The Vampire's Luna

She gazed up at him, eyes still wide and dazed but suddenly somber. "What will you do, Damien," she asked softly, "when I choose Kyllian?"

The question fell between them. His entire body stiffened above her, the teasing lines in his face tightening. The warmth in his eyes didn’t fade, but sadness swirled behind them.

"I don’t know," he said at last. "Get an heir to rule after my father, I suppose."

"With your royal concubine?" she asked, trying to sound playful but failing miserably.

"Yes," he replied without missing a beat.

She scoffed, trying to keep her composure. "Pfft. I doubt she can give you strong heirs. She looks like she could snap in two if pulled the wrong way."

Damien’s lips quirked in a half-smile, half-snort. "Is the princess jealous?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I know I have no right to be."

"It’s okay," Damien said, brushing a strand of Luna’s hair from her face. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed the storm raging inside. "You’re still going to make the choice, aren’t you? Even if it’s going to kill you?"

Luna turned her gaze away, suddenly finding the pattern on the rug impossibly fascinating. "I have to," she whispered, as if saying it louder would make it real. "Whether I choose or not, my death seems to be inevitable, so I might as well follow in your footsteps...make an heir for my people."

He reached out, cupped her jaw gently, and lowered his head to kiss her, soft and full of pain. "It’s not going to come to that," he murmured against her lips.

"You can’t promise that," Luna replied, pulling away just enough to meet his eyes.

"I can," he insisted. "I will find a solution...or die trying."

Luna reached for him, hands trembling, and kissed him out of despair, longing, and the desperate need to freeze this moment in time. Because in the end, she knew that no matter what promises he made, the only thing she could truly offer him was herself. And even that, she was losing piece by piece.

She kissed him hard, pouring into him everything she couldn’t say. Her body pressed into his like she could mold her soul to his and make it last longer than fate would allow.

*****

At exactly ten o’clock, Sage Veyron stood in the courtyard. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

When Damien arrived, Sage Veyron didn’t even need to say a word. The deep worry creased on his brow was enough to turn Damien’s calm into dread.

"Well, you look like you’re about to tell me something I am not going to like." Damien muttered.

Sage Veyron gave him a dry look.

Damien sank heavily into the carved wooden chair. His poise cracked just a little, the worry painting new shadows beneath his eyes. "It’s not good, is it?" he asked.

Sage Veyron regarded him for a minute, wondering how he could sugarcoat what he needed to say. "What news would you consider good news?"

"One where you tell me she isn’t going to die," he said simply.

Veyron’s lips twitched with an almost smile. "Well, then, I have good news...She isn’t going to die."

For a moment, Damien just stared. Then, relief burst through like sunlight breaking storm clouds. He laughed genuinely, shaky but relieved. "You’re serious?"

"This bond she carries is unnatural. Its not the work of the Blood goddess or Moon goddess. It’s man-made."

Damien’s smile faltered as confusion tangled with disbelief. "You’re saying someone can manipulate mate bonds? That someone out there has the power to rewrite the rules of love?"

"There’s only one I know with that kind of power," Veyron said carefully, eyes narrowing. "But before I can act...before I can say anything definitive...I need absolute certainty that she is truly mated to two. No half-truths, no guesses."

Damien’s jaw tightened, a flicker of frustration flashing across his face. "Veyron, trust me. She is. I see it every time I look at her. I feel it every time she’s near."

Veyron raised a hand as if to calm a storm. "I’m sorry, Damien. For the safety of everyone involved, your word alone isn’t enough. I need to see her. On the night of the next full moon. That’s when the bond’s power reveals itself fully. It’s the only way to be sure."

Damien’s entire body stiffened, the weight of time pressing down on him. "You know I told you...time is of the essence. She’ll be gone to her territory by then."

"Find a way to get her back here," Veyron said. Then, eyes hardening, he added with intensity, "But Prince Damien, whatever you do... do not mark her."

Damien blinked. "Why?"

There was a pause. "Just do as I say, Prince Damien. Please."

"Okay..." Damien replied slowly, but even as the word left his lips, his doubt followed closely behind. "But I fear... it’s sometimes beyond my control."

Veyron’s eyes softened. "I know how the mate bond works. I’ve seen it consume the strongest of us. And I do not envy you." He sighed heavily, looking suddenly older. "But I say this for your good and the good of the kingdom. Marking her now... could bind your fates in ways that no one can undo."

Damien gave a tight nod. Rationally, he understood. Emotionally? He was about one moan away from sinking his fangs into her and declaring her his forever. After what had happened the previous night, the memory still lingered on his tongue. The way her breath had hitched when he kissed her most intimate place. The helpless sounds that had escaped her as he worshipped every inch of her skin. She was temptation incarnate. A living, breathing embodiment of his undoing. A goddess wrapped in moonlight and madness.

How the hell was he supposed to keep his instincts at bay when every fiber of his being screamed mark her?

*****

Kyllian arrived at the edge of Blood City. He was stopped at the second boundary, a checkpoint manned by two very serious-looking vampire guards.

The last time he’d visited, he’d been whisked straight into the inner sanctum of the Blood Castle. This time, he was asked to wait.

"Is something wrong?" Kyllian asked.