Page 79 of Treasured

Soon, those sparks morphed into small shards of sunshine. Hope swirled within me, strengthening me.

We turned one final corner, and then, we were there. Outside, the shining sun illuminated a clear blue sky and dozens of snow-capped mountains. The scent of crisp air filled me, and I inhaled deeply, appreciating the fresh air.

Sebastian groaned. “Thank the gods.” He leaned against the ice, and flashes of pain came through the Binding Mark for the first time since we’d fallen.

“Is it the summons?”

He grunted.

My brows furrowed, and I tore my gaze away from the cave entrance to meet his eyes. I gasped, and my heart lodged in my throat. Looking back at me were two bottomless pits of pain.

It was worse than I thought.

“How bad is it?” I asked urgently.

Sebastian sucked in a breath. “Bad.”

That he admitted it to me was an indicator of just how much pain he was in.

I pulled up my sleeve and offered him my wrist. “You should feed,” I urged him. “Maybe it’ll help.”

The stubborn vampire shook his head. He slid down, leaning against the icy wall. “Don’t worry about me, Luna. I’ll be fine.”

How could he ask me not to worry? Didn’t he know he was my entire life? Asking me not to worry about him was like asking the sun not to shine.

Pointless.

That was a lot to say, though. In the end, I settled on, “I’ll always worry about you, Sebastian.”

He smiled softly and leaned his head against the wall. To others, he might have appeared relaxed, but I knew better. The slight grimace on his face and the furrow of his brows spoke to the pain pulsing through him. “Go on,” he said. “I’ll wait here.”

As if he could do anything else. As it was, I would be pulling the Tether to the limits, moving to the far reaches of the distance we were allotted.

“Fine.” I sighed. Crouching beside Sebastian, I took off the satchel and placed it beside him. I brushed my lips over his, and then I whispered, “Keep this safe for me?”

“Of course.”

Before I could rise, his hand laced around my neck, and he pulled me back towards him. His mouth claimed mine in an urgent, bruising, passionate kiss that woke every part of me.

When it ended, leaving me with tingling lips, those pain-filled eyes searched mine. “Come back to me, Sunwalker.”

“Always,” I promised.

It was time. Holding the shining moonstone in my right hand, I stood and headed toward the sunlight. Isvana’s blessing, the dark magic of the moon that kept all vampires alive, urged me to stop and stay in the safety of the shadows, but I did not obey.

My heart raced within my chest as I stood feet away from the entrance of the cave. On one side, shadows and darkness remained, untouched by the sunlight. On this side, I was safe. On the other, the ice glimmered as though it was embedded with hundreds of diamonds.

A flutter of fear rose within me, and my blood chilled. Vampires weren’t meant to go in the sun. It went against the very core of our beings. We were creatures of the moon.

I refused to let fear defeat me. I’d already charged into the sunlight once without considering the consequences.

Now, the situation was more dire than ever.

Still, I didn’t move.

“Luna.” My name was like music on Sebastian’s tongue, and I glanced over my shoulder at him. His hand was pressed against his temples, but his gaze was strong as he looked straight at me. “You can do this.”

His encouragement was exactly what I needed. Tightening my grip around the moonstone, I drew in a deep breath and stepped over the line.

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