Page 68 of A Hunter for Luna

“Of course, Sire,” she said immediately.

I leaned back in my chair, a smirk playing at the corners of my mouth. Let them try, I thought. Let them scheme and plot and whisper.

The supper wound down, guests rising one by one to offer their farewells to the emperor, a melee of false smiles and barely veiled barbs.

Vivaldo lingered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Luna and me, calculating and cold. His bow to the emperor was exquisite in its grace, which the old man acknowledged with only a nod.

He departed the picture of courtly grace, even though the disfavor hung around him like a cloud.

I stood, offering Luna my arm. She took it, her touch light but steady, and we made our farewells. The emperor did not show her more favor, for which the absent gods be thanked. We had a large enough target on us already.

Exiting, we walked through the grand halls of the palace, our footsteps echoing against the marble. Servants bowed as we passed, their eyes downcast, but I could feel their curiosity, the whispers that would follow us like shadows.

As we stepped out into the cool night air and stepped into the carriage, I turned to Luna, studying her profile in the soft glow of the lanterns. "You handled yourself well tonight."

She glanced at me, her smile soft but teasing. "What, did you think I'd fall for it?"

I kissed her on the lips. "No. But it's nice to be reminded why I keep you around."

Her laughter mingled with mine, a moment of shared mirth in the midst of the intrigues that swirled around us like smoke. I felt a strange lightness in my chest, a sense of ease that I hadn't known in years.

“And de Manfredi? What did he say that made you smile?”

She gave me a quick, puzzled look. “He complimented me on my dress and suggested we dine at his home before we left. I didn’t want to answer directly, so I smiled instead.”

But even as we headed home, my mind raced with the implications of the evening. Vivaldo's words, the nobleman's offer—they were pieces of the game of power and ambition.

Damn my mother for pulling us into it!

The sedan chair swayed gently as it wound through the moonlit streets, the steady footsteps of the bearers a soothing rhythm. I leaned back against the seat, my gaze drifting to Luna as she gazed out the curtains, her profile illuminated by the soft glow of the moon.

Watching her, a strange sense of peace settled over me. She was more than I had ever expected—smart, sharp, loyal. If I wasn't careful, I might actually start relying on her.

As if sensing my thoughts, she turned to me, her grey eyes curious. "What's on your mind?"

I shrugged, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "Just thinking how lucky I am you haven't decided to kill me yet."

"Then don't tempt me," she said lightly, but her gaze was warm, filled with an affection that I still couldn't quite believe was directed at me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

LUNA

As Benedetto'shand engulfed mine to help me from the carriage, a current of desire passed between us. I'd felt his touch countless times before, in passing or in passion, but there was a deliberateness to it now that sent a shiver through me. When I met his gaze, I found him staring at me with an intensity I'd never seen, his dark eyes twin flames that threatened to consume me whole.

We stood there, hands clasped, for a long moment that stretched like hot sugar. My pulse hammered in my throat as if my body already knew something momentous teetered on the horizon. When Benedetto finally spoke, his usually smooth voice held a slight rasp.

"I have something for you," he said, reaching into his coat with his free hand. His fingers trembled almost imperceptibly as he withdrew a small velvet pouch. "Just something I picked up. They made me think of you."

Curiosity overpowered the maelstrom of other emotions swirling inside me as I took the pouch. The velvet was butterysoft against my fingertips, clearly expensive. I loosened the gold drawstring and upended the contents into my palm.

A pair of opal earrings tumbled out, glinting in the late afternoon sun. Each opal was the size of my thumbnail, more vivid and fiery than any I'd seen before, set in intricately engraved silver. I felt my breath catch, my eyes widening as I picked one up to examine it closer. The stone came alive, flashing iridescent pinks, greens, and golds as it turned.

"Opals," I breathed. The word felt insufficient, too small to encompass the beautiful craftsmanship. "They're exquisite. I've never seen anything like them." I dragged my gaze from the rainbows in my hand to Benedetto's face. "I've never received anything like this before."

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and something flickered through his eyes too quick to catch. Regret, perhaps. Or guilt.

He took a step closer, bringing with him the scent of bergamot and the wild herbs that grew in the fields beyond the city walls. Strange that I'd never noticed how he smelled of home before.

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