"Oh, that was days ago. Get over it." Luna rolled her eyes and smacked Damien’s bare chest lightly—though her touch lingered longer than necessary, fingers grazing warm skin as though they didn’t want to leave. Her tone was flippant, but the soft curve of her lips betrayed her amusent.
Damien grinned lazily, propping his head up on one hand while the other reached for her again, a low, sleepy magnetism drawing her closer. "Co on," she urged. "It’s still early. You can make it to your castle, get changed, and head to the Royal Empire, even if for just a few hours."
He let out a dramatic sigh, as if the idea of clothes and politics was a direct attack on his soul. "Right..." He tugged her forward instead, his arm sliding around her waist until she collapsed onto his chest, landing with a soft huff and a muffled laugh. "I never got to ask..." he murmured, brushing his lips against her temple. "Was it good for you?"
Luna’s eyes widened and imdiately, a flush blood across her cheeks. It spread fast—forehead to collarbone—her entire face lighting up.
"I’ll take that as a yes," he chuckled, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Although, I wasn’t in the best shape at the ti." His grin deepened. "Not exactly peak performance. But I’ll still mark that night down as a win."
He nuzzled her neck, placing a slow kiss there, and she lted all over again, her hands settling instinctively on his shoulders.
"And now?" she whispered
Damien exhaled. "It’s odd..." he said softly. "I feel great, actually. Better than great. Like... every bone in my body has been reset." He tilted his head, thoughtful. "Days of sleep for a vampire might be all the healing we need and never knew it."
Luna smiled, heart twisting. She sent the old sorcerer a silent, reluctant thank-you. A part of her still wanted to stab him in the eye, but perhaps that could wait.
Damien suddenly pulled her forward with unexpected strength and plopped her onto his lap, his hands settling firmly around her waist. She let out a squeal of surprise and giggled as she found herself perfectly perched on his thighs, her knees hugging his hips.
"You’re a nace," she accused, breathlessly amused.
He smirked, inching his fingers beneath her nightdress, tracing slow circles on her skin. "I don’t have to be at the Royal Empire for a few more hours," he said.
"Okay..." Luna drawled, dragging out the word. She could already see the look in his eyes—the wicked glint that made her heartbeat dance in her chest. "I already know where this is going."
Damien raised a brow. "Well, I could make your second ti even better for you."
"I told you..." She leaned in close enough that her breath tickled his lips. "I’ll never stop you."
The words were soft, honest, and laced with trust.
"You might regret saying that," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes, even as his hands moved.
"I won’t," Luna said firmly, and leaned back slightly.
He slipped the straps of her nightdress off her shoulders, watching as the fabric slid down her skin water. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he lifted the nightdress completely over her head and tossed it aside, revealing her in the golden light of the early morning.
His hand moved between them, fingers deft and gentle, guiding himself into her. She gasped, eyes fluttering closed, body adjusting to the fullness of him. Damien’s hands settled firmly on her hips, grounding them both in the delicious reality.
And then, she began to move.
Slowly at first, tentative, testing angles. But within monts, Luna found her rhythm. Her instincts, sharpened by bond, took over, rolling her hips. Every ti she shifted, he felt it in his bones.
Damien groaned, burying his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. She was everywhere—his hands, his mouth, his soul. It was maddening.
"Goddess," he muttered under his breath, clutching her hips. "Luna..."
He couldn’t take it anymore. With a sudden intensity, he grabbed her face, pulling her forward and capturing her lips in a kiss that was desperation. He groaned into her mouth, swallowing her sighs.
And then, when the mont reached its quietest intensity, when their breath tangled and their bodies lted into one another, Damien whispered into her hair—
"I love you, Luna."
"I know."
And yes, she did know. She knew just how much Damien loved her. It pulsed in every look he gave, in every kiss, in every quiet act of restraint. It was there in the way he breathed when she was near and in the way he held her.
But she also knew the other thing.
The terrible, unspeakable thing.
