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“Maybe it’s time you told her the truth, Lucien. About the Covenant. It can’t be a coincidence that her power is growing at the exact same moment a new challenger to your empire arrives in town? What if the FHB stuff is all a front? And they’re really here for her?”

I hesitate, biting the inside of my cheek. I hate to admit that Kim’s theory sounds plausible. But it does.

“Get me a name, Kim. Get it for me tonight.”

He nods solemnly at me. “Trent?”

“No. Leave him here.” I meet his eyes. “You deal with this. You understand we need to keep her safe.”

As Kim leaves, I turn back to the screen and watch myself kissing Luna gently on the lips. Holding her close.

I am tender with her, and seeing it like this – as if I’m watching from above – is jarring.

Because in that moment, with her, I don’t look like a monster. I look like a man holding a woman, trying to show her he loves her.

And that cannot be the truth of it.

I cannot love her.

Because if I do, I will break her.

Chapter 23

Luna

I’m behind the steering wheel, my hands gripping it so tightly my knuckles are white. The road ahead is dark, illuminated only by the weak glow of my headlights and the occasional streetlamp. Snow falls in thick flurries, obscuring my vision.

The inside of the car is too warm, stuffy with the scent of alcohol and my father’s expensive cologne. Christmas music plays softly on the radio, a cheerful counterpoint to the tension I can feel building in the back seat.

“Watch the road, Luna,” my mother says, her voice tight with forced cheerfulness. “It’s getting slippery out there.”

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. My eyes flick to the rearview mirror. Dad’s face is flushed, his eyes glassy. He’s muttering under his breath, and I can see Mum’s hand on his arm, trying to calm him.

“I saw the way you were looking at him,” Dad suddenly growls, his words slightly slurred. “Laughing at his jokes. Making me look like a fool.”

“Darling, please,” Mum whispers. “Not now. Luna’s driving.”

But he’s not listening. His voice rises, filling the car. “You think I didn’t notice? You think I’m stupid?”

I grip the wheel tighter, trying to focus on the road. The car feels like it’s sliding slightly, and I ease off the accelerator.

“Dad,” I say, my voice trembling. “Maybe we should pull over?”

He ignores me completely. “Answer me!” he shouts at my mother. “Were you flirting with him? Planning to leave me for that smug bastard?”

“Of course not,” she says, her voice cracking. “You’re being ridiculous. You’ve had too much to drink.”

I see his hand raise in the mirror, and my heart leaps into my throat. “Dad, no!” I cry out, turning in my seat.

Everything happens in slow motion. Dad’s hand comes down, but Mum flinches away. He lunges for her, and she presses herself against the car door. I reach back, trying to intervene, my eyes leaving the road.

That’s when I feel it. The car hits a patch of black ice, and suddenly we’re spinning. The world outside the windows becomes a dizzying blur of white snow and dark trees. I hear Mum scream, feel Dad’s hand grasp my shoulder hard enough to bruise.

I turn back to the front, yanking the wheel desperately, but it’s too late. We’re sliding off the road, picking up speed as we roll into a ditch. Through the windshield, I see the massive trunk of a pine tree rushing towards us.

The impact is deafening. Metal crunches, glass shatters. My body jerks forward, then slams back into the seat. Pain explodes everywhere at once. Something warm and wet trickles down my face.

For a moment, everything is silent except for the hiss of steam rising from the crumpled hood. Then I hear it – a low, pained moan from the back seat.