7. Luna

SEVEN

luna

D awn's early rays lit up my apartment, and I'd never felt so warm and comfortable as I woke up. But then again, I'd never woken up next to anyone like this. He was already awake, his thumb trailing over my naked shoulder, drawing circles on my skin.

"Hi, handsome," I murmured sleepily. My body ached in all the right places, reminding me of how roughly he'd taken me last night. How much I'd liked it.

Even if he'd been distant afterward, pulling away from me. After we'd both cleaned up, I'd almost expected him to leave. Had he gotten everything he wanted from me, and how I'd have to say goodbye? I didn't want that. Despite how insane it was, I wanted the chance to get to know him better.

And maybe do that again.

"Good morning." Zain leaned over, kissing my forehead.

"Yes," I agreed, stretching out with a sleepy yawn. "It is."

"It wasn't too much, was it? Last night?" His face—all those sharp lines that had first captured my attention—looked worried, and I shook my head.

"No. It was… perfect." Because there were no other words to describe it. He'd made me feel like stars were exploding on my skin every time he touched me, the drag of his fingertips on my body, the way he'd worked me up higher and higher?—

Gods, it was like he knew what my body needed before I did.

One corner of his lips tilted up, and I reached up, letting my fingers brush against the scruff of his jaw. "You look good like this." My fingers ran over those beautiful lips that had explored all over my body, wanting to commit this to my memory. If this was the only night we'd have together, I didn't want to forget one bit of it.

"In your bed?" He asked.

I moved my finger over the smile lines on his cheeks. "Yes." No. Happy. But that felt like too much to admit.

He captured my hand, kissing my palm before bringing our lips together to take my mouth. It was a soft, lazy kiss—nothing like what we'd shared last night, but the intimacy of it all was almost too good. I sank into the warm, fuzzy feeling, enjoying the way it felt like little bolts of electricity were shooting up my skin from his touch.

"I should go," he murmured, trailing a finger over my bare skin.

"Or you could stay. Spend the day with me. I could call in sick." After all, I was already late. If the sun was up, I was normally already baking. What was a few more hours?

He raised an eyebrow. "Call in sick to your own business?"

"Sure." I shrugged. "I'll just put up a sign on the door. Oven's broken . Be back tomorrow." A giggle erupted from my lips, thinking about the townspeople going without their favorite scones and muffins. But they could do without me for one day—right? There were still plenty of baked goods to put out in the display case, even if I didn't bake anything fresh today .

But Zain shook his head, standing up from the bed. "I wish I could. I have to get back." A deep sigh emitted from his throat as he reached down to grab his pants, pulling them back up over his well-toned thighs.

Goddess, the man had a beautiful physique, including that ass I wanted to dig my fingers into once again.

"Will I see you again?" I asked, trying not to sound hopeful.

But what did I know about this man? I'd let him into my home—into my bed—and if he disappeared tomorrow, that would be that. And I'd have to pretend I wasn't disappointed.

He chuckled as he zipped up the pants before flicking the button closed. "You'd want that?"

"After last night, you have to ask?" I sat up, holding the sheet to my body as I watched him dress. Covering up that body seemed almost illegal, but I couldn't complain now. Not when he was right. I had a job to do—and so did he.

Zain quirked an eyebrow as he shrugged his shirt back onto his shoulders, buttoning it with more precision than I'd ever seen a man have.

I simply nodded, doing my best not to look as overly eager as I felt. "Yes. I'd want that." Of course I did.

How could he think I wouldn't? What girl could get three orgasms from a man in one night and not want to see him again?

A wicked grin split his face. "Good."

He leaned in to place a soft kiss on my lips, and then his finger tugged at a strand of hair next to my ear.

"Tomorrow?" I asked, holding my breath and trying not to analyze why I was so quickly becoming dependent on this man.

Why I felt like not seeing him would be like the end of my world. I knew it—we'd only had two nights together, after all, and it wasn't like I had any preconceived notions about where this was going. But for once, I didn't want to worry about the future.

Didn't want to think about where things were going, because I liked how he made me feel, and I wanted more of it.

"Yes," he agreed, kissing my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm counting on it," I whispered as he gave me a wink, waltzing out of my bedroom.

Selene, who must have slept on her cat tree in the living room last night instead of at my feet for once, came into my bedroom, her jingling bell alerting me to her presence.

Hopping up onto the bed, she meowed, coming over to rub her head on me and beg for my attention. I scratched her head, giving her love as she purred, and then sighed. "I should probably get up too, huh?"

After all, the bakery waited for no woman—or no witch, in this case.

