30. Zain

THIRTY

zain

I f you'll excuse me," I murmured, pushing out of the table, eager to follow Luna upstairs to check on her. Shit, she'd looked extra pale tonight—was she not feeling well? I cursed under my breath, ignoring the look of surprise the surrounding demons gave at my sudden outburst.

Her scent had changed recently, and I had a feeling I knew why, but I hadn't confirmed it yet.

Lilith stood outside the door, flicking her dagger into the air and then catching it.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her wings keeping her slightly above the ground, sheathing the dagger in the belt at her side.

"Yes. No." I shook my head. "I don't really know. Luna just… I need to check on her."

"You can talk to us, you know? We're more than just your advisors. We're your friends."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

She was right. I'd spent the last two centuries surrounded by them, and part of the reason we didn't have these conversations anymore was it felt like we knew everything there was to know about each other.

Besides my brother, they were the only family I had, even if I'd built it myself. Bringing each one into the fold, training each one of them to unlock their powers, learning to trust them with every fiber of my being.

"She's good for you," Lilith added. "I've never seen you so happy as you are when you're with her."

"She's my everything," I confessed.

"But?"

"Why does there have to be a but?" The words were barely more than a grunt. "I told her I loved her."

"So?" She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not hearing an actual problem here."

"She put two and two together. That I didn't want to risk her." I looked around us and pulled her into my study. You could never be too careful. "And she didn't say it back."

I'd told her I loved her, and she hadn't said it back.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "So you?—"

"Yes," I growled. Shoving my free hand into my hair, I tugged on the loose strands. Why hadn't I told her sooner? Because I was scared that she wouldn't feel the same?

Lilith raised her hands up. "I'm just trying to get a grip on the situation here, Zain. What did she say back? Do you think she doesn't love you?"

You do have me. But that wasn't the same as I love you, too.

"I can't risk her. She knows that."

"You're an idiot." She snorted, punching me in the shoulder. "But at least you listened to my advice. It was looking dicey there for a bit." Lilith shook out her hand, wincing like it hurt.

"Hey." I frowned. "That's not?— "

"Whose bright idea was it to kidnap the girl and bring her back here?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "But I didn't." She gave me a look. "Fine. You were right. About all of it." I shut my eyes, breathing out through my nose. "But don't tell Asura. She'll never let me hear the end of it."

"The end of what?" The demon herself asked, popping out from behind the door.

"Nothing," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Women.

Asura leaned into Lilith's space, the two exchanging hushed whispers, which I was sure were about me. And Luna.

Fuck. Luna. I shouldn't have waited so long to tell her. Have made her think of a plan where risking herself was worth it. It wasn't. How could it be?

"Do you think she's okay?" I looked up at the ceiling. Even if I couldn't see her, it still felt like my heart was searching for her.

Asura placed her hand on my forearm. "She has Talon. Of course, she's okay. He won't let anything happen to her."

Safe. I steadied myself with the knowledge. She was safe. I'd meant what I told her—I wouldn't be able to focus if I thought about something happening to her.

"She said if I did it alone, something bad would happen."

Lilith nodded. "Sounds about right. We all told you it's foolish to even try."

I looked around, shaking my head. "We should finish this discussion later." Where there was no chance of prying eyes. With Luna present. "I just need to go check on her, and then I'll bring her down to my study."

Zain. Luna's voice filtered into my thoughts. I could feel the terror running through her. Where are you?

Hold on. Was something wrong? I'm coming, Moonbeam.

But she didn't respond. My body moved faster than it ever had before, teleporting at once towards the bedroom we shared.

One of the twins was normally stationed outside at all times, but Talon was missing. Fuck.

A meow slipped from the room, and I wrenched open the door, finding it in perfect order: bed made and everything in its place. But it was empty. Quiet. Her laughter normally filled the space, her warmth soothing that tattered part of my soul.

"Luna?" I called, hoping like hell everything was fine. That she was here, where she was supposed to be.

Her fluffy white cat gave me another sullen chirp. Scratching at her head, I frowned. "Where'd she go, Selene? What happened to our girl?" The cat didn't answer me. Of course not. She was nothing more than an animal, after all.

Moving through the room, I entered the bathroom. The steam fogged up the mirror with Luna's discarded nightgown at the edge of the baths. Her scent still clung to the air, overriding my senses. I shut my eyes, letting out a long string of curses I wasn't proud of.

She'd been here and now… She was gone. I was too late.

There was a discarded tray of food in the corner, but it looked like she hadn't even touched it. I frowned. Luna had left dinner early, not feeling well—had she asked for food to be sent up? I hadn't ordered anything to be sent to her.

"Zain?" Talon's voice was rough as he peeked inside the door.

"Talon." My voice was clipped. "Where is she?" He looked guilt-ridden, and my heart sank. No. "Tell me she's okay. That something hasn't happened to her. "

His dark blonde hair was dotted with blood like he'd been knocked out. "I—I was drugged. It was like they'd known I was watching her tonight and slipped it into my food. The kitchen staff must have been in on it. And Novalie…" He shook his head, a shaky breath coming from Talon's lips. "They knocked her out, too. We were completely blindsided. I—" He rubbed at the scar on his face.

One he'd gotten when the twins were twelve, attacked by blood demons in broad daylight. Something my father had let happen. Luckily, I'd brought them back here. Welcomed them into our circle.

