10. Zain

TEN

zain

F ates, I needed to hire more capable staff. The last hour had been spent questioning everyone's inability to follow my directions, and I was finally back on Luna's doorstep. I'd been more careful this time—making sure not a soul was following me before I opened a portal and stepped into her world. I couldn't afford to be careless—not with her.

Just as I was about to raise my hand to knock on the door, it swung open unexpectedly.

My future wife stood in front of me, still wearing the same soft white dress from earlier, though the streak marks from her tears were now gone.

"What's all that?" I asked, looking at the bags by the door. Including one crate that looked a lot like a cage , which could only mean…

Luna crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't expect me to leave all of my stuff behind, do you?"

I frowned. "Of course not."

It just hadn't occurred to me what exactly uprooting my future wife meant for her. I should have been more thoughtful. Made sure she didn't need help .

Sure, I'd only left her for an hour, and that was only after I'd carefully surrounded her apartment with a magical barrier that would only let the two of us inside.

But I could have helped her, stayed with her. Instead, I'd gone back to the palace and barked out instructions to the palace staff. They needed to prepare for her arrival, and it had been a long time since there had been a woman in the palace.

Selfishly, I wanted her to feel welcome.

"It's just a few things, but…" She glanced down at the floor. The cat meowed, making her presence known.

"Right," I said, smoothing out my furrowed brow. "You can bring whatever you'd like." She'd packed rather lightly for a stay with no expiration date set. Just a duffel bag, suitcase, and her cat carrier.

Luna looked sheepish. "I wasn't exactly sure what I'd need in your… world." She hesitated at the last word.

"Nothing," I said honestly. "Anything you need, anything you desire, will be procured for you." I had to remind myself that she didn't know how demon magic worked. But she would learn.

"Oh." Her faint blush returned. "Well…" She leaned up onto her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "Thank you."

Bending down, she put her fingers into the gaps in the crate so she could rub her creature's muzzle. "I'm sorry, baby. I promise you won't be in there too long." Luna looked back up at me. "It won't hurt her, right?"

"Teleporting?" I clarified. Though world walking might have been a more accurate term. Damien and I both used the shadows to do so, opening up a portal to move between realms. I shook my head. "No. It doesn't hurt." I took her in as she worried her lower lip into her mouth. "Are you… scared?"

"Not scared, exactly. I think I'm just… apprehensive of the unknown? "

"You'll be okay," I promised, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're always going to be safe with me."

She relaxed, breathing out a little. "Okay."

And despite everything that had happened today—she seemed to trust me on that, at least.

It was a start.

Maybe I hadn't ruined everything. That sparked an ounce of hope in me. That maybe, somehow, I could still make this work despite my monumental fuckups. I didn't regret us sleeping together—could never regret the nights I'd spent in her bed—but I wished I could erase the pain from her face when she'd learned the truth.

Turning to the door to the outside world, I murmured, "Should we go?"

Luna looked back at her apartment as I waved my hand over her belongings, using my magic to send them back to her rooms at the palace. Her posture slumped a little as she looked back at the place. That bottom lip I'd spent these past few weeks kissing quivered slightly.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I saw the look of determination form over her features. She gave me a fierce nod. "Okay. Let's go."

In that moment, I could see every bit of the queen she could become. That I hoped she would be.

I held out my hand to her, a satisfied thrum flowing through me as she interlaced our fingers, and then I opened the portal.

Taking us straight into the heart of the demon realm.

Stepping out of the portal, the foyer of the palace came into view. Luna's hands still gripped at my arms from where she'd clung to me.

Her skin was pale.

"Are you okay?" I smoothed a hand down the back of her hair. "I know the first time can be… difficult." After I'd used the power for the first time, I'd vomited profusely. At least she was doing better than me.

She shook her head as I helped steady her. "I'm fine." Then her eyes widened as she took in our surroundings. "Where are we?"

"Home," I answered, my gaze landing on her. Maybe now it would feel like it . "Welcome to the palace."