She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 104

Loyce’s gaze flickered for a moment. She collected herself and picked up the syringe glowing with the faint blue serum. Its needle glinted under the lights. She walked to the tub and crouched down, her eyes finding the pulsating vein on the side of Lucian’s neck.

“This is going to hurt,” she warned softly, her fingers gently pressing against his skin.

Suddenly, he raised a hand and caught her wrist just as she was about to insert the needle. He turned his head to face her. “I’ve never been afraid of pain, but that last high-purity dose… it left me in a rather undignified state.”

Privately, he didn’t want to show that vulnerable, broken side of himself in front of her again.

Loyce met Lucian’s intense gaze. The frigid water around them seemed to warm from his body heat, creating an unusual atmosphere.

“It will be worse than last time,” she said, her voice softening slightly. “This is neural nourishment. Every nerve in your body will react.”

She paused. “You have to withstand it. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

The sincerity in her voice, so unlike her usual sharp demeanor, was disarming.

“With the miracle doctor’s assurance, I feel much better.” Lucian released her wrist and turned his head away. “Go ahead.”

The moment the needle pierced his skin, Lucian’s muscles tensed violently. Loyce could feel the rapid acceleration of his pulse beneath her fingers as the muscles in his neck drew taut.

As her thumb pressed a specific point below his shoulder blade, Lucian let out a muffled groan and seized her wrist.

Loyce looked up and met his eyes, which were wet with pain. Those irises, usually so distant and commanding, were now veiled in a layer of moisture, making him look surprisingly vulnerable.

“Don’t… touch there,” he rasped, his voice hoarse, though his grip on her wrist remained firm, his heat seeping into her skin.

Loyce didn’t pull away. Instead, she used her other hand to continue massaging his tense neck. “What about here? Does this hurt too?”

Lucian shook his head, droplets of water falling from his eyelashes. His breathing began to even out, but he made no move to release her hand. The water rippled between them, casting shifting patterns of light across his chiseled features.