clean up."
Aiden froze.
Neo shot Cealen an akward look, but Cealen only smiled wider, enjoying the way Aiden very deliberately pretended he did not exist.
Lucas opened the back door. "Get in."
No softness. No room for hesitation and they did, they moved very quickly and the doors closed. The car moved.
For a moment, no one spoke. The silence felt deliberate almost like a test.
Neo cracked first.
"Umm..So," he said quietly, fingers gripping his knee, "why are we being summoned so suddenly?"
Lucas's eyes met his in the rearview mirror.
"We're going to the estate," he said.
Aiden's stomach dropped.
Cealen let out a low laugh. "He said it like that on purpose."
Lucas ignored him and continued, voice steady, practiced. "Tonight is a family meeting, that we hold every middle of the year. It's a tradition the familia live by a tradition my father prepared long time ago."
"Family… meeting," Neo repeated slowly.
"Yes," Lucas said. "And they're no excuses, No absences.Everyone flies in from everywhere just for this meeting."
Aiden finally spoke, voice tight. "Everyone… like who?"
Lucas took a breath not heavy, but intentional.
"People with our name. And people without it," he said. "People bound by blood. Others by debt some by loyalty. By favors that never expires, some even wanna be, that hang around."
Neo's chest tightened.
"You'll see faces you recognize," Lucas continued. "Men and women you've watched on television. Some you wouldn't believe are part or were connected to us at all."
Cealen turned in his seat, grinning. "Smile if you make eye contact. Don't talk unless spoken to. And if someone offers you a drink—"
"No," Lucas cut in. Cealen chuckled. "—say no."
Aiden shifted, nerves crawling under his skin. "What… what are we supposed to do?"
"You observe," Lucas said. "You listen. You remember."
"And if someone talks to us?" Neo asked.
Lucas's gaze softened just a fraction. "You answer respectfully. Briefly. You don't volunteer information. You don't ask questions."
Cealen added cheerfully, "And you definitely don't flirt."
Aiden's stomach flipped like who in their right senses would even try that. Neo elbowed him lightly, but his own pulse hadn't slowed.
"Why us, I mean why are we going there?" Neo asked finally. "We haven't really gotten that far-?" Lucas interrupted quickly
"Because you carry my name now," he said. "And tonight, you see what that means."
The car sped forward, estate lights beginning to glow in the distance like something waking up.
Cealen laughed under his breath, satisfied.
Neo stared out the window, heart pounding.
Aiden clasped his hands together, grounding himself.
And Lucas drove on, calm as ever bringing them straight into the world that never asked permission to exist.
The estate gates slid open without a sound.
No grand announcement. No dramatic flourish. Just steel yielding to authority.
Neo noticed it first the sheer amount of cars. Long black sedans. Matte armored vehicles. Exotic silhouettes that looked like they'd never known a pothole. Drivers stood near them in tailored suits, earpieces flashing faintly under the lights, conversations low and guarded.
This wasn't a gathering.This was an assembly.
Lucas didn't slow down. He bypassed the main drive entirely, turning sharply toward a narrow slope hidden behind trimmed hedges and stone walls.
Aiden frowned. "Are we—"
"We're not lost," Cealen said lazily. "Relax."
The ground dipped. Concrete swallowed the car.
The underground garage opened up like a secret kept for generations vast, spotless, lined with vehicles that never saw daylight. No chatter here. No outsiders. This space felt… controlled. Claimed.
Lucas parked in his usual spot.
Engine switched off.
The silence hit different down here.
When they stepped out, Neo felt it immediately, the shift. Above them, the noise of the estate thrummed faintly through stone, but down here? It was all cold purpose and unspoken rules.
Cealen stretched, unfazed. "Love this place. Smells like power and bad decisions."
Lucas ignored him and started toward the private lift. Neo followed without question. Aiden hesitated half a second then moved too.
The doors slid open upstairs. Through the building and suddenly...
Neo stepped out and froze. They weren't on a normal floor.
