Chapter 55 " You have your circle , and I have mine . Once we leave this bed , we're strangers again . " Valerie's voice was cool and measured . " Someday , if you want to bring another woman into this house , I'll make room . But first- " She leaned close , her breath brushing Lucius ' ear . " What happened tonight won't happen a second time . " Shoved aside , Lucius only laughed instead of getting angry . " Valerie , when I said I'd never fall in love with you , did that make you angry ? " She arched her brow . " And why should I be ? " " Because of Sonia , perhaps ? " Drunk though he was , Lucius hadn't lost all clarity . He knew how often Valerie had humiliated Sonia at The Golden Chalice . It wasn't just because of personal grudges - she held jealousy and resentment toward her younger sister . Valerie gave a sharp laugh . " That pathetic moron ? All she knows is pulling petty tricks behind my back . The only place she belongs is on her knees , at my feet , waiting for me to toy with her . What else does she have worth flaunting ? " If you enjoy rummaging in trash cans , Mr. White , that's your choice . But don't disgust me by dragging garbage into comparison with me . Jealous because of her ? Ask yourself if she's even worthy . " Her sheer arrogance oddly pleased him , if only for a moment . " Women are masters of saying one thing and meaning another , " Lucius drawled . " And men , " she shot back , " love using liquor as their excuse to do whatever they want . Later , they defend themselves with the same tired lines - I was drunk . I wasn't in control . " Lucius forced down the restless edge building inside him . " Val , you're young , but you seem to know a lot about men . " Valerie met his stare without a flicker of shame . " Of course I do . I've dealt with not hundreds but thousands of them . " The word hit harder than she likely intended . Whether it was the alcohol or his own temper , Lucius felt a heat rising in him that had nothing to do with desire . He refused to let her keep making a fool of him . Tossing out a curt , " See to yourself , " he stormed from the bedroom - though not before plucking Lucifer off her wrist and dragging Chapter 55 the serpent with him . He was like a sulking husband who couldn't win an argument and so stole their child instead . That night , Lucius kept Lucifer with him , forcing it to sleep with him in the study . 2/2 But by morning , he woke with no surprise at all to find himself once again tangled with Valerie in the same bed . He cursed the binding vow that shackled them , hating the trap it laid around his life . Yet , the arm locked around her soft waist betrayed the truth he refused to admit . With her warmth in his arms , what man wouldn't stir ? When Lucius opened his eyes , Valerie was already awake , though she didn't bother lifting her lashes . " If you're up , then move to the other side . " She nudged him with her foot and shoved at his hip , telling him to get lost and stop crowding her . No one knew what trick Magnus had pulled , but every time Valerie and Lucius fell asleep , the two of them would end up clinging tightly to each other . In the sweltering heat , wasn't he worried she'd break out in a rash ? Determined to draw the line , Valerie snatched the blanket and hugged it tightly to her chest . It was the weekend , so she planned to sleep until noon . But seeing her steal the blanket sparked a ridiculous flare of competitiveness in Lucius . He wasn't about to swallow that defeat . While she was dozing , he snatched the blanket from her arms . The moment she felt the emptiness in her embrace , her eyes snapped open at once , and before he could pull away , she grabbed it back . When it came to tug - of - war , Lucius had his own tactics - advance when the enemy retreated , and retreat when the enemy advanced . Valerie , amused and intrigued , countered with her own strategy - strike when least expected , and attack when unprepared . And so the two of them , full - grown adults , wrestled like children over a ridiculous blanket on the king - size bed . In the struggle , their hair came undone , and their buttons slipped open . They ended up looking utterly disheveled . In the end , Lucius relied on his sheer physical advantage to claim the spoils of victory . He never would have imagined he'd sink to something so childish and absurd . Chapter 56 1/2 Chapter 56