12. Zain

TWELVE

zain

W hat's wrong?" I whirled on Kairos as soon as the door shut behind us. He was my war general, my right-hand man. If he was interrupting… I could only assume the worst.

"Is she okay?" Kairos asked, his demon tail flicking.

"She was a bit shaken up, but—I think so." I looked back at the closed door like I could see through to her. "I just hope she can forgive me in time."

"There's always hope," he said, clasping a hand on my shoulder. He had seen so many battles in his lifetime, and yet he still hadn't become the same cynical asshole that I was. "Even in a place like this."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed him away from me, leaning against the wall. "Those demons shouldn't have been in the human world. How did they even find her in Pleasant Grove?"

"Maybe they followed you."

I frowned. "It's a possibility, but…" I'd been careful when I'd crossed between realms. Plus, the witches had wards that should have kept them out .

"Or someone sent them."

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath. There was only one person who would have stooped so low.

"He has everything to lose from you bringing her back here—and you have everything to gain. It makes sense."

I growled, the sound slipping through my lips before I could think better of it. Because maybe there was more to me wanting to keep her hidden in the human realm these last few weeks. There, I had her all to myself. Here, everyone would want a piece of her.

They would want her to prove herself repeatedly. And she didn't even know how to use her magic.

"What am I supposed to do, Kai?" There was more at play here than that. And Luna was the key to all of it. "I have to keep her safe."

"We need to move forward to the next phase, Zain. You know he can't be bargained with."

"I know. Fates, I know. That's the problem." I rubbed at the spot between my brows.

"So, let the people see their future queen."

I turned to look at him. "That wasn't part of the plan."

"If they see her, fall in love with her—it's less likely that he can cause any harm to come to her."

"But they might not accept her." I shook my head. "She's still just a human ," I reminded him. Like he could forget. Maybe that wasn't the issue at all, though—just that she wasn't a demon.

She was strong willed, but being human here made her weak. I needed to bump my plans up, and I knew it.

"But she's a witch. And a powerful one."

I shut my eyes. "That changes nothing." Until after the ceremony, she'd be at risk .

"Are you sure?" He asked, eyes sparking with humor even as I scowled at him, shadows pooling around me. "Because I think it changes everything ."

I grumbled, Luna's serene face filling my mind. The way her smile rocked me down to my foundation, splitting me open. There was only her.

"Fine. Plan a ball for tonight, and we'll announce our engagement there."

We'd dance and mingle, and the demons could meet the woman I was tying to me in marriage. And hopefully, they'd fall in love with her. It was all I could hope for. All I could offer her.

It could work.

He nodded. "I'll find the girls. They should be able to help."

A snort left me, thinking of Asura and Lilith in ball gowns instead of leathers. They were warriors, honed and bred. Pretty dresses? I looked forward to seeing that.

"I don't know how to do this," I admitted. "How to be everything that everyone needs me to be."

Maybe the only thing that mattered was how to be what Luna needed me to be.

Kai slapped me on the back. "If there's anyone who can figure it out, it's you. Or has three hundred years of life experience taught you nothing?"

Without another word, I left him, closing the door behind me.

I needed to head back to my future bride.

" Oh ." Luna squeaked, covering her breasts with her hands as I entered the bathing pool. Bubbles covered the surface of the water, keeping her bottom half covered from view. Her light blonde strands were piled on the top of her head in a messy bun.

A wicked grin spread across my face, my tongue running over my canine teeth that seemed to ache from the view of her bare neck. "You don't have to hide from me, Moonbeam." I'd already seen it all, anyway.

"I wasn't hiding ," she said, her cheeks flushed. "I just?—"

"I'm sorry for leaving," I murmured, crouching down to the edge of the pool.

A wince escaped my lips, and her brows furrowed, concern painting her features. "Is everything okay?"

"Not particularly, but you don't have to be worried." I put on my mask of indifferent arrogance, hoping she wouldn't pry further. "I'm dealing with it."

"Is there anything I can do?" She sounded hopeful, and a knot of worry unwound itself from my stomach. This would be okay. We would be okay.

I shook my head. She was already doing it just by being here. Smoothing out my rough edges. Tempering my mood. Grounding me.

Something had to be done about my father before it threatened our realm's peace. Which meant I had to find a way through this. For my kingdom's sake, I just hoped she would understand.

"You weren't kidding about this place," Luna whispered absentmindedly as she ran her hands through the surface of the water. "This is insane. I still can't believe it's real ." She looked up at me. "I feel like I still can't wrap my brain around it."

I hummed in response, watching her. "Don't the witches have stories about us?"

She laughed, the twinkling sound seeming to bounce off every inch of the room. Filling me up with light . "Yeah, and we also have stories about vampires and shifters and mermaids. But no one's seen any of them for thousands of years, so… I thought the whole don't make a deal with the devil thing was just a cautionary tale."

My chuckle was more of a rasp. "Just because you don't see something doesn't make it any less real." Mermaids might have been a bit of a stretch, but my future queen had no idea what sort of creatures lurked inside her world, hidden behind magical barriers of their own. One day, I'd show her everything there was to know.

"Okay, Santa Claus ."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying you don't know who Santa Claus is?" Luna looked stunned.

I shrugged. "I haven't exactly spent a lot of time in the human world." Not until I'd gone to Pleasant Grove. "I've been a little busy here." Running my father's kingdom. Trying to keep everything in line, even in a system threatening to pull me apart.

"Right." Luna's shoulders sagged. "Until me."

Did she think she was a distraction? That for one minute, I'd ever regretted walking into that bar and finding my witch sitting there, waiting for me? Fates. That was a mistake I needed to remedy immediately.

"Yes," I agreed. "Until you." My hands itched to reach out, to touch her, but I kept them where they were. "But don't for one second think that I regret meeting you, Luna. Even if I had to do it all over again, exactly the same… I would."

"Oh." Turning in the water, her hands grasped the side of the pool as she turned to face me. Her green eyes held my gaze as I focused all my energy on her.

"You're not a distraction," I promised. You're my salvation.

Luna bit her lip. "Okay." She looked flustered, and I was trying to ignore how much I wanted to bring her lips to mine. To wring those sounds for her that had my cock stiffening in my pants. Fuck, losing myself in her body was like nothing else. And knowing her body lay a few feet from mine, completely naked and wet… I stifled a groan.

"Zain?" Her soft voice drew me out of my thoughts. I needed to control myself around her, which was even more apparent now. "There's something I've been wondering about." She gave me a puzzled look. "How do you… did you speak into my mind earlier?"

She still had no idea.

"It's just something I can do. As a demon."

"So all demons can mind-speak?"

I frowned. "Not exactly." But explaining it, explaining why I could share thoughts with her… that would require another conversation she wasn't ready for. Not yet.

Not until I made sure she loved me.

Her head was still resting on the edge of the pool, looking up at me with such devotion on her face that I almost broke down right then and there and told her.

"Come on," I said, extending my hand out to her. "There are some people I want you to meet."

Luna raised an eyebrow, slipping her hand into mine. "Other demons?"

A chuckle slipped from my lips. "They're all friendly, I promise." Or as friendly as they could be as warriors, spies, and trained assassins.

"O-okay."

I let the grin escape my lips. "I guess we better let you get dressed first, huh?"

"Oh." She looked down at her body. At that smooth skin. Fuck, she deserved better than me. Then some horny demon who just wanted to claim her. "Right. "

"I'll be just outside," I said, standing up to my full height.

While I would have loved to join her in the baths—now wasn't the time. We'd have opportunities in the future to explore each other's bodies more.

At least, I hoped.

First, I needed to assure myself that she'd be safe here.