LUNA
“You can’t be serious.” Crossing my arms, I shook my head and glared at Sebastian. Dressed in my black gown once more, I had a thick blanket wrapped around me in an effort to try to ward off the chill permeating the room. It wasn’t working. I never thought I would miss our chamber in the castle, but here I was, doing just that.
Sebastian glared right back, his wings out of sight and his back straight as he leaned against the door. “On the contrary, darling, I am deadly serious.” He flashed a fangy grin in my direction, as if that proved his point.
It did not.
First, he told me he loved me—something I would have to unpack at a later date—and now he wanted to leave me alone in this small room? I was not keen on this plan. What if he got hurt? Or worse, killed?
Admittedly, I was not much of a warrior, but I didn’t want to remain here like a sitting duck. This inn was full of vampires, all of whom seemed like they wanted to eat me. The innkeeper had said as much when we first arrived.
I was definitely not interested in being their dinner. One vampire drinking my blood was more than sufficient. If we were back at the castle, I could have used this time to continue my botanical research, but right now, even that wasn’t an option.
I huffed, “Sebastian, I don’t want to stay—”
“You can’t change my mind.” He shook his head. “You aren’t coming with me and that’s final.”
“What about the Tether?” I hated using the magic keeping us together as an excuse, but maybe, just once, it would work in my favor. “You can’t leave me. We’ll both feel it.”
He raised a brow. “I’m not worried about that.”
“Why not? Don’t you remember the pain?”
I certainly did. Those experiments testing the length of the Tether were not enjoyable in the least. Still, if I could use it to my advantage now, I would.
I never used to be argumentative, but there was just something about the vampire prince that made me want to fight back.
Sebastian raised a brow. “Rhain said the People of the Night are meeting in the main room right beneath this one. I’m fairly confident that the Tether stretches that far.”
“And if you’re wrong?” I challenged.
“IfI’m wrong, darling, I’ll shadow back at the first twinge of discomfort.” Lifting a hand, he shadowed over as if to prove his handle over the darkness. I inhaled sharply, and he ran his thumb over my cheek. “These vampires are dangerous, Luna. Far more than most. I need to be able to take care of them without worrying about you.”
“But—”
“Luna.” His voice was firm, and his eyes flashed as he shook his head. “Based on the evidence, they already killed Julieta.”
Visions of my friend’s bloody, torn wings flashed before my eyes. “I know that,” I whispered.
Sebastian’s eyes softened. “I don’t want them to hurt you.” He bent, pressing his forehead against mine. “Please, don’t fight me on this, Luna.”
I wasn’t sure whether it was the tone of his voice or his use of the word “please”, but I stopped fighting.
Blowing out a long breath, I said, “Okay. I’ll remain here.”
Pausing, I reached out and grabbed his tunic. He looked back at me, raising a brow. I added, “Under one condition.”
Sebastian tilted his head. “I wasn’t aware this was a negotiation.”
“You were wrong.” I quirked a brow. “It’s always a negotiation.”
He chuckled. “What’s your condition?”
“You come back to me.” I trailed my fingers down his face. The stubble on his cheeks was rough beneath my fingers, and the way his eyes watched my every movement made me feel like I was his entire world. “We have a lot to talk about, Prince.”
“We certainly do.” A slow smile spread across his face, and he glanced out the window. “Dawn is coming. This shouldn’t take too long.” Raising a brow, the prince held my gaze as he placed the key on the table next to the door. “Keep the door locked. Don’t let anyone in, no matter what you hear.”
Walking over to where he stood, I placed my hands on his chest. His tunic was smooth beneath my fingers, but the cloth did nothing to hide the rough ridges of his musculature underneath.