Page 112 of Heir of Darkness

He was always so confident, so sure of himself that Luna wouldn’t have ever known he was this terrified. But she saw who he was at that moment. A young boy trying to avenge his mother’s death and make a difference in his life.

And he would. Luna knew he would.

“I need to believe you,” he said in a voice so quiet, she almost didn’t hear him herself. “I need to believe in myself. You’re right about me never having someone who cared about me like this, and that’s why the thought of disappointing you terrifies me. If I don’t have you, I have no one. That’s why I need to ask you not to go tomorrow. I can’t be there to protect you and I don’t know if Finn will change his mind. I can’t have anything happen to you.”

“You will never lose me, I swear,” she promised. Guilt tore through her knowing that come tomorrow, she would break his heart going with Finn, putting herself in danger to make sure her father never took another breath again. Instead of saying anything else, she pressed herself deeper into him.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, standing with her in his arms a little longer. The snow continued falling and she imagined someone looking at them through a snow globe. The scene looked perfect, a beautiful young couple in love, holding each other in the cold.

No one would know of the horrors that haunted them.

But come morning, those demons would be expelled, freeing them from that very confinement.

FORTY-FIVE

LUNA

Luna hadn’t slepta wink all night. Her mind and body wouldn’t let her, constantly waking her with nightmares instead. It was horrible, but even worse was the realization the sun was up.

Valerio got dressed in thick black cargo pants. On top, he wore a black long-sleeve shirt, and then a black quarter zip on top to keep out the cold. He was dressed like he was a spy going on some top-secret mission.

Luna wore something similar. A black sweatshirt and black leggings. Wearing any other color felt wrong. They walked downstairs together, running into Dante who was already sitting at the table with a coffee in his hands.

“Good morning,” he said.

“How long have you been awake?” Valerio asked, grabbing two mugs.

“I haven’t slept,” Dante said.

“Neither have I,” Luna admitted, taking a seat at the table.

“I would have been surprised if you did,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. Valerio came back, handing her a mug.

“We’ll leave soon,” Valerio said, taking a seat. “The sooner it’s finished, the better.”

They sat in silence after that, watching as one by one everyone came downstairs. First, Allister, followed by Blair and Cecilia. Finn and Augustus walked down together, leaving Gianna as the last one to wake up.

Valerio and Augustus set up some monitors and different computer systems that Luna knew nothing about. Once that was done, everyone got to work.

Dante and Finn checked the guns, making sure each was fully loaded and ready to go. Allister got out the other equipment, setting it out for all of them. Cecilia packed a first aid kit for each of them, Blair and Gianna helping her set up a station so that if anyone came home with cuts or worse, she could work on it right away.

Valerio and Augustus typed furiously on their computers, speaking to each other in some code that Luna found strangely attractive.

An hour had passed before they finally announced that they were ready to head out.

The mood in the house changed after that.

The nerves were still ever present, but now, the determination set in. Valerio grabbed one of the bulletproof vests Allister had set out, strapping himself in. It was hard not to watch him, memorize everything about him. She tried to tell herself to stop, that he would come home and everything would be alright, but her mind worked against her, savoring the moment nonetheless.

He grabbed two guns, putting them in his holster and holding the assault rifle over his shoulder. “You look terrifying,” Luna told him.

“I don’t prefer to wear things like this every day,” he said, cracking a small smile.

Luna couldn’t return it. “After today, I hope you never have to.”

“I’ll be okay,” he said. “Everything will go according to plan.”

She nodded, begging herself to keep her composure. But as she stared into his blue eyes, the same ones she had fallen so deeply in love with and the same ones she now called her husband, she couldn’t help the tear that slipped out her eye and down her cheek. “Please just come back to me.”

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