STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

Near the counter, Lyra poured coffee into mismatched mugs. She glanced up, her eyes scanning him, amusement flickering across her face. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Lucien opened his mouth to respond but faltered, taking her in.

She was nothing like the poised figure he had met at the exhibition center. Gone were the sleek minimalist dresses and delicate jewelry. Instead, she wore tight black jeans tucked into scuffed commando boots. A fitted sleeveless top hugged her frame, the thin straps revealing toned arms and faint smudges of paint that no amount of scrubbing had erased.

Her hair was pulled into a loose braid draped over her shoulder, strands escaping to frame her face in wild, dark waves.

Without the carefully curated image of the gallery, she looked...

Fierce. Wild. Like she belonged here in a way I never could.

A strange heat crept up his neck, and he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. “Uh... what time is it?”

Harun grinned, leaning back in his chair. “Almost noon. We thought about waking you, but Lyra insisted you needed the rest. ”

Lucien ’s brow furrowed as he glanced at her. “You checked on me?”

Lyra took a sip of her coffee, shrugging. “You looked like you hadn’t slept in years. Figured I ’d let you enjoy it while you could.”

There was something in her tone—not quite softness, but close enough. Lucien nodded, murmuring, “Thanks.”

The conversation around the table continued, but his gaze kept drifting back to her—the way she leaned against the counter, effortlessly confident, the way the braid over her shoulder swayed when she moved.

His stomach growled, breaking the moment.

Harun chuckled, tipping his mug toward Lucien. “Sounds like someone’s alignment is off. ”

The others smirked, but Lucien hardly noticed. Hunger gnawed at him, sharp and insistent, like it had been waiting for him to acknowledge it. “I’m starving. I don ’t think I’ve eaten properly in days.”

Lyra raised an eyebrow, setting down her mug. “You mean they don’t feed you at the Bureau? I thought AstroSYS made sure everyone was ‘perfectly balanced.’”

Lucien shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips despite himself. “They do. I just... haven’t been paying attention to my physical needs.” He hesitated. “Food’s... different there. It’s calculated. Precise.”

Lyra gestured toward the cabinet in the corner. “Bread, fruit, whatever

110