An unfamiliar emotion came through the Binding Mark, and I paused, my brows furrowed as I tried to figure out what it was.
“Don’t turn around,” Luna said softly.
A rustling filled my ears, followed by the soft sound of garments hitting the floor.
Shutting my eyes, I pressed my forehead against the door and groaned. “Luna Montquartier, you are going to be the death of me.”
A low and sensual giggle came from behind me, quickly followed by a series of splashes. My entire body tightened at the sound.
“All right,” she whispered. “It’s safe to look.”
I didn’t really think it was, but what was I supposed to do?
“Sebastian?” Luna’s voice was soft, and it pulled at something within me. “Turn around.”
I couldn’t deny her. I wouldn’t. Anything she wanted, I would give her. Pulling my wings tight against my back, I did as she asked.
The moment I turned, my heart stuttered. There was nothing in the world that could have prepared me for the sight of Luna in the small tub. It was barely large enough to contain her body, and she hugged her knees to her bare chest. Long, wet brown strands of hair plastered to her head, and her rosy lips parted as our eyes met.
The air grew thick between us, and my heart thudded against the cage of my ribs. Swallowing, my gaze dropped lower. My lungs tightened and my fangs ached at the sight of her shoulders. The barest swell of her breasts was visible before the rest of her disappeared beneath the water.
My wife was the most beautiful being I had ever seen in my entire life. Maybe the Tether between us was the gods’ cruel idea of a joke. Perhaps it was a punishment for all the things I’d done in the past for the queen.
Being near Luna and not touching her was absolute torture. Right now, I was regretting my decision not to take things further when she had offered.
Luna raised a hand, and water dripped off her as she roughly combed her fingers through her hair. Her long locks fell down her back, revealing the beauty mark on her neck.
I gaped at her.
She chuckled, raising a brow. “Are you going to put that down?”
Put what down?
I glanced at my hands, only now remembering that I held a tray of food. Swallowing my suddenly dry throat, I made my legs obey me. Walking over to the desk, I slid the tray onto it before rubbing my hands on my tunic.
Locking the door, I took the time to at least attempt to compose myself. It wasn’t working. My mind was swirling as I kept my back to Luna.
“I… you… you’re naked,” I said, as though that wasn’t perfectly obvious.
A faint chuckle escaped her lips. “Such an astute observation, Sebastian. I am assuming that in your long life, you have had the chance to see naked people before?”
“A few.” My wings twitched and my fangs ached. My voice was hoarse as I said, “But none, male or female, were as beautiful as you.”
Not even Athena, gods be with her soul. My heart no longer burned when I thought of my first love. I had spent decades mourning her, but now… there was something new. Luna broke through the black armor of my heart in a way that no one ever had before. She saw me, bringing light to my darkness.
A splash came from the tub, and Luna whispered, “I think you’re beautiful too.”
Her words hung in the air between us, and I gripped the doorframe. No one had ever said that to me.
I was dangerous. Deadly. My soul was dark as the shadows that called me “Master”. No one, in all the years of my existence, had ever called me beautiful.
Releasing my grip on the doorframe, I blew out a long breath and turned around. “Do you think so?”
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of red and she nodded. “I do.”
Her eyes searched mine, and the air between us grew thick as words left unsaid forced themselves to the tip of my tongue. Suddenly, I did not want to let another moment pass me by before letting Luna know how I felt about her. She was researching me, but I didn’t need a scientific analysis to tell me that I loved her.
“Luna—”