Page 10 of Taken By the Lord of the Nocturne Court

When his mouth opens to speak, I grab his throat. I would have put my blade to his neck if he didn’t seem reckless enough to move against it.

"If you tell anyone about this golden tattoo, and I meananyone, be it a cat or a sentient fuckingtree, I will kill you. I will cut your tongue out, then drown you in the same river where I first found you. Do you understand, Luke? Nod if you do.”

His pulse quickens against my palm, giving me a delicious surge of power. I know I’m being harsh, but my future is on the line, and I won’t let this boy ruin it.

I’ve only been out of my prison for a few days, but I’m loving every second of this new life. No longer some feral secret locked in someone else’s shadow, I amroyalty.

When Luke nods, I let go and watch him, wondering if he will start screaming. Only my coachman and the toll mistress could possibly hear him, and they wouldn’t care.

“Wh-what is that?” He points in the vague direction of my chest.

“All you need to know is that I am prince Kyranis—”

“Yeah, yeah, Lord of Darkness, Best Pirate of the Nocturne Sea, I get it.” He rolls his eyes. He actuallydaresroll his eyes at me. Granted, they are big, green as the sea in the spring, and embedded in a pretty face with sharp, vulpine features, but that does not mean all will be forgiven.

“I just saved your life, you ungrateful boy!”

I’d have smacked him for insolence if he wasn’t to be my future Dark Companion.

Luke grabs my arm, and I flinch, ready to fight off his attack, but he hangs his head in submission as tears gather in his eyes, reflecting the moonlight. “I’m just trying to understand what’s happening! Where am I?”

I take a deep breath, reminding myself that humans are fragile creatures requiring lots of patience. Our interaction seven years ago had been brief and rather unpleasant, and were it not for the nearly full face of the moon above, I would have gladly given him more time to adjust. But thereisno time, so I assess his ripped clothes and help him up.

“You’re in the Nightmare Realm, or as we call it, the Realm. Stay by my side and do not attempt to run again. You will not succeed. Do you want to be ripped apart by wolves, Luke? Do you want tooth moths feasting on you until you’re nothing but a dried husk? The wilderness hides a whole myriad of dangers. Remember that. If you venture out on your own, somethingwilleither try to eat you or trick you. Either way, you are safest under my protection.” A slight exaggeration, but I don’t want him out of my sight until our bond is made.

Luke holds on to my arm as I lead him back, cutting down thorny vines set on regrowing. To soften the blow, I pick up my cloak from the bushes and drape it over his shoulders. It can’t heal him, but it will keep him warm until we reach the castle.

He stills with the furry hood drooping over his forehead, but when he looks up at me, his gaze is sharp like a precious gemstone cut to perfection.

“This is real, isn’t it?” Luke asks, pulling the cloak around him more tightly.

“Very.”

I rub some blood from his cheek, finding it hard to be mad now that he’s back at my side and hurting. It would feel like yelling at a rose. It cannot be expected to understandits wrongdoing, nor is it responsible for being born with thorns. He’s helpless without me, and that makes me want to keep him safe the same way my soft fur cloak is keeping him warm.

He is the first thing in my thirty-five years of life that is truly mine, and I don’t want to spoil our relationship with unnecessary cruelty. I am not naive enough to expect this to be the end of his rebellion, though. Tears might glint like diamonds as they cling to his eyelashes, but he’s still feral and will take time to tame.

But how hard can it be to woo such a pretty flower? The fact that I have never kissed anyone, let alone a human, might be a little hiccup in our grand love affair, but I’ve seen kissing often enough that it ought to be child’s play. I can easily make up for lack of experience with the years of shadowing my rake of a brother. I guess he was useful forsomethingin the end.

Other than dying.

The longer I watch Luke, the more ashamed I am of my violent reaction. This human has no reason to trust me, and since I know his kind lives in a different reality, how could he have predicted the consequences of his actions?

“Apologies,” I tell him as we walk down the path I cut out with my sword. The vines retreat out of our way like bugs crawling from under a rock as my shadow darts ahead, burning them with its darkness. “I understand this is a shock. I should have taken you with me right after pulling you out of the river, and prepared you for your role, but that wasn’t possible at the time.”

Thanks to my idiot brother, who’d have gladly idled away his life, without ever needing to take on the responsibilities of the Protector of the Nightmare Realm. It is due tohisnegligence that I now need to scramble for time.

Luke glances my way, and I push a strand of hair off his face. At the roots, his mane is dark, but then it shifts into a beautiful dark green, making me wonder how many colors humans can grow. But I don’t ask, since I don’t want to seem unknowledgeable, like some peasant who’s never left his village. He could use that against me.

Luke’s eyes grow wider as we step out of the woodland, and he points at our vehicle. “Whatarethose?”

The moonlight makes the skeletal faces of the four beasts harnessed to my carriage shine like ivory, and I realize that my coachman used his power of illusion to make themappear as horses back in Luke's realm. “Is this your first time seeing kelpies?” I ask as we pass the tollhouse.

He doesn’t stray from me. In fact, he huddles ever closer as we approach the majestic creatures.

Luke’s brows gather. “They’re… monster horses from mythology. Of course I’ve never seen one. Are they not dangerous?”

Since he’s so interested in them, I don’t rush him to the carriage and indulge his curiosity.