8. Zain

EIGHT

zain

L una was still trembling.

The bodies of the demons who'd tried to attack her were fresh in my mind. Hers, too, I was sure. Had she ever experienced that level of violence before? I hated that I'd exposed her to that.

That she'd seen me like that.

This wasn't how I wanted to tell her who I was.

Though I'd magicked away my wings and the blood from my fingers, my blood was pumping too furiously for me to return the rest of my human glamor.

But now… she wasn't safe here. I didn't know how they'd found out about her existence, but I supposed my recent visits to the human realm hadn't gone unnoticed.

It was the day of my deadline for Damien, not that Luna knew anything about that. Because I hadn't told her.

Dammit. I'd fucked everything up. Part of me had known I would because I couldn't stay away from her. She was like a drug, and I wanted more of her in my system.

As soon as I'd sat Luna down to her feet, I could practically feel her slipping away from me. Like she was building bricks between us, blocking out the bond. On the couch, she'd drawn herself in tight, her arms pulling her legs to her chest as if she could keep herself together solely with the physical effort.

"You lied ," she whispered. Luna's eyes were focused straight ahead on the wall in front of her, avoiding my gaze. The furry beast she called Selene jumped on the couch next to her, the cat nuzzling against Luna's arm.

Sighing, I kneeled in front of her. "Believe me, I never meant to." I'd kept things from her, yes, but would she have believed me if I'd told the truth from the beginning?

"A lie of omission is still a lie." She finally looked back at me, her breath catching as her gaze caught on my irises. "Who are you?" Her eyes trailed over my form. " What are you?" Luna's voice was quiet as she said the words, like she was unsure if she wanted the answer.

"I think you know, love." Perhaps it was my fault. For not saying it the moment we'd met. For not getting it out in the open before we'd slept together. I knew I shouldn't have, but how could I stay away?

Her shoulders sagged.

"You're not human," she stated, a slight hesitation in her tone. "But you're not a witch, either. I knew that. But how'd you get through the barrier? How did the magic not keep you out? Why—" She was spiraling, all the questions I'd left unanswered coming back to the surface.

"Luna," I murmured, cupping her jaw. Moving closer, like the bastard I was, because I couldn't keep my hands off of her. Not when she looked so uneasy with the truth. But I didn't want her to fear me. "You're right. I'm not human."

"You're a demon ," she whispered, that word not filled with disgust as I'd feared. Some of the tension in my chest eased. "That's how you could defeat them, right? They were demons, and you?— "

I'd ended their sorry existences. I didn't regret that.

"Yes. They're a race called blood demons," I confirmed. They were demons that solely existed to prey on weak humans, who would take what they wanted without concern for other life. "Nasty things. They didn't deserve to live." I reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

The color drained from her face, and she let out a strangled sound. "Why did they come after me ? I'm…" She twisted her hands nervously in her lap. "I'm nothing . No one. I'm just a baker, for goddess' sake. I'm not…"

"It's my fault," I said, cupping her jaw. Forcing her to look at me. "They came after you because of me."

"But… why? What could they possibly attain by attacking me?" Confusion painted her face.

Because of who I was. Because of who she was to me.

"They want to hurt me." I winced, knowing the next part was going to be another shock. "And we haven't been very careful. My scent is all over you."

That must have been how they'd found her so easily.

Her eyes widened. "I—what? I smell like you?"

"Yes." I shut my eyelids, my nose inhaling deeply. She didn't know how much it settled my instincts that she did . How good she smelled. Like mine.

"Will they come after me again?"

Tampering down the possessive flare that pulsed through my body at the thought, I smoothed down her hair, letting my fingers run through the silky blonde strands. "I wish I could tell you no. Reassure you that you'll be okay. But..."

"You can't." Her voice was hoarse.

"No." I agreed. "You're not safe here." I was angry at myself that I'd screwed this up. That I'd threatened her very existence. Even if it meant I was getting exactly what I'd wanted all along. "Not anymore. Not where I can't keep an eye on you. "

"My sister is here. And her… boyfriend." She screwed up her face at the word. "I'm not alone."

But she was. She lived alone in this apartment above her bakery, and it was my stupidity that led to this incident.

Because I hadn't insisted on her coming back with me the moment I found her.

"If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

Luna shut her eyes, waging an internal battle with herself. "So, what?"

"Come back with me."

"Where?" Her eyes flew open. "Hell ?"

