Page 63 of Heir of Darkness

“I would never hurt you,” he said.

“I know,” she said without hesitation. “But what if someone hurts you? What would happen if someone got their hands on you? All it would take is one bullet and you would be?—”

She stopped herself, dropping the knife on the cutting board. Her mind had moved to that area without her even realizing. He could get killed, he could get hurt; it all made her feel extremely nauseous.

Only a couple weeks ago, she had still been fighting against him, praying for his demise. Now, it felt like the feelings she’d had for him at one point returned, perhaps even stronger than before. She didn’t hate it, but she would be lying if she said it didn’t scare her. The way her mind shifted and got whipped around confused her, made her dizzy.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. They were intrusive and disturbing.

Valerio grabbed her shoulders, turning her toward him. He had a deep frown on his face. “No one is going to get me. Don’t underestimate how strong I am,” he told her.

“It’s not about strength,” she said. Luna had the same fear with her own family. Every woman knew that every day their husbands left their homes there was a chance they wouldn’t be returning. Some prayed for it, others lived in dread forever because of it.

“I will always come back to you, I swear,” he promised her.

“Please,” she whispered.

He grabbed her cheeks, stroking the skin with his thumbs. “I will never break my oaths to you, my little moon.”

His lips found hers in a gentle reminder that he would always be there for her. There was no point in doubting it either; he hadn’t left her alone before, she doubted he would ever do it now.

The moment was over when her stomach growled obnoxiously. He grinned, giving her one more kiss before going back to working on dinner. She finished the salad, which was too simple to really mess up, and the rest of the time she watched Valerio cook the steak in the skillet and make some type of Alfredo pasta to go with it. Luna made them drinks, adding a little bit of alcohol into each of the cups. At least she thought it was a little bit until he took a sip and began coughing.

“What is this? Straight vodka?” he asked, setting the cup down to stir the sauce.

“Just sip it slowly,” she said, before gagging on her own drink. “Never mind, this is horrible.” She emptied hers out and replaced it with some juice instead, grabbing another drink for Valerio as well. “I swear I know how to do some things in the kitchen.”

“You don’t need to know how to do anything,” Valerio said. “I’ll never let my baby starve.”

She ignored the blush on her cheeks and set the table for them. She lit a couple of candles as well to set the mood.

Valerio plated the food, helping Luna into her chair. Her eyes widened at the explosion of flavor on her tongue, praising him for his skills to which he bragged about other skills he could show her. Her cheeks flushed, but she continued eating. When they both finished, they cleaned up the table and dishes and ended up on the couch.

The fire roared in front of them, immediately warming the cabin with a smoky essence. Luna relaxed against Valerio, closing her eyes in contentment. She accidentally kicked the small black gift bag that sat on the opposite end of the couch.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. She got up quickly, reaching for it and turning to Valerio in waiting. “I got you something for your birthday.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t have to get me anything. You being here was enough.”

“I wanted to.” She handed it to him, her eyes wide in anticipation. “I hope you like it.”

He grabbed it, reaching in and pulling out the rectangular box. Valerio opened the box to reveal a silver chain with a silver “L” pendant at the center.

“This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me,” he told her. “Thank you.”

Luna’s heart melted. She knew she did good when he pulled the chain out of the box. “I figured since you gave me a ring, you needed something from me,” she said.

“Or something to tell everyone I belong to you,” he said, looking up with her with darkened eyes.

Luna swallowed harshly, nodding. “Maybe there was a little bit of that component there too.”

“You want people to know I belong to you?” he asked.

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.” Her voice was close to a whisper.

Valerio clasped the necklace around his neck and ran his fingers over the chain. Goosebumps rose on his skin. “I’ll wear it like a collar, a chain, a fucking rope around my neck that only you can pull around,” he said. His voice was deeper than before, speaking with a conviction she had only heard a handful of times before. “You have me, forever and not a moment less.”

Luna’s breath hitched. A shiver shot up her spine, but her core was burning up with a new need. To be wanted, to be needed, to beloved—wasn’t that all she had ever wanted in her life? And she had found it in the one person she didn’t want it from, the one person she’d fought more than anything when she should have jumped into his grasp instead.

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