MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

38. ARIANA: CHILDHOOD

Lucas's upper back was covered in white scars of all sizes. He had some on his lower back too but it wasn't a lot.

Lifting a shaky hand, I pressed it to his still warm skin. Some of the scars were still raised, making me wonder how deep it used to be and how long it took to heal. He must've been in a lot of pain.

I swallowed.

How had he gotten them? Who had taken care of him as his wounds healed? Had it hurt very badly?

My hands stilled when I spotted something else on his shoulder blade underneath the scars. I pushed myself up onto an elbow and leaned closer to get a better look.

It looked like a birthmark of about three inches in size. The outside lines were shaped in such a way that it formed a bat with its wings stretched while there was a small heart on the inside. My lips twitched.

A little bat with a heart.

But my smile faded and my brows dipped into a frown when I remembered that it wasn't the first time I had seen something like it.

It was in one of the books in Dad's library at home. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember what it meant.

Pushing the thoughts away, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to one scar.

Lucas stirred.

I slipped my hand down his back as I pressed another kiss to his skin. .

"Ariana?" he croaked.

I pulled back to look down at him.

He blinked sleepy eyes at me and then frowned. Lucas suddenly tensed and jerked upright. Panic-filled eyes darted around the room as his fingers clutched at the sheets.

"Hey." I scooted closer and reached out to press a hand against his chest. "It's okay."

Lucas's eyes snapped to mine. He blinked once, twice, and then he slowly relaxed. Frowning, he reached out to grip the back of his neck and pull my face closer to his.

The kiss he gave me was unexpected but not something I could complain about. By the time it ended, I was breathless and aching to have him inside my body again.

"Morning," Lucas rasped against my lips. "What time is it?"

I licked my lips. "I don't know."

I raised an eyebrow when Lucas laid back down on his stomach. A low moan fell from his lips as he dropped his head onto the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I questioned him.

His eyes opened and locked on me. "Just have a headache."

My eyes darted over to the door and then back down to him. Lucas had closed his eyes again and it looked like he was already half asleep.

"D-do you want me to go get you something for your headache?" I asked him even though leaving the bedroom was the last thing I wanted to do.

"No, I'm fine, doll." His lips curled up into a smile. "Come lie with me."

I laid down on my side and scooted closer until my legs brushed his. My eyes darted over his face. They lingered on his parted lips that were swollen from our kiss a few seconds ago, before dropping to trail over his body.

The sheet was tangled at his feet, leaving most of his body exposed.

"You're allowed to look at me, but I'm not allowed to look at you?"

Colour flooded my cheeks but I didn't look away. "I wasn't sure how you would react to my scars," I told him.

When my eyes finally reached his face, I found him studying me intently.