I ended up back on the bus, but the return home went by in a blur. At least the trip hadn't been a complete waste. Sure, I almost had my head chopped off, and I'd made a new enemy, but at least we could narrow down where Lucas was likely being held.

Worth it, in my opinion. Now I just had to think of a plausible lie as to how I got the map. Damian would not be pleased to know the real way.

I was so lost in my thoughts as I walked up the driveway I didn't see him.

"Lex," Lucas bellowed, drawing my attention.

He limped toward me, a gash over his left eyebrow and bruising on his face. I raced to him, crashing into his open arms, tears streaming down my face. A first. I didn't think I'd ever cried with joy before.

Smothering my face into his shirt, I took long gulps of the lemony goodness I missed so much.

"How can you still smell so good?" I asked breathlessly.

He snorted. "Must be in my genes."

I lifted my head and studied his face, expecting it to fade away. I had fallen asleep on the bus. This wasn't happening. He wasn't really home. Just a fleeting dream. I'd wake up among strangers, emptier than I'd been before.

My fingers brushed his cheek. Still solid. I didn't wake up. His face didn't fade. He was here.

"How did Damian find you?"

And why hadn't he called? You'd think the first thing he would have done was let me know so I could stop worrying.

"He didn't." Lucas looked away. "The angel let me go."

"What do you mean let you go?" I asked sharply.

Lucas shrugged. "He unlocked my bindings and let me walk away. I thought it was a trap, but here I am."

It didn't make much sense. Something about this whole situation was off. No wonder I thought I was dreaming. Reality usually made some sort of sense.

"Why would he do that?"

Lucas brushed his lips against mine. "Does it matter now?"

Well, of course, it mattered. I chalked up his nonchalance to shock. If I had been kidnapped and locked up, I wouldn't think much about it, either, if he let me go. Scratch that. Yes, I would. I would obsess. Equally unhealthy.

I felt that itch on the back of my neck again, my spidey senses tingling. Glancing around, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Not that I could trust my eyes. The sun hid behind dark clouds, shrouding places in shade. It wouldn't take much to find a place to hide. We were exposed.

“How did you get here?”

“I walked. Your place was closer than mine.”

“Where did he keep you? Was there anyone else there?”

He shook his head. “It was some abandoned warehouse.”

“Address?”

He shrugged. “I was kind of in a daze.”

I pulled out the map and had him point in the general area. I then took out my phone and texted my brother that Lucas was all right. I was going to text the address Lucas had been kept, but I hesitated.

I could almost feel the blade going through my stomach and the feeling of burning ice rushing through my veins. I didn’t want to send my brother after the angel without backup.

"Let's head inside." I pulled Lucas after me. "We should clean up your wounds, too."

He shrugged. "I'm all right."

I unlocked the door. Wes' car was gone. It didn't seem like anyone was home. I stripped out of my jacket.

Lucas snickered. "My, what a big sword you have."

I carefully took off the scabbard. "You should see how I use it."

I led Lucas to the upstairs bathroom where we kept a rather meager first-aid kit, taking Gladys with me. I knew enough about taking care of blades to not leave her around. Plus, I didn't want Damian to find her and take her away.

She was mine.

Lucas hesitated at the doorway of the bathroom. "I said I'm fine. I just want to lie down."

I started to argue but thought better of it. He was still in shock. I nodded, and we went into my bedroom. He threw himself onto the bed, sprawling out on his back, gave a long, contented sigh, and beckoned me over. There wasn't a lot of room left, so I cuddled up against him, more on him than the bed. He didn't seem to mind.

I listened to the steady beat of his heart, counting each thump to keep my mind from spinning. I had so many questions.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

Fair enough. I snuggled further into his warmth. In his arms, I felt safe. Like nothing could touch either of us. It was a false security. He couldn't protect me any better than I had him. But I knew he would try, and that was enough.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered into my hair.

I lifted my head to smile at him. "I'm hard to kill."

He smiled back and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You're beautiful. You know that?"

"Of course I do. I own a mirror. Several, actually," I joked.

He lifted his head and pressed his forehead against mine. "You were all I could think about. I about lost my mind."

"I know the feeling."

