Page 43 of Depths of Desire
“What? No, I want to hear what else he has to say. I want to hear him try to justify it.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Why?” she snarls. “You think I can’t handle it? You think I can’t deal with this?”
“Luna,” I say, trying to be patient. “It’s not going to happen because we got the information we needed from him about how you were promised to Malrick. They aren’t going to ask him anything else about you. Now it’s all about what information about our business he shared with Malrick. You can’t be here to hear that. They won’t let you. I won’t let you. This is not your concern, and considering it is your family that has done a serious amount of damage to us, there’s no way to convince us otherwise.”
Luna stares at me. Her mouth drops open as if to protest but she glances at the screen. Everyone is staring at her. She shuts her mouth, turns, and starts out of the room.
“Luna, I love you,” her father calls out.
But she doesn’t hesitate. She leaves the room and closes the door behind her. If it were up to me, I would kill the man now, but it’s not. I have to figure out how to deal with this mess. Malrick is still going to come for Luna. I smile slightly. I hope he comes personally. I would love the chance to kill him. He will not touch Luna.
Not now.
Not ever.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Itry to breathe, but I can’t seem to keep the air in my lungs. I’m hyperventilating. I somehow end up out on the balcony. I lean over the balustrade, lower my head below my shoulders, and fight to calm down.
Nico appears beside me. “Slow deep breaths,” he says as if I don’t know that. I would if I could. I’m starting to get dizzy.
“Luna,” he barks at me, but I can’t seem to stop.
He grabs and kisses me hard on the mouth.
I gasp, and he deepens the kiss using his tongue to coax a response from me. I try to push away, but he’s holding me tight. I want to fight, but I find myself responding to his kiss. I relent and lean into his chest.
Nico pulls back. “There, you’re calmer now.” He abruptly releases me, and I have to steady myself on the balustrade to avoid falling over.
I stare at him. I’m totally overwhelmed. He’s a complete asshole. How can he be this cold after what we just heard? Does he not have a heart at all? Vampire. How could I have forgotten? I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. I can’t believe I let him kiss me.
Worse, I responded. It’s the whole situation. I’m off-kilter. It won’t happen again. He’s no different from Malrick.
Nico stares at me. “Luna, Do you understand the position you are in?”
I face him and say through clenched teeth, “I know exactly what position I’m in. My parents betrayed me, and some asshole vampire wants me because he can use me to keep any magickal creatures at bay. I’m well aware, thank you very much.”
How dare he speak to me like I’m a small child? I was in the room. I know exactly where I stand.
“No,” Nico shakes his head. “Yes, your parents betrayed you, but they also made an agreement to marry you to Malrick. However, it looks like he didn’t do it formally.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean, formally?”
Nico gives me an assessing gaze. “In the vampire world, there are various kingdoms. When a vampire marries, if they chose to do so in the vampire world, it’s different than if they choose to do it in your world. There are actual contracts that are signed and written in blood. They cannot be broken. There is no divorce in the vampire world. There is only separation or death. Vampires don’t marry often, but when they do, it’s very often for reasons other than love.”
“I see. What does this have to do with me? I fail to see why this is important.” My anger is rising again. “We’re discussing this shit when I should be running, getting as far away as possible.”
Nico crosses his arms over his chest. “You can’t run from Malrick. He will find you. Any vampire with any kind of skill will be able to find you. Malrick, as much as he is a complete asshole, has many skills.
I roll my eyes. “Sure, he can find me anywhere on the earth,” I snark. “I highly doubt it. He has to know where to look, and if I get going now, he won’t be able to find me.”
Nico sighs. “Luna, I can smell the adrenaline in your blood. I can hear your heartbeat. You could be thousands of miles away from me, and I can push out my senses to pick up your scent. I don’t have to be close. You cannot hide.”
“I don’t believe you.” The drop in my stomach belies the snarl in my voice. Could it be true? Could Malrick find me anywhere on earth? My head starts to throb. There must be somewhere I can hide.
“There are a few places,” Nico says and then smiles slightly. “Yes, I know what you’re thinking. But the places where Malrick couldn’t find you, you don’t want to go there. Trust me.”
