Chapter Thirty-Two
Bane
It was not My Lady Moon's exotic eyes or godlike body that riled the man in me. It was not even her unworldly beauty. Although, I must admit, any of these things alone were a formidable treasure, worthy of worship, euphoric enough to emasculate and bring a primordial, prodigious beast like me to his knees. No, what riled the man in me, stirred the beast as well. It went deeper than flesh. Further than bone.
From my perch on a high branch near Snow Melt, I watched her. Though I'd seen her countless times through pictures in my mind, seeing her now, in real life, touchable, within my grasp, had an adverse effect on my already unfamiliar emotions.
I was not prepared for this.
I was not designed for this.
And because of this, I was rendered unstable.
Somewhere within this state of catatonia, I was more than aware of how Lady Luna moved me in ways no mortal, or immortal, had ever had before. I was more than aware that I would, no matter the cost, make her mine, my immortal mate, once and for all. I would sever the bond the Hylander forged with his magic, and truly make her mine.
After all, she was my possession, not his.
A desire I could not name rushed through me like a raging river.
I watched her wake from her induced slumber. I absorbed every detail, from the way her dainty, porcelain arm moved like a graceful breeze as she stretched, to the way her face turned into the soft nest of white hair upon her pillow.
My muscles twitched where my wings met the flesh of my shoulder blades.
Never, before My Moon, had I experienced anything other than pain. Never had anything caused such warmth to spread through my fire-hot blood.
But suddenly these things made me very angry.
This was wrong! The way Lady Luna affected me was a disgrace to my kind.
I drew in a long, deep breath of cool, night air, feeling it expand me, while slowly unfurling my wings. Hatred as ancient as the earth itself pulsed through me. I watched the goddess as she rose from her bed. Snow-colored hair swept the back of her knees.
"Slowly and so sweetly, you shall die, My Lady Moon," I heard the growl rise up out of my throat. It was my voice, yes, but it was not my desire. Killing My Moon would be a sacrilege.
I sprang from the branch, my wings pulling down the sky. One powerful thrust sent me into a severe ascent, straight up out of the forest and into the night sky.
So that she would be safe from me. Even if only for a while.
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Chapter Thirty-Three
Luna