The Vampire's Luna

Chapter 199: Where Is She?

She had acted on instinct.

So as she lay on the mattress, listening to his voice booming as he asked the staff where she was, she knew her hiding had finally come to an end.

His voice carried up through the open arches. Commanding. Frustrated. Desperate. She heard him speak to his butler Maelis, and then to Erek, one of the royal guards.

"Where is she?"

Luna closed her eyes, the stars overhead now dimming behind her lashes. Her heart pounded harder. She could feel the pull in the air—the magnetic bond that connected them.

No amount of hiding could shield her from him.

She quickly turned to face away from the balcony door and pretended to be asleep.

Luna’s breath slowed deliberately, though her heart thudded against the pillow beneath her cheek. Her eyes remained shut. The moonlight poured over her shoulders, silvering her skin in a way that betrayed her facade.

Moments later, she heard the familiar cadence of his boots on the floor. Each step closer tightened the knot in her chest.

His shadow stretched across her back as he came to a stop at the edge of the mattress. The warmth of his presence seeped into her skin before he even spoke.

"I know you are not asleep," he said.

Luna couldn’t help it—"Shit," she chuckled, her shoulders shaking slightly. Her laughter was breathy.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," Luna replied too quickly. "Just... trying to enjoy the fresh air." noveldrama

She waved a hand vaguely toward the open sky.

"Last night, when I got back, I was told you were visiting the city farm."

"You didn’t come back till I fell asleep. This morning, you were gone before I even made it out of the bathroom."

"You sneak in and out of the Royal Empire when usually, you would stop by to say hi... do you really want me to go on as to why I know something is wrong?"

She sighed and sat up fully, the throw slipping down her body, revealing the silk of her nightdress. The wind tugged gently at her hair, but she didn’t push it back. She let it veil her partially from his gaze.

"No... it’s quite alright. I see your point," she murmured.

Damien exhaled, jaw tightening. "So... you are avoiding me."

Luna’s heart squeezed. She didn’t want to admit it. But his eyes were looking right into her soul.

She stood slowly, bare feet brushing the cool floor. The moment felt suspended, fragile, as if any sudden movement might shatter it.

Her hands trembled as she reached up, brushing her hands against his chest, where the embroidery of his shirt met the ridges of muscle beneath.

"I’m just not happy," she said, her voice barely audible over the wind that whispered through the columns. Her fingers found the first button at his collar and slipped it free. Then the next. And the next.

It was a distraction. A stalling tactic.

She needed him close. But she didn’t want him to ask again.

Each button undone exposed more of his skin. She leaned in, brushing her lips just beneath his collarbone.

Damien didn’t stop her. His hands hovered near her waist.

"Why, Luna...?"

"You know why," she whispered.

Luna’s hands didn’t stop. She pulled his shirt down his arms, letting it slide past his elbows and fall behind him. The tension in his body softened under her fingers, the fight in him drained away with the feel of her touch.

There was so much emotion between them. The power of their love, their sacrifices.

"Moonlight," he said. "I do not want to hurt you. I love you... just you... but how do you expect me to fight a bond by the blood goddess? How do you want me to start something I won’t be able to finish?"

Luna lifted her chin, hands resting against his chest.

"By only seeing that you are doing it for me."

Damien’s eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them again, they shone with surrender.

"Luna..." he breathed.

She stepped closer. Her fingertips trailed down his abdomen. She was memorizing him, tracing him.

"I cannot live without you," she begged, the truth tearing from her in a whisper that trembled.

Her fingers found his belt and worked quickly.

"If Morvakar finds nothing," Damien said, "then I will think about it. But you have to promise me something."

His pants sagged at his hips, and her fingers stilled just for a heartbeat. She looked up at him, eyes shining with need.

"Anything," she said quickly, and meant it.

"If the bond takes hold," Damien said, holding her gaze now with steel in his own, "you will fight for me."

She reached up, placed her hand against his cheek, and whispered:

"With my life."

And then she kissed him.

It was consuming. Her lips parted against his, her hands tugging him closer, her body pressing into his.

Damien groaned against her mouth. His hands found her waist, her hips, her back, dragging her flush against him.

"Why do I feel like you’re trying to distract me from something?" he murmured against her throat, the words muffled as he bent to kiss the spot just below her ear.

His lips grazed her mark.

Luna chuckled.

The sound was intimate. Her smile curved with mischief as her fingers lightly grazed Damien’s jaw.

"It is a nice distraction, isn’t it?"

He moved her to the mattress and laid her down gently.

Damien’s touch was careful even though his eyes were dark with longing. His hands slid around her back, his body shifting as he eased her onto the soft mattress, their bodies sinking into the layers of sheets. He hovered over her, his hair falling slightly over his brow, shadowing his intense gaze.

"It is," he said, brushing a kiss against her collarbone. "But I will find out, Queen Luna."

The way he said her title was a promise. A vow cloaked in desire. He would strip her of her secrets the same way he stripped her robe from her shoulders.

(If you could DM one character, who would it be and what would you say?)