Damien followed Ravena’s gaze, but where the queen saw tragedy, Damien saw beauty.
"I think she’s beautiful," he said, softly but with conviction. He almost chuckled at how ridiculous it sounded.
Ravena gave him a scandalized look through her tears. "Damien..."
"No, really. Look at her." He stepped closer to the bed. "I’ve never wanted to protect anything more in my life." His voice dropped as he traced a line of damp hair from Luna’s temple. "Even ... especially ... she’s everything."
Ravena’s lips trembled. "Please. Ease her pain," she whispered. "I can’t... I can’t watch her ."
"I can get Kyllian," he said, eyes flickering with hesitation. "He’s her mate. He can ease her heat, at least until we know exactly what Morvakar did to trigger this. It’s the only thing that might work fast enough."
"No." She gripped his wrist, her nails biting into his skin. "Kyllian cannot see her . Please, Damien."
Damien’s brow lifted. "I don’t like the man, but I’ll admit it—he loves her. And he’ll do anything for her."
Ravena let out a shaky breath, her grip still firm. "Yes, he will. He will do anything. Until the moment it’s time to choose...and Kyllian will always choose his Alpha. Not my daughter." fr\eewebno vel .c(o)m
Damien’s eyes darkened. "You think he’ll betray her?"
"I think," Ravena said slowly, "when a werewolf’s loyalty and love are in the ring, loyalty wins. Apparently, she has vampire genes in her. That will come into question when someone finds out and when she has to take the throne. The people will not accept her."
"Which is why... you cannot give Magnus details. Not yet."
"My Goddess!" Ravena gasped, her voice thick with anguish as she turned away from the sight of her daughter writhing on the bed. Her regal composure shattered, the queen looked more like a lost mother than the most powerful woman in the kingdom.
Damien walked up to the bed. Luna was curled in on herself, a tight knot of pain and fire, the bedsheets twisted beneath her and soaked in sweat. He knelt beside her, wiping her brow gently with the sleeve of his shirt. She was burning up, her skin both fever-hot and ice-cold.
"Hey...You are the most beautiful werewolf...vampire hybrid." he whispered softly, brushing damp hair from her forehead.
Luna chuckled despite the pain. "High praise."
"Tell me what to do, babe. Anything. Just say the word and I’ll do it."
Luna squinted up at him. "Take care of my mother," she murmured.
Damien blinked. "What? No. You take care of her yourself."
"And bury me with my goddamn dagger. That shit was giving lit vibes."
Despite himself, Damien chuckled. "Oh my gods, you really did use it?" He couldn’t tell if he was horrified, proud, or incredibly turned on.
"Morvakar," she said through gritted teeth. "In the foot. He’s not going to be using it for a few days."
Damien looked down at her, awe spreading over his features.
"You go, girl," he whispered, fighting the grin that wanted to break across his face. "You stab that undead bastard again next time, and I’ll build you a torture dungeon."
She groaned softly, her hand shooting out to grab his. Her fingers wrapped tightly around his as another wave of molten heat tore through her. Her back arched off the bed and a sharp moan escaped her lips, a sound that was halfway between pleasure and agony.
Damien’s pupils dilated involuntarily. His jaw clenched. Every nerve ending in his body begged him to lean closer, to answer the call of her scent, of the bond thrumming. But he shoved it all down, burying his instincts beneath layers of discipline and sheer stubbornness.
He held her through it, his hand never leaving hers, even as his own skin prickled and his fangs throbbed. Vampires didn’t feel heat the way wolves did but make no mistake, he felt her. And the bond was a double-edged blade, slicing him open with her pain and tempting him with her need.
When the wave passed, she slumped back into the bed, panting. Damien exhaled, stood, and gave Ravena a reassuring nod. "I’ll be right back."
He slipped out of the room before the scent of her overwhelmed his reason, shutting the door behind him.
Out in the corridor, he inhaled deeply, tried to will his body to behave, then went in search of Kyllian.
He found the wolf a few halls down, sitting on the steps of a side staircase.
Damien cleared his throat. free.w e bn.ov(e)l(.)com
Kyllian didn’t look up.
"Hey," Damien said, strolling up. "You busy sulking or can I interrupt?"
Kyllian raised his head slowly, the shame still flickering in his eyes.
"I’m sorry about back there," he said at last.
Damien looked at him for a long beat, then gave a short nod. "Do you want to invest that energy in kicking Morvakar’s ass?"
Kyllian’s lip twitched. "Gladly."
That was all the permission either of them needed.
The two men; fierce, ancient opposites rose together. They didn’t speak as they exited the castle, their footsteps in eerie sync.
Outside, moonlight cast silver shadows across the courtyard, catching the hard angles of their faces. Damien walked with the cold grace of an immortal predator, every step deliberate and efficient. Kyllian moved like a rolling quake, his energy untamed, his power humming just beneath the surface.
They got into Damien’s car and without a word, they tore off into the night.
Morvakar sat in the pitch black of his private parlor. The only light came from the faint glow of a candle.
He lounged in a high-backed chair. His boot was off, his foot propped on a stool, bandaged and still sizzling faintly with residual burn from the dagger. He had tried healing magic but the blade had disoriented him, he couldn’t pull off anything powerful. The pain still lingered, throbbing.
"The princess," he muttered to himself with fondness, "is... feisty."
It was a compliment. In his own twisted way, Morvakar was genuinely impressed. He hadn’t expected her to muster the energy to stab him. Feisty and lethal; a true masterpiece of dark and light, blood and fire.
(@Addicted2fantasy: Thanks for the gift.
Shout out to @Dhameydiva, @Shilpa_Sachdev)