The words cut through the air like a knife.
Before Elena could even process the sting, a sharp, aggressive knock rattled the heavy bedroom door.
"Elena? Are you in there?"
Lucien's voice echoed from the hallway, sounding impatient and suspicious.
Both of them froze, their eyes widening in shock. If Lucien pushed the door open and saw Elena half-naked with Alaric applying ointment, the scandal would destroy everything she was trying to protect.
"Shit," Elena muttered under her breath, panic finally cracking her porcelain mask.
Alaric's instincts kicked in. He parted his lips, about to shout a cold warning to Lucien to back off, but he never got the chance.
Elena suddenly reached up with her uninjured hand, gripped the collar of his shirt tightly, and violently pulled him down onto the bed with her.
Alaric lost his balance, tumbling right over her body on the mattress. Before he could even utter a word of protest, Elena crashed her lips directly onto his.
