Chapter 37 TrustFlee? #2
“The protection she cast only works against those who want to cause her harm. And since I truly believe she’ll come to none, I was able to trace her down.
” He leaned forward slightly, voice low.
“From everything I’ve heard, she’s wickedly smart.
I believe she’ll give the Darkened One what he wants—freedom from his curse—but it’s going to cost him far more than he realizes. ”
Luna’s head pounded. Nina. Arleen. The Darkened One. It was too much.
“Okay, fine,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. “I get why you’re working for him, and why you’re delivering Nina. But why rescue me? Are you bringing me to him as well?” She locked eyes with him, her voice sharp. “Tell me the truth.”
“No. The deal is just Nina. He doesn’t even know about you, and I intend to keep it that way.
” He met her gaze, expression earnest, vulnerable even.
“I rescued you because I couldn’t leave you with those savages.
Those humans.” He frowned. “I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone, least of all a unicorn.
The humans . . . They’re greedy for magic.
They’re willing to do just about anything to get their hands on it. ”
“Is that why you knocked my guard out?”
He nodded. “The trace magic my shaman used led me to you instead of Nina. I think the unicornbane dust surrounding Nina was half of the reason I couldn’t find her, and the other half was you.
The magic recognized your bloodline and led me to the closest thing to her.
” He paused and drew in a breath. “The first time I met you . . . You were talking to flowers.” His lips curled up slightly at the memory. “You seemed so innocent.”
Luna’s expression tightened as he continued. “Then I saw that disgusting human you called a guard, and I saw red. My first instinct was to get you out of there. When you ran to his defense, I realized I’d made a mistake.”
Her shoulders slumped forward from both the weight of his words and the memories they stirred. If only she’d known Clyde’s true heart back then, how different things could have been.
“The next time we met,” Damien said, his voice softer, “you were running away from the palace. You seemed so scared. When you got hurt climbing the wall and couldn’t heal yourself, I wanted nothing more than to take you away from there.”
Luna looked down at her hands as he spoke, recalling how confused she’d been the first time she had seen her blood of light. “And that’s when you decided to stalk me?”
“That’s when I decided I wanted to help you,” he corrected, humour crinkling the corner of his eyes, “but you didn’t trust me, so I had my friends keep an eye on you.
After we said our goodbyes at the palace wall, I went to Marion, Corey, and Gregory.
I told them what happened. I asked Marion to follow you around the market, to make sure you wouldn’t get hurt again.
You stopped by Corey’s stall and after you left, she told me which tavern Marion was taking you to.
I don’t really know why or what I thought would happen, but I went anyway.
I suppose I might’ve just wanted to see you again. ”
Heat crawled up the back of Luna’s neck.
He must truly desire her trust, because he was laying out all his cards.
From now on, there’d be no secrets between them—she was confident in that.
At some point, Luna let go of the table behind her; her fingers now rubbed the petals along her skirts as she listened.
“I didn’t know Marion would take your necklace. I think when she did, it triggered your first transformation. Your body was finally free of the unicornbane dust, and you became your true form.”
Her heart dropped. Marion’s betrayal hit like a punch to the gut, leaving her breathless. How could she? Marion was supposed to be her friend.
“Why would she—” Luna couldn’t bear to finish asking the question.
There was truly no one she could trust.
She shoved the thought aside, believing it would break her. There had to be at least one person . . . and she hoped to the skies above that someone was Damien.
“She was trying to help you, in her own screwed up way.”
“Wouldn’t the necklace have hurt me if it contained unicornbane dust?”
Damien shook his head. “No. It was a very small amount, sealed within the pendant. It never made direct contact with your skin, but I think wearing it for so long dulled your magic.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me all of this sooner? Why the secrets? The lies?”
Damien exhaled deeply, running his hand through his hair, his face heavy with guilt.
“After the ballroom massacre . . . When you agreed to come with me, I was scared to tell you anything. You were having nightmares. You were terrified.” His voice dropped, almost a whisper.
“You looked at me like I was the hero from a storybook. I knew the day this was all revealed to you, you’d stop looking at me like that and start seeing me as the man I am. ”
“And who’s that?”
His eyes fell to his hooves. “A man loyal to his crown and country above all else.”
“That’s why you kept telling me you were no knight in shining armour?” Luna probed. “Because you were going to betray my birth mother?”
He stiffened as if she had struck him, but he did not deny it. “I meant it before, when I said I was tired of being everyone’s protector.” His gaze lifted; his eyes found hers. “As exhausting as it is though, I can’t bear to see my family torn apart.”
Luna crossed her arms. “What about mine?”
“I promised to bring you to her, and I will.”
And that was as good as it was going to get Luna realized. She uncrossed her arms and let down her guard, physically and emotionally. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he repeated. “Okay, you want nothing to do with me? Or . . . okay, you’ll stay?”
Choosing to believe him, Luna answered, “I want to see my mother, so yes, I’ll stay with you.” Damien had kept her safe so far, and the truth was: If he’d wanted to harm her, there’d already been plenty of opportunities.
“Fair enough,” Damien said.
“But,” Luna added, tone firm, “from now on, no more secrets, no half-truths.”
He reached out but then thought better of it, his hand twitching midair before he retracted it. Clearing his throat, he replied, “Then that’s what you’ll have. I won’t betray you.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment, taking in her outfit.
“You can ask the wardrobe for different clothes. Just tell it what you want, and it’ll appear.
” He turned away, strolling to the door, but he paused, hand hesitating on the handle.
“If you ever wish to leave, I won’t be the one to hold you back.
” Then he strode through the door, closing it behind him.
Luna flopped down on the bed, her back hitting the mattress. Thoughts swirled within her mind, chasing themselves in circles. Had she made the right choice? Only time would tell.
With quiet resolve, she rose and crossed the room to the wardrobe again. Changing out of the travel clothes felt like a small but significant gesture of acceptance. Another way to confirm her decision to stay, for now at least.
“Magic wardrobe, can you please give me normal lady clothes, something like Winta’s but simpler.” She ran her hand over her mossy top. “Not whatever this is.”
A soft shutter clicked from within the wardrobe before it creaked open, revealing rows of beautiful fabric dresses. Luna selected a simple white dress with light green ruffles along its hem and a tiered skirt that flowed to her hooves.
After she dressed, she paused at the door, resting her palm on the cool wood. If she was wrong about Damien . . . No. She couldn’t think like that. But the thought stayed, like a splinter—one wrong move from him, and she’d be ruined. She pushed the door open anyway and strode through.