Chapter 71 Come Back to Me
ARYA
The dark was still a little dark when I woke up, and it was to the feeling of being watched.
Luca sat in a chair beside the bed, still fully dressed, his eyes glowing faintly gold in the shadows. He looked like he hadn’t moved all night.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked, my voice rough with sleep.
“No.”
“Luca—”
“I needed to watch you. To memorize every detail in case—” He stopped and shook his head. “I just needed to watch you.”
I sat up, the sheet falling to my waist. A small shiver that had nothing to do with the weather raked through me, pebbling my nipples. His eyes tracked the movement hungrily, possessively, like even now he was cataloging every inch of me.
“Come here,” I said softly.
He was beside me in an instant, pulling me into his lap. His arms wrapped around me almost painfully tight, his face buried in my neck.
“I’m terrified,” he admitted, his voice muffled against my skin. “For the first time in eight hundred years, I’m truly terrified.”
“I know.” My fingers moved through his hair, massaging his scalp.
“And you’re not?”
“I’m absolutely terrified.” I pulled back to look at him. “But I’m also ready. As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“That’s not as comforting as you think it is.”
“I know.” I cupped his face, feeling the tension in his jaw. “But Luca, I need you to trust me today. Trust that I can do this.”
“I do trust you. It’s the dark magic I don’t trust. It’s fate, destiny, and the general unfairness of the universe I don’t trust.” His thumbs brushed my cheekbones. “You, I trust completely.”
“Then trust that I’m not leaving you. Not today. Not ever if I can help it.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise to fight with everything I have and I'll come back to you after.” I kissed him softly. “That’s all I can promise.”
“It’ll have to be enough.” He stood, setting me gently on my feet. “Get dressed. Wear something practical. We leave in an hour.”
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The journey to the Moonborne ancestral lands took three hours by vehicle, followed by a two-hour hike up mountain paths that seemed designed to break ankles.
Our group was small by necessity. Me, Luca, Bardon, Caspian, Sage, and Ryker. The larger security force would arrive later to begin setting up for the summit, but the cleansing ritual required only those with significant power or a direct connection to me.
Luca hadn’t let go of my hand since we started hiking. His grip was almost painful, like he was afraid I’d disappear if he loosened it even slightly.
I felt his anxiety like a living thing. Every step closer to our destination made it worse, his control more fragile.
“Breathe,” I murmured to him. “You’re going to give yourself a heart attack.”
“Lycans don’t get heart attacks.”
“There’s always a first time.”
“Not funny.”
“A little funny.”
He shot me a look that would have been withering if not for the fear beneath it. “When this is over, I’m locking you in our bedroom for a week.”
“Promises, promises.”
“I’m serious. No summit preparations. No training. No anything except me worshiping every inch of your body while you recover.”
“That’s the best threat you’ve ever made.”
Despite the tension, his lips quirked slightly. “Noted for future reference.”
We crested a ridge, and suddenly the valley spread before us. I stopped breathing at the sight in front of me.
The Moonborne ancestral lands were hauntingly beautiful. A valley cradled between mountains, with a river cutting through the center. And in the heart of it all stood the ruins of what had once been a magnificent city.
White stone structures covered in vines and moss. Towers that reached toward the sky like prayers. A massive temple at the center, its columns still standing despite centuries of neglect.
“My family built this,” I whispered.
“They did.” Bardon moved to stand beside me. “At its peak, over fifty thousand Moonbornes and their allies lived here. It was the center of the supernatural world.”
“What happened to everyone? I know about the massacre, but—”
“Some escaped. Scattered to other territories, other packs, hiding their bloodlines.” His expression was sad. “Most died defending this place. Your great-great-grandmother held the temple for three days against Thaddeus’s forces. They say her power was so great it turned the river red with the blood of her enemies.”
“But she still lost.”
“She saved as many as she could. Got them out before the final assault. Then she died on those temple steps, buying time with her life.” Bardon pointed to the temple. “That’s where we’ll perform the ritual. Where it all began and where it will be cleansed.”
As we descended into the valley, the air grew heavier. I could feel something wrong here, an oily, sick feeling that made my skin crawl.
Lean growled in my head, not liking the energy of the place.
“I feel it too,” I told her.
Luca’s hand tightened on mine. “The darkness is stronger than I expected.”
“Can you still channel power through the bond?” I asked worriedly.
“Yes. But Aeliana, this is—” He stopped, searching for words. “This is old evil. Powerful and very, very patient. It’s been waiting centuries for someone with Moonborne blood to try to cleanse it.”
“Waiting to fight back.”
“And corrupt it.” Bardon had overheard us. “The dark magic here isn’t just a passive curse. It’s almost sentient. It learns, adapts and attacks.”
“How do I fight that?”
“By remembering who you are. What you’re fighting for. And by trusting the people around you to pull you back if you start to slip.” He looked at Luca. “Your mate bond will be crucial. If she becomes corrupted, you’ll be able to feel it through the connection. You can pull her back.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then we have a much bigger problem.”
We reached the temple steps as the sun reached its zenith. The light should have been warm or comforting. Instead, it seemed weaker here, like the darkness was swallowing it.
“Everyone knows their positions?” Caspian asked, all business now.
Sage and Ryker would stand guard at the temple entrance, watching for physical threats. Caspian would maintain a perimeter. Bardon would monitor the magical elements and guide me through the ritual.
And Luca would be inside with me, our bond the anchor keeping me connected to the light.
“Last chance to back out,” Luca said quietly, just to me.
“Not a chance.”
“I had to try.” He pulled me close, kissing me like he was trying to memorize the taste. “Remember, you’re coming back to me. No matter what that darkness promises, what it shows you, what it offers. You come back to me.”
“I will. I promise.”