The next few weeks had flown by, and now Halloween was only days away. I adjusted the apron wrapped around my waist, focusing my attention on the cookies in front of me. They were my specialty, even though by the time Halloween was over, I wouldn't want to look at orange frosting again for another year.

My thoughts kept drifting back to Zain. Of all the nights I'd spent curled up in his arms in my sheets. It felt like it was too soon, but I really liked him.

Our future felt bright. At least whatever was hidden behind that hazy warmth. And I trusted him. With my body, especially. Yet, in some ways, it felt like everything was too good to be true. And maybe it was .

He didn't call, and he still hadn't told me very many details about his life—where he lived when he wasn't visiting Pleasant Grove, what business he worked in, exactly—none of it.

Part of me wondered if I needed to worry that he had another family hidden away somewhere.

The thought instantly soured my stomach. I might not have known everything about him, but I knew him. Knew that he wouldn't do that to me. But it was more than that, too—the idea of him with some other woman made me nauseous . What we had, what we shared, both the powerful physical attraction and our sexual chemistry…

It was easy to see how fast I could get attached to this man if I let myself. If I let him in. But could I, when I hardly knew anything about him?

Looks like someone else had a good night , I thought to myself as Willow twirled into the kitchen.

"You look smitten," I murmured, watching my sister happily hum to herself.

She came to a stop, the dishes she'd levitated in front of her looking precariously close to falling. "What?" Her cheeks turned light pink. "N-no."

But it was so obvious how head over heels she was for him. And I couldn't blame her for being happy. Not one bit.

I'd wanted it for her, wished for her happiness. Had so badly wanted to see into her future for years, just to know what would come to pass. Not that she'd let me. But I got this feeling that maybe there was more to this than she was letting on.

Either way, it was good for me because she was so caught up in her own whirlwind romance she hadn't noticed mine . I wasn't ready to talk about Zain yet. To share him. Right now, he was all mine. The handsome stranger I shared my secrets with. Who I confessed my thoughts to in the dark.

"I… I like him, okay?" Willow dropped her shoulders as if in defeat before sending the dirty pitchers and spoons into the sink. "It's never been like this for me before."

"And he feels the same way?" I asked.

Sure, maybe I was slightly skeptical ofDamien. I'd barely met the man, but the way he'd bolted out of the coffee shop during our first interaction… It felt like there was something he wasn't saying. That he was keeping from my sister, too. All I could sense from him was darkness.

"I mean, I haven't asked him for sure, but I think so." A slight smile curled over her lips.

I couldn't stop myself from pressing the matter. "What are you afraid of?"

My older sister sighed, a touch of worry coloring her tone. "That he'll leave. Decide I'm not worth it and walk away."

"Willow." My voice was soft. Reassuring. I wanted her to realize how much she was worth it. That anyone would be crazy to not want to be with her. "You don't even know how amazing you are, do you?"

"You have to say that." She shook her head. "You're my little sister."

"No." I said it more firmly. "I mean it. You always take care of everyone but yourself. Even me. It's time to put yourself first. Besides, if that man really leaves, he's not who I thought he was, anyway."

Willow murmured something under her breath. She turned away from me, facing the sink.

"What?" I asked, not catching what she'd said. Or maybe I had. And that was the problem.

He's a demon. Surprise flashed through my eyes.

"Nothing." My sister focused on the dishes, scrubbing at them instead of continuing the conversation. Avoiding whatever truths were in her mind.

It had to have been a joke, right? A demon?

Like… an immortal, supernatural being from Hell? She had an evil spirit living in her house? Sleeping in her bed?

But he couldn't be bad . He looked at her the way my dad had looked at my mom. Like he cared about her. There was no mistaking it. You couldn't fake that kind of affection.

When she finally turned back to me, I rolled my eyes. "I'm just saying. I've seen the way he looks at you."And even having my doubts, I hadn't been able to deny that after seeing them together at the bar.

"Like what?" Willow's voice was barely a whisper.

"Like you're his entire world."

Yes. He was just as smitten as her. Head over heels . She'd known him for a month, and yet, seeing the way his gaze was heated as he watched her…

It was how I wanted Zain to look at me.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." I pinched her arm lightly. "If you don't tell that man how you feel about him, I'll do it myself."

" Luna," she bemoaned, drawing out my name. "It's still new. I don't want to ruin it."I raised an eyebrow, and she held up her arms in defeat. "Fine, fine! I'm going home now."

"Tell your man I say hello."I gave her a little finger wave as she grabbed her stuff.

"Don't stay too long yourself," Willow said, almost an afterthought. "Goddess knows you could use some time away from this place. You practically live here, I swear."

