25. Zain

TWENTY-FIVE

zain

S he was magnificent. Her teeth gnawed on her lower lip, and her brow furrowed in concentration as she attacked the shadow dummies I'd summoned repeatedly.

The sweat formed on her brow as she worked on creating a beam of pure moonlight in her hands, directing it towards the shadows. There were a few patches of dead grass—iced over—from where her shots had missed, but I was fascinated by the light that poured out of her.

It was iridescent; the sheen containing a magnitude of colors like a rainbow, and yet, in the right hands… Utterly lethal .

This was why the fates had chosen her for me. Not only to rule by my side, to be the other half that brought me back into the light… But to be a power in her own right.

I didn't need to fight her battles. She could do that herself. She'd been fighting for the chance her whole life. Who was I to stop her?

No. I wouldn't hold her back. Not from fulfilling her destiny.

The destiny that we would fulfill together once we got back to the palace. If she was ready, and if I was. I felt stronger now—did I stand a chance?

"I think that's enough for the day," I said, watching as she panted, sweat soaking the thin blouse she'd worn. "You don't want to over-exert yourself."

"One more," Luna said, a look of concentration in her eyes.

All I could think was my mother would have loved this woman. I loved this woman.

My fierce, dedicated queen, who'd never shied away from whatever life had thrown at her. Every time I thought she'd draw the line or pull back, she'd surprised me.

Fuck, I loved her ferocity, the intensity with which she loved her sister. Every bit of her.

I watched as she let another bolt of light hit the shadowed form square in the chest and then wrapped my arms around her.

"Good job." I kissed her cheek.

She scoffed. "I think I hit the lawn more than anything else."

"It's a start." That was the important part. "And the lawn will grow back."

Her eyes twinkled as she looked back at me. "Thank you."

I scoffed. "You don't have to thank me. Don't forget, I forced you to come here with me." My tone was playful, even though I still doubted myself sometimes.

Luna whirled on me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Don't say that." Her voice was soft. "I wanted to come with you."

"You did?" I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, though the gesture was subdued. "Do I seem like the kind of person who does something that she doesn't want to do?"

"No. "

"Exactly." She kissed me softly before adjusting our positions so she could interlace her hand with mine, leaning on me. "What's next?"

Even though I knew we needed to go back—to return to my responsibilities as crown prince and to all the different issues facing me at present—I couldn't bear to leave the peace that we'd found here. It finally felt right.

Like maybe things were working out exactly the way they needed to.

Could she love me?

Sometimes it felt like she did. When she looked up at me, with the brightest smile on her face, I let myself hope.

It wasn't something I'd ever considered before finding Luna. Ever since I'd lost my mother, I'd practically shut out the idea of falling in love with someone. No woman was worth the time or energy, not until her.

My mate.

We were walking back into the small palace from another round of lessons in the outside garden the next day.

I was delighted, feeling like a teenager holding a girl's hand for the first time. And in some ways, I was. Had I ever done this before? Holding someone's hand for no other reason than because I wanted to.

She was my first in every way that mattered.

"What?" Luna asked, looking over at me with that beautiful blush on her cheeks. "You're staring."

I smiled. "I'm happy . For the first time in my life, I'm just..." I shook my head. "You came into my life andburrowed your way into my heart. I don't think I can get you out. "

She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my cheek. "Then don't."

"Mmm." I tightened my grip on her hand, leading her further into the house.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought maybe you could show me what you've been getting up to in my library every afternoon." Of course, there was a unique set of books here, but I'd be happy to help her learn anything she wanted to know.

"Oh." Luna blushed. "You heard about that?"

I nodded. "Oh, I heard." Dipping my head down, I nipped at her neck. "I know about everything that goes on in the palace, wife."

"Maybe I just wanted to know more about you."

Unable to resist, I scooped her up into my arms, carrying her the rest of the way into my own private library. The one in the palace was where I'd taken solace growing up, losing myself in books. It'd been the only place my father wouldn't bother me.

"You can always ask," I said, chuckling as she giggled into my hold.

"Put me down," she laughed. "I can walk."

"Apparently I didn't fuck you good enough last night then, hm?" The words were low, muttered against her ear.

"Zain!" she scolded, like I'd scandalized her.