Beneath their feet was transparent glass, stretching out into a wide suspended corridor that cut through the upper level of the estate. Below them, the main hall spread open like a living map, people moving, clustering, laughing softly, negotiating, posturing. Suits and shadows slid across marble far beneath their soles.
But no one looked up.
From below, the glass reflected only light and ceiling nothing to give them away.
Neo swallowed, every step suddenly deliberate. It felt like walking on air, like standing above a world that didn't know it was being watched.
Only a handful of people occupied this level.
Noise. Light. Presence.
The estate was alive.
Elena stood near the center, immaculate as ever, expression sharp and unreadable. Kayla leaned against a column, eyes scanning the room like she was cataloguing threats. Matteo was mid-conversation, wine glass in hand, posture relaxed but alert. Elijah sat on the arm of a couch, bored written into every line of his body. Kellan stood close to him, composed, observing everything quietly.
And Ethan...
Cealan almost stopped walking.Ethan looked… unreal.The suit fit him perfectly, dark and clean lined, hair styled just enough to look effortless. He was laughing at something Kayla said, eyes brightuntil they lifted.
Until they landed on Cealen.The smile faltered.Cealen noticed, of course he did.
His steps slowed, gaze locking onto Ethan with something unreadable flickering behind his eyes. Admiration. Hunger. Something he didn't bother hiding except when Ethan looked away just as quickly, jaw tightening.
That did something to Cealen's smile.
"All eyes," he murmured, unfazed as ever.
And he was right.
People noticed him now.
The unfamiliar face. The confidence. The way he moved like he belonged anywhere he stood.
"And who are you exactly?" Matteo asked, voice smooth but sharp, attention fixed.
Cealen turned, hands slipping into his pockets. "Cealen."
Matteo tilted his head. "I've seen you somewhere." "Oh?" Cealen said, amused. "Where?"
Before Matteo could answer, Cealen casually took the nearest seat, crossing one leg over the other like he'd been invited to do so. The room stilled just slightly.
The audacity earned him several looks.
"You work with the Vortigern Empire," Matteo continued. "People we have… problems with. So why exactly are you here?"
Cealen didn't blink. "I was invited by the head."
Lucas stepped forward then.The shift was immediate.
"Enough," he said calmly.
Every conversation nearby died.
"This is Cealen Vortigern," Lucas continued. "He worked with me to take out Darian. He handled most of the dirty work."
Neo felt the air leave his lungs.
Aiden's head snapped toward him.
That Cealen?
The one who dismembered Darian like he was nothing but a piece of meat?
They had been in the same car. Sitting inches away.
Cealen smiled faintly, clearly enjoying their shock.
"He's here," Lucas went on, "because when people think they have leverage against me, things get messy."
Silence followed. Then movement.
"Is Papa here?" Lucas asked, already turning toward the staircase.
"No," Elijah replied lazily. "But everyone else is. And they all want to see you."
Lucas didn't slow. "Elena."
"Yes?" she answered instantly.
"Do not let a single soul except my parents walk through that door," he said evenly. "I don't want to see anyone else."She nodded once. "Of course."
A signal went out. Guards shifted. Doors were quietly secured.
Lucas turned back to them.
"Neo," he said, already climbing the stairs. "With me."
Neo didn't hesitate heart hammering as he followed.
"Kellan," Lucas added over his shoulder. "Handle Aiden."
Kellan nodded, stepping closer to Aiden with a reassuring presence that made his shoulders loosen just slightly.
"And Ethan," Lucas finished, pausing just long enough to glance back, "take our guest to the dressing area. Let him choose."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"He'll be the star of the night."
Cealen laughed softly as Ethan approached, eyes still carefully avoiding his.
"Oh," Cealen murmured, standing, "this just keeps getting better." "Oh yes and cealen.." Lucas walked towards him leaning to his ears "don't try that stunt you did earlier at your house with Ethan there cameras here" "and do I look like I care when I want something I always get it ask you brother he'll tell you" Cealan said back smirking at Lucas who began walking back towards the stairs.