A deep rasp escaped my lips. "We don't actually live in Hell, Luna. Though your human views on the location aren't entirely wrong." Even I didn't want to spend time there. It was an awful place. "You can come back to my realm. My home."

"I don't want to leave my life behind." Her voice was quiet—subdued. Nothing like the Luna from the bar. My Luna. The girl filled with so much energy, a smile almost always glued on her face. "Everyone I love is here. My sister. My friends. My coven… My job." She worried on her lower lip, looking away.

"In time, once the threat has passed… You could come back." I wouldn't force her to stay with me—not if she didn't want to.

I wanted her to choose me willingly. To choose us.

Luna sounded almost… resigned. "And when will that be?" Like she'd already decided to accept my offer. A spark of hope bloomed in my chest.

"I don't know." I cleared my throat, hoping I was doing the right thing. "But you'll come to enjoy living in the palace, I promise. You'd be well taken care of. Looked after."

"Palace ?" Luna's eyes flared with surprise. "Wait. Your father's business, your…" I could see her brain working, adding up all the pieces of information in her head. "You're royalty? "

"Yes."

"And all those business deals you said you were making?—"

"To be fair, you're the one who said they were business deals."

She punched my arm, though I barely felt it since her fists were so tiny. I was over a foot taller than her, and the size difference was staggering. "You didn't correct me!"

I furrowed my brow. "What was I going to say? ‘ I'm a demon?' I couldn't. You wouldn't have believed me even if I had."

"Why?" Her voice was low. "Why me ?"

I knew what she was asking. I brushed my thumb along her cheekbone. Touching her like this was abating the last of the anxiety from my system.

"You captivated me more than anyone has in a long time." The truth. Most of it.

"How long is a long time?" Luna's voice was hardly a whisper.

"A few hundred years." Give or take.

"You're that old?"

"That's nothing." I chuckled, thinking about how long demons could live. "To most demons, I'm still a teenager. I'm hardly a quarter of the way through my lifespan." My father was almost a thousand, and even then…

"But that's…" She shook her head. "How is this possible? Why were you even here in the first place? What business does a demon have here, anyway? "

"I was checking up on my brother." Truth enough, as it was. He was only here because I'd sent him here.

How would she feel when she found out I'd been here to snatch her away? To spirit her to my realm like Hades stole Persephone? But had he stolen her, or had she gone willingly? It all depended on who was telling the tale .

"Your brother?" I watched as something clicked in her mind. "Damien?" Her eyes widened as I gave her a nod of confirmation. "Damien is your brother?"

"Half, but yes."

"So, your brother is seeing my sister, and you didn't tell me?" She drew her face in, quirking an eyebrow.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "He doesn't know I'm here. No one does." The fewer people that knew, the better, actually. As evidenced by what had just happened. "But I should have known better." I rubbed at my temples.

Luna frowned, blinking at me a few times. "This is a lot to take in. Even for me."

"Come back with me," I said, offering her an open hand. "I'll keep you safe. I promise." Like a devoted knight, I still kneeled in front of her. That was what I could offer her—my body, my sword, my shield.

She smoothed her hand over her skirt. "How? We don't even know that this will happen again. Couldn't I be attacked just as easily—no, even easier , there?"

Where there was one, there were more. "I wish I could say it wouldn't happen again. But you'd never be alone. My guards would protect you, even when I couldn't be there. You just need to…" I swallowed, knowing she wouldn't like what would come next. But there was only one way I could protect her without revealing the truth. "Be my bride."

"What?" Luna froze, astonishment touching the features on her still-too-pale face. "Are you insane? You want me to marry you?"

I brushed a hair off her forehead. "No one will harm you if they know you are mine."

I'd make sure they wouldn't. They could threaten the kingdom all they wanted, revolt and pillage and burn, but they wouldn't dare to touch one hair on her head .

"We barely even know each other, Zain," Luna said, frustration seeping through her features as she pushed me away, standing up to pace back and forth across her rug. "A few nights and conversations don't equal love."

I stood, my eyes fixated on her, taking in every detail. "Yes, I know." I thought we'd have more time to get there before it would come to this. "I don't expect you to love me." Frowning, I let her have her space.

"What, then? It's all fake ?" She furrowed her brows, and I was struck with the realization that it was cute . She was adorable, with her nose all scrunched up as she tried to work her way through it. I wanted to smooth the lines out on her forehead with my thumb.

No matter what was going on, I was constantly tampering down the urge to touch her. It was something I'd have to get better at if we were going to be spending even more time together because she couldn't know the rest. Not until… I shook off the thought.