He cupped my chin in one hand, his thumb stroking my cheek. "Lex?"

"Yeah?" I held my breath, eager to hear his next words. I had gotten used to his aura and no longer noticed it. I noticed it now. It pulsed, calling to mine, two pieces that fit together. It made zero sense. I embraced it anyway.

I could feel his breath on my lips, his mouth inches from mine.

"I love you."

I wasn't sure I could speak. The beating of my heart drowned out every other sound. I trembled. I ached. I needed him more than I needed air.

"Say something, please," he whispered.

Words were just words. Anyone could say anything, true or not. I could tell him I loved him, too, but it would just be words. How I felt transcended a mere sentence.

I kissed him, drowned in him, gave everything I had into this moment. What my mouth couldn't confess, my body did.

He accepted, proving his statement true in reciprocation.

We didn't rush. I savored every caress, every lick, every brush of friction between us. He was all that existed in this crazy world.

My lips followed as my fingers traced the defined muscles of his bare chest and stomach. Goosebumps rose on his flesh as my mouth traveled past his belly button. Slipping my fingers in the belt loops, I tugged off the offensive clothing, banishing it to my floor.

I maintained eye contact with him, lost in the half-lidded desire swirling in his eyes. As I brushed my mouth across the bulge in his boxer briefs, his lips parted, his chest rising and falling faster.

"Lex," he whispered, voice strained.

My hands shook as I tried to remove the last barrier between us. He put his hands over mine, stopping me from going any further.

He tugged me up, crashing his lips into mine in a bruising kiss. He flipped us over, pressing my back against the barely ruffled sheets, taking back control. I wasn't sure if he didn't like the vulnerability of letting go or if I had been doing something wrong.

My doubts must have shown on my face because he stopped.

Smiling, he kissed my cheek. "You're perfect. Too perfect."

Whatever that meant didn't help squash my insecurities. "I don't know what I'm doing."

He said nothing as he nuzzled my neck and ran his fingers up my bare sides.

I tensed, the touch more ticklish than sexy. His hand cupped my breast. As his thumb rubbed against my nipple, my body relaxed, but my mind still wouldn't shut up.

I was naked. I couldn't remember when or how my clothes had come off. Magic, I guess.

He rubbed his upper thigh in rhythmic circles against my exposed lady bits, bumping against my clit. My nails dug into his back as he continued bringing me closer to the top of the roller coaster again.

His finger replaced his leg, moving from my clit to probe the entrance of my pussy. I tensed.

"It's okay," he breathed in my ear. "I'll go slow."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trusting him not to hurt me.

He kept his word, inching his finger inside me and then withdrawing until my hips moved in rhythm.

My breath caught in my throat as another finger stroked the sensitive button between my legs. The pressure built to the point I could barely stand it. My moans sounded foreign to my ears.

I urged him to go faster, all my self-consciousness and insecurities driven from my mind by the overwhelming need to come.

His mouth found mine, tongue slipping between my parted lips. I cried out as my release crashed like a hurricane across an unsuspecting beach. He moaned into my mouth as if my pleasure was his own.

He sucked on my bottom lip in time with each lingering pulse of my core.

My breathing returned to normal as he gently pressed himself against my opening. I tensed again. A finger was one thing. A dick was a whole lot bigger.

"This is my first time, too," he said.

"Could have fooled me."

He grinned. "I aim to please."

"I aim to misbehave."

He shook his head. "Only you would quote Whedon during sex."

"Just keeping it classy."

He eased inside unimpeded, helped along by my slickness. It stung being stretched farther than I'd ever been before. But it was a good kind of hurt and one that quickly morphed into bliss.

Once his length filled me completely, he stopped. "Are you okay?"

I loved him for asking, for putting my comfort above his desires.

I nodded. Kissing him, I wrapped my legs around his waist. I used my ankles to push him deeper inside me than I thought possible.

He rocked his hips, sending thrills of erotic satisfaction up through my stomach and down to my toes. His breathing changed to uneven gasps, and he lost all rhythm in his thrusts.

I bit down on his earlobe as his cries marked his release.

"I love you, too," I whispered as he peppered light kisses on my neck.

"You better, Miss Trenton. Otherwise, I'm ruined."