Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
Damien
“You don’t need to walk me in,” Luna said for the third time as our car pulled up to the Repository. “I’m a big girl. I’ve been putting myself to bed for years now.”
“Indulge me,” I replied, stepping out and then offering my hand. “Recent events have made me on edge.”
We’d driven through the French Quarter for about an hour to be sure we’d lost our tail, using a technique I’d perfected during the Prohibition era when evading federal agents had been something of a sport among certain vampire circles.
Luna rolled her eyes but accepted my hand, the warmth of her skin sending that shocking jolt through my system. How a simple touch from this woman could generate more sensation than entire decades of my life, I had no idea.
“Fine,” she sighed, exhaustion slumping her shoulders some. “But only to the door. At this hour, Felix will have security measures active, and they might, I don’t know, spray holy water sprinklers that’ll make you sizzle like bacon. Ohhh. Bacon sounds really good right now.”
“It’s a bit odd that the thought of my sizzling flesh makes you hungry,” I said dryly, “but I can guarantee some bacon for you on the flight tomorrow.”
That perked Luna right up as we approached the entrance. “Thanks. I’ll need to pack. The Darién Gap isn’t exactly a resort destination. If I forget my toothbrush, I’m fucked.”
“Of all the dangers there, yes, that ranks the highest,” I said with a smile.
She chuckled, the sound warming something forgotten within my chest, and stopped outside the Repository door. “I knew you’d understand.”
The moonlight caught in her honey-blonde hair, creating a halo effect that enhanced her natural luminosity. Even exhausted, she radiated a vitality that made the stars seem dull by comparison.
Luna hiked up her dress again for her key, not quite as high this time, unfortunately, but high enough to see the smooth expanse of creamy skin on her shapely legs.
“You’re staring, Damien,” she said.
“You steal the night, Luna. Can you blame me?”
Her wide gaze snapped to mine as she straightened, keys curled in her fist. I shut my mouth before anything else reckless spilled out without my permission.
We stood there, both of us staring now, while an electric hum charged the air between us. The silence stretched tight, pulsing.
Luna cleared her throat and fumbled with her keys, breaking the spell first. My skin buzzing, I took half a step away, unaware of when I’d crowded her personal space.
As she found the right key, the yellow sapphire on her left hand caught the light, drawing both our attention. The engagement ring—my fae family ring—glinted with subtle magic as she moved her fingers.
“Oh,” she said, suddenly still. “I should give this back to you.”
She tugged at the ring, twisting it to pull it over her knuckle.
It didn’t budge.
Luna frowned, tugging harder. “It’s stuck.”
“Allow me,” I offered, taking her hand.
The moment my fingers touched the ring, a soft golden light emanated from the stone, pulsing once before settling back to normal as if in greeting. The ancient magic thrummed beneath my fingertips.
I gave the ring an experimental twist. It remained firmly in place as though it had fused to her skin, though there was no visible change to her finger.
“Maybe I just need some soap and to cool off. You think?” Luna asked, a note of alarm creeping into her voice.
On a hunch, I tried to remove my own ring—the companion piece I’d worn throughout the evening. It too refused to budge, a similar pulse of golden light flickering when I attempted to slide it off.
“This is…” I paused, searching for an explanation that wouldn’t sound like madness.
“If you say ‘interesting,’ I swear I’ll punch you,” Luna warned through gritted teeth. “Why won’t it come off?”
“It seems the rings are responding to each other,” I said. “They were created as a pair, designed for certain connections between wearers, but those connections are rare.”
“What kind of connections?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “I swear to god, Damien… Did you know this would happen?”
“No,” I said. “Traditionally, these family rings respond to genuine intent. They were designed to seal engagements by ensuring both parties entered the arrangement with genuinely honest purpose.”
Luna stared at me then back at the ring. “But our engagement is fake. We’re not genuinely entering anything.”
“Precisely why this is unexpected.” I studied her ring again, noting how the yellow within the sapphire seemed deeper somehow, more golden, the patterns of light within it more active than usual. “It seems the rings have detected something between us that approximates genuine intent.”
“Nah, bro,” she said flatly. “I don’t know you like that.”
I had to agree. We were strangers. More importantly, we were forbidden.
