Irresistibly, Irrevocably, Irresponsibly In Love

Chapter 1 - Lucien

There he was. Tamlin. Big and magnificent, his canines gleaming in the sunlight. I wanted him to sink them into my neck and growl in my ear. My heart thundered in my chest and I wanted more than anything to leap onto him and feel his tight muscles, so I took me too long to see that he wasn't alone.

A human girl was standing next to him. She had long brown hair and a misshapen nose. Her face was oddly out of proportion, like she was a potato. Her skin was yellow and sickly and looked like it could peel off at any moment.She looked like a witch and something else that I can't mention, but it rhymes.

"Her name is Feyre," Tamlin said, looking over at her.

What a stupid name, I thought. It doesn't even make phonetic sense. But I refrained from pointing that out, instead choosing to bare my teeth at her in a poor impression of a smile.

"Charmed. I'm Lucien."

My voice broke as I introduced myself and Tamlin's gaze refocused on me with a questioning look in his eyes. I scolded myself for giving anything away, even if it was just through the cracking of my voice. Was I making my attraction to him too obvious?

I had tried to bury my affections for Tamlin into the wretched remains of my heart but after so many years of unrequited love, I couldn't keep it in any longer. Now everytime he came into the room, my heart swelled so much it threatened to suffocate me. Unfortunately, today his soft pink lips glistened and I could see soft tendrils of sweat slowly making their way down his muscular arms. It took all the willpower I had not to jump him.

This court had been thrown into turmoil after Amarantha had made us all wear these slightly inconvenient masks, and my love for Tamlin had been the only thing I was sure of. Of that fact I was certain. That I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

I was jolted from my dangerous thoughts by footsteps.

"Hey Alis," Tamlin said, his tone velvety and smooth.

"Actually, it's Alice now. A-L-I-C-E. I realised the old spelling didn't make sense," Alice replied.

I thought about pointing out that even the old spelling had been less stupid than Feyre's name, but I refrained for fear of sounding mean in front of my eternal love. My main goal in life was to impress him, to make him see me as an equal even if he didn't love me back.

"Alice will get you washed up, Feyre," Tamlin said in that endlessly perfect voice of his. Was I just imagining affection in his eyes as he looked at Feyre? I tried to ignore the sharp jealousy that twanged in my chest at the thought, instead focusing on Feyre as she plodded out of the room.

The moment she was gone, I turned to Tamlin.

"Are you mad? We can't let her stay here. She has to go! Or we could kill her. I've always wanted to defenestrate someone," I said, imagining the satisfying thud as I threw her out of the nearest window.

"No. Until we come up with a plan, she stays," said Tamlin, and I was powerless to argue against his majestic face.

"Ok. See you at dinner."

I walked out of the room, refusing to let myself glance back.