“So I’m the villain, then? Because I’m light?”
A soft sound escaped him—more human than she’d ever heard from him. “No. Skies, no. You’re . . . You’re nothing like them.” He let her wrist go. “I know trust doesn’t come easy. But youcantrust me. I’ll never bring harm to you. Haven’t I proven that time and time again?”
Luna thought back to the palace. To the way he’d risked his life for her then, and at the camp. She remembered his screams, begging her to fight. Surely someone who wanted to harm her wouldn’t have done that.
Nina must be wrong. She didn’t know Damien like Luna did. And she’s a mother, mothers are supposed to think no one is ever good enough. But Damien had been there, even when Luna wasn’t there for herself.
“You have,” she said softly, “and I do believe you. I’m sorry. I just . . .” Shame poured over her like a bucket of ice water. How stupid she must seem to question him.
“She gets in your head. It’s what she does,” he said simply, then let out a breath. “I don’t blame you, though. You’ve been through a lot.”
When she didn’t respond, he reached out and cupped her face in his palm. He was close now, close enough that his breath warmed her skin.
She stayed still, not because she trusted him completely, but because a part of her wanted to. Needed to.
“You can count on me,” he whispered. “You aren’t alone.”
She nodded, heart tightening, and leaned into his touch. Skies, she wanted—more than anything—to believe him. But even as she did, she knew she’d have to see her mother. Had to. She couldn’t ignore what they were about to do and knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t make it right.
A sudden whoosh filled the air as fire burst to life in the hearth. Flames danced along the logs without burning them. The fire itself was strange, unlike anything Luna had ever seen. Tiny figures flickered inside the blaze, running in frantic circles, their movements so lifelike it was hard not to believe they were screaming.
“Demon flames,” Damien said as if that explained anything at all.
“Should we put it out?” Luna asked, looking around for a bucket of water.
Damien shook his head. “No. It’s just how demon magic burns—like it’s hurting someone.”
That actually made a lot of sense. Luna could imagine a demon pulling up a chair to relax by the fire, watching the flames torment imaginary foes for entertainment.
“Since Nina refuses to tell us how to fix the teleportation system, we’ll have quite a bit of travel ahead of us after the exchange tomorrow.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to take you home.”
His home,Luna thought to herself. Could she ever bear to call it hers? Especially if her mother was trapped with the Darkened One . ..
Damien shifted, crossing his ankle over his knee to fidget with the hem of his pant leg. “But, only if you want to come . . .”
Did her hesitation make him nervous? No. That’d be impossible. Men like him didn’t get nervous.
He cleared his throat. “I mean, I’d understand if you wanted to go your own way. You’re not obligated to stay with me, regardless of our time spent together.”
He was nervous! Almost in disbelief, she narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re telling me, if you woke up tomorrow and I wasn’t here, you wouldn’t be disappointed?”
He scoffed and his voice rumbled deep in his chest as he whispered faintly, “I didn’t say that . . .”
His eyes drifted downwards to her lips, like he was thinking about kissing her, and Luna forgot how to breathe.
Now was not the time for such things. It’d only distract her from her plans, so she turned away, ending the moment. “The shadow lands sound,” she paused, struggling for the right word, “intriguing.”
Like she had splashed water at him, the desire disappeared from his eyes. He sat back in the chair, his eyes distant. “Well, as you know, there is no sun and no stars. It’s constant night, but there are aurora lights and the palace is the best place to see them.”
“What’s that?”
“A rainbow only seen in the darkness. Usually shades of green, sometimes multicoloured.”
“Sounds beautiful.”
