CHAPTER 161: BRUNO MARS - COUNT ON ME

She pulled back, eyes gleaming.

"I’m going to give you the same advice," she said softly. "Think before you move. Because this jealousy? It’s going to push you into making expensive mistakes. And sweetie, I am not an easy enemy."

"And just to be clear," Luna added, tilting her head, "it’s not my fault Kyllian refused to crown you queen."

Jane’s hands curled at her sides, trembling just enough to betray her fury.

"I didn’t steal your crown," Luna finished. "You never had it to begin with."

"You are a bitch!" Jane spat. Her face was flushed red with rage and humiliation.

In an instant, Luna jerked her free hand back and landed a punch straight to Jane’s face.

The sound of soft cartilage giving way was disturbingly satisfying.

Jane stumbled back with a stunned gasp, clutching her nose as crimson bloomed between her fingers. "You hit me!" she squealed, utterly scandalized.

Luna shook out her knuckles, exhaling. "I’m going to go get another drink," she said calmly.

She turned on her heel, the hem of her dress swirling dramatically as she stepped away—regal, unapologetic, and entirely unbothered.

Until—

Her head spun.

Her vision blurred at the edges, colors bleeding together. Her balance slipped from beneath her as if the earth had tilted. Her wineglass slipped from her hand and shattered.

And then Luna collapsed.

The thud as her body hit the marble courtyard was final. A sound that made every heartbeat in the palace still for a moment too long.

"Luna!" Ravena’s voice tore through the silence.

Guests gasped. Some rushed forward, others merely stood in stunned horror.

On the dais, Kyllian had already risen, sending his wineglass clattering to the ground. His crown sat crooked as he jumped down, shoving past startled guests.

"Princess!" he gasped as he dropped to his knees beside her, gathering her into his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her face far too pale. "Get the medic!" he barked, eyes wild.

"NOW!"

A palace guard sprinted toward the healer’s wing while murmurs rose among the crowd—some in concern, some in prayer.

Kyllian cradled Luna against his chest, one hand brushing damp hair from her face. "Luna... Luna, stay with me."

Her fingers twitched faintly, then fell still.

Meanwhile, Jane stood exactly where Luna had left her—nose still bleeding, pride still shattered, heart twisted into a knot.

The crowd parted for Kyllian as he rose, Luna limp in his arms.

Jane clenched her jaw, blood dripping between her fingers and onto her gown. The people didn’t look at her. All the cared about was their precious princess.

She could die for all I care, Jane thought bitterly, though her stomach twisted as Kyllian disappeared into the palace with Luna in his arms and the door slammed shut behind him.

****

When Talon brought the message in the middle of the night, Damien had been seated by the window of his chambers, staring out into the violet-lit skyline of Blood City. The moon was at its zenith, hanging low and heavy. The silence had been oddly soothing—until his steward told him someone from the werewolf kingdom was at the door and it was an emergency.

"Your Highness," Talon said breathlessly as soon as Damien appeared. "Princess Luna... she’s very ill. You’ve been granted temporary allowance into the werewolf kingdom."

The words didn’t register at first. They just floated in the air, heavy and slow. Then they dropped. And something inside Damien snapped.

He snatched the first car keys he could get a hold of from the guards’ station. He didn’t dress properly. He didn’t care.

He drove like a madman through the mist-drenched streets of Blood City, wheels screeching as they tore past cobbled alleys and shadowy plazas. The vampires who lingered late into the night leapt out of the way.

He slammed the brakes in front of Doctor Thessally’s townhouse.

"Get in the car," he said when she opened the gate, blinking sleepily in her nightdress.

Thessally didn’t argue. She hopped in and yanked the door shut.

*****

The car thundered across the empty roads leading to the werewolf border, leaving a trail of dust and demon-level exhaust. Damien’s hands clenched the wheel, his fangs clenched tighter.

His thoughts raced with every dark possibility—had the curse returned? Had Kyllian done something? Had Luna pushed herself too hard?

He didn’t speak once during the drive. Thessally, wisely, stayed silent too—except to mutter a prayer when he blew through a turn fast enough to defy physics.

When they arrived at the werewolf kingdom’s border, the guards at the gate straightened as his car skidded to a halt. One recognized him instantly and stumbled back.

"Prince Damien—"

They opened the gate quickly.

*****

Within minutes, they reached the castle.

Damien barely remembered putting the car in park. He might not have. It didn’t matter.

He was already running through the palace doors, Thessally hurrying behind him, trying to keep up despite the fact she was still barefoot and in a nightdress.

The grand halls were still adorned from the coronation, but the festive candles had been snuffed out, and worry. He found Ravena in the corridor, looking like she had personally gone to war and lost.

Her hair was a mess—unthinkable for Ravena. Her eyes were wild.

"Damien," she breathed, "it’s happening again. It’s happening again."

Every cell in his body was screaming. "Where is she?" he asked, already bracing to sprint.

"In her room," Ravena barely got the words out before Damien was already moving. Doctor Thessa struggled to keep up, her nightdress flapping as they stormed past gasping servants and anxious guards.

Damien shoved open the door to Luna’s chamber. It had been months since he’d seen this room.

But none of that mattered.

Because there she was. Motionless. Pale.

Kyllian was seated beside her bed, his head bowed, one hand resting near Luna’s. He looked like a man defeated by hope.

"Get away from her," Damien growled.

Kyllian didn’t move. "Don’t test me, Bloodsucker."

Damien didn’t waste time replying. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, one hand reaching out to stroke Luna’s face. Her skin was so cold, it made his breath catch. Almost vampire cold. Her lips were barely pink.