His Blue Moon Princess
Chapter 57

Damian suddenly grabs me by the waist, bringing me closer to him with a really worried expression I've never seen on him before. I'm almost straddling him now, but this situation isn't embarrassing at all; we are both much too agitated for any other thoughts right "Don't leave me, Nora. I don't want to go through this ever again," he says, looking more serious than ever.

now.

I put my hands behind his head and look him straight into the eye. "Then promise me. No more secrets, Damian. About me, about you, or the Clan. Don't deliberately hide things from me again." "What if you don't like it?"

"I can handle it. I'm a big girl, Damian, not a defenseless pup."

I see him hesitating, frowning. He is thinking so hard, it's like I can hear his inner turmoil from here. He closes his eyes and rests his head on my shoulder. I instinctively start caressing the base of his hairline, brushing his short hair with my fingertips. His arms slide around my waist, hugging me close.

"... What if you don't love me because of what you are going to hear?"

"Damian, I came back after hearing you were engaged to another woman. Unless you have a wife and kids somewhere, I should be able to handle it."

He chuckles, and I slap his shoulder, annoyed. It's not funny! I'm still mad about this whole engagement thing...

I feel him sigh against my neck. "I'm a fighter, Nora. I've killed people before, and I will do it again if needed. Not only my own father, but I also have a lot of blood on my hands. You are so pure and innocent, sometimes I'm scared all this darkness in me will scare you away."

I know that. I knew from the start that one doesn't take the power in a city of werewolves just by shaking hands and playing with money. We live in a tough world, filled with violence. The Black Brothers are not just the three nice young men I know. They hold the lives of hundreds of people in their hands, and many more depend on them. It's a scary world hiding in their shadows. Even if Liam is a kid, he is a fighter. Nathaniel is leading a whole Clan by himself, just to support Damian. And Damian is the King of this city, the most powerful man and the most dangerous wolf. I never forget that. Even now, when he is in my arms.

"You won't, Damian. I promise."

He raises his head and kisses me without warning. A loving, tender kiss. I respond to it, unable to resist. I've missed him so much for those two days... His strong arms holding me, the touch of his hands in my hair and on my waist. His body heat and smell melting with mine. After a few seconds of getting drunk on his lips, I gather whatever is left of my self-control to push him away.

"Stop kissing me, Damian. You didn't promise. Please."

He sighs, playing with my curls between his fingers. When he speaks again, is looking at me in the eye, very seriously. "No more secrets, Nora. I promise."

I smile. Finally! Now that I have his word, and I hope he will keep it, I have to ask a question that has been on the back of my mind all weekend. Truth is, I'm a bit scared. I really, really hope he will give me the answer I need to hear. I take a deep breath and ask him very seriously.

"Damian, that woman... Did you sleep with her?"

I can't even describe how scared I am right now. It's like my stomach is filled with ice.

For a second, Damian looks perplexed by my question, and after a while, he sighs and gives me a faint smile. "No. I swear, Nora, I've never even kissed her. I don't love her, Nora, you're the only one for me. I'll tell you as many times as it takes for you to believe me." I want to believe him, I really do. I guess it will just take some time now, after everything that happened. I nod to his answer, feeling definitely better, and Damian smiles and gives me a quick kiss. He makes it look so simple...

But just when I'm about to say something, he suddenly starts searching for something around us with his hand. I see him grab one of the wooden pieces left on the floor. It's small, but triangle-shaped, looking quite sharp. I want to ask what he is going to do with this, but before I can say a thing, he suddenly uses it to pierce his own hand!

"Damian! What the...?"

I grab his wrist to look at his wound, panicked. Why the hell did he just do this?! It looks pretty deep, too!

But Damian stays very calm, his eyes still on me. "You said no more secrets. So now, I need you to kiss me."

"What? Are you mad? It's not the time for kisses, Damian, you're bleeding!"

The fresh cut really is bleeding in his palm! I want to do something, call Nate or someone, but Damian suddenly grabs me by the waist, forcing a kiss on me. I try to push him away. Who wants to kiss at a time like this?!

But of course, he is way too strong for me. He is so passionate, his forceful lips playing against mine. I'm still worried, but it's like a conditioned response for me to move my lips instinctively. For a few seconds, our breaths intertwine, while my mind is half enjoying it and half worried about his injury. I retreat after one or two seconds. "Damian, stop! You need-"

"Nora, look."

Cutting me off in the middle of my sentence, he shows me his hand. His perfectly fine hand... What just happened? There was a large and deep cut right in the middle of his palm just a few seconds ago! But now, it looks completely normal, except for a bit of dried blood around it. Even for a werewolf, healing this fast from a wound like this is insane!

"But, how...?"

"It's you, Nora."

