Page 19 of Heir of Darkness

She was soaking wet. A reminder of how good the dream felt. Her mind drifted back, replaying every moment of it.

Why Valerio? Why was it that she couldn’t escape him in her daily life and now she couldn’t escape him in the safety of her dreams?

She hated him, for God’s sake. She couldn’t be having dreams about him where she rode his cock like there was no tomorrow.

Sure, she found him attractive. Of course she did; she was just a girl, after all. And sure, maybe the crush she had on him before had snuck its way into her mind and made her think about him more often than not. But it didn’t matter and it wouldn’t because she would not fall for the one man who was attempting to destroy her life.

Valerio Vitali was bad news.

He shot a boy in the legs over her. He was wild, possessive, obsessive.

But the dream felt sogood.

Luna groaned, throwing a pillow over her head. Why couldn’t he have been disgusting? Or better yet, why did he have tostumble outside all those years ago when she was in the midst of a breakdown, trying to play the savior?

He wasn’t her hero.

He didn’t have any good intentions.

But would marriage to him really be that bad?

She sat up in bed, her eyes wide in shock. How could she even think that? God, she needed to get it together. The dream was over. It was fake—just her subconscious being a bitch.

The sun was barely rising over the horizon, but Luna knew she couldn’t go back to sleep. She had a feeling her mind would try to return to the dream, and she couldn’t handle that again. This time, she might not wake up from it.

She got up to get ready for the day. She didn’t have class since it was Friday, but it was also initiation weekend and if she knew anything about her best friends, she knew the weekend would be packed with parties. Her best bet was to get some homework done while everyone was still sleeping.

Tonight, she was attending Fight Night to support Finn, who kicked ass every year. It was bloody and gruesome, but over the years she got numb to the violence and attempted to enjoy it.

Tomorrow night was The Chase, and in honor of not getting caught up in it, she would be locking herself in her apartment. There was no doubt in her mind that if she was out and about, the devil himself would snatch her up and force her to run for her life, or whatever the hell they did during it. She never attended and she wouldn’t start now.

She threw on a pair of sweats and a gray T-shirt that said ‘Grand Willow’ on it. She grabbed her backpack, deciding to go to a cafe to get some work done. She slid on a pair of sneakers and left the apartment, closing the door carefully behind her.

The air was crisp and fresh; the grass and windows covered in a fresh layer of morning dew. Everyone seemed to still besleeping, probably trying to conserve their energy for the parties later tonight, leaving campus unusually quiet.

Her walk was peaceful until she noticed a black sports car following suspiciously close behind her. She took small glances over her shoulder, frowning when she realized it was trailing her. When she walked, the car moved. When she stopped, the car stopped. She had pepper spray in her bag that she could reach for, but hopefully no one was dumb enough to really kidnap Reece Kingsley’s daughter.

Her breathing turned ragged once the car pulled up right beside her.

“What’s up, sis-in-law?” the voice called out from the car, the window now rolled down.

Luna’s face scrunched up in confusion. Only one person was obnoxious enough to call her something like that. She rolled her eyes, looking at the two men who associated themselves with her alleged fiancé. “What the hell are you guys doing? Have you lost your mind?”

“Where are you going?” Allister asked.

“Why is that literally any of your business?”

“Making sure you’re not rushing off to meet some other man again,” Dante told her bluntly.

“Are you kidding me? He sent you to follow me?” Luna asked. “Talk about insecure.”

“No,” Allister answered. “He doesn’t know we’re here. Get in. We need to talk to you.”

“Why would I get in the car with you?” Luna asked. “I’m going to a cafe, if you must know. I have homework to do because we’re in college and most people do that instead of stalking.”

“I’ve never done a lick of homework,” Dante said. “Now get in before I actually kidnap you.”

Luna rolled her eyes. She opened the back door, sliding into the cool leather seat. The door barely closed behind her before Dante took off down the street, speeding like someone was chasing him. “Can you slow down?” Luna barked, holding on to the seat for dear life.

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