When Luna came to, a blanket was drawn around her shoulders and Damien was lying beside her, shadows swirling in his eyes, threatening to devour her whole.
“You’re up,” he said sharply.
He was worried, not that Luna blamed him; she was too.
Wordlessly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Gawen was sleeping peacefully on Taemin’s chest with several of Sael and Ly’s children around him, but Ly and Sael were gone.
As if Damien could read her mind, he answered, “I told them the battleground isn’t too far away from here, and after the ‘nightfall’ event, they were eager to find magic. They took tonight as a sign that Gawen’s end was near.”
“Did I hurt him?”
He shook his head just as Taemin let out a loud groan, shifting his body to curl around his baby. A tendril of shadow wrapped around Taemin, coaxing him back to sleep.
“You tried to save ahuman.” Damien’s voice was quiet as to not wake the others, but he spoke the last word with such disdain her jaw dropped open. Stupidly, he continued. “Don’t do that again.”
Fire roared inside of her, her spirit screaming at the imaginary shackles. Her gaze snapped to his—defiant, unflinching. There was no way she was going to start obeying rules again. Not his. Not anyone’s.
She snarled, baring her teeth like fangs. “What’s your problem?”
“My problem?!” he whispered furiously. “We don’t heal theirkind.”
We?She scoffed; he was alone on that principle. “That might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You could’ve gotten us both discovered and then what?” He gestured to the sleeping group. “You think they would be grateful? You think they would’ve appreciated the toll healing someone takes?” He released a heavy breath through his nose. “No. They would have murdered us. Taken us for our parts, of which they’re so desperate to get their hands on.”
Her chest tightened and hot coals burned her lungs. Her family was human, the friends she loved . . . and he thought the whole species was trash. Dirt under his fingers. Lint between his toes. “Don’t talk like that,” she said, her voice smaller than she intended. “They aren’t all bad.” Not that she had a ton of proof, though. Humans didn’t exactly have the best track record with unicorns or her, but Gawen was a baby—he was innocent.
She gave a derisive snort at his silence and rose, walking away to leave him with his thoughts. Over her shoulder, she said, “Next time, I’ll try to be more discreet.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “There’s not going to be a next time.” His voice was low, firm, as if there was no room for argument—an order from a prince.
But she wasn’t his subject. Placing her hands on her hips, she summoned her prettiest, court-appropriate fake voice. “Is he healed?”
“Well, no.”
“Thennext time”—she clicked her tongue to the top of her mouth—“I’ll be more discreet.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You realize an illness costs a lot more power than healing a little cut.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“You barely have any control over your magic. If you somehow managed to heal him, it might kill you in the process.”
“And doing nothing is the better option?” She flicked her blonde hair behind her. “I think his life is worth the risk.”
He jumped to his feet, towering over her; he stood so close their noses nearly touched. “Then you are indeed a fool.”
She matched his energy, staring right back at him, eyes unblinking. No matter what he said, she would not yield. She wouldn’t leave Gawen ill when they could help.
Damien groaned and stepped back, slamming his hand to his forehead, his face scrunched in pain.
Good.Let it hurt. He deserved it.
She’d followed the rules all her life—rules that were supposed to keep her safe. And where had that gotten her?Betrayed.Locked in a dungeon like an animal.
With every unsteady breath Gawen took, her heart cracked a little more. It wasn’t just about him, she’d left an entire kingdom exposed, countless lives hanging in the balance—all because she refused to do the ‘right’ thing. If she healed this child, it could serve as a form of redemption. And selfishly, she hoped it would lighten the guilt still weighing heavily on her shoulders.
Avoiding Damien’s gaze, she moved without hesitation towards Taemin and Gawen; her steps were silent, careful not to wake them.
