The Vampire's Luna

"It gets worse, your majesty," Talon said.

Talon stood ramrod straight but even he couldn’t hide the discomfort in his eyes. He didn’t want to say it. She could see it in the way his jaw ticked, the way he glanced at the ground before continuing. Luna narrowed her eyes.

"Maelis..." Talon had barely finished when Damien breezed out of the room.

Damien was gone in a blink—gone in the blur of raw power and speed that only a true blood vampire could wield. One second he was standing at Luna’s side, the next he was a streak of shadow hurtling down the hall with deadly purpose. The air in the room rushed after him, curtains fluttering, paper flying, the scent of fury left in his wake.

"He’s gonna kill him! Damn true blood speed," Luna said, feeling a slash of pain in her lower abdomen as she ran after Damien although he was already far gone.

She winced, her hand flying to her side. The sharp, sudden jolt of pain nearly brought her to her knees—but she pushed through it, legs moving before her mind caught up. Her mate was enraged. That was dangerous.

"It’s not his fault," Talon said as he hurried after her. "His old mother, human, is being threatened. She lives in the human territory."

"Oh my Goddess..."

They found Damien on the top floor of the castle, with Maelis dangling in the air, a long way off from the ground floor.

Maelis’s feet kicked desperately above the floor.

All he could do was make soft, strangled sounds.

Damien’s fangs were bared. His eyes were blazing red with bloodlust. He was terrifying.

And barely holding on to reason.

"You betray me!" Damien boomed.

But Maelis couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe.

His mouth worked around the gag of Damien’s grip. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Whether it was fear or regret, Luna couldn’t tell.

She moved carefully toward Damien, her hand gently touching his arm.

"Damien..." Luna said gently. "You cannot do this. The only thing it will do is spook Gabriel."

"It will give me the satisfaction of snapping his head out of his body."

She stepped closer, her hand curling around his wrist, her lips just inches from his ear.

"Damien... please." Her palm pressed lightly against her aching stomach. "It’s not his fault. Gabriel has his mother under watch."

Damien’s blood-red irises flickered to Luna. A war raged behind his eyes. He turned his head away briefly, jaw tight, fangs slightly exposed.

Maelis was turning blue now.

Then, slowly, Damien’s hand unclenched. With a grunt of frustration, he flung Maelis to the floor. The man crumpled at his feet, gasping and gagging, his chest rising in painful, desperate heaves.

"Start talking," Damien snapped.

Maelis coughed, spit. "All he wanted to know... was who goes in and out of here. It started just after Royal Concubine Seliora’s trial."

That trial had been months ago, and Seliora’s disgrace had shaken the upper courts of Blood City. Gabriel hadn’t wasted a single second to start plotting in the shadows. How many others had he turned?

"Your Highness..." a hesitant voice echoed from behind them.

Everyone turned. One of the guards from the palace’s front gate stood nervously in the doorway, his face pale with unease. "The Council Guards are here... for Her Highness."

Luna’s eyes met Damien’s. A thousand things passed in that glance. The fear of what lay ahead.

She squared her shoulders, face softening as she turned to Talon. "Get to Alpha Kyllian. Let him know what you found out. Don’t delay."

Talon gave a single nod, his eyes still flicking to Maelis, who remained crumpled on the floor, whimpering. "Yes, Your Majesty." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

She turned back to Damien, reaching for his hand. His palm engulfed hers, warm and calloused and trembling ever so slightly. "Get people you trust to safeguard the dungeon. No one gets in or out without your say-so."

"I’m coming with you." His voice left no room for argument. He stepped closer. "I don’t care what they say. I’ll be by your side."

Luna reached up and cupped his cheek. "I want you there, Damien. I need you there. But if you come in with me, they’ll turn this against us. This is what Gabriel wants. You must remain the king in this moment."

******

Damien arrived at the council gates with Luna. He didn’t flinch as the guards stepped forward.

"Your Highness, you cannot be present during the proceedings," one of them said, lowering his eyes out of respect.

Damien took a dangerous step forward. Fury radiated from him in heated waves. His fangs threatened to drop. The primal part of him wanted to rip through every law, every ancient rule.

But Luna’s hand shot out, firm yet trembling, pressing against his chest.

"You of all people," she said, "need to respect the laws."

Her palm splayed against his body. He could feel her heartbeat through it. She looked up at him.

"Just go take care of what I said earlier," she added. "I can handle myself."

He hated this.

The ache in her lower abdomen had worsened. But she swallowed her fear. The council would sense weakness and she couldn’t afford that.

Later. She would get through this, then call Doctor Thessa. She just had to hold on.

Damien’s muscles clenched beneath her touch, but he knew better than to fight her when she took that tone. He had fallen in love with that strength, even when it maddened him. Slowly, he stepped back.

The council doors groaned open, swallowing Luna into the chamber.

Damien turned instantly, fangs clenched, his fury simmering just beneath his skin.

He was done letting things play out.

Maybe Blood City didn’t need the kind of king his father had been—cunning, diplomatic, endlessly patient.

Maybe it was time for brutality. For fire and blood.

The halls blurred past him as he stormed back toward the palace. Every guard he passed stiffened. They could smell the shift in him. The king was on the edge, and gods help anyone who stood in his way.

(Good news to fans of Defying the Rogue Alpha. The spin off is now available. Beta Kade’s Little Human)