Page 27 of Treasured

“I know.” I leaned against him. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell him, but I was having trouble putting my innermost thoughts and fears into words. It was disconcerting, to say the least. Usually, I had a vast vocabulary, but constructing a proper sentence was difficult. In the end, I lifted a shoulder. “I’m… scared.”

His arms tightened around me, and he kissed me softly. Then he asked, “Why are you scared?”

“I feel… helpless,” I admitted to him. “Not knowing what is coming next… I don’t like it. I feel like we’re floundering from one problem to the next.”

I liked making plans. They brought order to my life, giving me something to focus on. Order was nice. Lists were good. The more, the better, in my opinion.

We had none of those right now. All I knew was death was coming for us.

A few minutes went by, the ticking of the clock the only sound as Sebastian held me close. My tears finally slowed and then stopped.

“If you want a plan, Luna, let’s make a plan.” His fingers trailed up my arm, leaving sparks in his wake. “First, though, I need to tell you something.”

The serious tone of his voice instantly put me on high alert. “Go on, I’m listening.”

He adjusted me so I was sitting on his lap.

“Do you remember meeting Isvana?” Sebastian asked.

How could I forget? It wasn’t every day one met a goddess and talked back to her before being gifted a seed.

Instead of saying all that, I responded dryly, “I remember.”

Sebastian chuckled. “I imagine it would be hard to forget.” His hand ran down my arm, drawing random shapes on my skin. “Before I woke, I met her.”

My mouth fell open, and once again, I had no words. Of all the things I’d expected him to say—and there were many—that was the last thing I thought I’d hear. “What?”

He nodded. “Luna, she was… glowing.”

“Just like when she met me,” I said. I’d never forget meeting her. It was forever engraved in my memory. The moonlight, the raven, the trees, the sunlight. “Did she meet you in a grove?”

Sebastian wove our fingers together. “No, the place where she brought me was strange.” His thumb slipped between our joined hands, rubbing slow circles. “She was radiant in moonlight, and…” He detailed his vision and the task set before him. Finding a key and breaking his bond with the queen.

Perhaps at another time, I would have been intimidated to be given yet another task to accomplish, but right now, I was relieved.

Finally, we had something actionable we could undertake. A list, even with only two items, was still a list.

This was good. We could finally plan. Settling back against Sebastian’s chest, I ran my tongue over my fangs and let out a long breath as we discussed what was coming next. We kept planning until my eyes grew heavy, and I could barely string two words together to form a sentence.

Only then did Sebastian lay me down, holding me close once more. “Rest, Luna,” he whispered.

This time, I slept peacefully.

* * *

When I woke again, Sebastian was watching me. His gaze was deep, filled with so much affection that I could drown in it.

“Hey there, darling,” he whispered. “How did you sleep?”

“Much better the second time around.”

“Good.”

I rested my weight on my elbows, looking him over. “You look better,” I said. His skin was back to its normal pale shade, and life sparked in his eyes.

He kissed me. “I feel better.” One of his brows raised. “Have you seen Marius yet?”

“No.” I felt guilty about not seeing him but hoped he could feel me nearby.

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