23. Luna

TWENTY-THREE

luna

M y fingers ran over the bite mark he'd left behind. It almost felt like I could see the bond between us, that shimmering cord of moonlit silk.

Mates. Maybe I'd known all along, but I'd been in denial. Because how could a man this powerful—this wonderful—be my soulmate? He was a prince, a demon , and I was just… a witch who didn't even know how to control her powers.

My magic. I could feel it thrumming through my veins, even now. Letting Zain mark me, dropping my barriers—it had unlocked something inside of me. That much, I was sure of.

Maybe I could move forward now—to find out who I was. What I was made for.

My wife. My queen. My mate. I was all of those things, but also I was still me. Luna Clarke , daughter of witches. Baker. Hopeless romantic. Avid reader.

I would learn to love this part of me, too.

Just like I was learning to love him.

Though maybe I'd never needed to learn. There was always a part of me that knew—from the moment I'd met him at the bar, and we'd lain side by side together in the grass under the stars—that if I let him into my life, I could love him.

Terrifying parts and all. The demon parts of him should have scared me, but he was beautiful. Like my dark angel. He'd done nothing but show me, over and over, that he would keep me safe. That he would protect me.

I swept my eyes over Zain's face, taking in his sleeping features. His chest rose and fell steadily. And maybe that was why, for the first time, I reached out. Let my walls down, my mind unguarded.

And I cupped his cheek. Pushed forward with my magic.

Golden eyes. Dark hair. Wings. A little boy that looked just like Zain. A little girl that looked just like me. Lavender eyes. Laughter. There was happiness. Sadness, too. But that didn't all have to be bad.

A future. Ours, if it came to pass . I practically cried at the thought. I'd been seeing our future all along, and I had shut myself off from the idea.

"You're awake." He blinked up at me, reaching out a hand to brush through my hair. Zain frowned, as if taking in my face. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, trying to force the tears away. "They're good tears."

His thumb swiped underneath my eyes, catching the unshed emotion. "Are you sure? Last night wasn't…"

"It was perfect," I answered, feeling the truth of my statement with every part of my being.

Zain kissed my neck. "Do you want breakfast?"

I didn't know if it was the wine, but we'd been unable to keep our hands off of each other since yesterday. I wasn't sure how we'd gotten any sleep at all. Every time we'd finished, it had only taken a few moments before we were both all over each other again.

I was ravenous. Hungry, but not for food.

"I can think of something else that sounds even better," I murmured, straddling his lap.

During the night, his wings had disappeared, and disappointment flowed through me. I liked the reminder of who he was. How powerful yet soft he could be. It was a dichotomy, just like him.

"Down, girl," he murmured as I pressed a kiss to his bare chest. "I need to feed my wife."

My cheeks were warm. "I can't believe we're actually married." But the rings still sat on my finger. I raised my hand to look at it, and Zain put his hand on top, interlocking our fingers. So I could see his ring, too like we were claiming each other.

"Was it everything you ever imagined?"

I laughed. "Honestly? No."

Zain frowned. "Really? But I thought…"

I took his hands in mine. Squeezed them. "It was wonderful. Beautiful. I promise. I can tell you put a lot of thought into it."

"Then what was wrong?"

A snort escaped me, which turned into a full-body laugh. "Nothing was wrong. I loved every minute. But I never pictured getting married like this, and certainly not to a demon. It's been a whirlwind." Incredible but crazy .

Zain looked sheepish as he admitted, "Willow helped me, you know."

Nodding, I drew circles over his bare chest. "She told me about it when she got here. When did you even have time to do all of this, though?"

"It was last week. After we talked. I realized I hadn't been present enough and didn't want to be that kind of husband to you. And also, I didn't want you to regret this, so I stopped in for a visit." He rolled his eyes. "Damien wasn't pleased."

"Oh." My eyes grew damp. "Thank you."

"It was nothing."

Except, to me, it was everything.

I shook my head. "You don't even know how wonderful you are, do you?"

"Only for you," Zain said, wrapping his arms around me and burying his head in my neck. I burrowed in, savoring every moment of the bear hug. Gods, there was no feeling quite like being in his arms.

"I have another surprise for you," Zain whispered. "After you eat something."

"Bribery, on day two?" I gasped. "But fine. I suppose I've worked up an appetite."

He grinned. "I'll go get the food." Untangling himself from me, he stood up—stark naked. He stretched his arms, giving me an eyeful of the muscles in his back flexing—and his bare ass.

Gods, it was a nice ass. I wanted to sink my teeth into it.

"Luna."

"Hmm?"

"Stop salivating over your husband." He turned, winking at me. "And you might want to put something on before anyone comes in here."

I flushed, looking down at my body, at all the marks he'd left on me last night. Without seeing it, I knew the little bite mark was visible on my neck.

Grumbling, I went to his closet to slide on one of his luxurious black robes, embroidered with a small golden Z.

I was claiming them all as mine now.

Happy to see he'd put on some pants before disappearing, I sat on the chaise lounge and waited for him to return .

