After dinner with Marion, Damien led Luna back to the main hallways of the building. It was just as eerie as the first time they passed through; darkness from the flickering lights seemed to drape over them, promising nightmares hidden just out of sight. At the end of the hall, Damien swung open a set of large heavy metal doors, revealing a room so grand it put King Hendrix’s entire palace to shame.
The ceiling arched high above them, the walls lined with too many doors to count. Tapestries covered every inch of stone, rich in colour, depicting scenes of mythical creatures and ancient battles. Luna stepped in slowly, her gaze catching on a tapestry to her left. Wait, did that move?The wing of a horned, distorted creature twitched, too subtle to be sure. She blinked hard, heart skipping. In slow motion, it descended, its clawed hand reaching to take hold of a fae girl as if she were nothing more than a doll. Her wings bent at awkward angles, her face scrunched in pain.
Stepping back, Luna watched the scene unfold inch by inch. The massive horned figures loomed above, red-hot fire glowing behind them; their bodies caught somewhere between beast and human. Light flickered across their warped features—one with the slick scales of a fish, another with a hooked beak, and something else that might’ve once resembled a goat. The largest crouched at the center, its horns curling back from its skull.
“Demons,” Damien said lightly, as if pointing out the weather.
At their feet knelt a gathering of beings that should’ve been powerful: unicorns with bowed heads, fae with downcast eyes, massive scaled creatures with their wings tucked tight, as if all will had been drained outof them. Others lingered in the smoke—shapes half-lost, antlers catching flame, shadows slipping silently between them.
Luna forced herself to look away.
“And what’s that?” she asked, sinking into one of the massive plush couches. The moment she sat down, the cushions swallowed her and she had to wiggle upright to sit properly.
Damien’s gaze followed hers to the center of the room, where ropes barricaded off markings on the floor: a circle with a seven-point star, each point etched with strange, unfamiliar symbols.
“It’s where the rituals used to be performed, I believe,” Damien said, gesturing around them. “We’ve had to repurpose rooms—this one included. Probably would’ve sealed it off, but it’s the only way to access the bedrooms . . . which weren’t bedrooms to begin with. The temple wasn’t built for comfort, and there are certain things it won’t let us change. The ropes are just a precaution. We’re not exactly sure what happens if someone steps into the circle.”
A shiver shook its way through Luna. How many had died here? She didn’t want to know.
“Their threat is long gone,” Damien said, attempting to reassure her. “You don’t have to worry.”
“Well, that’s good, I suppose.” Luna crossed her arms, her voice tight. “At least,now, I’ll only have to worry about what will happen to my mother.”
Damien rested a hand on the mantle, his shoulders stiff. “We’ve been over this already. She’s going to be fine.”
“If that’s the case, why are you working so hard to free Arleen? If the Darkened One issosafe to be around, surely she’s just as fine.”
“Nina’s different, you know that. She’s powerful whereas Arleen . . .”
She’d heard the same excuse at dinner.
That Nina could endure it—had endured it before.
That Arleen was the one who needed protection.
Nina had survived the Darkened One’s might once, and could do it again.
That once she paid off her debt, he’d free her.
It hadn’t felt true then, and still didn’t now. They were so focused on Arleen, they didn’t even realize what they were doing was wrong.
“Is she?” Luna prodded.
Damien closed his eyes, as if the weight of it all was too much to carry. Silence stretched for many heartbeats before he whispered, “I can’t leave my sister with him . . .” He raked his hand through his hair, eyes opening to meet hers. “I just can’t.”
She studied those deep green eyes she’d grown to love, and Nina’s warning echoed in the back of her mind. “Is what Nina said true?” She hated how childish she sounded, how desperate and unsure. “About you manipulating things so I’d see you a certain way?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head, moving to sit beside her. “I would never put you in danger.”
She held his gaze and didn’t flinch when he reached for her wrist. His thumb brushed the inside of it, tracing where her pulse beat.
She almost hated that he knew how fast it raced, wishing she could stop it—pretend he didn’t affect her so deeply—but his touch reached places nothing else had, curling through her like a spark, all the way to her toes.
“I’ve only ever tried to protect you,” he said, his voice low.
“You sure?”
His thumb stilled. His eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, he looked like he could read every thought she was trying to hide. “I’m not the villain here, Luna. Just because I’m shadow doesn’t mean—”
