Page 9 of Treasured

Keeping that in mind, I remained alert. Every cracking branch, every gust of wind, and every crunch of snow made my ears prick as I listened to the forest. It didn’t matter how much pain I was in; I would never stop fighting to keep Luna safe.

Even if it was the last thing I ever did.

* * *

The map we were following was incredibly unhelpful. What should have been a few hours in the air took far longer on foot. By the time the first streaks of dawn painted the sky, we had slowed to a steady, brisk walk, moving around black, fallen trees and leaping over frozen, dried-up river beds.

“Damn,” I swore. I had other, more choice words, but they didn’t seem conducive to the situation.

In the distance, the white stone of our destination was barely visible through the trees. We were close. It was an hour or two away at best. But the sky was changing. The night slowly gave way to day, the moon slipping away.

If there was ever a moment for the sun not to rise, to cede its place to the moon just for one day, this was it. We were so close. If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could hear the faint whispers from the abbey. It screamed safety. I wanted that for Luna. After being on the run for over a week, I needed to know she was okay, especially with the never-ending summons pulsing a painful beat in my head.

Part of me knew it didn’t matter where we were; we’d never truly be safe until the queen died. She was the reason we were in danger, after all. But putting a roof over Luna’s head felt important. I wanted to give that to her.

Luna might have miraculously been able to walk in the sun, thank Isvana for that blessing, but I was not gifted in the same way. The sun was not kind to me. It burned. It killed. I could not travel during the day.

My decision was made easier when Luna yawned.

I stopped, my eyes sweeping through the forest, seeking shelter. There weren’t any caves nearby, but I’d find something.

There.

“This way, darling.” Giving Luna a gentle tug, I led her toward an enormous fallen tree as tall as me. It was hollow, and even from here, the cave-like qualities of the rotting wood were visible. It wasn’t my cabin, but the log would provide adequate shelter while the sun was up.

Luna followed me without argument, which only confirmed her exhaustion. She would have told me off if she had any qualms about this. A quiet, docile wife, she was not. I adored that about her. She saw my exterior appearance and wasn’t put off, wasn’t afraid.

Layers of snow and ice sat atop the blackened log, and frost dusted the inside, but it was out of the sun. I entered, dropping to the ground and pulling Luna with me. She rested her head on my shoulder and gingerly withdrew the clay pot from her bag.

The plant, if it could be called that when it was little more than a stem and a few leaves sticking out of the soil, was still alive. That seemed almost miraculous, considering the events of the past few hours.

Come! the summons shrieked, and I winced. Cold sweat beaded on the back of my neck. It was getting worse.

Luna grimaced, burrowing her face against my tunic. “This is going to be a long day,” she predicted.

Very long.

“Try to get some rest, love.” I brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her softly.

She nodded sleepily, her eyes already growing heavy. “I’ll do my best.”

I wrapped my arms around her. “I’ll watch over you.” The constant, pulsing pain of the queen’s call would not let me rest, even if I wanted to. It was designed to continue to summon the vampire until they had no choice but to respond. “Sleep.”

She did.

It Was Not Easy Being Queen

MARGUERITE

My shadows sang a never-ending song of death and destruction as they pulsed through my veins. Usually, they brought me a sense of peace.

Not anymore.

Peace was long gone. How could I feel anything akin to that when my world was falling apart?

Curling my fingers around the nearest vase, I pulled back my arm and threw the painted porcelain against the wall.

It shattered into a thousand blue pieces that scattered all over the floor.

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