With a grin, Harlow and Knox swung onto the back of the carriage, tapping the roof, signalling they were ready to go. Crawford then opened the carriage door and shoved Luna over to climb in. She fell sideways on the bench and had to shuffle her body in order to get back into an upright sitting position.
“The Darkened One waited years for her. He can wait five more minutes,” Gregory said.
Crawford called out through the window, “Yeah, but I’d rather not test his patience.” And with the click of his tongue, the devil horses reared. Flames licked out from all directions of the carriage, throwing Gregory back as they spread their black leathery wings and took flight.
Chapter 44
A Captive Once Again
“No!” Luna screamed into the gag.No.
Trees blurred together outside the carriage window as the skull building disappeared. The subtle shift in motion as the ground fell away and the carriage began to ascend caused Luna’s stomach to do a full somersault.
Slowly, her crying ceased and the only sounds were the thumping of the devil horses’ wings and the quiet breathing of the man sitting across from her. A man who not only thought she was Nina, but also thought that she belonged tohim.
A shiver crawled down Luna’s spine.
She was going to the Darkened One, whether she wanted to or not.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, trying to accept her fate. Or rather, her doom.
A second later, Crawford’s hands were on her, cupping her face in his palms, turning her chin so that she was forced to look at him. She couldn’t help but whimper as he purred. “We’re alone now. Give up the hysterics and let me help you.”
She pulled away, but his hands were gentle as he undid the cloth gagging her.
Relief poured through her, and she opened and closed her mouth as the tension in her jaw eased.
As if he were some kind of gentleman, Crawford took it upon himself to massage her cheeks.
Immediately, Luna tried to shove him off, but with her hands still bound the effort was futile.
Undeterred by her disdain, he asked, “Are you up for repeating some history with me?”
Not in a million years.
She pushed back against the seat, trying to create as much distance as possible from him. “Get away from me.”
“Don’t be like that.” He retracted an inch, taking a better look at her. His eyebrows knit together with something that looked like disappointment, but it quickly disappeared.
Again, he reached out, stroking her arm, cooing softly, “Is this about last time? Come on, Nina. Sleeping with me wasn’t going to change his ruling. I had no choice but to exile you. I did try to make it easier for you, though. I didn’t chop off your horn like I was ordered to. Don’t I get some good grace for that?”
“I’m not Nina.” Why she bothered saying it was beyond her. It wasn’t like he, of all people, was going to believe her.
And as interesting as it was to learn he had been kind to her a lifetime ago, Luna didn’t care to learn more about her backstabbing-good-for-nothing birth mother.
He took his hand back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I’m not an idiot. I can take rejection. There’s no need to lie.”
Luna rolled her eyes. There was nothing she was going to be able to say or do that would convince anyone she wasn’t Nina. “How long until we get there?”
“Well, if you hadn’t broken the teleportation system, it would be seconds, but now it’s gonna be a while.”
Hell would be better than spending any more time with this man. But what was she going to do? It wasn’t like Damien was coming to rescue her.
An idea formed in her mind. “Take the cuffs off and I’ll fix it.” Not that she knew how to, but if he took off the cuffs, at least she would have a fighting chance to escape.
He gave her a sideways glance. “You’ve got that look in your eyes that screams you want to roast marshmallows after you’ve set the world to flames. I’d rather not unleash your wrath. It’s a bit on the nasty side.” He licked his lips as if he was remembering exactly how nasty Nina could be.
Gross.