But I'd never forgotten what they'd done to him, what my father allowed to continue. He was involved in this, too. I knew he was.

"Where's my wife? Where's Luna?" I slammed my hand onto the marble countertop, staring down at one of the men I'd trusted more than anyone else in the world. To keep the woman I loved safe. My mate. " Where is she ?"

I couldn't feel her down the bond. Our link always allowed me to sense her, to teleport to her side with barely a thought. But now, it was just darkness. Like a cold, empty cavity remained in the space of my heart.

"I didn't see this coming, Zain. Otherwise, I never would have left her side. You know that."

I growled, cutting him off. "How did they get through the wards? How did they take her?"

"I don't know. This power..." Talon wrung his hands. "It's strong . There's only one being that could do this."

My father. That fucker. I was going to bleed him alive after this, to make him wish he'd never even looked at her.

"How long were you out?"

"Maybe fifteen minutes? When I came to, the door was wide open. Luna was gone, and Novalie was tied up in the closet." He winced, rubbing at his wrists like he was the one who'd been bound.

"Fuck!" I pulled at my hair. I tried to tell myself that it could be worse. Fifteen minutes wasn't that big of a lead. But with his power, where would he take her? He could go anywhere. Do anything.

"Gather everyone—all the staff. Lock the palace down. No one leaves until we know who did this." Until I knew which of my father's lackeys was going to lose his life tonight.

He nodded. "Of course." Talon spun on his ankle, moving back out of the bathroom, but then turned back to me. "We'll find her, Zain. I know we will."

I just had to hope that he was right.

Two hours later, we were gathered in my office. Lilith, Asura, both of the twins and Kairos. We'd swept the palace grounds. Anyone who was involved with the kidnapping plot was currently locked in the dungeon.

Kidnapped. Fucking hell. They'd kidnapped my wife, and I didn't have a single lead on where she was.

My hand closed over my chest. Our mental bond was still blocked, and I couldn't get through to her, no matter what I did. I could still feel her, but her heartbeat was faint. Every so often, I felt her pain, and I had to grit my teeth.

What were they doing to her?

They must have given her something to affect her like this.

Lilith shook her head. "Zain, I don't think…"

"Clearly not." Thunder rumbled outside, and I couldn't control my anger. "You're clearly not thinking, or else we would have already found her."

I needed her here to calm me. Her scent, her touch. And until she was back in my arms, I would feel this way. It was like I was completely off-kilter, adrift in the darkness without her light.

"One job!" I exclaimed. "You all had one job. And you failed. You failed her. " My throat was choked up. I'd failed her . From the beginning, I'd promised to keep her safe, and I hadn't even done that. "I failed her." The words slipped from my lips before I could think better of it. To show weakness in front of them… Normally, I would have hated it.

But right now, all I could focus on was Luna.

She was supposed to be here. Making this plan with us.

Lilith made a noise in her throat, and I looked up to find her face full of emotion. "Your father?—"

"He knows. That's the only reason he would have taken her. He has to know what I've planned." I scowled.

Asura's eyes narrowed to slits. "You think he would hurt her?"

"Yes."

Why? Because he wanted to put me in my place. Remind me who the actual ruler was. Luna had been right. She'd warned me, and I hadn't listened to her.

"But this is cruel , even for him."

"If he had a heart, I've never seen it. Even when my mother died, he never so much as shed a tear. He took her power, his mate's power, and then he let her die. " I looked away, thinking about if I ever had to say goodbye to Luna. The pain of losing my mate—it would destroy me. "He wouldn't hesitate to end the life of my wife just to ensure I couldn't overpower him." I spit the words out. "That's my father for you."

You left your wife behind, defenseless and alone. A voice in the back of my mind said. This is your fault for not protecting her. Running my fingers over the place where she' d left her mark, I tried to take solace in the fact that I could still feel her at the end of our bond.

Luna, I thought, hoping that the bond between us was strong enough to reach her at this distance. Please be safe.

"Fuck." I rubbed at my temples. "I need to get her back. Before they hurt her even more."

"How?"

"Can you follow the bond?"

"I could , but they did something to it. She's unconscious. Weak. All I can feel is darkness." Normally, there was only light. But I could still feel that she was alive.

"They must have drugged her. But if you can still feel even a trace of her, then there's a chance."

I nodded, running my hands over the fresh stubble on my chin. It was weak, at best, but maybe.

"Is there a chance this is a trap?" Thorn had unfurled a map of the palace, studying it intently. "That he's going to ambush you, to kill you?"

"I'm sure it is," I said, rubbing my eyes. "He'd love to put me six feet under. He's wanted to my whole life." After all, I was never good enough. Never strong enough. Powerful enough. And I'd let that affect everything. The way I saw myself. How I acted.

Until Luna. Seeing the trust in her eyes—how much she loved me, even if she hadn't said it yet—I knew it was true. I was more than enough.

"He never did before because he knew Damien would forsake his birthright. So what changed?"

"She did," I said honestly. She had changed me, made me softer. Made me see how love could transform everything.

"We'll take care of the situation here," Kairos insisted, laying his hand on my shoulder. " Go . Make sure your wife is safe. We need our future queen after all, don't we? "

I nodded, my wings sprawling out from behind my back. Ready to take me to my home. Because it wasn't a place, it was a person.

My mate. I'm coming back to you, Moonbeam. Just hang on.