Suddenly His Luna

PROLOGUE The night air was potent with a deathly type of promise. The only source of illumination was the overcast moon, hanging over the masses, It’s underbelly casting a vivid glow down on the spectacle to come. They were all gathered there for the same reason. To witness justice. Or, what they thought was. She remained immobile, tied to the barracks like a lamb offered up for s*******r. The comparison wasn’t too far fetched, given, Vivien might never make it out of this alive. Their eyes were demanding of retribution, burning with the urge to dole out punishment for a crime neither of them witnessed. She stood unafraid, unbending from their disapproving glances. Fear was a fickle emotion.Unnecessary and a waste of time. And in all honesty, it paled in comparison to the war waging inside her. The grief. Now that, seized you by the neck and refused to ever let go. It choked you with it’s bitter presence, diminishing the very essence of your being into nothing. And that was how she felt truly, staring death in the face. Nothing. Except for pain. Pain demanded to be felt. She waited for the adrenaline. The hopelessness and the desperation to make an appearance inside her. But neither came. She was numb. She was broken. She had lost everything. “I would thank you all for standing by me at a time like such,” he called into the crowd, quieting the murmuring bystanders, as he demanded their full attention. “But I know it means just as much to you as it does me. To be here, to witness the debt yet to be paid.” He continued on, “She has been in your homes. Played, conversed, fed your children. She has pried into our lives, immersed herself into our being like a rotten seed, like the venomous leech she truly is.” His voice was strained, the anger coating the words like they had been raked over coals. “All of that changes today. The truth has been brought forth!” The crowd responded, angry yells, furious feedback of agreement. She didn’t even bother to lift her head. Let them rage, she thought. Let them all rage to hell. She had lost everything already. None of this was of any consequence. “I lost my boy.” This time his words carried through the crowd quietly, tinged with sadness. My boy. And then it rose to a bellow, “She took him from me!” I didn’t, she cried in her mind. I would never! “She has used her gifts to manipulate us, to deceive us into believing her to be righteous, moral. But the truth has come into the light. She is a murderer!” The crowd roared. I’m not, she chanted. I’m not a murder. I’m not a murder. I’m not, I’m not, I’m not! “She cannot go on living among us.” He said “She cannot go on living period.” Hot, dark eyes turned to glare at her. The same eyes that once looked at her like she’d spun gold. Like she was the centre of the world. She was. She used to be the center of his world. But now all she sees is his animosity. His hate. She couldn’t bear it. His lip curled with disdain, “Your time has come. I’ll get my pound of flesh for what you’ve done. And I’ll savor every second of it.” Her eyes shifted to his mate, standing off at the side. Her gaze was bright, dancing with an emotion only Vivien knew was glee. Vivien was bound and unable to move from the podium where she was set to die. She stood accused of treason, of murder. Of the murder of her own child. She waited with her head hung low, waited for the punishment for a crime she didn’t commit. At the hands of the only man she had ever loved. “Have you any last words?” That… that got a reaction out of her. Her eyes grew frantic, just like that, as she looked at him. Fixing her ex husband with a look full of desperation. She wasn’t begging for her life, no. But she wanted to know, how could he believe this? How could he believe any of this? Her sounds were muffled, the dirty gag covering her mouth preventing her from uttering a word. But she tried, oh moons, she tried. He watched her, with that careful disdain. “You disgust me.” Angered, he ripped a the burning bundle from one of the stands at either side of her. The flames at the tip of the stick reflected in the browns of his irises. “I’m going to enjoy this.” The bottom of the podium was covered in hay, tiny sticks of wood piled upon one another so the flame may catch effectively. He stepped towards her, zero hesitation in his movements as he lowered the burning flame by her feet, inching it closer to the stray pieces fluttering below her. It caught instantly. The crowd took off in an uproar. “Be done with it!” “This is what she deserves!” “Burn to death, witch!” “Murderer!” “Killer!” Killer. She was no killer. I’m no murderer, she tried to scream, but no words slipped passed her muffle. The flames licked at the wood beneath her, growing stronger and climbing higher by the seconds. The heat was harsh enough to sear the soles of her bare feet, making her shift her weight on the wooden steps. She didn’t want to die. Not like this. Not here. Not when she did nothing wrong! Sh cried, screaming at Zaven to just look at her. To see the devastation in her eyes. To see that she was telling the truth. Please,, please, please. Believe me. Choose me. He tossed the pole away from him, straightening to his full height. His eyes looked up at her, taking it all in. Her head titled, c****d with a silent plea. You know me, they seemed to say. You know me. He turned away from her, outstretching his hand to her. She made the small trek to stand by his side, gripping on to his hand like her life depended on it. Fury licked the walls of Viven’s stomach. She wanted to heave the feeling out of her system. This couldn’t be how things ended. The crowd was starting to thin out, all the men and women who had gathered having seen enough. They were leaving, walking away from the clearing where she’d been strung up. Leaving her to die. To burn. Zaven turned away, walking into the distance without a backwards glance. She was hot on his heels. Vivien watched them go, turmoil pulling her brows together. She was breathing heavily through her nose, watching as the flames climbed up and up. It was hot. Painfully hot. Sweat dripped from her brow, perspiring all over her entire face. The orange flickers caught on the mesh of her flowing skirt, just a flare. But it was still enough to kick start a burning path on the fabric. She kicked her bound feet, screaming as the flames travelled up her clothing. It wasn’t burning her skin yet, but she felt it now, that fear she’d put a lid on earlier. She felt a lot of things. Oh, she felt a lot of things. He hung on to her like a trophy, like she was the solution to all his problems. Like she was his hearts desire. Tears burned the backs of Vivien’s eyes, hot and thick as they rolled down her cheeks. Betrayal simmered like bile in her belly. It made her grind her teeth, inhale lungfuls of the thick smoke. It was a guttural cry, the sound that rose from her chest. Echoing into the now empty clearing. Her eyes burned, they were wet with tears, but they felt like sandpaper. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. Murderer. Burn to death, witch. She took him from me. Like lava, the repressed emotions stewed in her chest. Brimming and thickening until she felt like she might explode. The flames singed her skin finally, and like a bomb…she went off. A gust of energy surged from her, putting out the fire in an instant. Invisible ripples cut through the night, slamming into the trees at the edge of the clearing, splintering their barks and making them sway. Their leaves trickled down from the force, dust rose up and into the air. She felt hollow, sagging to her knees on the charred wood. She stared defeated at the ropes that had bound her to the stake, discarded on the ground around her. She was empty. Hollow. Alone. Safe. ******* Hiii lovelies, welcome to my new book. I hope you enjoy it, I truly hope also that you will join me on this adventure till the very end. To be told about the book and update schedule, you can join my F.B Group called Vivi’s Lovelies. See ya there!