He was starting to accept that his bodyguard made him feel things that no one else did. Her annoyance with him and the way she grumbled beneath her breath was amusing. He would’ve been disappointed never to hear her curse him again.
“Miss Beaumont, a word?” Sebastian gestured for Vivienne to follow him.
She did as he asked, joining the king a few feet away.
Luna turned towards Marius. Her red gown flowed around her, the hem brushing the snow. Even without a crown, there was no doubting her royal status. She exuded strength and darkness.
“I hate that we can’t go with you,” Luna murmured.
This wasn’t the first time they’d had this discussion over the past few days, but it never seemed to get easier.
“I know, but it’s not safe.” The kingdom would be thrown into turmoil if anything happened to the royals. Marius couldn’t let that happen. “I’ll be alright, Lulu.”
She frowned, and the sight nearly broke Marius’s heart. “You don’t know that. There are so many ways this could go wrong.”
“They won’t. We’ll be careful.”
Luna reached up, her cold hand cupping Marius’s cheek. Despite the temperature of her skin, he leaned into his sister’s touch.
“Come back, Mar-mar,” she whispered. “I need you to come back.”
He’d sworn he wouldn’t cry, but pressure built behind his eyes. He shouldn’t be sad about this—he’d been craving an adventure like this for years. But he hated that his leaving was hurting his sister again.
“I will.” He hugged her, whispering against her hair, “I promise.”
He wasn’t sure how long they stood there, embracing each other. Eventually, a throat cleared behind them.
“It’s time, darling. We need to leave.” Sebastian touched Luna’s shoulder, handing her a black handkerchief.
With a sniffle, she stepped back, wiping her eyes.
“We won’t say goodbye,” she declared, lacing her hand through her husband’s. The authoritative tone of her voice made Marius want to bend a knee and bow to her. “It would be too final. Instead, we wish you both the best of luck. Keep each other safe and listen to your instincts. The magic here is old and dangerous, and it might be unpredictable.”
“Once you have the vial, head west to Marshwood Tower,” Sebastian added. “We’ve arranged a ride to bring you back to Eleyta.”
Running a hand reassuringly over the hilt of the dagger sheathed at his hip, Marius nodded and promised his sister again that everything would be fine.
It took another round of hugs, and a few more crimson tears were shed, but eventually, the royals stepped back. Shadows gathered around the two vampires, and moments later, darkness swallowed them whole.
The wards must have been playingwith time and space because the ruins were much further away than Marius initially thought. They had crossed the first ward several hours ago, the magic sweeping over them like buzzing bees, but they had yet to reach their destination.
Marius didn’t mind. He and Vivienne were walking side by side and passing the time by talking, exchanging stories of everything and nothing.
Marius told his bodyguard about how he’d befriended Felix as a child, and she shared about her life before she was Made. He explained that he used to hate all the reading Luna made him do, the itch for adventure making concentrating on even one page nearly impossible. Vivienne shared about her love for painting, but she explained that she hadn’t had the chance to sit down and create art for several years.
Now, they’d moved on to childhood fears. The ruins were drawing near, but they had a way to go.
“When I was a child, one of my nursemaids hailed from the western shore of Ipotha.” Brina had always been kind to Marius, even when illness caused him to be short-tempered. “She would tell me stories of great sea monsters with wings like dragons that inhabited the Rose Ocean. According to her, the monsters would roam the land at night, looking for children out of their beds and devouring them whole.”
Vivienne chuckled, raising a brow. “And you… believed her?”
Her tone of voice made it clear she thought it was ridiculous.
“At the time, absolutely.” Marius scoffed, his cheeks warming as he recalled hiding beneath his covers, scared to make a sound, let alone get up. “Those sea monsters were my greatest fear for years.”
“I can imagine,” she said dryly.
“Now I’m beginning to suspect that Brina wanted me to stay in bed and not bother her during the night hours.”