I couldn't disagree with that.

Besides, Zain would be waiting for me upstairs.

"I won't."

It was a promise I could keep.

Halloween had finally arrived, and I was closing up the bakery early before meeting up with Willow and Damien for the festivities. I wished Zain was here to see how Pleasant Grove celebrated, but he'd told me two days ago that he was going on a business trip.

I'd been pouting ever since he'd left, but luckily Willow was too busy with Damien to pay attention to how my mood had been all over the place. To how my heart beat faster every time I thought about Zain.

I loved my sister, but I did not need to explain to her about the older man I'd been seeing. Not that I'd asked him his age yet. The thought made me frown. One of these nights, I'd have to ask. Clearly, we needed to do more talking in the evenings when he came over.

It was just so hard to keep my hands off of him after that first time. Every time he showed up, I could barely resist pouncing on him, and we ended up with our clothes off within the first ten minutes.

Evidently, I needed to clear some things up. About what this was. Were we just hooking up? Or was it… more?

Tying up the trash bag in my hands, I headed towards the back alley of the shop.

After this, I just needed to turn out the lights, and I could go upstairs and get changed for the party. I still had a few hours before it started, giving me ample time to do my hair and makeup.

Halloween night in Pleasant Grove was always incredible—when you paired the magical abilities of the town's residents with a celebration of all things spooky, people went a little over the top. Willow loved it. She'd been the biggest fan of Halloween for as long as I can remember, always excited when we were little to pick out her costume and go trick-or-treating together.

I smiled, thinking about the first year when I'd been learning to control my magic, and I'd levitated my plastic pumpkin alongside us until an older boy had bumped into me, causing me to lose focus—and my candy to tumble to the ground. My eyes had filled with tears, but it was Willow who jumped to my rescue, ready to fight the boy who ran into me. She'd even hexed a broom, sending it after him until he ran home crying to mommy .

I couldn't remember my costume or my favorite candy that year, but I remembered how my big sister would do anything for me.

She'd always been my best friend.

Was I being a terrible person by keeping her in the dark about what was going on in my life? If it wasn't going anywhere, I didn't want to tell her I was seeing someone. She would be so supportive, and it would break my heart to see her disappointment when it ended.

Sighing, I dumped the trash in the back dumpster, turning back to go inside the bakery. The sun hadn't gone down yet, but the lights were already coming on, an orange glow leaking into the alleyway behind Main Street.

"What's this?" A grating voice instantly had the hair on the back of my arms sticking up.

"Found ourselves a sweet treat, didn't we?"

I turned, finding two of them staring at me like they'd found their next meal.

At first, I'd thought they were just playing a prank on me. Some Halloween costumes gone wrong. But… it was becoming increasingly obvious to me they weren't human.

A sickly gray pallor covered their skin that stretched across a gangly, unnatural-looking frame. Claws sat in the place of fingernails. But it was their horns that told me everything I needed to know. I'd never seen one before, but there had been stories in our books about the wicked creatures that lived in the shadows.

Demons.

Willow's words echoed in my mind. He's a demon.

Maybe I was right not to trust him. Had he led them here, too? Unwittingly or not, I hoped Damien hadn't brought them here. It would absolutely crush my sister. Especially if they ate me.

They were close enough to rip me apart. I didn't think demons liked to eat humans, but my education on other species had never been that great, anyway. They were supposed to be myths. Legends. Just like vampires and wolf shifters and mermaids and the rest of them.

What were they doing here? The magical barrier of Pleasant Grove should have kept things out . That's what I'd always been taught, but I was second-guessing a lot of things about this town.

"Please don't hurt me," I begged, holding my hands in front of my face. All I could do was will my magic to the surface—the power that lived inside my veins.

Why hadn't I learned to defend myself when I had the chance? Even if I was terrified of it—knowing the depth. My coven didn't even know how deep my insecurities ran. I kept them all bottled up inside.

"She's the one, isn't she?" The second demon said to the first. "Our golden ticket."

"Smells like it," the first agreed. "His scent is all over her. This must be the one."

My cheeks warmed. His scent all over me? The thought made me dizzy .

They had to have been talking about Zain, right? Only, I hadn't seen him in days, and I'd definitely showered since then. There was no way there would be any lingering anything .

"I don't know who you are, but I'm no one special," I said, backing up slowly. Like if I didn't spook them, I could make it out alive. Why had I left my phone inside? "I'm just a baker."

"Just a baker. Ha !" The laugh that the creature emitted was like nails on a chalkboard. "I can see the magic that runs through your veins, witch." He spat out the word. "Your kind seek to eliminate us, to wipe us off the map."

