Chapter 31 - Who He Is

It seemed that, finally, she had a moment of peace. 

It was ironic, actually. She had never felt safe these past few days. 

Not at the cabin, where the thought of her father finding her occupied her nights and a faint anxiety that her hideout had been found suffusing her days. 

Yet to find peace with Lucian of all people. 

What a joke. 

The moment of peace didn’t last long. A soft knock on the door startled her, but before she could respond, Lucian pushed it open. 

He leaned casually against the doorframe, holding a deck of cards she’d noticed earlier in the living room. 

He had changed as well, now wearing a plain white t-shirt that clung to his lean frame and a pair of dark gray sweatpants that looked oddly casual on him. 

Lucian's hair was damp, suggesting he had showered as well, and the sharp demeanor he usually exuded seemed to have softened.

“Didn’t think you’d wait for permission?” Ayra said dryly, eyeing him.

Lucian gave a soft smile, holding up the cards and shaking them. “Thought you could use a distraction. You up to play?”

She raised an eyebrow but found herself nodding. “Sure. Why not?”

Lucian sat on the edge of the bed and she hesitated before crossing the room and settling into the armchair opposite him. There was a small coffee table between them. 

Lucian shuffled the cards with an ease that made her suspicious. The soft snap of the deck filled the room, a strange but welcome sound against the otherwise quiet backdrop.

“Feel better?” he asked suddenly, glancing up from the deck of cards he was shuffling.

“A little,” Ayra replied. "It's just a scrape. Doesn't hurt too badly."

Ayra curled her legs beneath her, the oversized sweater swallowing her frame, and watched as Lucian deftly dealt the cards.

They started with a simple game of War, the rules so straightforward that it allowed Ayra’s mind to wander. 

Lucian played with an ease that belied the tension of their circumstances, his movements fluid as he flipped card after card.

“You’ve done this before, huh,” she muttered after losing the first round, watching as he laid down his cards with infuriating precision.

“Plenty,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug, leaning back on his hands. “Good way to kill time.”

By the third round, she managed a win—barely. Lucian chuckled under his breath, and Ayra found herself relaxing despite her reservations. Their conversation drifted from the game to random topics.

It was strange, hearing him laugh softly at one of her comments. Stranger still was how natural it felt. 

For the first time, she saw a glimpse of someone beyond the cold and unfeeling man who had dragged her into this mess.

Curiously, Ayra found herself hyper aware of every detail - the slight smile that played on his lips when he won a round, the way his fingers tapped lightly against the table as he waited for her to play. 

She felt a faint sense of deja vu, although she had no idea why. 

Ayra found herself laughing softly at one of Lucian’s dry remarks, the sound surprising even herself. It felt strange, almost wrong, to find levity in the midst of the chaos that had overtaken her life.

“You’re not what I expected,” she said suddenly, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Lucian raised an eyebrow. “What did you expect, exactly?”

She hesitated, unsure how to put it into words. “Colder. More… distant.”

His gaze softened, just a fraction. “I can be.”

“But not now,” she said quietly.

Lucian held her gaze for a moment, gave her a dry smile, then looked away, shuffling the cards again.

"Why don't we switch up the game? Know how to play Gin Rummy?" He asked. 

"Yes, but only vaguely," Ayra replied. 

They switched the game, but Lucian was a formidable player. Even after a dozen plus rounds, Ayra had won only a handful of times. 

“You’re terrible at this,” he remarked after a particularly devastating loss on her part.

“No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for stating the obvious,” Ayra shot back, though there was no real bite in her tone. 

She glanced at the dwindling stack of cards in her hand and sighed. “Why did you even suggest this?”

Lucian shrugged, his gaze briefly meeting hers. “You looked like you could use a distraction.”

Ayra didn’t respond immediately, her eyes dropping to the cards in her hands. For the first time in days, the knot in her chest loosened ever so slightly. 

“I guess I did,” she muttered. 

As the game progressed, their focus shifted from the cards to conversation. Ayra found herself asking questions she hadn’t planned to, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“How do you even know about places like this?” she asked, gesturing to the room around them. “I mean, safe houses? Underground hideouts? It’s like something out of a movie.”

Lucian chuckled, a low, warm sound that was a stark contrast to his usual curt tone. “Let’s just say I’ve lived a… Complicated life.”

Ayra raised an eyebrow. “That’s vague.”

“And intentional,” he replied, his smirk returning. He placed a card down, winning another round.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

Lucian leaned back. “What about you? I doubt running away was part of your life plan.”

Ayra hesitated, her fingers toying with the edge of a card, her heart in turmoil. “Not exactly,” she said. 

“But I guess I always knew… Deep down, that something wasn’t right. Especially with Lisbeth." She gave a light laugh. 

"You don't know, but Lisbeth is a right asshole. Always has been. I just didn’t expect it to unravel like... This.”

Lucian’s gaze remained steady, and for a moment, Ayra thought he might say something comforting. Instead, he simply nodded, as if to acknowledge her words without pity.

Ayra appreciated it. She had a bothersome pride that was rather selective and pity was one thing she didn't appreciate. 

Ayra hesitated, her hands twisting in her lap. "How can you be so calm?" she asked suddenly.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, studying her. "What do you mean?"

"You’ve been chasing me for days," she said, her voice rising with frustration. Frustration at who in particular she was unsure of. "You found me, saved me, and now you’re acting like none of it even matters. Like none of it was real."

The question had been nagging at her. Was she really worth it? From what she saw of the contract, most of the benefits of their marriage lay with her family. 

Ayra thought she saw his eyes soften. 

"It matters," he said simply, his voice still quiet. "But right now, what matters most is keeping you safe."

The sincerity in his words unnerved her. They didn’t match the cold, calculating man she’d been running from. The monster EVERYONE had told her was after her. 

Ayra yawned, trying to stifle it behind her hand, but Lucian noticed.

“Get some sleep,” he said. "It has been a hectic day."

“What about you?”

“I’ll keep watch for now.”

Reluctantly, she stood, lingering for a moment before heading to the bed. She glanced back once, catching him as he rose toward the door. 

“Lucian,” she said softly. “Thanks.”

He didn’t look up, but he nodded. That was enough.

For the first time in days, Ayra slid under the covers and felt safe enough to close her eyes.