Luk grinned smugly at me, but out of the corner of my eye I saw another figure strolling into the room, a beefcake of a man who stripped off his T-shirt. He made his way over to some bars to do pull-ups on the far wall.
Luk’s attention went to him, breaking off of me. It was all I needed.
Sliding one arm up and over to the other side of my head, the move twisted his body off center. Ramming up my legs, I used every drop of caffeine pumping in my veins and swung my hips over. Luk flipped like a pancake, a huff coughing from his lungs as I leaped on top of him. I sunk my elbow into his neck, his Adam’s apple bobbing underneath the sharp bone digging into his throat.
“How’s that ego now?” My lips puckered with self-satisfaction.
Grabbing my hips, he tossed me over as if I weighed nothing, my ass hitting with a smack, making him howl with laughter.
“About as bruised as your tailbone.”
“Asshole.”
He let out another chuckle, groaning as he got up, rubbing at his side where I hit him. “Damn, you’ve got a mean punch.”
“I wasn’t raised to play with dolls.” I smirked.
He reached down for me, pulling me up to my feet.
“Good way to get the blood moving in the morning,” he replied, rolling his shoulders and stepping back. It was so subtle I almost missed it, but I saw his gaze dart to the guy working out, then back down. Looking over my shoulder at the ripped man, I realized it was Tracker, the one who led the group to retrieve me. The one I kicked in the face.
My attention returned to Luk, and I was expecting to see male testosterone. Maybe a hint of jealousy or rivalry between them. But the way Luk shot quick glances didn’t feel like hatred.
I stared at Luk for a while, my arms folding.
“Why do I feel no pair of tits in the world would trip you up?” I looked at Tracker doing pull-ups, his back muscles flexing under his bronze skin. He was young, hot, and had a body most would want to worship. “He’s really hot.”
Luk snorted. “Surprised?”
“A little,” I replied honestly. It was not just because of how I grew up. We knew there were gay people in Leopold. I had caught a few in compromising positions over time in HDF, soldiers and nobles, but we never talked about it there. Never bought into the gossip papers. It didn’t exist. The skeletons stayed in the closet.
It was also because Lukas didn’t fit the “norm” of what you thought. He was the sexy, manly superhero. Every girl’s fantasy.
“Well, let’s say I’m the worst of the worst. Not only am I gay, but I’m also a half-breed.” Luk swiped two towels off the shelf, tossing me one as he rubbed the cloth over his neck and face. “I’m what the pure human nationalists call the trifecta of depravity. Gay, half-breed, and a progressive radical.” He held out his arms, defensiveness in his stance.
“Then that makes you the trifecta of perfection in my book.” I shrugged, patting at the sweat dripping down my chest.
“Really?” A grin grew up the side of his mouth.
“Open-minded, wants this world a better place, hot as hell, but I don’t have to worry about you hitting on me.” I sighed dreamily. “I think I found my perfect man. You sure you won’t marry me?”
Luk let out a laugh.
“You comfortable with letting other men into the bedroom?”
“Hell yeah.”
His chest shook as he moved to me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders.
“Think I finally found the perfect woman. My father can finally lay at peace in his grave.”
“He didn’t accept it?” I turned my face up to him. I already felt close to Luk. I had known him less than an hour, and I already felt nearer to him than people I had known all my life at HDF.
Luk shrugged, dropping his arm. “It wasn’t that. I think he knew, but we never talked about it. He was human, and he understood how hard it was out there being a mixed-breed kid. He didn’t want more struggles for me, you know?”
“Yeah.” I nodded, understanding how cruel this world was. Though the Fae side might be prejudiced against half-breeds, they weren’t when it came to sex and your preference. They were commonly known to be very open to sex with either male or female—to the disgust of closed-minded humans.
My father spoke of times when things had been changing—freedoms over who you were, loved, and married, were becoming more widely accepted. Then the barrier fell and humans tucked back into their dark corners again, becoming even more purist and uptight, which made them angrier and crueler. It was easy to judge and rip apart someone else, choosing hate over love. We were all constantly looking over our shoulders and no one could be trusted.
“Wait.” I tipped my head, confusion twitching my eye. “Your father was human?” That meant his mother was fae. A lover of the human prime minister. The one in league with Istvan to fight against the fae.
“I’m confused.”
“Tell me about it.” Luk rubbed his nose. “Seems the purity thing only matters if you are a commoner. People know she’s Seelie, old noble blood, but it’s just not talked about, or when it is, it’s used to show he’s not prejudiced against fae. How can he be if he sleeps with one, and together they can build the bridge between the sides to peace while he’s doing everything opposite?” Luk’s voice sounded strangled. “Neither my mother nor Leon cares about anything but power. Not fae or human. They don’t care who suffers or dies, as long as they stay in command. But people buy his bullshit, while he paints us the extremists who need to be squashed and killed when we’re the ones who really want justice and rights for all.”
“Damn.” I blew out in surprise. By looking at Luk, you’d never know how fucked up his past and family life were. He was the straight link to the human leader of Prague, and I was the direct link to the human leader of Budapest.
Both joining the progressive side. We were a pair. Kindred spirits, in a way.
Tracker grunted loudly, dropping from the pull-up bar, our attention darting back to him. His eyes met ours for a moment, annoyance creasing his face when his gaze fell on me before he flipped back around, grabbing ropes to pummel into the ground.
“Still stings that you laid him out first.” Luk leaned over to me, talking low.
I folded my arms with a humph. “Don’t tell me... he doesn’t think women are worthy challengers?”
“He’s human,” Luk replied, nudging me playfully, all the heavy stuff we were talking about dropping away. “We all have our faults.”
“Hey.” I punched his arm. “I’m human.” Though the words felt strange on my tongue. A lie.
“I think he suffers from massive fae-envy. Overcompensates.” Luk winked at me. “He wants to be the best out of anyone, including fae, and his ego believes himself to be.”
“Too bad the role is already taken.” I nudged him back.
“I don’t want to sleep with you, but damn, I think I love you,” he teased.
“So?” I lifted an eyebrow, wiggling them at Tracker.
Luk guffawed. “He’s as straight as they come. He and Ava are basically fuck buddies, which doesn’t mean a guy can’t dream.” He gave me a look, suggesting it was more than dreaming he did with Tracker’s image. “Even if he is an insufferable asshole.”