“You more than survived.” He gathered his sister into his arms, hugging her tightly. “Youthrived.” He kissed her forehead. “You are a strong, powerful,goodqueen, and it’s been my honor to watch you rule. I couldn’t have asked for a better role model.”
Luna was more than his sister, having been both sibling and parent for most of his life.
“You mean it?”
He hugged her tighter. “Absolutely. And because you raised me so well, I know that I was wrong in leaving the note. I should’ve talked to you.”
“Yes, you should have.” She pulled away, folding her hands in her lap. “I don’t like this, Marius. I won’t lie and say that I do. But I understand where you’re coming from, and I appreciate you talking to me about this. We can’t hide things from each other.”
“I agree.” He inhaled, holding his sister’s gaze as he steeled himself. “Which is why we need to discuss Vivienne.”
Luna tensed. “Marius, your guard betrayed her vow. I don’t?—”
“This wasn’t her fault. I keep telling you that. Sebastian can’t punish her for this.” The very thought of Vivienne being harmed curdled Marius’s stomach. “I forced her to come with me.”
Luna stared at him. “Explain it to me, please.”
“Gladly.”
He told his sister about how Vivienne had gone with him against her will, how she’d argued and pleaded with him to turn around, and how she’d saved him twice. First, from the highwaymen, and second, from the feral vampire.
He ended with, “Vivienne isn’t at fault here. If anything, I’m only here because of her. I owe her my life.”
Luna had started pacing while he spoke, and now she paused in front of him.
“A life debt?” She raised a brow, shadows flickering in her eyes. “Marius, that is not something to be trifled with.”
“I know. That’s why I keep bringing her up.”
There were other reasons, too.
The way Vivienne kept showing up in his dreams, her laugh, and the way she made him feel. But he wasn’t ready to consider exactly what those meant yet, let alone talk to his sister about them.
Luna sighed. “I’ll talk to Sebastian about it, but I’m not sure how he’ll take it, Marius. He’s really upset.”
“I know.” But saving Vivienne was worth risking the king’s anger. “Thank you, Luna.”
Marius wouldn’t stop pushing until his bodyguard was out of the dungeon. She didn’t belong there.
The door swung open, and Sebastian strode inside. His wings flared behind him, shadows swept along his feet, and he clutched a yellow parchment.
The air thickened.
“What happened?” Luna asked.
“Something’s wrong in Pern,” the king said. “A shipment was supposed to arrive at the nearby villages three days ago, but it never came. Phyrra sent Jacques to look into it, but he hasn’t returned.”
Marius’s heart clenched, and a chill ran down his spine. Pern was a trading post located between Hoarfrost Hollow and the Black Sea.
“This is the First.” Marius looked between the royals. “Right?”
Nothing else made sense.
“Maybe.” Sebastian rubbed his temples. “I’m not sure,but we’ll find out.”
“Bring me with you.” The words burst from Marius’s lips, and he looked at Luna beseechingly. “Please don’t leave me here.”
He didn’t care that he sounded desperate. He needed to go with them. Not only to help stop the First but also to talk with the king about Vivienne.
