Last night at the ball, I could barely concentrate on anything but Luna. General Triboulet told me about the uptick of refugees coming through the Ithenmyrian border, but all I could think about was her enticing scent.
Several others army officials reported to me last night, informing me of various skirmishes and other attacks from down south. I had tried to concentrate on what they said, but it was difficult when she looked so captivating in her crimson gown. By the end of the night, though, one thing was clear.
There really did seem to be darkness brewing in the south.
“How was the wedding?” Keven asked after a few minutes passed.
Vampire ceremonies were sacred, blessed by Isvana herself, and only her children who walked beneath the moon were allowed to witness them.
I sighed. “It went about as well as expected.”
“Sebastian, I’ve been with my bonded mate for four and a half centuries.” He pulled up his sleeve, showing me the silver and purple lines intertwined on his arm that ran from his wrist to his elbow. “I know what relationships are like. You don’t need to be coy with me.”
Eyeing Luna, who had moved on to another book, I lowered my voice. “Being married has been… challenging.”
“Is that so?” Keven raised a brow. “Being married to that beautiful young female is ‘challenging?’”
Perhaps it wasn’t the right word. Luna was turning my entire world on its head. Not only were we Bound and Tethered, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. With every passing hour, my appetite seemed to grow exponentially. Instead of forcing her to let me feed, I was watching her read. She was doing something to be, but I wasn’t ready to talk about it.
Instead, I coughed. “More or less.”
“I see.” Keven hummed, and I glanced back at Luna.
She was engrossed in her reading, her hand flying over the page as she took even more notes. I was fairly certain I could yell right now and she wouldn’t hear anything. Still, I lowered my voice and angled myself toward the librarian.
“It’s just… she’s human. Not only that, but this arrangement was…”
“Forced on you,” Keven said sagely. “I understand.”
The librarian touched my arm and opened his mouth, but before he could speak a single word, his eyes turned silver. He froze, his hand stilling on my arm, as he went to that place where only Fortune Elves could go.
An entire minute went by, the clock on the library wall ticking ominously before Keven’s eyes lost that silver gleam.
As soon as they returned to their normal shade of blue, he turned to me, his mouth pinched in a frown. “I Saw you. Both of you.”
Something about his tone caused a pit to grow in my stomach.
“What did you See?” My wings snapped together as I lowered my voice, taking a step closer to the librarian.
He shook his head. “I can’t… it’s not clear. The paths are fluid, but there is a black mist looming over her. All I know is youmustkeep her safe.”
“Luna?” That pit yawned into a chasm as I glanced at my wife. She hadn’t moved.
The Fortune Elf turned, gripping my arm with a strength I didn’t know he possessed. “Listen to me, Prince. You need to keep her safe. Alive. Both of you. If you don’t…”
His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.
“Let me guess?” I asked dryly. “Darkness is coming?”
The Fortune Elf’s eyes were wide. “Yes. And it is far worse than you can ever imagine.” His voice deepened and his eyes took on that silver sheen once more, and his voice lowered. “Old things long forgotten are stirring. The gods are angry and the balance is broken. The harbinger is the key. Promise me you will keep her safe.”
Cryptic messages were part and parcel of being around Fortune Elves, but even so, something within me twinged at Keven’s prophecy. What was the balance he was referring to? Who was the harbinger?
All things that needed to be dealt with in time. I focused on the last part. Keep Luna safe.ThatI could do. The scratching of the quill filled the air as Luna mumbled beneath her breath, turning pages with one hand and writing with the other.
My heart twisted at the sight. “I give you my word, I will keep her safe.”
After a moment, Keven’s grip loosened, and his eyes returned to normal. He sighed. “Good. You will both need to be strong in the days ahead. Do you want my advice?”