Chapter 300: Is The Prince Okay?
"Is the prince okay?" Thessa asked, alarm sharpening her voice. She stumbled forward, instinct propelling her toward Magnus.
"He is fine. It’s a long story," Luna assured. "But Morvakar needed more time while we came back, and that was when everything went to hell with Isolde’s news." Her mouth twisted in disdain at the name. "I haven’t even thought about him."
Thessa hesitated, chewing her lip.
"Did you check Lucivar’s castle?"
"Yes, I did. I was told he didn’t return."
"That is quite odd." Luna rose gracefully. She crossed the room in long strides, handed Magnus into Thessa’s care. "I’ll check in with the king."
The child clung to her easily.
Luna pushed through the doors of the bedroom. Damien was lying sprawled across the bed, one arm behind his head.
They had been distant. Cold words had turned into colder silences, and silences into this aching chasm between them. The mate bond burned beneath her skin, a constant reminder of what fate had tied together, but Luna wasn’t interested in making up just yet. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.
Still, the sight of him lying there, shirt off, it made her pulse quicken despite herself.
She stepped closer. For a moment, she simply watched him, taking in the breadth of his shoulders.
Damien sensing her nearness, opened his eyes.
"Morvakar isn’t back yet. Thessa is worried."
"Is she here?" Damien asked.
"Yes."
Damien got to his feet. He picked up a shirt carelessly draped across a chair, sliding it over his shoulders. The fabric stretched over muscle.
"What aren’t you telling me, Damien?" Luna asked. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts.
"I’d rather tell you both at the same time. I’ll just get the drama over with."
He stepped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him. In the sitting room, he found Thessa bent over Magnus, the young prince cooing in her arms. She smiled softly at the boy.
When she saw him, Thessa snapped upright, her body stiff, her head bowing. "Your Majesty."
Damien went straight to the point, his face carved from stone. "Morvakar is in purgatory. He plans on getting his power back. He asked me to tell you he is sorry." He finished and headed back into the room.
Both women froze, the silence stretching long and taut. Thessa’s arms tightened instinctively around Magnus, her lips parting. Luna stood motionless, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Purgatory.
"Purgatory?" Thessa whispered. Her hand trembled as it brushed Magnus’s soft curls, and a tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.
Luna stormed back into the bedroom where Damien had disappeared. "What do you mean Morvakar is in purgatory?" she demanded.
Damien was peeling his shirt off again, the muscles in his shoulders tense. He turned halfway. "Now you want to speak with me?" he said. His shirt hit the chair with a careless flick.
"Damien, I am so not in the mood," she spat. "Tell me what happened with Morvakar."
"I’m not in the mood either." He ran a hand through his dark hair, his fangs flashing as he turned on her fully. "In the past few days, I have lost a friend. I find out I got a woman pregnant. And my goddamn wife—" he jabbed a finger toward her— "who promised to fight my battles with me isn’t speaking to me. So excuse me if I am not in the mood to hold your hand and help you deal with this heartbreak!" His roar rattled the windows, his aura of kingly wrath flaring so thick it was hard to breathe.
The fight in Luna melted suddenly, replaced by a quiet ache that hollowed her out. "He really is gone?" she asked, her eyes wide and shimmering, a single tear breaking free. And Damien felt a stab of guilt so sharp it nearly doubled him over. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. Gods, he never meant to hurt her.
"Luna...He had to."
Her lips parted, trembling. "Without saying goodbye?" The heartbreak in her voice was raw.
Damien took a slow step closer, closing the distance between them even though her body screamed resistance. "He didn’t want to break your heart," he said gently. "He didn’t want to see you hurt." His hand twitched at his side, aching to touch her, to wipe away the tears he had caused.
He took another step. "Neither do I."
"He is the closest thing I have to a father, Damien—and you let him go." Her chest burned as though she had swallowed fire, her throat closing up around words that she didn’t want to say but had to. She wasn’t speaking to the King of Blood City right now; she was speaking to her mate, the man who had sworn to protect her even when she hated him for it.
Damien stood firm. "He lost his powers. He kept it from us, Luna. He hid it even from me. But now, with this Moon Goddess mess, he needs it back. And the only way to do that is... purgatory." His eyes flicked away for a moment, unable to bear the storm in her gaze. "Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I wanted to send him into that darkness?"
He reached for her tentatively. His arms wound around her frame, pulling her against the solid wall of his chest. "I’m sorry, babe. I am so sorry. I am sorry he’s gone. I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry for even things I haven’t done yet." He buried his face in her hair. His lips brushed her temple in a frantic whisper. "Please... forgive me. Please?"
Luna had no more tears to give. She had cried herself dry until her ribs ached with it, until her voice was raw. Her body sagged against his, exhausted. She let herself be folded into his arms.
"I shouldn’t be mad at you," she murmured. "And I hate myself for it." Her hands trembled as they clutched at the fabric of his shirt. "I know you did what you had to do. I know I pushed you to do it." Her lips twisted bitterly. "I was afraid to be alone. I was afraid to lose you. The stupid thing is—I am still afraid that I will lose you."