Page 53 of Wolf Queen Ruin
Now nothing felt simple or clean.The boundaries I’d maintained for centuries were blurring, the careful emotional walls I’d cultivated through decades of discipline compromised by the unexpected.
By her.
I flexed my hand, feeling the family ring that still refused to leave my finger.Its magic had recognized something in Luna.A connection that transcended our temporary alliance.A possibility I had engineered my long existence to avoid.
Immortals who formed attachments to mortals invited only inevitable grief.I’d witnessed the madness that followed when a vampire lost human companions they’d grown to love—the spiral of destructive behavior, the centuries-long depression, sometimes even walking into a stake rather than continuing existing without them.
I had witnessed it firsthand.I’d lost a beloved human before, one I would’ve razed cities to save.
I could not afford to—
A movement caught my eye, instantly demanding my full attention.Something was approaching Luna’s sleeping form.I focused, cursing the Wolf Queen’s dampening effect on my vampire sight.
Oh, fuck.A Brazilian wandering spider.One of the deadliest arachnids in the world.
The hairy creature moved toward the edge of Luna’s sleeping bag and her shoulder beneath, its legs creating the barest whisper against the fabric.
I moved without conscious thought, crossing the distance between us in a single fluid motion.The spider, sensing my approach, raised its front legs in a defensive posture, revealing its distinctive red jaws beneath.
I reached for a stick to flick it away.The spider advanced another inch toward the opening of Luna’s sleeping bag.
“Get away from her,” I growled, extending the stick to guide the arachnid away.
The spider scuttled sideways, then forward again with surprising speed—straight toward Luna’s shoulder.
I lunged, sweeping the stick more forcefully to intercept the creature.The motion carried me farther than intended, deeper into the tangle of roots and undergrowth than I’d planned.My hand brushed against something smooth and cool.
Definitely not vegetation.
Definitely something alive.
Pain exploded in my forearm as fangs sank deep into my flesh.I barely suppressed a curse, jerking back to see a fer-de-lance pit viper recoiling for a second strike, its triangular head weaving.One of the most dangerous snakes in Central America, capable of delivering enough venom to kill several humans at once.
Under normal circumstances, such venom would be an inconvenience to my vampire physiology.It’d be painful, but I could metabolize it within minutes.But in my weakened state, with the Wolf Queen’s magic suppressing my abilities…
The venom burned like liquid fire as it entered my bloodstream.I retreated, keeping my movements controlled to avoid triggering the snake’s aggressive instincts further.My priority remained the spider still advancing toward Luna.
With my uninjured arm, I made a final sweep with the stick, successfully knocking the wandering spider several feet away.The arachnid scuttled into the undergrowth.
Luna stirred.Her eyes opened, instantly alert, her hand already reaching for the machete underneath her pillow.
“Damien?”she whispered.
“Stay still,” I said, my voice tight as the venom worked its way up my arm.“There was a Brazilian wandering spider near your sleeping bag.I’ve driven it away, but it may return.”
She sat up, scanning the area with those keen eyes that missed so little.Her gaze landed on my arm, where two puncture wounds were already beginning to swell.
“That’s not a spider bite,” she said, fully awake now and moving toward me.
“No.A fer-de-lance took exception to my presence.”I gritted my teeth against the increasing burn coursing through my veins.“Under normal circumstances, I would be fine.”
Luna was already retrieving the anti-venom kit from her pack.“But these aren’t normal circumstances, are they?”
I didn’t bother denying it.“The Wolf Queen’s magic is interfering with my body’s natural responses.”
She approached, kit in hand, her mouth pressed in a determined line.Without hesitation, she took my injured arm, examining the wound.
“So everything with fangs has come out to say hello,” she said, already preparing the anti-venom.“Will it kill you?”
