Page 40 of Luna

For now.

Chapter 13

Kim

Iclose the door behind me, and linger for a moment longer than necessary. The image of Luna, half-naked and vulnerable, is seared into my brain. Fuck. Seeing her like that, it took everything I had not to stare.

She looks so much like Sarah it’s uncanny. The same curves, the same soft skin, even the way she tilts her head when she’s thinking. It’s like seeing a ghost, except this ghost is very much alive and currently locked in a vampire’s spare room.

I start walking down the hallway, my mind racing. I tried to play it cool, act like I wasn’t affected by the fact she was missing half her clothes. But who am I kidding? She’s stunning. The kind of beautiful that makes you forget how to breathe for a second and sends heat straight to your cock.

Running a hand through my hair, I try to shake off the memories of Sarah that are threatening to overwhelm me. It’s not fair to Luna to compare her to my dead wife. And it’s not fair to Sarah, either.

Luna is her own person with her own story. A story that’s currently tangled up with vampires, demon hunters, and god knows what else. And she’s beautiful in her own right. Not just because she reminds me of the only woman I ever loved.

As I draw further away from her, her question echoes in my mind.

She asked if she should try to escape, and I told her to stay.

Was that the right thing to say?

The urge to protect her hits me like a punch to the gut. It’s irrational and sudden, but undeniable.

But protect her from what, exactly? Lucien seems genuinely concerned for her safety, even if his methods are questionable. The vampire attack at the bookshop was real enough. But then there’s the shadow magick we saw on the security footage. If she really does have that kind of power, she might need protection from herself. Or from Lucien... because I have no idea what he wants with her if she turns out to be who he thinks she is.

Maybe it’s neither of those things.

Maybe I just want to protect her from the pain she’s in. The way she winced when she moved, the tightness around her eyes – it’s clear she’s suffering.

Well, fuck that.

I might not be able to set her free, but I don’t have to watch her suffer.

I stop in my tracks, decision made. I’m not going to ask Lucien about getting her pills. I’m just going to do it. He can throw a fit later if he wants, but I’m not leaving Luna in pain when I can do something about it.

This is probably a terrible idea. Lucien’s not exactly known for his forgiving nature, especially when it comes to people going behind his back. But the thought of her curled up in that chair, hurting and alone, makes my chest ache in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.

Before leaving, I drop back into Lucien’s office, return the key to Luna’s room, tell him she’s fine, and that I didn’t sense anything weird about her energy – which is true, by the way. Then I make up some bullshit about going to ask questions in town, and head out.

As I slide into the driver’s seat of my beat-up Volvo, I can’t help laughing at the absurdity of it all.

I’m defying a powerful vampire to fetch medication for a woman I barely know, all because she reminds me of my dead wife.

Sarah would’ve found this hilarious. She always said I had a hero complex.

The bookshop is eerily quiet when I arrive, and once again I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being watched.

Paranoia or hunter instinct?

These days, it’s hard to tell the difference.

I use the spare key Lucien gave me earlier and slip inside. The smell of old books and lingering vampire guts hits me immediately.

Despite my thorough clean-up job, there’s still an undercurrent of supernatural energy that makes my skin prickle.

Luna’s medication isn’t hard to find. It’s right there in the desk drawer, a plain white box with her name printed on it. As I pick it up, I catch sight of her address on the label.

A plan forms in my mind before I can talk myself out of it.