Page 105 of Heir of Darkness

“Safety,” he said. “They’ll be keeping an eye on us and the car until we get to where we’re going.”

“Allister will be doing most of the work.” Dante grinned, his eyes shining with inebriation.

“Let’s consider it your wedding present,” Allister said.

“Well, thanks for doing it,” Luna told him.

“He has no choice.” Valerio gave him a warning look, earning him an eye roll from Allister. He turned to her. “We should head out before it gets too late.”

“Wait, should I change out of my wedding dress?” she asked. It was starting to get a little too heavy to keep dragging everywhere.

“No,” Valerio said without hesitation. “I want to take it off of you.”

“Gross. Keep your fantasies to yourself,” Allister muttered, trying to hold up a drunk Dante who slumped on him.

Luna laughed. “Let’s go,” she said. “Please keep an eye out on the girls. They’re incredibly drunk and I don’t want them to make any decisions they’ll regret.”

“Promise,” Allister said. He waved them off, letting Dante fall to the floor.

Valerio grabbed her hand and their bag—a small overnight duffle with a few things. They made their way to the garage, walking to the black SUV. He helped her in, trying to keep the dress from getting dirty or destroyed. Then he walked over to the counter by the entrance of the garage where a couple bottles of oil and windshield wiper fluid sat, and picked up the four guns that were sitting there. He made sure they were all loaded, placing the smallest in his suit jacket and carrying the other three to place in the back seat.

She tried to ignore it so it wouldn’t put a damper on the perfect day, but that was their life now. It was better that they were safe.

He got into the driver’s seat, letting the car purr to life. She said a little prayer as soon as they received confirmation from Allister that they could head out. He kept the headlights off until they got to the main road where it was easier to blend in with everyone else driving.

He drove quickly, constantly checking the mirrors to make sure no one was following them. She held her breath the entire time, her shoulders tensed, and her eyes peeled for anything suspicious even though she didn’t know what she would belooking for. Only once they entered the remote road to the familiar woods did the anxiety start to wear off.

“We’re going to the cabin?” she asked, a small smile on her face.

He nodded. “I would have taken you somewhere nicer, but I figured just getting out of that house was enough for now.”

“It’s perfect.”

He grabbed her hand, placing a kiss to the back of it. He parked the car right beside the cabin, texting Allister that they had arrived. Like a gentleman, he helped her out of the car, only to sweep her off her feet and into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked, laughing.

“Carrying my wife over the threshold.”

“You’re supposed to do that in our new home.” She opened the door for them. “Besides, you need to take it easy. You just started recovering.”

“My back is fine,” he promised, giving her a quick kiss to presumably shut her up. “You know I can’t resist any reason to hold you.” He placed her on the couch before running off to grab their bag and the other guns.

Luna fell back with a small smile of contentment. The cabin was exactly how they had left it from the last time they were there, almost as if it was frozen in time from when things seemed simpler. Now, it was her favorite place in the world, and a place they would return to once the war was over. Simpler times would come that was what she had to remind herself.

Valerio dropped the stuff on the small table, locking the door behind him. He peeled the tux jacket off and ripped the bow tie from his neck, moving with precision to the fireplace.

Her eyes followed his every movement in a daze. Even though his body took up most of the space in whatever room he was in, he still moved with such an elegance that she couldn’tunderstand. He was never clumsy; everything was always done with certainty. She was fascinated by it.

He kneeled down, placing logs of wood into the fireplace and igniting a single match to get it going. With a sigh, he stood back up, stretching his back out as he turned around to face Luna once again.

“It’ll warm up soon,” he said.

She could hardly register the coldness in the cabin from the overwhelmingly hot temperature of her body.

“Come sit with me.” She patted the spot next to her on the couch.

He shook his head with a smirk but still complied. She turned her back to him, exposing the zipper of the dress. “Mind getting that for me?” she asked innocently. “It’s a bit uncomfortable.”

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