Page 91 of Wickedly Yours

My father had known no shortage of women. Had never wanted for anything. He’d bathed the world in blood before he took the crown, and everyone had been terrified to cross him. Because he was powerful—too powerful, and that was before he’d kidnapped my mother. Before he’d used the same mating ceremony, we had to marry their energies together.

And then he’d done nothing, watching the light slowly fade from her body. Her goodness had protected me—until she was gone, and I found out how cruel the world was.

When I finished talking, Luna brushed her hand against my face. “Sometimes people leave wounds, and even if the scars aren’t visible, it doesn’t mean they’re not there,” she said the words as if she could see them—the bruises, the scars, the way I’d bled. It felt like a bandage over my scarred heart.

“I heal fast,” I muttered, the emotion on her face too much to bear.

“So why don’t you end it?” She cupped my face. “Take the crown for yourself.” Her eyes were burning with a ferocity I’d never seen before, like she was angry—forme.

“Ruthless,”I muttered, dipping my head down to meet hers. “I didn’t know my queen was so bloodthirsty.”

“I don’t like the idea of anyone hurting you,” she admitted. “Even if he is your father.”

I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “What if I told you there is a way to stop him? But I need your help?”

Her response was immediate. “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure? I haven’t even told youhowyet.”

“Have I not already proven that I’d do anything you asked?”

I leaned my forehead against hers. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Except you do. Because you’regood,” Luna insisted.

“No. But I’m trying to be. For you.” My thumb rubbed over the marks I made on her neck, and her eyes flared.

“Zain.” She whispered my name so softly that I wasn’t sure I’d have heard her if not for the empty library. “What can I do? Where do I come into all of this?”

“I need you,” I offered, the words never having been empty. “I’ve always meant that. I can’t do this without you.”

“You don’t have to. I’m here.”

That meant more than she could ever know. It was everything.

“When we married, a ceremony was performed.”

She nodded. “Obviously.” Luna held up her hand, wiggling her ring finger.

“No. I mean—it tied our life forces together. Our power.”

“Our…” she blinked.“Life forces?”

I nodded, tracing a finger over the veins on her wrist. “Yes. It serves two purposes. For one, your power has lived dormant inside of you for all these years. But now, we share.”

“How? I don’t feel you… like,inside me.”

I quirked an eyebrow. Couldn’t control the smirk that spread across my face. My little queen punched me in the shoulder. “I didn’t mean it likethatand you know it!”

Dipping down my head, I nipped at her lower lip. “If you wanted me inside of you, Moonbeam, all you had to do was ask.”

Her cheeks were pink, but I cleared my throat. Refocusing my thoughts was hard, and not just because I was. “It’s not like that, anyway. You can’t use my powers, and I can’t use yours.But being bonded, beingmated, it changes our strength. Think of me as your backup source. An endless well of energy flows between us.”

Luna scrunched her nose. “And this matters… how?”

“Only true mates can perform the ceremony successfully. Accepting the mating bond by letting me mark you—that cemented it even more. Now that we share our energies, I’m more powerful. And you are, too. I suspect that’s why your powers are easier to use now. Alone, it still might not be enough to defeat him. But with you by my side…”

“You’re asking me to help?” Her eyes widened.

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