Chapter 65 Raw
LUCA
“Tonight. After dinner. Give her a few hours to recover from today’s training first.” Caspian headed for the door. “And Luca? When you tell her, don’t try to talk her out of going. She’ll do it regardless, and you’ll only create conflict.”
“I know.” I did know. Arya was too damn noble, too committed to her responsibilities. “Doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
“Of course you will. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” He smiled slightly. “See you at dinner.”
After he left, I sat alone with my thoughts and my fears.
Eight hundred years of waiting, and I’d found perfection. Found my other half, my match, my mate. And she was mortal. The cruelty of it was staggering.
But Caspian was right about one thing. I couldn’t let fear control me and poison the time we had.
I’d love her fiercely for however long we had. Two hundred years or two thousand. And when she eventually left me, when age or battle or fate took her away—
I’d find a way to follow.
Because eight centuries alone had been bearable only because I hadn’t known what I was missing. Now that I know? I couldn’t imagine existing without her.
I didn’t want to.
ARYA
The hot water of the shower did little to ease the ache in my muscles. Sage had been merciless during training, and every part of my body was screaming in protest.
It was worth it, though. I could feel myself getting stronger, faster, more confident in my abilities.
I heard the bathroom door open, then felt Luca’s presence before I saw him.
“May I join you?” His voice was rough.
“Always.”
He stepped into the shower behind me, his hands immediately going to my shoulders, kneading the tight muscles there. But I could feel the tension radiating from him through the bond. Something was wrong.
“What happened?” I asked, leaning back against his chest.
“Can’t I just want to touch my mate?”
“You can. But that’s not why you’re here.” I turned to face him. “Talk to me.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment I thought he’d deflect. Then he sighed, his forehead dropping to rest against mine.
“Bardon found something at the Moonborne lands.” His hands slid down to my waist, holding me close. “A trace of old magic.”
My stomach dropped and I swallowed. “How old?”
“The kind that requires blood sacrifice. The kind that’s been festering there for centuries.” His eyes met mine, molten gold and filled with worry.
“Dark magic.” I whispered softly, feeling my heart drop to my stomach.
He nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “The location is cursed, Aeliana. And the only way to cleanse it is—”
“Moonborne magic.” I finished for him. “I have to do it.”
“No.” The word was sharp, leaving no room for argument. “We’ll find another way. Change locations, postpone the summit—”
“We can’t. You know we can’t.” I cupped his face. “This is my responsibility. My family’s land. If it’s been corrupted, I’m the only one who can fix it.”
“You could die.” His voice broke on the last word. “Dark magic like this—it fights back. It corrupts and it kills.”
“Then you’ll be there to make sure it doesn’t.”
“Aeliana—”
“Luca.” I made him look at me. “I’m not some fragile thing that needs protecting from my own destiny. I’m the Moonborne heir. This is literally what I was born to do.”
“I know.” His arms tightened around me almost painfully. “I know that logically. But knowing it and accepting it are two different things. The thought of you in danger, of potentially losing you—”
“You won’t lose me.” I kissed him softly. “I’m too stubborn to die. And too in love with you to leave.”
“Promise me.” His voice was desperate now. “Promise me you’ll be careful. That you’ll let me help. That you won’t take unnecessary risks.”
“I promise to do what needs to be done. And I promise you’ll be with me every step of the way.” I kissed him again, pouring every emotion I was feeling into that kiss “We’re partners, remember?”
“Partners,” he agreed reluctantly. “But if you die, I’m killing you.”
Despite everything, I laughed. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“None of this makes sense. I’m eight hundred years old. I should be wise, detached, and rational.” His hands slid lower, gripping my hips. “Instead I’m terrified every second. Possessive to the point of insanity. One wrong look from another male and I want to rip their throats out.”
“I know. I can feel every violent thought." My fingers traced his naked chest.
What I didn't say was how I didn't hate it completely. I thought I would.
“Then you know how hard it is for me to let you train with Sage. To watch Ryker look at you with longing he thinks he’s hiding. To allow Caspian to spar with you.” His voice dropped to a growl. “Every instinct I have screams to lock you away where nothing can touch you.”
“But you don’t.” I reassured him.
“But I don’t. Because you asked me not to. Because you’d hate me if I tried.” He pressed me against the shower wall, his body covering mine. “But God, Aeliana, it’s killing me.”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “And I love you for trying. For fighting your nature to respect mine.”
“I’m not fighting well enough. The thoughts I have—” He stopped, shaking his head.
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Luca, tell me. What thoughts?”
He was silent for a long moment, water streaming over both of us. When he finally spoke, his voice was dark, almost ashamed.
“I think about marking you everywhere. Covering you in my scent so thoroughly that no one could miss who you belong to.” His hands tightened on my hips. Heat flooded to my center, making me clench my thighs and press closer against him. “I think about taking you in front of others, showing them exactly who makes you scream. Then killing them all for daring to see your pleasure. I think about banning every male from coming within ten feet of you.”
“That’s—”
“Insane? Possessive? Wrong? All three. I know.” He laughed bitterly. “I know. But I can’t help it. You’re mine, and everything in me wants the world to know it. I want to eliminate any potential threat to what we have.”
Instead of being frightened or offended, heat intensified in my belly. The raw honesty, the barely controlled need was intoxicating.