Felicity's Beast World Apocalypse-Chapter 140: Beast Husband #5?

Victor answered without hesitation.

"A beast husband," he said. His voice stayed level, almost casual, which somehow made the words hit harder "if she accepts."

The room stopped.

Felicity released Victor so fast it almost looked like she had been burned her fingers slipped from his shirt. Her breath caught halfway into her lungs and refused to go any farther. She stared at him first, then at Lucan, then back again like she had misheard something so thoroughly her mind was trying to put the sentence back together in a different shape.

"A what?"

Ivan made a strangled sound that was one bad decision away from becoming a laugh. Damien dragged a hand down his face. Voss went completely still. Even Lucan’s expression changed, though only slightly. Something sharpened in his eyes. Something darker. More focused.

Victor did not take it back he only looked at her "If you accept," he repeated.

That was what spun her out.

Not the words by themselves. Not even the absolute insanity of Victor saying them out loud in a room full of men who all understood exactly what he meant. It was the if, the calm certainty that it was hers to decide. The way he said it like the structure of the world had already shifted and all that remained was whether she would step into it.

Heat rushed up her neck so fast it made her dizzy, she looked at Lucan again.

He was already looking at her that was worse so much worse.

His silver eyes were steady on her face, unreadable to anyone who did not know him well, but she knew enough now to feel the force of his attention. He wasn’t crowding her. He wasn’t reaching for her, he was simply standing there with that impossible stillness of his while the meaning of Victor’s words settled over the room like a blade laid gently across silk.

Felicity’s brain stopped being useful she made a small, helpless sound, released the last of her grip on Victor completely, and crossed the distance to Lucan in one impulsive motion.

Then she dove straight into his chest, Lucan caught her automatically of course he did. His arms came around her with immediate certainty, one hand firm at her waist, the other spreading across her back as if he had expected impact and welcomed it. The shift in his posture was subtle but devastating, his whole body changed around her. Broadened. Anchored. Claimed nothing aloud and still managed to make the room feel like it belonged to the shape of his hold.

Felicity buried her face against him, half hiding and half clinging, cheeks burning so hot she was certain every person in the room could see it.

Behind her, Ivan finally let out the laugh he had been trying to stop "oh, that is evil," he said to Victor, sounding almost impressed. "You dropped that on her like you were discussing the weather."

Damien muttered something low and venomous under his breath.

Voss’s gaze flicked from Lucan’s hands to Victor’s face. "Subtle," he said.

Victor looked entirely unbothered. "No one here has ever required subtlety."

Felicity made an offended noise into Lucan’s shirt without lifting her head.

Lucan’s chest moved once beneath her cheek, not laughter just close.

When he spoke, his voice was low enough that it felt like it belonged to the space directly around her body "you alright, sweetie?"

That did not help.

She pressed her face more firmly into his chest and shook her head once, mortified and overwhelmed and far too aware of the way every man in the room was still standing there watching this unfold "no," she mumbled.

Lucan’s hand moved slowly up and down her back in one grounding pass, the gesture was almost unbearably calm "mm," he said.

She could feel the faint vibration of it through his chest. She risked one glance upward, just enough to see his face that was a mistake.

He was looking down at her with that same quiet, intent expression that always made it impossible to remember what she had meant to say, not smug or teasing just deeply, terribly attentive.

Felicity’s blush deepened.

Victor watched all of it without interruption, that was somehow more destabilizing than if he had stepped in.

Lucan lifted his gaze from her then, looking across the room at Victor while still holding her exactly where she had thrown herself "and if she doesn’t?"

Victor’s answer came just as smoothly "then you wait."

That landed differently.

The room absorbed it in silence.

Ivan leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "That’s somehow worse."

"It’s better," Voss said.

Damien looked unconvinced. "Debatable."

Felicity finally turned her head enough to look back toward Victor from where she was still tucked against Lucan. Her expression was dazed, suspicious, and faintly accusing all at once "you can’t just say things like that."

Victor’s mouth moved in the slightest approximation of amusement "I just did."

She stared at him.

Then at Lucan.

Then at the rest of the room, as if maybe one of them would tell her this had all become normal while she was busy panicking.

No one did.

Ivan, traitor that he was, looked delighted.

Damien looked like he wanted to object to the universe itself.

Voss had gone quiet in the way he did when he was thinking too much.