"There's no one around, Moonbeam." A wicked grin spread over my face. "Perks of the private house, huh? Besides, a husband has to satisfy his wife. The king has to take care of his queen."

She shook her head incredulously, but a little smile crept over her face.

I sat us down on one of the little sofas in the library, leaving Luna sprawled out over my lap .

"So… What is it you wish to know about me?"

Luna hummed in response. "I want to know everything ."

"That's a tall order," I said, furrowing my brows. "You know how old I am, right?"

"Well…" She worried her lower lip into her mouth. "Will you tell me about your childhood? Your mother? Your friends, they mentioned some things, but…"

I nodded, my throat growing tight. "I lost her when I was young."

"Who was she?"

"She was a queen in her own right." My mother's face filled my vision. "You remind me of her, actually."

"I do?"

I brushed a hand over her hair. "She brought light into this place, too."

She'd been too good for this kingdom. Maybe that was why she hadn't thrived here. I always knew she loved me—that hadn't been a doubt in my mind, but she shriveled under my father's hand. Though I could never prove my father had lain a hand on her, the signs were all there.

He'd taken her power and left her to rot.

I'd do everything in my power to be nothing like him.

"You learned about different demons, right?" I'd seen the pile of books left on the desk one night and had looked over the titles.

"Yeah. I never knew how many types there were." She shifted her gaze away from mine. "In the modern world, witches aren't taught much about demons. It's not really a problem anymore, I guess. That's why I thought you were all tricksters, trying to steal our souls." Luna's cheeks flamed. "But you're not."

I laughed. "Well, there are still some who make deals, trying to swindle humans, but I do my best to provide for them, too." Luna's eyes shut as I ran my hand up and down her spine soothingly. "It's what my mom would have wanted. My father…" I struggled to find the right words, thinking about the last time I'd spoken with him. "The title of Demon King has a bloody history, and it's safe to say he didn't gain the crown by waiting for his father to give it to him. He took it." My teeth ground together. "And he took her."

"Your mother." Luna's voice was soft. Soothing. Grounding.

"Yes. She was too good for this place." I massaged the spot between my eyebrows. "She was never supposed to be here at all, actually."

"She wasn't a demon?" Luna's voice caught.

I chuckled. "No. The opposite, really." My wings unfurled behind me, and she ran her fingers over the feathers. I normally kept them hidden with my magic, but when she'd asked to see all of me, something had healed inside of me. "Have you not wondered? Why no other demons are like me?"

"Damien's a cat ." Her face worked into an adorable little squint. "I suspended my disbelief in reality a long time ago."

"Shapeshifter," I corrected. "His mother could also shift into cat form. He inherited that from her."

"Right. They mentioned that. And yours was…"

"An angel. A rarity, especially for here. No demon had ever dared to take one for their queen before."

Luna's eyes widened. "She was forced ?"

"Taken," I amended, though I wasn't sure my wife was wrong, either. "Though I believed she cared for my father in her own way."

"That's awful."

But had I not planned to do the same thing with her? To force her to my side, bind her to me as my queen, watch her swell with my child so she couldn't leave? It might have been the way things were done in the past, but I would make sure it wasn't how it continued in the future.

"They were mates." I shook my head. "But he didn't deserve her. He's not a good person, Luna." That was the understatement of the millennium.

"Then why is he still the Demon King?" She asked, her gaze meeting mine. "Has no one challenged him?"

"No." A rough sound emitted from my throat. "Because they can't."

"Why? You said it was a bloody history…"

A knot formed in my throat. "It's complicated." Because it was my crown to take. Because they weren't strong enough, just like I wasn't. Or… hadn't been.

"So help me understand. If I'm going to be by your side, I can't be left in the dark, Zain."

"What if I'm not a good person, either? Will you still stand by me?"

"I don't believe that's true."

Shaking my head, forced the words out. "It's my birthright. No one else can take it from me. I've given up everything for this kingdom. My father is the worst sort of demon, but the only person who can see the life drain from his eyes is me." I rubbed a spot on my forehead. "He knows that I'm the only one who can end his sorry existence. So he fights me at every opportunity, with every decision. Knowing that I won't back down. That I care too much."

"What did he do to you, Zain?" The softness in her voice startled me, and Luna cupped my cheeks, bringing our eyes together.

Those beautiful eyes shone into mine. Like she believed in me. Like I hadn't just told her I wanted to gut my father.

