Chapter 36: Ed Sheeran - Perfect
"I’m not." Damien’s face was pale now. Honest. Shaken in a way that made Kyllian believe him despite himself. "The sage will give me more information when he has it...I need you to do something though."
"What?"
"We need more information if we’re going to help her," Damien said. His hands were moving with each word, slicing through invisible threads of logic as if he could cut a path to the truth. "I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’ll do my damndest to keep her alive."
His voice was painfully sincere, there was no bravado, no charming smirk. Just naked fear and a purpose that seemed to choke him with every syllable. Kyllian swallowed. The seriousness of the situation finally landed on his shoulders.
"What do you need?" Kyllian asked, without a second thought. Whatever bitterness lingered between them had to be bottled up and shelved. Luna was worth more than grudges and pride.
Damien looked Kyllian dead in the eye. "My suspicion is..." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck "...that Luna is the child of a werewolf and a vampire."
"Oh, sure. Why not? This just keeps getting better and better." He rubbed his temples furiously, already hearing the screams echoing through his head. "You think the Queen had an affair? Do you have any idea what that accusation would do to the kingdom?"
Damien lifted a finger. "I said it was a suspicion, not a declaration. And I never said ’affair.’ Maybe Ravena was manipulated. Maybe it happened before her marriage. We don’t know. That’s the point...we need answers."
Kyllian ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Goddess help us. If this is true..." He trailed off, imagining the werewolf kingdom crumbling beneath scandal and fury. "...we’re not just talking about saving Luna anymore. There will be a revolution."
"Which is exactly why Luna doesn’t need to know. Not yet," Damien said. "Let us handle this. She’s already on the verge."
*****
Luna was gasping for air. Her back was pressed against the cool stone wall of the castle, hands trembling at her sides.