"I'm not—" I knew nothing about that. We weren't demon hunters. A demon hadn't been seen in Pleasant Grove in decades, as far as I knew. Unless the barriers were weakened, they shouldn't have been here now.

My palms heated, the magic that sparked through my veins sizzling on my skin. Would it be effective against them? I only had one shot—maybe, if I was lucky—before they'd be on me.

I felt a presence at my back, and I inhaled sharply. Because his body heat flooded my veins like he was saying I'm here. I've got you. Little zaps shot through my skin where he touched my arm.

"Luna, get behind me." Zain shoved his body in front of mine, his voice practically a snarl as he turned to the creatures. "You will not touch her."

"Just let us have one taste, huh? You can share, and we'll give her back unharmed." The second creature's lips curled, exposing long canines, sharpened to points. "Mostly ."

I couldn't move because I was frozen. For once in my life, I knew complete fear. Nothing had terrified me before.

Perhaps I should have been more like Willow, reading our family grimoire instead of romance and fantasy books, and then I'd know what to do in this kind of situation. Maybe it was my parents' fault for not teaching me how to control this magic of mine. I knew I had power—dangerous, if wielded properly—but I didn't know how .

Useless . I was useless. My knees buckled, falling into Zain's back.

"No." He spoke roughly as I clutched onto him. "Don't even look at her, you worthless trash ."

"Zain…" I curled my hands into the back of his jacket, holding onto his body as mine trembled.

"Step back, Luna," Zain barked, and I heeded the command in his voice quickly. His fingernails lengthened, turning into sharp tips. "I need you to go." Looking back, his eyes connected with mine. Shining, golden eyes. "Please. Go inside."

What are you? But maybe I already knew.

The wings unfurled from his back as he stepped towards the creatures, a wisp of magic curling around his body.

" You. Will. Not. Touch. Her. " Each word was repeated, deathly violence promised by his tone.

Trembling in fear, I pressed myself against the brick wall, feeling its rough texture against my back as he mercilessly ripped them apart.

But I couldn't look away, either. It was violent and bloody, and yet there was something graceful about the way he moved. Lethal. Dangerous. But somehow also… Beautiful .

Gods, I'd never been more attracted to this man than when he was tearing creatures apart for me. What did that say about me?

Devastating. He was completely devastating, standing over the corpses of the demons. My body unfroze, and I collapsed onto the ground, my knees hitting the pavement.

"What—"

"Fuck," he muttered, looking at their bodies. The blood that dripped out of them was an unnatural black. Zain pinched the bridge of his nose before waving with his hand, the carnage instantly disappearing in a glittering black mist.

Turning, his eyes swept over me, like he couldn't discern if I was okay. But I wasn't.

And the worst part was it had nothing to do with what had just happened. That I'd had two demons bent on using me like some sort of weird bargaining chip.

It was that I didn't even recognize the man who was standing in front of me. Because he'd lied. It was a shock to my core. What did I really know about this man?

Clearly, he wasn't who he claimed to be. He wasn't even human.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and I shook my head. My eyes filled with tears, but he mistook my emotions for fear. "It'll be okay," Zain promised, scooping me up into his arms.

I buried my face into the crook of his shoulder, my words failing me as he carried me upstairs into my apartment.

He set me down on my feet and I turned around, not wanting to look at him. Because I was angry and upset , and my body was still trembling as I tried not to cry.

Not to release all the pent-up emotions of the last thirty minutes. Ignoring the way I was slowly falling apart.

"Luna." His voice is soft as he slips his arms around my waist, tugging me to his front. It was all I could do to ignore how well our bodies fit together.

He's a demon. Willow's words echoed through my mind. Suddenly, the information wasn't a revelation at all as everything clicked into place.

Damien . Her cat .

The week after she'd adopted him, she'd been so focused on researching… something. I'd seen her in the library. And then there was the spell she'd performed.

She hadn't wanted to ask for help, even though the coven was a wealth of resources—a combined force of knowledge and unique skills.

And then Damien—human, this time—showing up on her arm. Of course, something supernatural was happening there. And I'd been so caught up in my thing that I hadn't even paid attention to it.

Gods, she was literally dating a devil.

And so was I.

"I trusted you," I said, the tears dripping from my eyes. "I let you into my bed, into my home, and I…"

"Moonbeam." He sounded so calm. Quiet. I hated he was collected at this moment that I was crumbling. "I never meant…"

"You lied," I murmured, stepping away from him.

Zain reached for me, but I just shook my head, wrapping my arms around myself before I collapsed onto the couch.

Over and over, that thought repeated through my brain.

He'd lied.