Indeed, you are. [ And perhaps he ought to break Eridanus under his heel, to remind him of just where a Champion's place lies beneath the man he serves. The sight of Eridanus proud and unbowed stirs something within his blood; the familiar intermingling of lust for blood and desire for him fills his mouth with its taste, its intoxicating flavor all the more potent for the fact that this moment is no flirtatious duel. His tongue slithers between his teeth and licks over his lips, and with Eridanus drawn so close, Lucius cannot stop the way one of his clawed hands lifts in answer.

Even in this facsimile of his original flesh, its claws cannot pass easily through the stone of Eridanus' skin. His touch bears down hard as fingers settle against the back of his neck, and perhaps Lucius will just have to content himself with the welting of unbroken skin as his touch drags itself upward with the thirst to gouge meat from bone. ]

That is why you should already understand how indispensable you are. [ His fingers bear along the opal that encases his consort's jaw, even with no skin there to claw at all. ] There are fates worse than death, my dear, beloved Archmage. What I chose was the best way to protect us both from that reality.

[ His thumb slots beneath Eridanus' chin, holding his jaw tight within the crook of his palm. ] Try to think as I do, Eridanus — as a man for whom death has meant nothing for ten-thousand years. Can you not see the calculation behind my blade?