LUNA
“Do you need anything else, Princess?” Fleur, the maid who replaced Julieta, stood in the open doorway of the bathing room. Wringing her hands together, she shifted from one foot to the other. “I ran a bath, but I can stay if you require me.”
Slathering butter onto a halved biscuit, I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’ll be fine.”
Fleur nodded. Taking her leave, she opened the door and slipped out. Sebastian’s low voice filtered into the bedroom as he spoke to one of his soldiers, and I caught a glimpse of his swirling shadows as I added jam to my bread.
I shook my head. I couldn’t believe he thought I was angry. That was my penance for being so caught up in my head. I hadn’t even considered what Sebastian thought about my silence.
Angry? I was so far from mad; it was almost funny.
“Are you certain?” Sebastian’s voice came from the hall, and I jumped.
The door was still shut, but the quiet murmur of conversation drifted through. I briefly considered putting my ear against the wood and eavesdropping, but I decided against it. The last time I did something like that, I ended up ruining everything.
Pouring myself a cup of coffee and adding a spoonful of sugar, I wrapped my hands around the mug and sat on the edge of the bed. Of all the new things I’d tried since coming to the Northern Kingdom, this was my favorite. The dark brown liquid was both energizing and delicious.
Sebastian couldn’t have been more wrong about the reason for my silence. I’d been so quiet the past week because, in addition to my research, I’d been trying to understand what I felt about him. I cared about the vampire prince in a way that was completely new. Everything I did these days revolved around him. It wasn’t even a conscious thought. I was so focused on him that nothing else seemed to matter. At first, being with him day in and day out had felt like a curse.
But now, everything was changing. I was changing. He was kind, this husband of mine. Caring in a way that I hadn’t known vampires were capable of being.
But was this feeling in my heart love? It didn’t seem probable, the rational part of me argued. Our match was an arranged political union, and we hadn’t even consummated our marriage. How would I know what love felt like?
Groaning, I rubbed my temples. All these thoughts made my head hurt. I wished Julieta were here. She was the type of person I could have asked about this.
A single tear rolled down my cheek, and I sighed. Placing my half-empty mug of coffee on the table, I pressed my ear against the door.
Sebastian was still talking, and based on the steady level of his voice, it sounded like he would be there for a while. Pulling my hair out of the braid, I went into the bathing room and stripped. Steam rose from the lilac-scented bath, and I slipped out of my clothes.
Climbing into the tub, I washed my hair before leaning my head against the rim. My eyes drooped and the exhaustion of the past few weeks caught up to me. Visions of the handsome black-haired vampire who tamed the shadows flashed before my eyes as sleep pulled me into its warm embrace.
* * *
A hand shook my shoulder,and someone called my name. I pulled my eyes open, only to find Sebastian crouched in front of me. His wings were flared and his black eyes filled with worry as he studied me intently.
“Thank Isvana,” he said roughly, thrusting a towel in my direction before averting his gaze. “I knocked and knocked, but there was no reply. I thought you were hurt.”
Blinking, I tried to get my bearings. Drowsiness still pulled at me as I lifted my hand out of the cold water, staring at my wrinkled skin.
“I must have fallen asleep,” I murmured.
Grabbing the fluffy towel, I stood. Cold water sluiced off me as I wrapped the white cloth around myself, securing it in a knot before reaching up and twisting my hair into a bun.
“Get dressed please, Luna.” Turning around, Sebastian walked towards the entrance of the bathing room, pulling open the door. “Wear something you can move easily in. We have to go.”
“What do you mean?” I glanced out the window, noting the streaks of sunlight painting the sky. “It’s almost daytime. You can’t go out in the sun.”
Sebastian paused in the threshold, looking over his shoulder. “We won’t be going outside.”
The way he said the last word… I knew there was more to it than that.
Raising a brow, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere cold,” he said evasively. “Just… dress accordingly. A tunic and leggings would be the best choices. The warmer, the better.”
Before I could ask any more questions, he pulled the door shut between the two of us.
“That was strange,” I muttered under my breath.