Chapter 66 Training
ARYA
“I am yours,” I whispered. “Completely. You don’t need to prove it to anyone.”
“I know that too. It doesn’t stop the urges.” His mouth found my neck, teeth grazing the mark he’d already left. “I’m trying, Aeliana. Trying to be the mate you need, not the monster my instincts want me to be.”
“You’re not a monster.”
“I could be. For you. If anyone threatens you.” His eyes flashed with something primal. “I would burn the world, slaughter thousands, become the villain of every story if it meant keeping you safe.”
“I believe you.”
“Does that frighten you?”
“No.” I pulled him down for a kiss. “It makes me feel cherished. Wanted. Like I matter more than anything else.”
“You do. You matter more than my kingdom, my immortality, my own life.” His hands slid up to cup my breasts, thumbs brushing over sensitive peaks. “I would trade everything for you.”
“Don’t say that. Your kingdom needs you.”
“My kingdom has existed for centuries without me truly engaged. Now that I have you, I’m finally present. Finally caring about the future.” His mouth replaced his hands, tongue swirling around one nipple while his fingers worked the other. My mouth parted with a loud moan. “You gave me a reason to live beyond just existing.”
I arched into him, water streaming over us as pleasure built. His mouth was doing sinful things, and when his hand slid between my thighs, I gasped.
“Always so responsive,” he murmured against my skin. “Always so wet for me.”
“Only for you.”
“Damn right, only for me.” He slid two fingers inside me, curling them expertly until my hips jerked, searching for more. “No one else gets to see you like this. No one else gets to touch you, taste you, hear those pretty sounds you make.”
“Luca, please—” I cried out, gripping his arm so hard I knew I was leaving bruises.
“Please what? What do you need, little wolf?” his voice was a low growl against my throat.
“You. Inside me. Now.”
He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he positioned himself at my entrance. The first thrust was deep, claiming, and we both groaned.
“Mine,” he growled, pounding into me, he set a brutal pace that rid me of the very ability to think. All that was on my mind was the sound of my cries, his groans and our bodies coming together. “Say it.”
“Yours,” I gasped. “All yours.”
“Forever.”
“Forever.”
He fucked me against the shower wall with an intensity that bordered on desperate. Like he was trying to merge us into one being, to make separation impossible.
When we came, it was together, our bond singing with shared pleasure so intense it was almost painful.
We stayed there, pressed together, breathing hard, neither willing to let go.
“Three days,” he finally said. “Three days until the full moon.”
“Three days to prepare.”
“Three days to train you, protect you, and try not to lose my mind with worry.” He kissed my forehead gently, totally at odds with how he just fucked me. “I’m going to be insufferable.”
“I’m counting on it.”
We dressed and headed down to dinner. The atmosphere in the dining room was tense. Everyone knew about the dark magic now.
Bardon sat at the head of the table, ancient texts spread before him. Sage and Ryker were in deep conversation with Caspian about security measures. Even the staff seemed subdued.
“Luna Arya,” Bardon greeted as we entered. “I’m glad you’re here. We need to discuss the cleansing ritual.”
We all settled around the table as food was served, but no one seemed particularly hungry.
“The dark magic at the Moonborne lands is older than I initially thought,” Bardon began, pulling up one of the texts. “It dates back to before the massacre. Someone in your family line was practicing blood magic.”
“That’s impossible,” I protested. “Moonbornes were known for their light magic, their healing abilities—”
“Most were. But every family has its shadows.” He showed me an illustration of a Moonborne with dark eyes and twisted features. “Your great-great-uncle, Mordecai Moonborne. He was obsessed with immortality, with power beyond what the bloodline naturally provided. He began experimenting with blood sacrifice.”
My stomach turned. “What happened to him?”
“Your great-great-grandmother, the ruling Moonborne at the time, tried to stop him. They fought. The battle destroyed half the Moonborne city.” Bardon’s expression was grim. “She won, but was greatly injured. Mordecai was killed, but his blood magic remained, seeping into the land itself.”
“So for centuries, my family’s land has been cursed by one of my own ancestors?”
“Essentially, yes. And it’s been growing stronger, feeding off the violence and death that occurred during the massacre.” He closed the book. “The good news is that Moonborne magic created the curse, so Moonborne magic can break it. The bad news is that it will require significant power and will be extremely dangerous.”
“Define dangerous,” Luca demanded, sitting up straight.
“The dark magic will fight back. It will try to corrupt Arya, to turn her power against her. It will show her visions, play on her fears, attempt to break her mentally before destroying her physically.” Bardon looked at me seriously. “You’ll need to be absolutely centered, completely sure of who you are and what you’re fighting for. Any doubt, any weakness, and it will exploit it.”
“I can do it.”
“I know you can. But preparation is key.” He pulled out another book. “For the next three days, we’ll work on mental fortifications, shielding techniques, and channeling large amounts of power without burning yourself out.”
“I’ll help,” Sage interjected. “Combat training will continue. If the magic fights back physically, you need to be able to defend yourself.”
“And I’ll be researching protective wards,” Caspian added. “Anything that might give you an edge.”
“I’m coming with you,” Luca stated flatly. It wasn’t a request.
“Of course you are,” I agreed. “I’ll need your strength. The ritual requires a power source, and a Lycan King bonded to a Moonborne should provide that.”
“Plus I’m not letting you anywhere near dark magic without me.” His hand found mine under the table, gripping tightly. “Non-negotiable.”
“I wasn’t going to argue.”
“Good. Because I had a whole speech prepared about how you’re stuck with me for better or worse, and worse includes cursed ancestral lands.”
Despite the tension, I smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Even when you make terrible decisions like volunteering to fight ancient blood curses.”
“Someone has to do it.”
“Why does that someone always have to be you?”