Lucas disappeared up the stairs with Neo at his heels.
The door closed behind them with a soft, heavy click.
Neo froze.
Not because Lucas said anything he didn't but because the room itself felt like a presence.
It was massive. Too big to belong to one man. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the estate grounds like a living painting, the lights outside glowing faintly below. Dark wood. Steel accents. Minimal, expensive, intentional. Everything in its place. Everything controlled.
It screamed Lucas.
Neo took a few steps in without realizing it, his eyes darting everywhere at once. The bed alone looked bigger than his entire apartment. The walls held art he didn't recognize but somehow knew cost more than his life savings. Shelves lined with books that looked untouched, not for decoration but because Lucas actually read them.
And the scent....
Neo inhaled without meaning to.
Clean. Deep. Masculine. Lucas.
It clung to the air, heavy and unmistakable, like the room had memorized him.
"Stop standing there like you've walked into a museum," Lucas said calmly, already moving past him. "It's just a room."
Neo swallowed.
"It's… not just a room."
Lucas glanced back, one brow lifting slightly, amused but he didn't comment. He crossed the room with unhurried steps and disappeared into the walk-in wardrobe, glass doors sliding open silently.
Neo stood there alone, hands flexing at his sides.
The realization hit him slowly.
This is his space
Not the office. Not the car. Not the public mask.
This.
He drifted further inside, fingers brushing the edge of the desk, the arm of a chair. Everything felt solid. Real. Grounded. Like Lucas himself.
Behind him, the wardrobe lights clicked on.
Lucas's voice floated out casually. "Stand still."
Neo turned just in time to see Lucas step back into the room holding a suit.
It was black. Tailored. Sharp. Elegant without being loud.
Neo blinked. "That's—"
"For you," Lucas said, tossing it onto the bed. "I had it made."
Neo stared at the fabric like it might explode. "You… had it made?"
"A while ago," Lucas replied easily, heading toward the bathroom. "I prefer to plan ahead."
Neo's heart stumbled. "You planned… this?"
Lucas didn't answer. The bathroom door opened, steam already rolling faintly from a shower that had clearly been used recently.
Neo watched him disappear inside, still trying to process the fact that Lucas had picked out his clothes. Prepared them. Thought about him enough to do that.
Water shut off.Then seconds passed.
Then the bathroom door opened again.
Lucas stepped out with a towel slung low around his waist, skin still damp, hair darker from moisture. Neo's brain shut off instantly.
Broad shoulders. Defined chest. Tattoos cutting across skin like stories carved into flesh. Old scars faint, healed, dangerous. Marks of fights Neo couldn't even imagine surviving.
Neo turned away so fast it was almost violent.
His face burned.
Lucas noticed.Of course he did.
A slow smirk curved his lips as he reached for a shirt, deliberately not putting it on yet. He walked not rushed, not teasing openly just closer.
Neo took a step back.
Then another.
His shoulders hit the wall.
Lucas stopped inches away.
"Why are you so nervous?" Lucas asked softly.
"I—I'm not," Neo said quickly, voice cracking on the lie.
Lucas leaned one hand against the wall beside Neo's head, caging him without touching.
"Then look at me," he said.
Neo shook his head slightly. "I can't."
"Can't," Lucas echoed. "Or won't?"
"I've seen people undress before," Neo blurted out, panicking. "I'm not—this isn't.."
Lucas chuckled under his breath. "Then why are you shying away like I'll bite?"
Neo swallowed hard. "Because you're my boss."
Lucas tilted his head, studying him like a puzzle he already knew the solution to.
"And?"
"And because you look like that," Neo added before he could stop himself.
Silence.
Then Lucas laughed low, amused, dangerous.
"That," he said, stepping even closer, "is the first honest thing you've said all night."
Neo forced himself to look up.
Big mistake.
