Chapter 914 – Love Yourself First

For a few seconds neither of them spoke.

Lux closed his eyes briefly.

Then opened them again.

Those eyes looked calmer now.

Less incubus.

More Lux.

The difference was subtle, but Ariel was starting to notice it.

The incubus was temptation.

Lux was the man underneath it.

And somehow she was beginning to fall harder for the second one. "Love yourself first."

Ariel blinked.

Lux’s thumb brushed gently against her cheek.

"When you’re okay..." he said softly. "When you’re ready..."

His hand slid into her hair.

Warm fingers combing through damp strands.

"You’ll know."

The touch made her chest ache.

Not from sadness.

Something else.

Something softer.

Hope maybe.

"You make it sound easy."

Lux laughed quietly. "It absolutely isn’t."

"Then why say it like that?"

"Because complicated answers are annoying before breakfast."

Ariel snorted. "There he is."

"There who is?"

"The CEO."

"CFO."

"Same thing."

Lux looked offended. "Genuinely insulting."

Ariel laughed again.

It felt good.

The conversation wasn’t heavy anymore.

It wasn’t painful.

Just... comfortable.

Lux continued smoothing her hair back. "If you need anything..." His gaze softened. "Tell me." The certainty in his voice made her heart flutter. "Or tell the servants."

Ariel smiled.

Lux leaned forward one last time and pressed a brief kiss against her forehead.

Simple.

Gentle.

Then he pulled away.

And stood.

The movement drew Ariel’s eyes upward automatically.

Well.

There was the problem.

Lux looked unfair.

Completely unfair.

Water slid down his chest and shoulders. His wings were soaked now, droplets fell back into the pool.

Somehow the wet wings made him look even more dangerous.

Like some fallen celestial who accidentally wandered into the wrong mythology.

Ariel hated how attractive that was.

Actually hated it.

Because her heart immediately started doing stupid things again.

Lux stretched slightly.

The movement shifted muscle beneath wet skin.

Ariel looked away.

Then looked back.

Then immediately regretted looking back.

This was impossible.

The worst part?

Lux seemed completely comfortable.

No embarrassment.

No awkwardness.

Just pure confidence.

The kind of confidence that came from being Lux Vaelthorn.

He wasn’t showing off.

Then Ariel noticed something strange.

Despite being completely unconcerned about his own nudity most of the time, Lux’s wings kept shifting slightly.

Covering.

Not completely.

Just enough.

Almost instinctively.

Ariel frowned.

Was he trying to dry them?

Hide behind them?

Protect some remaining dignity?

She genuinely couldn’t tell.

And unfortunately her curiosity immediately became a problem.

Because every time the wings moved she found herself looking.

Then looking away.

Then looking back.

Like an idiot.

The only thing consistently visible was the sharp V-shape of his lower abdomen disappearing downward.

And somehow that was already enough to make her overthink everything.

Ariel immediately sank deeper into the water.

Nope.

Nope.

Absolutely not.

She refused to analyze whatever thoughts were happening inside her brain right now.

Unfortunately her brain ignored her.

A memory surfaced.

Yue’s voice.

Ancient mermaids.

Breeding seasons.

Kidnapping men.

Ariel nearly drowned from embarrassment. "Oh no."

Lux glanced over his shoulder. "Hm?"

"Nothing!"

The answer came much too quickly.

Lux narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Then smiled.

Dangerous.

He knew.

He absolutely knew.

The bastard.

But thankfully he didn’t comment.

Instead, he simply turned toward the mansion.

Water dripped from his wings onto the marble floor.

Morning light followed him.

And Ariel watched him go.

Her heart beating faster than it had any right to.

Because that was the strange thing.

The really strange thing.

She was naked.

He was naked.

He was an incubus.

An incubus.

The literal son of Lust.

They’d been alone in a pool.

At dawn.

After a night like that.

And if Lux had wanted to push things further? 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She honestly wasn’t sure she would’ve stopped him.

That realization alone should’ve terrified her.

Instead it just made her more confused.

Because he didn’t.

Not even once.

He teased her.

Flirted with her.

Touched her cheek.

Played with her hair.

Kissed her.

Looked at her like she was beautiful.

And then...

Nothing.

No pressure.

No manipulation.

Just a kiss.

Just patience.

Ariel stared at his retreating back.

The wet wings.

The tail swaying lazily behind him.

The confidence.

The ridiculous beauty.

The impossible restraint.

Most men would’ve tried something.

Especially in that situation.

Especially after everything.

Yet Lux simply gave her space.

Time.

Choice.

The thing Yue had said suddenly came back to her.

Not ready.

Ariel had hated hearing it.

Now?

Floating alone in the quiet morning water while watching Lux disappear back into the mansion...

She finally understood.

Meanwhile, Lux was discovering that understanding people was significantly easier than understanding himself.

The incubus walked through the quiet hallways of the mansion with wet wings trailing faint droplets across polished marble floors. Most of the household was still asleep after the previous night’s chaos.

Or unconscious.

With this group, the distinction mattered.

Lux rubbed the back of his neck.

"This is ironic."

The words echoed softly through the empty corridor.

Because from the outside?

He looked perfectly calm.

As usual.

Lux Vaelthorn. Hell’s CFO. Son of Greed and Lust. The man who negotiated infernal treaties and stared down kings.

Composed.

Collected.

Dangerously confident.

Inside?

Not so much.

His conversation with Ariel replayed in his head.

The kiss.

The way she’d looked at him.

The vulnerability.

The trust.

The hope.

That was the dangerous part.

Not desire.

Hope.

Hope always terrified him more.

Lux exhaled slowly.

Maybe a shower.

Maybe coffee.

Maybe several gallons of coffee.

Maybe a strategic retreat to his chamber.

A solid plan.

A reasonable plan.

Unfortunately, the universe hated reasonable plans.

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Running away already?"

Lux stopped.

Slowly turned.

And immediately regretted it.

Fiera stood at the end of the hallway.

Arms crossed.

Smug.

Entirely too smug.

The fox girl looked far too awake for this hour.

Lux narrowed his eyes.

She started walking toward him.

Slowly.

Like a predator that had found something entertaining.

Lux sighed.

"Good morning, Fiera."

"Morning."

She stopped in front of him.

Then immediately grinned.

Lux’s expression flattened. "No."

"Oh yes."

"No."

Fiera looked delighted.