Stay calm. Stop the bleeding. Keep him alive.
His fingers curled weakly around her wrist, his touch featherlight. “Try,” he whispered. “Try for me, my Luna love.”
She shook her head, blinking back tears. “I can’t do anything useful with my magic,” she said gently. “I can’t even make it appear when I want to. Damien could, but I can’t . . .” A sob lodged itself in her throat. “I can’t save you.”
Clyde’s brows knit together. “What do you mean?”
She pressed her lips in a tight line. Now wasn’t the time to explain her adventure or the star flowers. Let him draw his own conclusions.
He pushed himself upright, ignoring her protests for him to stay still. “I’m here to protect you,” he said, his voice oddly steady. “You can trust me with your secrets.”
Funny, once upon a time,hewas her only secret.
His voice turned sickly sweet. “Unicorn or human, I love you.” He chuckled, but it faded fast. “Without seeing your beast, I feel like I only know half of you.” A pause, then softer, he said, “Think of it as my last dying wish.”
She stilled.
Why would he want to see that now? Surely, he’d want his last memory to be of her as he’d always known her.
Emily’s words from the banquet echoed:The only reason he wants you, why anyone wants you, is because you’re exotic.
She was a trophy to him, she realized—a conquest. Not someone to love, but something to be claimed. Cold dread crept in, sending a shiver through to her bones. He had never truly loved her; he had only ever loved the idea of her. She’d been a fantasy, not a person.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
Chapter 19
The Unseen Dagger
“The prisoner’s gone.”
The unexpected voice was muffled, coming from somewhere beyond the walls of the chamber, but it startled Luna all the same.
“He has to be here somewhere. Keep searching,” another answered.
“Not down this hall either,” a third voice replied from farther away.
Luna’s attention then snapped to Clyde’s still body; only the subtle rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive. She considered calling out for help, but the words froze on her tongue. What if they were the Darkened One’s men and not the king’s?
“It doesn’t matter,” the second voice said, closer now. “It’s time.”
Goosebumps prickled her skin, and her eyes flew to the door, dread clawing at her insides.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go through with this—”
“Not our call.”
The handle jingled. Luna ran to brace it.
But she was as strong as a wilting flower, and the door slammed open, sending her and the wedge of wood blocking it tumbling to the ground.
Pain pulsed through her as cloaked figures stormed into the room, their crimson fabrics stained dark with what she could only assume was blood. They descended on her, wrenching her arms backwards as they hauled her upright. Luna twisted and thrashed like a fly caught in a web, but their grip was merciless, fingers digging like iron hooks.
“Help!” she screamed to Clyde, to anyone—but he was too far gone. She was utterly alone.
The circle of red parted as a figure cloaked in black stepped forward. There was no denying who stood in front of her now.
The Darkened One.
