The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 60

LUNA ADIRA

I peeked through the little window on the door to the infirmary. Remy had her head lying on the lap of the vampire. Blade, that was his name. Blade was sleeping, and his hand was intertwined with Remy's. It reminded me of a time when Mark was injured, and I didn't know if he was going to wake up. I had hardly left his side during that time. Remy reminded me a lot of myself, but she was so much braver and stronger. I knew she could handle what was about to come next, but I decided to give her the night to recover. I didn't want to wake her and pull her away from this boy.

"Make sure someone is guarding this room at all times. Actually, make it two people," I said to Darian. He was the one in charge of all of the warriors of Pack Aphelion and the one who Mason looked to for orders. He was up there in age, and I had noticed him slowing down over the years. It wouldn't be long before it was time for him to retire and hand the warriors over to Mason. For now, his expertise kept us safe.

"Of course, Luna Adira. We will make sure no one enters that room without your permission," Darian said.

"And make sure no one leaves without permission, either." I took another look at the vampire in the room, and it made me nervous. I saw Blade protect Remy. He was fighting the other vampire and was injured in the process. I wanted to trust him. Remy and Caulder were both charmed by him, but I was worried that it was a spell they were put under and not the truth.

I had dealt with too many people close to me, stabbing me in the back and lying to me. I let my guard down around them and ended up regretting it. I wanted to trust that this vampire was actually on our side, but I wasn't about to trust him without more proof. "Yes, Luna. If anyone comes in or out of the room, you and Alpha Mark will be the first ones to know." Darian was currently standing watch at the door, and I trusted him with my life. He was still one of the best warriors I have ever known, so I knew he would do what was necessary to keep my children and this pack safe.

-

REMY

My neck ached when I woke up. I could feel drool soaking into my arm, which snapped me awake. I quickly wiped my mouth, not wanting anyone to see me like that, but a low chuckle told me it was already too late. My eyes met with Blade's, and he was smiling back at me. He had more color in his face, and he looked much better.

"Good morning," he said. The way he looked at me made me want to wake up to him every day.

"Good morning," I said back.

He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. "You didn't have to sleep here with me. I'm sure it wasn't comfortable."

I shrugged my shoulders, which only reminded me just how sore my neck was. "I didn't want to leave you."

He motioned for me to join him in the bed and shifted over to make room for me. I eagerly climbed onto the bed with him. He wrapped his arms around me, and I rested my head against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat was reassuring, and it made me want to lie there all day.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, closing my eyes. It would be easy to fall asleep again, especially because I didn't get much sleep last night.

"Much better. Most of the scratches are healed from what I can tell, and I already feel stronger." He leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. "Thank you for last night." His voice tapered off, and I could tell there was more he wanted to say. His heart started racing from whatever he wasn't saying.

"Thank you for protecting me," I said. Draven would have killed me if Blade hadn't fought him to protect me, and that thought terrified me.

I waited for Blade to say what was on his mind, but instead silence filled the air. When I looked up at him, his eyes were closed. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, as if he was afraid he would lose me if he let go of me. "Talk to me," I said. I couldn't adjust anymore because of the way he was holding me, so I continued watching him, waiting for him to start speaking.

He swallowed hard, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down his throat. "About Draven." He paused, and I could tell he was trying to figure out how to word the next part. "I didn't mean to keep it a secret that he's my brother. It's just... He doesn't feel like a brother to me. We were never close growing up, and we don't even have the same mother. Our father was obsessed with power, which was passed down to Draven, especially when he died. Draven took over, wanting to live out the dream his father never could." He finally opened his eyes, but he didn't look at me. "I was never strong enough, especially as a child. Draven surpassed me in every way, and because of that, our father rarely acknowledged my existence. When I was old enough, I ran away from home. I swore I would never become like them. In fact, I swore I would stop them, but I've never been strong enough to. Now, because of that, I almost got you killed. I'm sorry I didn't tell you any of this sooner."

"Hey," I said, hating the way Blade looked like he was in pain as he spoke. "We haven't known each other for very long. I don't blame you for not getting into your family history with me. It's not like you lied to me." Blade finally looked down at me. His face softened as his eyes met mine, and his grip on me loosened. "You're not mad at me?"

"No way." I wriggled my arm loose and touched his face. "I'm just glad you trusted me enough to tell me the truth. I want to know who you are for you, scars and all. I don't want you to sugar coat things for me." "This is why I'm falling in love with you," he whispered. He quickly closed the distance between us, pressing our lips together.

I melted into the kiss, but my heart was racing. I wasn't expecting him to say something like that so soon. I was just grateful he had kissed me, instead of forcing me to respond to him right away. I cared about him deeply, but I wasn't sure if it was love. I didn't know what romantic love was like exactly. At most, I had only had crushes on boys before. This was so much more than a crush, but I wasn't sure if that meant it was love.

The door to the infirmary swung open, and I found myself flying away from Blade. Doctor Zayla burst into the room. She made eye contact with me for a moment, but she didn't say anything to me. I quickly got out of the bed and sat back in the chair I had slept in. "I see you're feeling better," she noted, looking at Blade. She made a note on her clipboard, and I imagined it was something like, "Patient is well enough to make out with girlfriend."

"I'm feeling much better. Thank you for your help," Blade said. "Do you know how much longer I need to stay here?"

"I need to inspect your wounds before I can conclude that." Doctor Zayla turned to me. "Your mother would like to see you as soon as possible. I suggest you go while I do my work. It'll be easier that way. Then you can make out when no one else is in the room." I could feel my cheeks heating up from the comment. Doctor Zayla wasn't one for subtleties. "Sure," I said, jumping to my feet. I wasn't actually looking forward to seeing my mom, but it was also a good excuse to slip out of the room.

I looked at Blade once before leaving the room, and he had a frown on his face. He knew I was on rocky terms with my mom, so I was sure he was worried about me. I was also worried about myself. I wasn't sure I could hold back if she started criticizing Blade for being a vampire. I didn't want to hold back, either.

I gave Blade a forced smile before leaving the room. I found my mom in her office, and I was surprised to see Caulder and my dad also in the room. I hovered in the doorway, afraid this would somehow end up being an attack on me.

"What's going on?" I asked, feeling weary. Part of me just wanted to turn and run right then. I was worried they were about to tell me Blade wasn't welcome and had to go.

"Please sit," my mom asked, motioning to the seat next to Caulder.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." The air felt heavy, and I saw Caulder fidgeting in his seat. I knew whatever was about to happen was big, and I wasn't sure if I had the energy for that. I hadn't even had coffee yet.

"There are some things we need to tell you," she answered simply. She was calm as she held my gaze. There was something different about her from yesterday, and it made me less interested in running away. She seemed more open to talking.

I took a step into the room and shut the door behind me. I moved closer to everyone, but I didn't sit. Not yet. "What kind of things? Because if you're about to tell me Blade has to-"

"There's a secret I've been keeping from you, and it's time you should know the truth," she explained.

"We've been keeping from you," my dad quickly corrected. "This was a decision your mother and I made together when you were still a baby."

My chest felt tight. I had known they were keeping something from me, but I wasn't sure what it was. When I found out about them looking into vampires, I thought maybe they were just trying to keep me out of the pack business because they thought I couldn't handle myself. If this was something they had decided when I was a baby, I was sure it couldn't be about the vampires.

"You should sit down for this," Caulder said.

Caulder knew the truth? I wasn't sure if this made me feel worse or better. He and I had been keeping more secrets from each other recently, but I thought we were past that. I was hovering in an unknown state of emotions, knowing whatever they were about to tell me could change everything. I sat down in the chair, but I didn't say anything. I was too scared to.