The Omega Who Wasn't Supposed to Exist

[Rynthall Estate—Silas’s Chambers]

Lucien’s head throbbed like someone had whacked him with a lute and then politely asked him to sing opera in soprano. Every muscle in his body ached, as though the entire dream had physically sat on him, eaten three full-course meals, and left behind emotional glitter.

And Silas... Silas was still hugging him. Very tightly.

"...Can’t... breathe..." Lucien wheezed into his collarbone. "You’re hugging me like a starving man clutching carbs at a clearance sale."

Silas didn’t let go.

Lucien’s fingers twitched. "I get that you missed me, but unless you’re planning to squeeze me into a smoothie, I would like... a little bit of lung function?"

Silas loosened the hug just enough for Lucien to suck in a breath like a dying cactus given rain.

Silas looked into his eyes, not enough to let go. "I thought I lost you," he whispered, his voice raw. "You were gone, Lucien. For ten days. Ten."

Lucien stared.

Blink.

Blink.