Me? I stare at Damian, confused. What does he mean by that? Does he mean this kiss was for...? I take his hand in mine, checking it again, making sure I was not hallucinating or something. But a bit of fresh blood is still there, drying already, while the wound has completely disappeared.

"I don't get it..."

"I don't really know how it works, either. But if I kiss you, all my wounds will heal much faster than usual just like this," he explains. "How did you know...?"

"From our first meeting. You saved my life like this."

I suddenly remember the story Liam told me last Saturday. How badly their father injured Damian ten years ago. Liam did say he thought his brother might actually have died from it that time. Those were no light injuries. But when they even thought he might have died, Damian showed up very much alive and completely fine a few days later... I blink, stunned by what it all means.

"Damian Black, are you telling me you kissed a seven-year-old girl and magically healed from death-threatening injuries that way?"

He smiles, amused by my shocked reaction. I can't believe him! He knew for ten years that I can do those... weird magically healing kisses, and never said a thing!

"Don't laugh! You knew since the very beginning that I can do this and you never told me!"

"I had my reasons. First, it's tiring for you, isn't it?"

Now that he says it, I do feel a bit more tired than two minutes ago. Like after a workout or something similar. Not to the point of exhaustion, but I still feel a little sleepy.

"The first time you did it, you collapsed, Nora. I didn't want to put you in danger this way. Thankfully, this sort of... ability only seems to tire you out if I need healing. As you already know, if we kiss when I'm fine, nothing happens to you. I also think this ability is linked to you not being able to fast-heal. Since you can heal me, it probably takes away a bit of your own ability, and I don't really like that."

It kind of make sense, in a way... Is it because I'm half a Royal, then? Could it be some sort of secret ability? Healing others instead of myself? But, with a kiss? It's still a bit... odd.

"Do you think it only works on you, because you are my fated mate? Or maybe..."

What if I used it on others? Well, it's not like I plan on going around kissing people to try, but still, I wonder if it's just between the two of us or if it could work on anyone.

But Damian suddenly makes an angry face after hearing me. Uh-oh.

"Don't even think about it, Nora," he growls.

I forgot how possessive he can be, sometimes...

"Wait a second... Don't tell me that is the real reason why you never told me."

I wait for an answer, but he actually stays silent, avoiding my eyes. What...? I can't believe him! How can he be so selfish and jealous?! Keeping this a secret the whole time was just because he was afraid I would go around kissing other people? Really?! "Damian Black! You-"

Before I can unleash my anger at him, he suddenly grabs me by the waist again and makes me shut up with a kiss. Gosh, this man!

However, my anger subsides naturally after a few seconds. I'm comfortable in his arms, leaning on his chest to answer his kiss. I feel his hand, caressing my cheek, playing with my hair, holding me close. I don't want to part with him. This is where I belong. In this man's embrace, surrounded by his caresses. Moon Goddess, I feel so much better now, pressed against his chest.

After a long while, our lips finally part, and we just face each other, his arms around me and mine on his neck. His silver eyes are glowing in the dark...

"I've missed you..." He whispers.

"I missed you, too."

I observe him. He looks older, with the lack of sleep, and the beard. It's my first time seeing his bare chest, too. I never realized how muscular he was, underneath all the clothes. I can't help myself, and slowly follow the lines of his muscles with my fingertips. He has perfectly shaped abs, like a Greek sculpture. I like it... a lot.

He grabs my hand with his. "My Love, I'm happy that you enjoy the view, but if your fingers go any lower then you're going to make things difficult for me."

I blush a little. Silly, Nora. I kind of forgot which position we are in... He chuckles at my embarrassment, and brings my fingers to his lips, kissing them one by one.

"You work out?" I ask, trying to chase my uneasiness.

"Sometimes. When I have free time. It helps me to keep my wolf under control."

The whole Alpha thing. I guess it's like me when I can't control my anger properly, letting everyone around me feel it. Is that why he stayed here? I look around, my eyes falling on the remnants of furniture.

"Seems like this self-control thing isn't perfect yet...."

He sighs. "Only when it comes to you... I'm the most irrational man there is. Neal and Nate lectured me lots already."

I can't help but feel bad about all this, too. It seems like this weekend was a nightmare for him...

He leans on my shoulder again, closing his eyes.

"Damian, you should get some sleep, you look exhausted..."

"...Stay with me."

"I will," I answer without thinking.

For a few seconds, he stays silent, and I wonder if he actually fell asleep. But to my surprise, he suddenly gets up, carrying me with him, and take us both to the bed. We land heavily on the dark sheets, Damian still holding me against him. We are so close, his lips are almost touching my forehead. I touch his spiky chin again with my fingertips.

"I like it. Your beard."

"I'll keep it that way then," he whispers.

I hear his breath slow down until he actually falls asleep. I fall into slumber, too, a while later, soothed by Damian's embrace, the silence around us, and the darkness.