His eyes betrayed him instantly, dragging over Lucas's bare chest, the tattoos, the scars, the slow rise and fall of his breathing. He looked like he was trying to memorize every inch, like his body was storing the image somewhere deep and permanent.
Lucas noticed everything.
"You're staring," he murmured.
Neo didn't pull away.
"I didn't mean to," he whispered.
Lucas reached up then, fingers brushing Neo's cheek, thumb grazing the corner of his jaw light, controlled, intentional.
"Change," Lucas said quietly. "We're late."
His hand dropped.
The distance returned but the tension stayed, coiled tight between them like it had nowhere else to go.
Lucas turned toward the bed, picking up his shirt at last.
And Neo stood there, heart racing, suit untouched, realizing with terrifying clarity that stepping into Lucas's world didn't feel like danger anymore.
It felt like inevitability.
Aiden's pov
Kellan didn't take Cealen anywhere near his his space.
Instead, he turned down the quieter wing of the estate, the one that felt less like a hotel and more like a lived-in fortress. The noise from downstairs dulled with every step until all that remained was the soft echo of their shoes against marble.
Aiden, on the other hand, had no such composure.
The moment Kellan pushed the door open, Aiden stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh wow," he blurted out. "Okay. No. This is insane."
The room swallowed light. Thick, heavy curtains draped the windows, blocking out the sun completely, casting everything in a dim, warm glow. Dark walls. Low lighting. Everything intentional, controlled, private. The bed sat massive and neat at the center, books stacked on one side, weapons discreetly mounted on another.
It was unmistakably Kellan.
"This is very you," Aiden continued, walking in without invitation, spinning slowly as he took it all in. "Brooding. Mysterious. Slightly terrifying. Ten out of ten."
Kellan shut the door behind them, watching him with a look that was unreadable at best.
"You talk too much when you're nervous," he said.
"I talk too much when I'm alive," Aiden replied easily, still staring around. "Which, honestly, feels optional in this house."
Kellan ignored that and crossed the room to the wardrobe. He pulled out a suit clean, sharp, tailored and walked back, holding it up against Aiden's chest, assessing him with a quiet, critical eye.
"It'll fit," he said.
Aiden blinked. "Wait… did you pick this out for me?"
Kellan's gaze lifted slowly. "And if I say yes?"
They stared at each other.
Too long.
Aiden's smile softened, something genuine slipping through. "Why do you always answer my questions with questions?"
Kellan broke first, exhaling through his nose before turning away and dropping onto the edge of the bed. "Get dressed. Take a shower if you want. We're not late yet, but we will be if you keep talking."
Aiden didn't move.
Instead, he tilted his head. "You sure you want to see me naked?"
Kellan looked up sharply.
"What?"
Aiden grinned, fully aware he was poking a bear. "I'm just asking. I mean are you prepared for that?"
Kellan scoffed. "It's not my first time seeing my own gender undress."
Aiden stepped closer, voice dropping just slightly. "Yeah, but it might be your first time seeing a truly hot one."
Silence.
Then Aiden did something incredibly stupid.
He started undressing.
Slowly. Deliberately. Jacket first. Shirt next. Each movement unhurried, eyes never leaving Kellan's face, watching for every reaction. When he was down to his briefs, he stopped still smiling, still testing.
Kellan didn't move.Didn't speak.
But his jaw tightened.
Aiden was… unfair. Smooth skin. Strong lines softened by curves that had no business existing on a man. Whatever gene lottery his mother won, she had cashed it in fully on him.
Still, Kellan stayed seated.
Self-control was a skill he had mastered long ago.
Aiden's smile wavered.
"Okay," he said lightly, suddenly unsure. "You're not reacting how I imagined." he said eyes still locked on kellan "Prendimi subito" (take me already) Aiden whispered it but kellan was quick he heard it loud and clear he understood Italian
That was when Kellan stood.The shift was immediate.Aiden felt it before he saw it.
Kellan crossed the room in slow, measured strides, every step deliberate. The air changed heavier, tighter. Aiden's bravado evaporated instantly.
