Page 60 of Taken By the Lord of the Nocturne Court

“Not really. It’s just not so common to see in my world. And maybe that’s wrong. We’re very removed from death until it comes. It’s strange to consider. We live much shorter lives than you, so you’d think we’d be more at ease with the concept of dying. A lot of things are different where I’m from.”

I latch on to every word from his mouth and rise to my feet before pulling him down one of the paths winding through the artificial landscape. “In what way?” I ask as I step over a stream leading to another part of the garden. I then turn and offer him my hand. I am certain he can cross on his own, but I enjoy offering him my services too much to resist this opportunity.

He doesn’t hesitate for long, and I love how he puts more trust in me with every passing hour. Making him understand I mean no harm will be a journey, but I’m willing to take it if my prize is his love.

“Even the way you treat me in front of others. You tell everyone how much I mean to you, you intend tomarryme, and you touch me in public. In my world, this kind of thing is often forbidden between two men. In some countries by law, in others it’s just frowned upon. And sure, there’s also places where such things are acceptable, but my experience, in my stupid little town, is being disliked for being openly into men. And sometimes ‘disliked’ is a euphemism for ‘hated’.”

I’m stunned and pull him close, kissing the side of his head as he stiffens, only to melt into my arms as if he were made of butter. “What? Why? That makes no sense. Why only between two men?” I want to unfasten his thick vest just so I can offer him more comfort and feel his skin.

“Between women as well. It’s hard to explain without all the context of my world. There’s religion, there’s the matter of sexism, but I think the fact that only male-female couples can produce children is one of the major reasons for the prejudice against people like us. What you need to know is that a lot of people find it shameful, unnatural, or even disgusting. But I feel what I feel. I can’t change that about myself. I don’t want to.” Luke’s arms slide under my cape, and I’m at a loss. Why would he want to return to such a hateful world?

The question comes out of my mouth on its own. Maybe I should have bitten my tongue, but the truth is that I do want to know.

“It’s where I belong,” Luke tells me. But when he rests his head on my shoulder, it’s as if he’s trying to let me know he’d like to stay at my side. “Your realm is… a beautiful, if dangerous, fantasy, but I do have to face reality. I’m strong and stubborn. I can handle whatever life throws at me,” he says as if he needs to convince me. He’s not going to. In fact, I am now confident I can make him change his mind about our future. He just needs to understand that the life I can offer him is a far cry from all the difficulties of his world.

I can take away the pain causing the strain in his voice and make him mine. “Do you want children?”

Luke pulls away enough to look into my eyes. His face pales. “Huh? Please don’t tell me I can get pregnant here.”

I chuckle and give his cheek a playful pinch. “Don’t be silly. You don’t have the right organs to sustain a child inside your body. But we could… use a potion so someone can carryourbaby instead,” I say, and while I have not thought this far into the future, or even about my own legacy, right now my head is full of vague images featuring a baby with eyes as green as Luke’s.

I could teach them to be the best shadow wielder to ever carry the Nightweed name, but they’d be as sweet as Luke.

His eyes widen, and he seems to be considering what I’ve said. I hope the outcome is in my favor and gives him another reason to stay when he has to make the choice. “Oh.Oh…I haven’t really considered that. Most men I’ve been with weren’t exactly family material. A lot of them wouldn’t even acknowledge me in the street. And I’d need to have enough money. I’m guessing a prince definitely wants children?” he asks with a little smile and strokes my cheek in a tender gesture that has me leaning into his touch like a pet. But no one will see us here.

I can’t wait to get my hands on his naked body again, but I also wantthis. He sees me. He wants to know me. And with every new fact he shares about himself, I want to learn more. Just today, I found out that he paints and that he likes the clothes I offer him.

“I do. In the future,” I add, because there is no reason to hurry. We can have all the time we want. “But I wantyoumore. And I want my people to share my happiness. I cannot fathom why your past lovers would ignore you,” I add and pull him along the path, past statues imitating a group of beasts roaming my garden.

I can see in the way he lowers his head that it bothers him, but he shrugs. “Some were married, some just didn’t want people to know they slept with men. It’s fine. I didn’t want to date them anyway. We both got some pleasure out of it, and that’s that.”

Anger buzzes deep in my chest. Luke isn’t some dirty secret to hide. He is beautiful, kind, and saved my life less than an hour ago. He deserveseverything. “They didn’t know what a gem they were holding in their dirty hands.”

But instead of smiling, Luke rolls his eyes which is… more hurtful than I could have expected. “You’re saying that because you want something from me, but maybe they were the honest ones. At least there was no need to sugarcoat things.”

Now I want to travel to his world to end every single man who’s ever hurt him. I want them torn apart by beasts, and maybe I would even make it happen in an arena, for my own and Luke’s enjoyment.

But I already know he doesn’t always feel the way I do about brutal revenge, so I swallow the flood of murderous promises and consider my next move. “That was uncalled for,” I mutter, painfully aware of the hollow space between us.

And to make things worse, he not only pulls his fingers away, but even crosses his arms over his chest. I don’t have to read minds to see he’s getting increasingly agitated. He pretends to study a rose bush, but his eyes glisten, and his lips are twisted into a scowl. “Well, I’m sorry if the truth is ugly. When I was a teenager, my mother sent me to a boarding school where I learned how cruel and untrustworthy people can be, so yeah, maybe my world is shit, but at least I know where I stand there.”

Looks like my rose has more thorns than I was aware of.

My chest sinks, as if he’s punched it, but I’ve endured much too, also at the hands of those who should have cared for me, and I will not let him push me away. If anything, learning this side of him makes me want to take care of him more. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something to make it hurt less.”

Luke staysquiet for a long moment, but then sniffs. If I could soak up whatever pain he’s going through, I would. I might not be used to dealing with other people’s emotions, but for him, I want to keep my cool.

“Just… don’t say things you don’t mean,” he whispers with sadness painted all over his face. It’s so clear in the glow of the moonlight I want to kiss it off him. “I can handle the situation between us. You don’t need to lie to me so I follow through.”

Lightning shocks my back and crawls all the way to the tips of my toes as I hold his shoulders. “You think I’m lying? Right now, I am stopping myself from finding out the names of every single person who hurt you in the past and going on a bloody rampage,” I say, nudging him back, toward a plush-covered swing hanging from a tree surrounded by midnight blue roses. “You might not see it yet, but I am yours, and I can be your prince as well as your beast. Just say the word,” I rasp as we reach the elevated seat and Luke falls into it. He gasps, but his eyes are on me again, wide and filled with intense emotion. No longer glistening with tears. “You’d avenge me?” He smirks and pulls on my cravat, but I’m dead serious.

“Tenfold. Just to make your eyes spark and your lips praise me,” I whisper, leaning in as my balls throb in response to his touch. So far, I have been the one to take the initiative, but the way he is holding me now, as if I’m his pet, awakens a new kind of desire.

The scent of roses is intoxicating, but not as much as the kisses I need from him. “You did do well with Vinia,” he whispers. “No one’s ever… stood up for me,” Luke admits, and I appreciate him opening to me like this. I want him to feel safe at my side.

A shiver runs down my spine, like a droplet of warm oil, and my breath catches as he tightens his hold on my cravat, as if it was a leash. I’m stronger. A royal. And yet, when he looks at me this intensely, I feel that it is he who has all the power. I have never tasted anything as sweet as this praise, and I blink away the rush of emotion that makes my eyes sting and my throat tighten.

I want him to be mine. To only crave me.