CHAPTER 27: TONI BRAXTON - UNBREAK MY HEART

Luna stood on the wide stone balcony of Prince Damien’s castle, the cool breeze tugging at her curls as she gazed out at the impossibly scenic landscape below. From this high up, the view was almost surreal, a sweeping canvas of futuristic buildings. distant beautiful parks and night clubs, and just absolutely gorgeous rooftops. It was like everyone in the kingdom was ridiculously wealthy. And come to think of it, living for centuries and still poor is just pathetic.

She had no idea how long she’d been standing there, arms folded loosely, her thoughts drifting. She just knew it felt both too long and not long enough. Then she heard the door open behind her.

She didn’t turn around, but her back straightened instinctively. She could hear him removing his sun-protecting gear layer by layer, the enchanted cloak, the wide-brimmed hat, the collar-high scarf, and finally, the gloves. All discarded casually in the living room.

He stepped onto the balcony and stopped just a foot behind her.

"You’re crazy," he said bluntly.

She smiled without looking at him. "I know."

His tone sharpened. "Were you hoping your father would drive a stake through my heart on sight?"

Finally, she turned to face him, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "I didn’t think he’d go that far. But far be it from me to stop him if he did."

Damien sighed, a long, weary sigh that seemed to drag centuries of frustration with it. He looked at her, really looked, as if trying to memorize the way the moon painted her skin.

"You’re here," he said softly, as though trying to convince himself it was real.

"I’m here," she echoed.

"Why?" he asked finally. "You said you didn’t want this."

Luna dropped her gaze to the marble floor for a second, then raised it again. "I realized after you left last night that you were right. I have been selfish. And that’s not fair to you."

His expression became guarded. "So... you changed your mind?"

"No, Damien." The words sounded weighty. "I’m sorry. But I didn’t come here to change my decision. I came because... I thought maybe if I got to know you better, we could figure out a way to make the future easier for you."

He blinked at her. "I don’t want your pity, Luna."

"That’s not what I’m offering," she said quickly, emotion thick in her voice.

"Then what are you offering?" he snapped. "Another sex in exchange for you running back to your arranged royal wedding? I passed once before, I’ll pass again."

That one stung a little, she couldn’t deny it but she shrugged it off.

"Damien," she said gently, stepping forward, "I don’t want you to fight me. And I’m tired of fighting you. I’m not here for sex. I’m not here to confuse you. I’m here because whether or not we end up together, you matter. And you do not deserve any of this. Can we please stop acting like enemies and just... find a way?"

"A way that leads to us not being together."

"Yes," she whispered, pain sharp in her chest. "For your people, Damien. Look around you..." She turned slightly, gesturing with a helpless sweep of her hand toward the city. "Look at what you’re meant to lead. You’re not just some reckless vampire, you’re the vampire prince. You need a mate who will rule beside you. A queen who belongs here."

"You don’t get it!" he snapped, and when she looked at him, she saw it the panic and desperation in his face, he was trying very hard not to fall apart. "I cannot lead without you. If I didn’t have a mate, if I never found you... then yes. But babe," he reached for her hand, "the moment this happened..."

He held up her fingers in his, and right before their eyes, the cosmic red string shimmered to life. It twisted and wound like silk, glowing gently as it wrapped around their joined wrists, binding them in the quietest, most magical of handcuffs.

"I became doomed."

Luna stared at the string, that cruelly beautiful symbol of a bond she hadn’t asked for. It wasn’t just a ribbon. It was a sentence.

Her eyes welled. Tears blurred the sight of their fated tie, and her throat thickened with guilt. She had been so caught up in her own self, that she hadn’t realized what this bond truly meant for him.

"I didn’t know," she whispered brokenly. "By the gods, Damien, I didn’t know anything about vampires mating."

He looked at her, eyes bloodshot and when the first tear slipped from hers, it nearly destroyed him.

"Okay," he said, choking on the word. "Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want me to. I’ll stand aside. I’ll smile at your wedding if I have to. Just..." His voice faltered. "Please, Luna. Don’t cry. I can’t take it when you cry."

With his free hand, he reached up and cupped her face, wiping at her tears with a tenderness that contradicted everything the world expected of a vampire prince. The same hand that had once detached heads from bodies now held her like she might vanish.

She let out a watery chuckle. "You’re not as tough as you pretend to be."

"Not when it comes to you, my Moonlight." His voice dropped an octave, so low and reverent it made her knees slightly weak. "You’ve got me so wrapped around your finger, it’s embarrassing."

He moved even closer until the space between them was more charged than a lightning storm. His breath mingled with hers, his eyes locked onto her lips with the longing of a man drowning in self-control.

"Even though you keep driving the knife deeper whenever you want to hurt me," he murmured.

Luna smiled sadly. "I don’t want to hurt you."

"Then stop being so damn good at it."

"I feel like I had no choice."

She wasn’t trying to win sympathy, only telling a truth that weighed heavier each passing hour. The truth of being born into a crown before she even learned how to walk in her own shoes.

Damien stood beside her. Every fiber of him was strained.

"Tell me something, Moonlight," he said. "If you weren’t the princess... would you stay with me?"