"You don't want to know." Flashes of my childhood flew through my mind. Abuse. Neglect. Memories I never wanted to relive. Memories I didn't want to give her because I knew the pain in her eyes was for me. "I had to be perfect ."

I tried to explain it to her then. How Damien didn't get the brunt of it because he wasn't our father's heir. Because he always treated him like a bastard, as if it was Damien's fault that he'd gotten his mother pregnant. That the affair had resulted in a child.

My father had known no shortage of women. Had never wanted for anything. He'd bathed the world in blood before he took the crown, and everyone had been terrified to cross him. Because he was powerful—too powerful, and that was before he'd kidnapped my mother. Before he'd used the same mating ceremony, we had to marry their energies together.

And then he'd done nothing, watching the light slowly fade from her body. Her goodness had protected me—until she was gone, and I found out how cruel the world was.

When I finished talking, Luna brushed her hand against my face. "Sometimes people leave wounds, and even if the scars aren't visible, it doesn't mean they're not there," she said the words as if she could see them—the bruises, the scars, the way I'd bled. It felt like a bandage over my scarred heart.

"I heal fast," I muttered, the emotion on her face too much to bear.

"So why don't you end it?" She cupped my face. "Take the crown for yourself." Her eyes were burning with a ferocity I'd never seen before, like she was angry—for me.

"Ruthless," I muttered, dipping my head down to meet hers. "I didn't know my queen was so bloodthirsty."

"I don't like the idea of anyone hurting you," she admitted. "Even if he is your father."

I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "What if I told you there is a way to stop him? But I need your help?"

Her response was immediate. "I'll do it. "

"Are you sure? I haven't even told you how yet."

"Have I not already proven that I'd do anything you asked?"

I leaned my forehead against hers. "I don't deserve you."

"Except you do. Because you're good ," Luna insisted.

"No. But I'm trying to be. For you." My thumb rubbed over the marks I made on her neck, and her eyes flared.

"Zain." She whispered my name so softly that I wasn't sure I'd have heard her if not for the empty library. "What can I do? Where do I come into all of this?"

"I need you," I offered, the words never having been empty. "I've always meant that. I can't do this without you."

"You don't have to. I'm here."

That meant more than she could ever know. It was everything.

"When we married, a ceremony was performed."

She nodded. "Obviously." Luna held up her hand, wiggling her ring finger.

"No. I mean—it tied our life forces together. Our power."

"Our…" she blinked. "Life forces ?"

I nodded, tracing a finger over the veins on her wrist. "Yes. It serves two purposes. For one, your power has lived dormant inside of you for all these years. But now, we share."

"How? I don't feel you… like, inside me."

I quirked an eyebrow. Couldn't control the smirk that spread across my face. My little queen punched me in the shoulder. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it!"

Dipping down my head, I nipped at her lower lip. "If you wanted me inside of you, Moonbeam, all you had to do was ask."

Her cheeks were pink, but I cleared my throat. Refocusing my thoughts was hard, and not just because I was. "It's not like that, anyway. You can't use my powers, and I can't use yours. But being bonded, being mated , it changes our strength. Think of me as your backup source. An endless well of energy flows between us."

Luna scrunched her nose. "And this matters… how?"

"Only true mates can perform the ceremony successfully. Accepting the mating bond by letting me mark you—that cemented it even more. Now that we share our energies, I'm more powerful. And you are, too. I suspect that's why your powers are easier to use now. Alone, it still might not be enough to defeat him. But with you by my side…"

"You're asking me to help?" Her eyes widened.

I cupped the back of her neck. "Yes. I want your help. I need it, too. But if you don't want to, I can find another way."

"I'll do it. Of course I will."

I sighed, not liking what I had to say next. "We should go back soon, then. If we want to stop him…"

A sigh slipped from her lips. "I know."

But I couldn't help drawing her closer, holding her against me with everything I had. "But let me be selfish for a little while longer. To enjoy this bit of peace, if it's all we ever have."

Luna squeezed my hand. "We'll be okay, though, right?"

I wanted to say yes, but part of me was afraid to promise her something I didn't know. "You're the seer. You tell me. What's in our future?" I kissed her knuckles. "Everything's going to be different after, I promise."

Once the crown was in place on my head, when I ruled the demon realm in his stead…

Everything would be different.