Smiling, Ciro opened his hands at his side. Speaking in the Common Tongue, he called on Isvana to bless this Binding. It was time. Taking the chalice, the priest looked pointedly at me. “Your Highness?”
Nodding, I rolled up the sleeve of my black tunic until it rested above my elbow. The scent of fear reached my nose once more, and I paused.
Waiting until Luna met my gaze, I whispered, “It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
I had to move quickly. We didn’t have much time. Pulling back my lips, I ran my tongue over the tip of my sharp fangs. Raising my right forearm to my mouth, I held her gaze as I bit down. My teeth burst through my flesh with a sharp, piercing pain, and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. I pulled my fangs out of my arm, and two bright red beads welled above my skin.
Ciro was already there, holding the chalice beneath my arm. My blood spilled into the cup, tinkling as it poured freely.
And then, just as quickly as it had begun, my part—at least for now—was over. The twin cuts closed, and I ran my tongue over my arm, cleaning it, before rolling down my sleeve.
When I looked back up, I met Luna’s wide eyes. “Are you… are you going to bite me?” she asked as the makeshift weapon trembled slightly in her grasp.
“No,” I replied quickly, despite the ache that appeared in my gums. I would never force my bite on her. “However, we need your blood.”
Her eyes widened, and she gulped. “You need my blood, but there won’t be any fangs, right?”
“No fangs.” I paused. “You have my word. I will never bite you without your permission.”
Even if that meant dooming myself to a lifetime of misery. After this Binding, my choices for human blood would be extremely… limited. Nevertheless, I would never do anything she did not ask for. I might have been a vampire, but I still had some semblance of morals.
“All right.” Luna released the candelabra, and it fell to the floor with athunkas she held out her right hand in the priest’s direction. “Give me the dagger.”
Ciro raised a brow. “Do you want the prince—”
“I will do it,” Luna replied.
Pulling up the left sleeve of her golden gown, she studied her skin intently as she whispered under her breath. Her fingers ran up and down her arm, as though she were looking for something.
“What are you doing?” I asked after a moment.
“Finding the best place,” Luna murmured. “I read something once about blood flow…”
Her voice trailed off, and she continued to poke and prod her arm until she seemed satisfied with her findings.
“Found it,” she exclaimed. Her hand was still extended as she waited for the dagger, and she looked at the priest. “Are you going to give it to me?”
Ciro paused, but after I glared at him, he placed it in her outstretched hand. Luna didn’t even look up as she pressed the tip of the blade into the soft skin of her left forearm. A flicker of pain crossed her face, and she sucked in a sharp breath as blood welled on her arm.
The moment the scent of her blood hit the air, my fangs throbbed and my knees shook. The shadows in my veins writhed, the presence of the enticing aroma making it impossible to think, let alone breathe.
It was better than anything I’d ever smelled in my entire life. And I just vowed not to bite Luna without permission.
My earlier assessment was incorrect. Misery was too weak of a word to describe how it was going to feel being in Luna’s presence and not tasting her blood. I was doomed to a lifetime of agonizingly terrible torture.
Once again, Ciro was right there with the chalice. Luna’s blood ran down her arm, joining mine. The two liquids swirled together until they were indistinguishable.
When the chalice was full, Luna dropped the dagger on the settee. She looked up, slapping a hand on her still-bleeding arm. “Do you have a bandage that I could put on this?”
Drawing my bottom lip through my teeth, I shook my head. Vampires didn’t need bandages. We could heal from most injuries with no intervention.
“Unfortunately not, but I can help you if you’ll allow me to do so.”
A moment passed as she studied me intently. “No fangs, right?”
“Right,” I agreed.