"W–why are you coming closer?" Aiden said, backing up instinctively. "Stay where you are."
Kellan stopped inches away.
"Where did all that confidence go?" he asked calmly.
"I-I was just...." Aiden swallowed. "Kellan, stop. I—"
Kellan's hands settled on his waist, firm, unyielding, pulling him closer in one smooth motion.
Aiden gasped.He could smell him now. Feel the heat. The sheer presence of him.
"Don't play games like that with me," Kellan said quietly, voice low and controlled. "Because next time," kellan close to his ears "Ti porterò qui e ora" (I'll take you here and now). Aiden nodded frantically, cheeks burning. "O–okay."
Kellan released him just as suddenly, stepping back like nothing had happened. "Good. Now be a good boy and get dressed. We're late."
"Yes, sir," Aiden squeaked, snatching the suit and bolting for the bathroom like his life depended on it.
The door shut.
Kellan sat back down, running a hand through his hair slowly.
"…Trouble," he muttered.
Ethan's pov
Ethan walked ahead, shoulders tight, every step measured.
Cealen stayed behind him on purpose.
He watched the way Ethan's back straightened, the way his pace quickened the farther they went from the others. His eyes flicked across the hall automatically, instincts kicking in the same way they always did before a job. Corners. Reflections. Shadows. Exits.
By the time they reached the room, Cealen already knew its weaknesses.
The doors opened into a wide dressing chamber lined wall to wall with shelves and wardrobes, rows upon rows of suits arranged by color and cut. Soft lighting glinted off polished hangers, the space immaculate, curated for power.
"Impressive," Cealen muttered, almost to himself.
The moment he stepped inside, his gaze sharpened. Cameras four of them. He clocked each one in under a second, already mapping blind spots, already noting angles.
He moved.
The doors clicked shut behind them, locks sliding into place.
Ethan turned immediately. "Don't try anything stupid, Cealen. We're in my house."
Cealen didn't even look at him as he adjusted the lock.
"Again," he said calmly, "you don't tell me what to do." He finally turned, eyes dark, voice low. "If I want you here and now, I'll get it. Do you understand the concept?"
His tone was controlled, careful meant to sound harmless if anyone listened too closely. Cameras, after all.
"At least not here," Ethan said quickly, nerves bleeding through. "Not tonight. Some other time-"
"No." Cealen cut him off without raising his voice. "I want you now."
Ethan's breath hitched.
"Your brother didn't let me have my way earlier," Cealen continued, stepping closer, slow and deliberate. "I'm not letting this one slip."
"Cealen—" "Move to the end of the shelves," he ordered quietly. "Don't make me repeat myself, Ethan."
For a second, Ethan didn't move.
Then he did.
Each step felt heavier than the last, pulse loud in his ears. Cealen followed a moment later, pretending to inspect suits, fingers trailing along fabric while his eyes stayed fixed on Ethan.
When he reached him, it happened fast.
Hands at Ethan's waist. A firm lift. Ethan gasped as Cealen set him down on the counter beside the wall, sliding effortlessly between his parted legs like he belonged there.
Cealen leaned in.
The kiss started slow unrushed, deliberate his hands anchoring Ethan in place. Ethan melted into it before he could stop himself, a soft sound escaping his throat as his fingers clutched at Cealen's jacket.
Cealen deepened it just enough to make Ethan dizzy.
Ethan pulled back first, breath uneven, palms pressing lightly against Cealen's chest. "Enough," he whispered. "Please. I'll pick a suit. Just get dressed. My parents will be here soon."
Cealen stared at him, jaw tight, clearly unsatisfied.
Then he exhaled through his nose.
"Fine," he said. "Because it's you."
Ethan leaned forward before he could think better of it and pressed a brief, gentle peck to Cealen's lips soft, grounding.
Cealen froze.
Ethan pulled back quickly, cheeks flushed, reaching for a hanger as if nothing had happened.
Cealen watched him with a slow smile.
This was far from over.