The Vampire's Luna

She couldn’t just walk away now.

"My son...My heir. My prince." Damien tilted the child slightly, his thumb gently stroking the swaddling fabric. Luna’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of her husband, this fearsome king, brought to his knees by a tiny bundle of life.

Her heart throbbed with tenderness, her entire body aching with love. This was the miracle neither of them thought they would live to see—proof of destiny, proof of survival, proof that love, theirs, could defy gods.

"Your Majesties," Thessa began. "I would like to ask a favour."

Damien turned toward Thessa, his son still secure in his arms, while Luna instinctively stepped closer, her hand brushing the baby’s cheek as if unwilling to part with even a fraction of the contact.

"I would like to be the heir’s personal doctor. I could come in once a week to check on him, ensure nothing lingers unseen." Her eyes darted between them.

"Are you worried about something?" Damien asked. His eyes lingered on Thessa, studying her.

Thessa shook her head quickly. "No, not really. I...I was present during his breaking," she confessed. The memory made her throat tighten; even speaking of it pressed against her ribs.

"It...it isn’t an experience I want to ever remember. I just want to be sure that he has no lasting effects." Her eyes flicked to the infant then back to the king and queen as if afraid she had revealed too much of herself.

Luna looked up at Damien, catching the furrow of his brow. She felt her own heart warm toward the doctor. She understood—too well—the need to make sure, even after the danger was past. Luna reached out, her fingers brushing Damien’s wrist in a silent request: hear her.

He glanced down at her touch, the storm in his eyes easing, and he gave a subtle nod in return.

"Did the order instruct you to keep a close eye on him too?" Damien asked then.

"That task is done, Your Highness." Thessa straightened. "My duty given by Sage Veyron was to make sure the heir is born healthy. This...this is for me." There was a raw honesty in that admission.

She needed this, to keep watch over the child who had shattered and been remade, as much for her own soul as for him.

Damien studied her for a long beat, then nodded. "Fine. You will be announced as the royal family’s doctor at council." He had elevated her with a single sentence—binding her fate to theirs more tightly than even the order’s decree.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Thessa bowed low, her dark hair spilling forward. When she straightened, she gave the prince one last glance before she turned and slipped from the room.

Damien bent low then, his massive frame curving tenderly as he placed his son into the cradle. The baby shifted only slightly before settling. Damien lingered there, unwilling to let go completely, his palm resting against the swaddling for a few extra breaths.

When he finally straightened, he caught Luna’s hand and held it tightly. His thumb brushed her skin, and when his eyes lifted to hers, they gleamed with a softness reserved only for her. "He is perfect," he whispered.

"Yeah," Luna said, eyes shining with the same fragile wonder. "He is." She leaned against him slightly, her body instinctively drawn to him.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever stop checking, watching for danger, but in that moment, with Damien’s hand gripping hers, peace tasted almost real.

He turned fully to her then, his gaze so intense it nearly unraveled her. The king stripped away, it was just Damien, her mate, her love. "Thank you."

Two simple words, but they carried every sleepless night, every fight against the goddess and poison, every tear and kiss that had led them here. His hand cupped her cheek.

"For what?" Luna asked softly, her brows knitting as she lifted her face to him.

"For making me happy," Damien said. "For going through what you did to make our lives perfect." His hand slid down her back.

Luna smiled. She tucked her head against his broad chest, breathing in the masculine spice of his skin. "I’d do it again," she whispered, and she meant it. She would walk through fire for him, for their child, for this fragile happiness they had built together.

"No, thank you." His arm tightened around her waist, the king in him yielding to the terrified man who had nearly lost her. "No more. I’ve had enough fear to last me a lifetime."

"But one child, Damien..." Luna tilted her head to look up at him. She could already see another crib beside this one, another set of tiny fingers curling around hers.

"It’s more than enough!" His refusal brooked no room for negotiation, no space for dreams that might endanger the woman who was his entire world.

Luna sighed then, knowing she couldn’t change her husband’s mind tonight. She leaned back into him. She didn’t want to think of the worst—goddess forbid anything happened to their son—but a tiny corner of her mind couldn’t silence the truth: they had no backup plan.

"He is a true blood, Luna. Have no fear," Damien murmured as if he could hear the unrest thrumming in her chest. His arms caged her against him, iron-strong yet gentle, as they both turned their gaze toward the crib.

"Someday, it’s going to be just both of you, you know," Luna said quietly, unable to switch off her mother’s mind. Her hand brushed his chest in slow, restless circles. She couldn’t help imagining years from now, she would be gone and it would just be both of them.

"Do you need a distraction or something?" Damien finally turned to her with exasperation. He didn’t understand why she insisted on worrying when, for once, they had everything they had ever wanted. His gaze darkened.

"I don’t understand why you are so worried. We are happy right now. If getting fucked is what you need to get on board, girl, I’ll happily take you to bed right now and fuck your brains out."

(I’m missing those golden tickets!!!!)