Did he have to be so distracting ?

He reached over the table and fiddled with my hair as I took a bite of the egg dish. My eyes trailed down to his bare chest. He'd pulled on a black shirt but left it open, giving me a full view of the abdomen that seemed like it was sculpted by the Gods themselves. Damn, how was he my husband?

Zain smirked like he'd caught me checking him out again . Damn demon husband and his fast senses. Though if I was being honest, mine also felt sharper than before. Heightened. Maybe it was the power in my blood.

"Are you going to tell me your surprise yet?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and setting my fork down.

Zain's head bobbed in a nod. "Yes. I actually meant to take you there last night, but one thing led to another, and…"

"You couldn't keep your hands off me?" I sassed, but there was no bite behind the remark. Not when I'd liked it.

When I'd let him claim me. Breed me. The mark thrummed, even under my soft robe, as if in a reminder of what he'd done.

He cleared his throat. "Something like that. I want to take you somewhere."

"Okay." My answer was instant. "Like a… honeymoon?" Maybe because I'd barely seen this world besides the palace, but going somewhere else sounded amazing.

Plus, if we were alone together, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone overhearing us. Heat flooded my cheeks at the thought.

Zain's rough chuckle ran a shiver down my spine. "Something like that."

"Let's go," I answered, not even bothering to finish my food.

He frowned, scooping up my fork and putting another bite on it himself before offering it to me. "Finish eating first."

I closed my lips around the fork, watching his satisfied expression as I ate, feeling the purr in his chest. Did he think I was a baby bird that needed to be fed?

"I'm not that hungry," I murmured, quickly finishing my food and gulping down the liquid at my side. Part of me wished I had one of Willow's amazing mochas and a scone.

My fingers itched to bake. Hopefully, his surprise had a kitchen.

"Can we go now?" I asked after my plate was cleared.

He looked me up and down, heat burning in my gaze. "Maybe let's get you dressed first, wife. No need of anyone else seeing what's mine."

I looked down at the robe. I hadn't bothered to put anything else on underneath, after all. A smirk crossed my lips. "Possessive, much?"

Zain made a low noise in his throat, and I practically leapt from my chair. The laughter that bubbled out of me as I ran to my closet, with Zain hot on my heels, couldn't be contained.

It was joyous and free in a way I hadn't felt in years.

"What is this place?" I removed my arms from Zain's waist, allowing him to steady me after we teleported out of the palace to another, smaller palace.

I'd changed out of my robe and into a surprisingly soft sweater and leggings since Zain insisted I didn't need to wear any formal clothing or dress. Being comfortable was perfectly fine with me, especially after last night. I was sore all over and trying not to wince.

"I come here when I want to be alone," he said with a shrug. "You didn't think I spent all my time in the palace, did you?"

Part of me wondered if he'd come here in the last few weeks to escape. Did he feel like he needed to hide from me? The idea didn't sit well with me, so I tried to brush it off. I liked this happy bubble we were in—I didn't want it to burst.

"Hey." He tilted up my chin to bring our eyes together. "It's home now. For both of us."

"Please don't leave me alone again?" I choked out the words, unsure why I was suddenly so emotional.

"Never." He dropped a kiss to my lips. "Want to see it?"

I nodded. With a grin, Zain swept me into his arms and carried me in a bridal hold over the threshold.

Our tour wasn't very long—despite the outward appearance, it wasn't much larger than the house I'd grown up in.

We reached the bedroom—singular, which made sense—we were married now. And mated, if the mark on my neck meant anything. What did it mean to the demons? Witches didn't place that much weight on soulmates because the chances of finding yours were small.

But it was different between us. More sacred.

Looking around the room, I had to blink a few times before the sight registered. A gasp slipped from my lips. "What's all my stuff doing here?"

Everything from my apartment was here: my blanket collection, my crystals, and even my collection of romance books.

He did his best to look a little bashful. "I brought it all here."

"You did? When?"

Zain looked away, mumbling something under his breath.

"What was that?" I poked at his chest.

"Last week. When I went to see Willow." He ran his hands through his already messy hair, avoiding eye contact. "I hoped, well… that you wouldn't want to go back. That you'd want to stay with me. Did I overstep? "

"Zain." I took his hands between my face. "I said yes too, you know. Even if we went into this for different reasons, I'm here . I'm not going to leave you."

Because deep down, the feeling that he was my home was settling in my gut. How could he expect me to give him up when I finally had him—all of him?

He inhaled deeply through his nose like he was doing his best to gather my scent. "Fuck." He growled. "You smell so good."

"Yeah?" I bit my lip, looking up at him. "What do I smell like?"

"Mine."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "So, did you have specific plans for us sneaking away from the palace, or can we spend the next weekend in bed?"

His breath was hot against my neck as he said, "I promised to put a baby in you, didn't I?"

"Mmm." I hummed in response. "Did you want to get started now, or…"

I laughed as he threw me over his shoulder, carrying me over to the bed and doing just that.