Swapped Luna part 20

Previously…

He heads for the exit. "You will be mine, my mate, and the hunt starts today. Rest. I will retrieve you for dinner tonight."

"I'm not your—"

He shuts the door behind him before I can even finish my thought.

PRESENTLY

THORNE

My mate is back.

Awake and recovering from her wounds. But there's a coldness to her that I've never felt before. It feels like I broke her somehow. Like the warm, clumsy girl that I used to know was left behind in the woods where she nearly bled out.

While she was in a coma, I spent every night at her bedside, examining her. Learning this new human face. Finding perfection in every small freckle, every wayward hair, and every breath she took.

She looks nothing like Maeve, and that makes her so much more beautiful.

Every night, I craved that she would open her eyes so that I could admire their color again.

Every time I dug my teeth into her neck, biting her to speed her healing, I tasted her warmth and sweet blood. My obsession with her building until she followed me into my dreams. I worship the woman and condemn myself for screwing up.

Sometimes I feel like digging up Maeve's body just to throttle her—an asinine thought—but she'd deserve it.

I can't even put the entire blame on her. Goddess rest her soul. Because I was an idiot for not connecting the dots earlier.

All I can do is hope it's not too late.

I work for a few hours, fighting to concentrate on the papers on my desk instead of drifting off to thoughts of Victoria.

I finish early before tracking down the doctors at the clinic. My skin crawls when I step inside, remembering that the last time Victoria was here, she was treated like an asylum patient. And I allowed that.

The doctors quickly read over the reports, and I was relieved to hear that everything was well. She's on her way to a speedy recovery, and with my bite, the cancer will stay tamed. Her body will always have traces of it–it's not fully cured. But death is no longer a threat. Neither is Maeve.

My next stop is to the kitchens to ask my lead chef to prepare dinner for Victoria and me and bring it to her room. It's too soon for her to exert herself and walk around the house. The halls in this mansion are endless, and she still hasn't regained her strength.

I return to her bedroom, knocking twice and anxiously waiting for her voice. Like a fucking schoolboy.

"Come in," she says, her voice still a bit raspy from lack of use.

I enter and find her standing by the window. She wears a long black robe, and her hair is wet from a recent shower. She has a hand against the window for support, and color has begun to return to her skin. I'm so glad to see her disconnected from all the fucking machines.

"I can't remember the last time my hair was this long," she says, touching the ends.

"You look beautiful," I say, scanning her and licking my lips.

"You better be licking those lips because you're hungry for food."

I shake my head. "Of course."

I'm sick for thinking sexual thoughts while she's in such a weak state. Besides, if I admitted it, Victoria would find the strength to haul me off the balcony.

Speaking of balconies, I should order for all of them to be removed before someone else falls and there are more reincarnations. I've had enough body swaps to last me a lifetime. The last thing I need is for Lorcan or Maeve to return.

I step inside. "Dinner should be here anytime soon. I asked the chef to surprise us."

"I'm not very hungry, Thorne. I know you're trying and all, but I'm exhausted. I just woke up from a coma a few hours ago."

"I understand, but you have to eat something. At least try."

"I can see the hope in your eyes," she says, inhaling deeply. "But I need to focus on me. I'm sorry, but I'm not mentally able to support you or your feelings."

I step deeper into the room, standing before her and trying to keep my face from frowning. "Then do that. Focus on you."

"But you're…setting expectations already!" she sighs. "I know you'll want to eat every meal with me and spend time together like we used to do by the lake, but those were…other times."

My fingers twitch, wanting to touch her. "I was confused back then. I didn't know you were in Maeve's body. But now everything is clear, and every bone in my body wants to amend things."

There's a knock at the door. The chef.

"Come in!"

He enters with his head bowed, his uniform tidier than what it was before. He rolls a table with covered plates inside.

"Apha. Luna. What a pleasure it is to serve you. May I show you what's for dinner tonight?" he asks.

My eyes stay on Victoria as I reply, "No, thank you. The Luna and I have things to discuss."

"Thank you," says Victoria, giving the older man a tired smile.

"My pleasure," he replies before walking away.

When the door shuts, Victoria turns to look at the window.

"I think I want to return to Europe. Return home."

"You can't," I blurt. Anger and panic rising inside me like toxic fumes.

She looks at me, and even with all the fatigue, she manages a furious expression. "Why not? Am I your prisoner still, even after everything? I left the asylum, but now I'm trapped in a nicer room. Why can't I have autonomy?" her eyes tear. "I've been through hell and back. Why do you feel so entitled to keep me? I didn't ask your goddess to make me your mate."

I groan because I understand her need for freedom after being fucked over by life so many times.

"It's the cancer, Victoria."

"It's gone," she says, touching her chest. "I can't feel it anymore. I'm healthy."

I shake my head. "No, it's my bite that's keeping it at bay."

Panic explodes in her eyes. "Your…bite? What does that mean?!"

I'm a complete bastard. Because I know that even if she didn't have this condition that needed my bite as medicine, I would still not let her go. If she were healthy, I would move the sky and the Earth to keep her with me. I'm fucking obsessed with her, as sinful as that is.

She deserves to be happy and free. But now that I know how angelic she is. How Maeve was darkness and Victoria is light, I can only put her on a pedestal and call her my blessing. A second chance at mateship that I don't deserve. How could I let go of my goddess-given blessing and risk the world hurting her like it has so many times before? There is nothing in Europe but dangerous humans and poverty.

"My bite enhances your healing. You're not a werewolf. You're a human, weak to illnesses like cancer. I've been biting you every few days to keep your healthy cells regenerating."

She grips her neck, which I've bit dozens of times, and snarls. She's fucking furious.

"So I have to stay here forever?!"

"Yes. There's no other way."

"I can't catch a fucking break!" she shouts, taking a shaky step backward and flinching away when I reach for her.

"I'm trying to keep you alive, Victoria."

Tears stream down her cheeks as frustration builds. "Right, because with you, I don't get the choice to live or die. What if I want to just die like I was supposed to and escape this fucking endless prison!"

"Don't talk like that!" Now I'm the one that's shouting. Overcome with fury at the very thought of her hurting herself.

"Why? Will you throw me back in the asylum?" she shouts back.

The door is shoved open, and I turn to look at which suicidal idiot dared to enter without permission.

It's my cousin and beta, Casimir. Much too young for the position, but there were few options. It's not like many men in the family were volunteering after I murdered Lorcan.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Cass?"

He blinks, glancing between Victoria and me. "I overheard the shouting and came to–

"Get the fuck out, and don't ever break into a room that I'm in without requesting permission," I snarl.

"Thorne!" Victoria scolds.

"And you–" I turn to her, high off the dominance vibrating in my veins. "And you, woman. I will fucking love and treasure. I don't care how much you try to push me away. Nothing will take you from me. Nothing. Not the moon, not cancer, not another reincarnation! I will always–"

She drops. Fucking faints.

I ram into the table to catch her, cursing as I cradle her in my arms and push her hair from her face. I over-did it. Pushed her too far.

"Turning to Cass, I shout, "What are you waiting for? The show is over. Get a doctor!"

READ PART 21>