“A message for you, Your Majesty.” The voice wasn’t one Marius recognized.
Sebastian nodded and followed the messenger into the hall, shutting the door behind him.
Marius reached over and took Luna’s hand in his. Even though she was older than him by a decade, they looked like they were the same age. The queen was frozen at twenty-one, and he would appear as though he was in his mid-twenties for decades before he started showing signs of aging.
“Can we talk, Lulu?” His voice was rough, betraying the emotions coursing through him.
She squeezed his fingers lightly. “Always, Mar-mar.”
She was smiling now, but he wasn’t sure she would be when they were done.
“I love you so much,” he told her, a lump forming in his throat.
Luna’s brows furrowed, and she gazed at him quizzically. “I love you, too. I always have.”
“I know.” He’d never doubted his sister’s love for him. They’d always been the closest in their family; now, they were all the other had. He swallowed roughly. “That’s what makes this sodifficult.”
He’d spent days thinking about this conversation. What he would say. How he would tell her. But now that it was here, it was more difficult than ever.
Her hand stiffened, and she sucked in a breath. “What do you mean?”
Marius shifted on the bed, sitting beside his sister. Noir leaped off Luna’s lap a heartbeat later. In a feat of feline gymnastics, the cat landed on top of the wardrobe and turned in a circle before settling on the edge, purring loudly.
Meeting his sister’s gaze, Marius smiled. “I’m so grateful that you and Sebastian took me in after we lost our family.”
His chest ached, that constant, dull burn of grief having never fully healed. Some days, it was a low thrum, but other times, it was strong enough to make him stop in his tracks. It would never leave him, and truthfully, he didn’t want it to. It was a reminder of the family they’d once had.
“It was our pleasure,” Luna murmured, twisting her wedding ring. “Loving you has never been a burden, Marius. It has been the greatest honor of my life.”
Marius’s eyes stung, and he cleared his throat. Gods, this was so much harder than the conversations he’d practiced in his mind.
“The same goes for Sebastian,” she continued, her gaze trained on him. “He loves you too. He’s angry right now, but he’ll get over it. Now that you’re home and safe, we don’t have anything to worry about.”
If only that were the case.
Marius rubbed a fist over his heart. He’d known this conversation would be difficult, but he hadn’t expected it to hurt so much.
He bit his lip. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Noir stretched, and the cat’s tail thumped against the side of the wardrobe.
Luna smiled lovingly at her pet before returning her attention to Marius. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… I know you have my best interests at heart.” He’d never doubted that. “And I know I’m under guard because you fear for my safety.”
Castle Sanguis was arguably safer than the rest of Eleyta, but it was still inhabited by vampires. He knew Luna had good intentions, even when she was being extremely over-protective.
“Yes, that’s right.” Luna studied him as if he were one of her books, her hand twitching in his. “Why does it sound like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
“Because there is.” Marius inhaled deeply, counting to five before exhaling. He couldn’t put this off any longer. She deserved to know the entire truth of why he’d left, and they needed to talk about it like the adults they were. “The thing is, Lulu, I can’t stay here.”
This past week had confirmed what he already knew: he’d never live a full life within these walls. Not the kind he wanted, anyway. He was itching to get outside and experience the world.
Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “What?”
“The reason I snuck off to deal with the First on my own is because I… I need to be out there.”
He rose from the bed, crossed the room, and pulled open the curtains. White flakes descended in their nightly dance, snow-capped mountains rose in the distance, forests circled the castle, and stars sparkled.