SEBASTIAN
They didn’t tell Luna about the Binding. How could they not have told her? In my three centuries of existence, I had done many things I wasn’t proud of, but even I was not in the business of forcing females to bend to my will. Marriage was one thing, but a Binding was different.
When Mother told me about it, I had assumed my new bride had already agreed to it. After all, Binding Ceremonies were no small feats. They weren’t just legal unions. They were everlasting connections.
What have I done?
A growing sense of horror came to life within me, and I moved my hand, sliding it into Luna’s. Ciro spoke quietly with Mother, and the crowd murmured behind us.
“What’s going on?” Luna asked in a low voice, pulling me from my thoughts.
I glanced at her, taking in her wide eyes. Her heart was pounding, and the scent of her panic was almost overwhelming. The problem—and it was a problem—was the look of absolute fear that had crawled over Luna’s features at the mention of the Binding Ceremony. It caused my stomach to twist in a way that was entirely unpleasant and unexpected.
I had tried to help stave off the panic I could tell was growing within her. But somehow she pushed past my mental Persuasion.Thatwas a surprise. In all my years, I’d never met a human who couldn’t be Persuaded. It was definitely something I would have to deal with later.
“Sebastian?” she asked.
I shook my head.
“I’m not sure,” I replied.
Mother and Ciro were still talking, their whispers too low for even me to hear. Something was going on here, I was certain of it. I just didn’t know what it was. The queen ran her fingers over her red ruby, and I made a decision.
I wouldn’t just stand here and wait for them to conclude whatever game they were playing. Earlier, I saw the predatory glint in the priest’s eye when he looked over Luna. Something about the male made me want to punch him in the face. Chosen of Ithiar or not, he should not have been taking such delight in Luna’s obvious discomfort.
“Come with me,” I whispered, tugging on Luna’s hand and marching towards Mother’s throne.
Fanning my wings behind me, I covered us from the many prying eyes in this gods-damned throne room. We had been a spectacle for long enough. Shadows leaked from my skin, darkening the air. When they cloaked us from the watchful eyes of the crowd of vampires, I met Mother’s black gaze.
“We will not do this here,” I said steadily.
Beside me, Luna tensed.
“Sebastian,” the queen hissed, warning clear in her tone.
I raised a brow, and the shadows licked at my skin. “Wewillcomplete the Binding, Mother, but in private.” I glanced at the human tucked inside my wing. “She deserves at least that small bit of kindness.”
A long moment passed as the queen studied me. Her fingers gripped the armrests of her throne and her knuckles turned white as she clenched her jaw. My heart beat against the trappings of my ribs and the shadows in my veins pulsed as I waited for the queen’s verdict.
After what felt like an eternity, Mother dipped her head ever so slightly. “All right. Take her to the Crimson Room. Ciro will meet you there.” She pinned me with a black glare, her voice deepening as the threat of violence radiated off her. “Mark my words, Sebastian. If you have not completed the Binding by sunup, you will never see another moonrise again.”
Gulping, I wrapped my wings tighter around my human bride. “Understood.”
Before Queen Marguerite could utter any more threats, I grabbed Luna’s hand and pulled her out of the throne room. She hurried behind me, our footsteps echoing on the stones as we left the bloodthirsty vampires behind.
As soon as we were out of the throne room and away from the wards, I reached within myself and pulled on my shadows. Darkness writhed within me, jumping at my call. It was always there, always waiting. The dark wisps swirled around my feet like eager puppies, awaiting my command.
“Hold on,” I whispered to Luna as I closed my wings around us like a cocoon.
She did.
* * *
The momentmy shadows released us in the Crimson Room, I opened my wings. Luna lurched away from me, stumbling back. Her dress flared out around her as she knocked into a dresser, the furniture shaking from the impact. She grabbed a gilded candelabra, holding it in front of her like a sword.
“Stay there,” she ordered, her voice shaking as the bitter aroma of fear leeched off her. “Don’t come any closer.”
Like the rest of Castle Sanguis, the Crimson Room was cold and dark. It lacked the spark of life I had glimpsed in Luna’s childhood home. Crimson tapestries adorned every wall, each one depicting a different scene of the Creation Story. A pair of gilded settees—adorned in crimson velvet, of course—sat in the middle of the floor and two large windows looked out into the imposing, wintery night.