"It can be whatever we need it to be." I shrugged my shoulders. Like we weren't talking about a marriage that would tie us together for... No . She'd never forgive me if she knew what I was thinking, even now.

"An act."

I merely hummed in response, watching as Luna stopped abruptly on the floor, turning to face me once more.

"Do demons make deals?" Luna quirked an eyebrow at me, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What?" I startled. A demon's deal wasn't something to make lightly. And she was just…

"Make a deal with me. That's what demons do, right? You make deals and steal souls?"

She wasn't entirely wrong, but she wasn't right , either. My kind of demon didn't barter with human souls .

I shut my eyes, trying to summon whatever threads of patience I had. "What sort of deal are you thinking?"

She looked up at me with those light green eyes, sparkling like peridots in the low light. Her gaze was full of such intensity that I wanted to look away. But I couldn't. I wouldn't. She'd captivated me since the first night.

"In order to protect me, you need me to be your wife, right?"

I gave her a nod, wondering where she was going with this.

Luna resumed pacing in front of me across the floor, her white furball winding under her feet. "If I'm going to—" she swallowed like she had to push out the words, " marry you , it should be an even exchange. What are you getting out of this, anyway?"

She turned to look at me. That pretty pink blush spread over her cheeks. You , I thought, I get you.

"I have my own reasons for needing a wife," I spoke. A queen. "But if you'd feel more comfortable making a deal, that can be arranged." I waved my hand, a contract appearing out of thin air.

I stepped closer, grasping her chin between my thumb and pointer finger, bringing her eyes up to meet mine. "Lay out your terms, Moonbeam." Her breath hitched, and I knew she couldn't deny the physical attraction between us any more than I could. It was intertwined in our DNA, buried in our biology. This need we had for each other overruled everything else.

What I wanted more than anything was to hoist her up into my arms and deposit her onto the counter. To take her to bed like I had so many times these past few weeks. Losing myself in her body those nights was the only thing that seemed to keep me sane.

She blinked, looking away in a haze. "My terms?"

"For our contract . "

Luna bit her lip in concentration. "How long will the marriage be for?"

Forever. "Until you no longer need me."

"Oh." Then she nodded. "I guess that makes sense. Once the threat is gone, we wouldn't need to be married anymore."

"Right." I cleared my throat because I hoped it wouldn't come to that. That I could win her over. That I could make her see that life with me wouldn't be so bad. That I would make every one of her dreams come true.

"I don't want to be a prisoner." She crossed her arms, a pouty look spreading over her face. Did she know how much I wanted to kiss it off her face? "I do not want to be locked up, unable to leave my room."

"Of course." I made a face. Did she really think I would do that to her? "You will have full access to the palace as long as you have a bodyguard with you."

She winced. "I don't want a bodyguard."

"You don't have an option." If someone else was with her, I would know she'd be safe.

Luna crossed her arms over her chest. "I can protect myself."

I raised an eyebrow. "Can you?" Just thirty minutes ago, she'd been trembling with fear.

"Yes." She jerked her chin up in the air. "My magic…" She twitched her fingers, gaze dropping to the floor. "I know it's there. I can feel it. But I'm just… terrified of letting it out."

It wasn't a surprise to me—I knew she had power. It called to me in her veins. The fates had chosen her for me, after all. But finding out she didn't know how to wield it was a shock. "Did no one ever teach you?"

Luna shook her head. "I didn't want to be different. The other girls in my coven had normal gifts: potion brewing, animal communication, spirit sensing, that kind of thing. And I… I got weird light powers and visions. So I forced it down and did my best to learn how to block everyone out. How to create shields around my mind."

"I can teach you." I offered, wrapping a hand around her arm to still her.

"You can?" She blinked. "How?"

I flashed her a saccharine smile. "I might not be a witch, but I am surprisingly indestructible, Luna, and I have magic of my own."

Shadows that begged to explore every inch of her. Maybe this way, they could.

Luna seemed to contemplate that for a moment, finally nodding. "What do you get out of this?" She repeated her words a whisper in that tiny apartment. If I hadn't been so close to her, I might not have heard them.

Trailing my finger across her jaw, I tilted my face down to brush my lips against hers. " You ." I let the word linger with all the sexual promises it offered, tangling in the air like sin on my tongue.

Pressing a kiss to her lips, I let it say all the things I couldn't.

I'd tell her the rest—in time. She wasn't ready for the other part I required from her. Not yet, anyway. I needed her to trust me first. Needed her to realize I wasn't the bad guy.