And Lucan, well he was still holding her, being the pillar she needed, steady and warm, still looking like the phrase beast husband had done something deep and irreversible to the shape of the room.

Felicity shut her eyes for one second then she opened them and looked up at him again, because apparently her body had abandoned self preservation entirely.

His gaze dropped immediately to meet hers.

That softened something in her against her will, her fingers curled tighter into the front of his shirt.

He noticed of course he noticed "what’s up, sweetie?" he asked quietly.

She stared at him for another half second, utterly aware now of every heartbeat in her body, every eye in the room, every impossible implication hanging in the air then she gave up on dignity, completely "You don’t have to stay... but I’d rather you did." She buried her face in his chest again and hugged him harder.

Lucan’s arms tightened around her without hesitation, one hand spreading slowly across the middle of her back while the other settled firmly at her waist. He held her easily, like the sudden weight of her leaning into him had been expected all along, a low vibration rolled through his chest not quite a growl, not quite a hum but a warm, unmistakable purr. The sound slipped out of him before he even tried to stop it deep, content and almost dangerously pleased.

It rumbled right through her where her cheek was pressed against him Felicity froze. Her shoulders stiffened slightly like her brain had tripped over the noise and didn’t know what to do with it.

Lucan had become extremely interested in the girl currently clinging to his shirt like she intended to fuse with it, his hand slid slowly up her back, not hurried or hesitant just deliberate. When it reached her shoulder, he let his fingers drift higher until two of them hooked gently beneath her chin, he tipped her face upward, slowly an carefully, like he was lifting something fragile.

Felicity let out a tiny startled breath when her face tilted back. Her hands were still gripping the front of his shirt, knuckles faintly white where she held on, her eyes were slightly red, glassy and bright, she looked up at him "you act like I’m already part of you." she mumbled.

Lucan looked down at her and then he did something deeply unfair his mouth curved slightly, not smug. Just that quiet, devastating sort of amusement that only appeared when he was focused entirely on her, another soft purr vibrated in his chest, then he tilted his head slightly and murmured, "hmmm?" thats it nothing else.

Felicity’s entire face went pink again, her lower lip pushed forward in a miserable little pout while her eyes stayed suspiciously damp. She sniffled softly and looked like she was trying extremely hard to stay annoyed with him and failing in real time, her voice came out small. "...If you want to..." another sniffle, then she squeezed his shirt again "...yes."

For half a second the room stayed perfectly still then Ivan chuckled "cute."

Damien huffed a quiet laugh despite himself.

Voss exhaled through his nose.

Victor said nothing, but his gaze had sharpened slightly.

Lucan heard none of it, because the moment she said yes something inside his head did something catastrophic, his brain shut down. Completely.

Then restarted.

All Lucan could think at that moment was that he finally made it, Lucan had owned cities, controlled companies that moved billions across oceans. Men had bent under the weight of his decisions. Governments had negotiated with him. None of that had ever made his pulse do this, his arms tightened slightly around her.

Mine.

The word arrived in his mind with such absolute certainty that it startled him, not desire, nor interest, ownership? no not that not ownership. Something worse something that felt deeper.

Possession.

His panther purred beneath his skin, heavy and pleased, like a predator finally resting its paw over something it had hunted for a very long time, how had she survived this long without him? The thought disturbed him more than it should have Lucan lowered his head slightly, breathing her in, her scent curled into his lungs and settled there like a brand, with exactly one priority. His hand slid from her chin to cradle the side of her jaw his other arm tightened instinctively around her waist, pulling her just a little closer without thinking about it, his gaze dropped to her mouth.

Felicity barely had time to realize what he was doing.

Then Lucan kissed her, not hesitant and in no way careful. He captured her lips in a kiss that was warm and immediate and very clearly the result of someone whose restraint had just collapsed completely. He grabbed a fist full of her ass with one hand and the other clawed carefully through her hair.

Felicity made a small startled sound against his mouth, fingers bunching tighter in the front of his shirt, now reaching up to go around his neck pulling her self closer.

Behind them Ivan leaned back in his chair and clapped once.

Damien dragged a hand down his face, and hissed loudly.

Voss watched the two of them with a long, unreadable look.

Victor remained very still.

Lucan, meanwhile, had absolutely no intention of letting go any time soon.