Page 69 of Treasured
I clenched my fists. “Oh? Is that what you think?” The hard tone of my voice echoed the burning-hot anger pulsing through me.
“Yes,” he growled, his wings bursting from his back. “If you were more careful, I wouldn’t have to worry about you dying every two gods-damned minutes!”
I did not want to be careful. Not anymore. Carefulness did not get us very far. It was the exact opposite of what we needed.
If I had been careful, I never would have tested the Sunwalking hypothesis. If I had been careful, I probably would not have fallen in love with Sebastian. And if I had been careful, I would not have chosen to drink his blood and become a vampire.
“You’re wrong.” I gripped the satchel so tightly that my nails ripped a hole in the fabric. Great. “We need to be prepared to do whatever it takes. The queen has already proved that she is willing to do anything to kill me. This isn’t the time to hide.”
His chest heaved, the air thickening between us, and his gaze searched mine. “I can’t lose you.”
They were four words, yet they hit me right in my core. Whoever said words weren’t powerful had never been in love. They’d never given their heart to someone else to hold, to protect, to keep safe. There was no way they’d experienced having a partner willing to go to the ends of the earth for them because they’d know just how powerful words could be.
Words could make you, break you, mold you. A word could give someone life or take it away. They were far more powerful than anyone gave them credit for.
The problem was Sebastian’s fears were unfounded. Whether it was in this life or the next, I would never leave him. We were Bound together, our souls were intertwined, and every part of me belonged to him. He didn’t need to worry because I could not exist without him. Living or dead, I would always be his because he held my heart as much as I held his.
“You won’t.” I picked up his hand and laced our fingers together, pressing our joined hands against my heart. “I’m yours. Always and forever.”
“Luna…” His eyes softened, and the next few moments seemed to stretch for hours. My words hung between us, and he studied me.
I whispered, “I’ll never leave you.”
The anger flooding through the Binding Mark dissipated. His free hand slipped behind my neck, and he pulled me towards him. Our mouths met in a clashing kiss that was dark, needy, and urgent. I groaned, allowing myself to melt against him.
This was why he didn’t have to worry about me going anywhere. I gripped his cloak, my tongue sweeping into his mouth as I tasted him. How could anything separate us? We were meant to be. Our fates were intertwined, written in the stars themselves.
Eventually, his lips left mine, and he peppered kisses along my jaw. “Will you at least try not to risk your life again?”
His mouth moved down my throat, his fangs grazing my skin ever so softly. When I didn’t respond, he nipped me. “Luna,” he growled.
I inhaled. “I can’t promise that, Sebastian.”
A pause, and then his lips lifted off me. Groaning, he pressed his forehead against mine. “Isvana help me, Luna. You’re going to be the death of me.”
“Not on purpose,” I whispered. That would be rather counter-intuitive since I wanted him alive. I wanted us both to live. We had so much more to do. So many things to explore. So much research to conduct. “I will endeavor to be more careful for you.”
“Thank you.” His lips found mine again for the briefest of kisses before his arms held me close to his chest. “You can practice that careful, not-reckless behavior now while we get the moonstone.”
A retort rose on the tip of my tongue, but before I could say it, his shadows pulled us into the Void.
* * *
Those same voices and slithering, snake-like hisses returned the moment the darkness wrapped around us like an unwelcome hug.
“Wake the harbinger.”
“Fulfill the prophecy.”
“Kill the Queen of Shadowsssssss.”
Goosebumps broke out on my arms, but I refused to let them feel my fear. I could not freeze again. We needed to get the moonstone and return to the abbey. Already, I felt bad for leaving Marius. I wanted to go back to make sure he was still alive.
The voices started shouting, but I did not give in. I focused on my breathing. In and out, again and again. I would not let the fear win. Not again.
Sebastian’s grip around me tightened, and I focused on that point of contact. The darkness could push up against me all it wanted, but it couldn’t take me from him. Sebastian ruled the night. I was his, and I knew he wouldn’t let me go.
My shadows pulsed and throbbed, reminding me of their presence, and I found solace in them, too. I wasn’t the helpless, scared human who’d been brought to Eleyta to marry the Prince of Darkness. Now, I was the Sunwalker, a vampire in my own right, and I’d been blessed with wings and shadows.