A tense moment passed as the two males glared at each other, but then Sebastian released his grip on his friend. His wings were still out, though, and even from here, I could sense the threat of violence in the air.
“You’re going to tell me everything,” Sebastian demanded. His voice sounded different than it normally did. Lower. Silkier. Even from here, I felt a need to blurt out my secrets. “Don’t leave anything out.”
“They are saying…” Rhain’s voice dropped even lower than before, and I strained to hear his words over the howling of the wind. “… in the taverns… the Binding… sending letters… war in the south… she is… a spy… a distraction…”
Rhain kept speaking, but I wasn’t listening anymore.
A spy. They thoughtIwas a spy. The idea was almost laughable. As if I would be capable of spying on anything. I was an academic. A scientist. And right now, I wasn’t even that. I was barely surviving.
If I was a spy, I was the worst one ever. What kind of spy fell for their target?
That begged the question, though. What was the Northern Kingdom doing that had them so concerned about spies? Was this why I wasn’t receiving any letters from my family? Was someone interceptingthem?
Lost in thought, I missed the rest of the conversation. It wasn’t until Sebastian clapped Rhain on the back, the sound echoing through the forest, that I returned my gaze to the two vampires.
“Thank you, Rhain,” Sebastian said. “Sorry about the…” He made a choking gesture around his neck.
“Don’t worry about it, Prince,” Rhain said, punching the vampire I had married in the arm. “If I had a Bound Partner, I’d be protective about them too.”
Males were so strange.
Moments later, the black blur that was Rhain disappeared into the moonlit forest. As soon as he was gone, Sebastian climbed the tree with the agility of a creature of the forest. No words passed between us as he gathered me in his arms.
A powerful wingbeat later, and we were in the sky once more. I’d grown somewhat used to the cold in the woods, but now that we were in the sky once more, the air assaulted my senses. I buried my face in Sebastian’s tunic, hoping this flight would miraculously be faster than the one that brought us here.
“Are you all right, Luna?” the prince asked, cradling me to his chest.
The beat of his wings was a steady backdrop to the pounding of my heart.
“I’m… they think I’m a spy.” Now that I said the words out loud, they were real. They still sounded as ridiculous as when Rhain said them. A knot formed in my stomach. What if Sebastian believed him?
The vampire in question tightened his grip around me. “You heard.”
“I’m not, you know.” Shaking my head, I looked up at him. “I would never betray you like that. My letters… they’re for my family. My little brother and I are close, and I am desperate to hear from him. I’m just trying to know if they’re alright. I would never betray you like that.”
My voice was high-pitched, betraying the nerves coursing through my body. I needed Sebastian to understand that I would never do what they were accusing me of.
“Darling, I know you’re not a spy,” he said, pulling me towards him and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “The entire accusation is ludicrous. That’s why it’s a rumor. I’m going to find out why you haven’t heard from your family. I promise.”
The knot in my stomach unraveled slightly. Thank the gods, he believed me.
Sebastian’s wings beat powerfully through the night air. This time, I kept my eyes open as he carried me above the snow-covered forests. It wasn’t hard to spot Castle Sanguis.
Standing among the forests and mountains, the snow-covered structure was imposing in its enormity. Dozens of parapets and thin spires reached into the night sky and stone gargoyles stood guard all around the castle. Faint purple lights flickered in the windows, adding a violet sheen to the structure.
The castle drew nearer, but Sebastian didn’t show any signs of stopping.
I turned in his arms, taking in the chiseled line of his jaw as he continued to fly. “You’re not taking us back to the castle?”
“No.” Sebastian tightened his grip around me, his wings flapping as he steered us around the imposing building. “Rhain was able to find something that might help, but it’s time-sensitive. We have to go now.” He paused, seeming to grapple with his words. “Luna, when we arrive… you need to keep your gloves on.”
“To keep the mark of our Binding hidden?” I asked, raising a brow.
He nodded, tightening his grip around me. “It’s not safe to reveal who we are to each other. These people… they are dangerous.”
Then why were we going there?