If only he would trust her enough to say it aloud. If he would just give her the truth she already carried inside her bones. That saving her had co at the cost of his own life. That he bore the weight of a curse he never asked for, because he’d chosen her.
But Luna knew that truth wasn’t hers to claim. Not yet. Not when she had only just started to win her way back into his heart. After everything she’d put him through, after every wall she’d built between them, she understood now that it would take more than love to fix what was broken. It would take trust. And trust... had to be earned.
"Marry ."
She stopped.
Damien didn’t wait. He pressed forward.
"Be my queen, Luna....This...this isn’t all I want. I want everything with you. I want to live with you."
He wanted a lifeti, however brief.
"Damien..." she whispered, caught sowhere between disbelief and terror.
"Please, don’t say no."
The plea ca out boyish and raw, and the vulnerability in his voice nearly broke her.
"I’m not saying no. I’m..." she paused, caught in a swirl of emotion too thick for words.
"You’re going to say no," Damien said flatly, eyes narrowing. He flopped dramatically against the pillows.
"I would love to marry you," Luna said quickly. "Right away if you want—"
"Goddess, please, no buts." Damien cut in with a whine, shooting her a look so pitiful she had to bite her lip to stop from giggling.
"Would you let finish?" Luna swatted his shoulder gently, her lips twitching.
He folded his arms. "Fine. Finish rejecting ."
"I’m not rejecting you, you dramatic idiot." She rolled her eyes, scooting closer, his dick still hard inside her, her fingers brushing the side of his face. "But there are a lot of things at stake before we can even think about that."
Damien groaned.
"What will the Lords say?" she asked gently, brushing her thumb along his jaw.
"They’ll survive."
"What will your people say?"
"That their prince has taste."
Luna laughed softly, the sound lting so of the tension in the room. She leaned into him, pressing her forehead to his. "I want to say yes, Damien. Goddess knows I do. I’m... I’m still figuring out how to exist in your world."
"You’re not so outsider, Luna. You’re my mate. You’re my moonlight. The throne is half yours whether they like it or not."
"Just say you will marry , that’s all I ask," Damien pushed.
"I’ll marry you."
A huge smile exploded across Damien’s face. He looked younger, boyish—radiating such pure joy that Luna nearly lted.
He kissed her again, passionately, and then he flipped them over in one smooth, hungry movent.
"Damien!" Luna gasped, her head tipping back as her body arched. She hadn’t been expecting it, and certainly not the sudden, almost primal way his cock hardened further inside her.
"Goddess..." she breathed, eyes wide.
Damien grinned. "You just agreed to marry . I’m feeling... powerful."
He moved deeper, with mounting hunger. His mouth trailed kisses down her throat as he whispered, "I’ll love you forever, Luna. Even when I’m dust. I’ll cherish you until my last breath—and maybe even after."
Luna clung to him, nails digging into his shoulders. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer. It was as if she wanted to fuse with him completely, to keep him there, inside her, forever.
The deeper he moved, the more she felt him. The raw devotion in his voice, the trembling in his arms, the urgency that betrayed the fear he was trying so hard to hide.
He was dying.
And he was pouring every ounce of himself into her while he could.
His hand gripped one of her breasts, thumb brushing over her peaked nipple as his pace turned frantic. She moaned—loud and unashad—as his body moved against hers. Her pleasure rose, crashing against every barrier she had left.
His words, his love, his desperation—it all sent shivers rocketing through her, straight down to the place where they were joined. She beca louder and louder, her cries a mix of ecstasy and unspoken grief.
Damien’s rhythm beca erratic. His teeth grazed her shoulder, and then—three hard, punishing thrusts—and he stilled.
With a groan that was almost a sob, he emptied himself into her, burying his seed as deep as her body would take it. His whole fra shuddered above her, his breath hitching in her ear.
Then Damien leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers.
’You’re going to carry my child, Luna. And I swear... I’ll defy the gods, the curses, fate itself... just to see them. Even once. Just to see their eyes.’ He thought to himself.
Reviews
All reviews (0)