The rings were ancient fae magic, predating even Elliot’s transition to vampire. They couldn’t be fooled by pretense, which left only one possibility: on some level, Luna and I had developed a genuine connection.
The realization hit like an icy spear through my chest. These rings and what they represented would put a target on both our backs.
Luna yanked her hand from mine, her heartbeat accelerating in a rhythm I could track without effort. “Fix this,” she demanded.
“Of course. I’ll need to consult certain texts.” There had to be centuries-old grimoires that might contain information about breaking fae binding enchantments. “For now, the rings aren’t harmful. They’re merely resistant to separation.”
“Yeah. Real funny,” Luna muttered. “How convenient.”
I understood her bitterness, but was this any great surprise?
I’d already admitted I had feelings for Luna under Vivienne’s Blood Truth serum.
The rings obviously sensed this, and despite Luna’s alarmed reaction, she must have felt the same way about me, at least on some level, which kindled a whole new fire within my chest.
Still, neither of us had consented to a genuine engagement.
“I’ll resolve this,” I promised. “You have my word.”
Luna searched my face for a moment, her expression softening. “I believe you,” she said. “But next time you give me magical jewelry, a warning label would be nice. With a side of bacon several hours later.”
I inclined my head. “Noted for next time.”
She fumbled with her keys again, finally unlocking the Repository’s entrance. Before stepping inside, she turned back to face me.
“For what it’s worth,” she said, “you were not terrible company tonight. For a vampire.”
I smiled. “High praise indeed. You weren’t terrible either, Luna. You did well.”
She shrugged. “I had an okay teacher.”
She stepped inside, the door sealing behind her with the distinctive hum of activated wards. I remained motionless, listening as her footsteps receded, tracking her progress through the building until she reached her upstairs apartment.
Only then did I allow myself to examine the ring on my own finger. The metal had warmed, which was unusual for an item worn by a vampire, as we don’t generate enough body heat to affect our surroundings. The enchantment was stronger than I’d anticipated, and its implications troubled me.
Vivienne had forced a meeting with the Vampire Council tomorrow night, a meeting I didn’t plan to attend. If they learned of this fake engagement between Luna and me that had turned very real, I didn’t know what they would do, let alone what Vivienne would do.
I didn’t want to frighten Luna further, but the rings had been created by my fae ancestors to identify true mates—souls whose essences complemented each other so perfectly that a binding between them would transcend normal limitations.
The rings were meant to identify such rare compatibility, not create it.
If they had activated for Luna and me…
I closed my eyes briefly. My existence had been defined by control and deliberate distance, especially from mortals whose lifespans represented mere moments in the expanse of my immortality.
The last time I’d allowed myself to care for a human, the consequences had been…
I shut down that line of thought. The past was irreversible. Only the present required my attention.
A familiar prickling sensation at the base of my skull alerted me to watching eyes. Not one observer but several, positioned at different vantage points along the street.
The person or people who’d hired Atlas Security and chased us, most likely. Or Marcel’s people. Though I couldn’t dismiss the possibility of Vivienne’s involvement either.
I stepped into the shadows beside the building to blend in with the darkness.
Four watchers, I determined after a careful scan. Well positioned, using both technological and magical surveillance methods.
I could eliminate them easily enough. Permanently, if necessary. But they would simply be replaced, and their disappearance would reveal that I’d detected the surveillance operation.
Better to identify their employer first. Better still to use their presence to feed false information when advantageous.
Farther down the street, I crossed into a shadowed alcove, prepared for a night of counter surveillance.
The vampiric ability to remain motionless for extended periods proved useful in situations like these.
I would wait, watch, and identify which of our enemies had deployed this particular set of eyes.
As I maintained my vigil, my thoughts kept returning to Luna. To the connection between us that had grown strong enough to activate ancient fae magic.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d spent centuries building walls to prevent this kind of entanglement, only to find myself bound to a woman who should have been merely a temporary ally.
A woman whose daughter was dying.
A woman who would do anything to save her child.
A woman with unmatched courage and determination.
The ring continued to pulse against my finger, a constant reminder of what I’d tried so hard to deny: that even immortals weren’t immune to the fundamental need for connection.
That even I wasn’t immune.
And that, perhaps, was the most terrifying realization of all.