The Moon Prophesy: (Maya Strom Series - Book 3)

by A. B. Marie

  I shake my head and groan out loud. “Continue. I need to hear it.”

  “We went to court and tried to adopt you from them. We offered money, treatments, we even got the council involved. Well, your parents got sober, cleaned themselves up, and your father got a job. We still offered to pay your schooling when you came of age, but after a while, your dad continued to drink, and your mom started on the drugs again after you were moved to the Goddess Academy. We kept tabs on you, got it signed off with the council and the headmaster to come to our home over weekends and breaks to “bond with your friend” and the rest is history. We have tried hard to keep you with us as much as we could, legally. If it were up to us, you would have been ours.”

  “Wow. Well, I pretty much was yours from then on. I haven’t really spent any time with my parents in years. When I was at their house, it was just to sleep, and I worked as much as I could.”

  He gives me a sad smile. “We all love you, Vick. You’re amazing for our Luna. We’re just sorry we couldn’t do more.”

  I glare at him. “Your family has done more than enough. Thank you, for everything.”

  He nods and claps my back. “I’ll give you some space.”

  I spend the rest of the night thinking over everything he told me. When Luna comes down, I break, and tell her everything. She hugs me and rubs my back and we go inside and sleep.

  Walking to our classes a few weeks after our next term starts, Luna looks into her bag and groans. “Fuck, I forgot my phone.”

  “Want me to go grab it for you?”

  She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. All of my classes today are with you. Can you text my mom and let her know to contact you in case they need me?” I chuckle at her and nod. She’s the sweetest woman ever, always thinking of others.

  The rest of the week crawls on by, and we’re in familiar training when Bob, my eagle, starts squawking and I hear a voice in my head, ‘protect’. There’s only one person he would want to protect.

  Luna.

  I run out of class and call her as soon as I don’t see her in her classroom down the hall. It goes straight to voicemail, so I call her mom and let her know what’s going on.

  I meet her parents in front of the castle and we all split up. Maya feels her signature somewhere on campus, but it keeps jumping around. I ask Bob to go look and he flies in a large circle and lands back on my shoulder but shakes his head.

  “Is it Lucifer?” I ask everyone as we meet back up in her dorm room.

  Maya grimaces. “Probably, no one else would be able to hide her from me.” She closes her eyes and opens her hand and is holding onto her pendant that she’s been wearing all her life. “There, now she has full use of her magic. I’m going to try to find her signature again and unbind her powers. I don’t like him hiding her from us.” She closes her eyes and smiles, then pops out. About ten minutes later, she has Luna and she pushes her down on the couch to kisses her forehead, and Luna starts glowing. “There my sweet girl, you have all of your powers now. You’re staying home with me for a week for training. Collins, can you go down and speak to the headmaster?” He nods and vanishes from the room.

  “Can Vick come?”

  Maya smiles at her and looks at me and winks. “Of course.” I help Luna pack up, and after I grab a suitcase and fill it up, I meet everyone back in her dorm room. We arrive at the London estate and I lead Luna up to her room so she can have a bath and relax.

  “What happened?”

  She groans. “Nothing bad. He showed up while I was in class and out of nowhere, I was far behind the castle. He was leaning up against a tree and said he’s thought about everything and wants to train with you, get to know you, and figure out if you really are as good of a boy scout as you ‘pretend’ to be.” She giggles. “Then the next thing I know, my pendant was gone, and it felt like my body lost ten pounds, and then my mom popped up and jumped up on Lucifer and beat the shit out of him. Screaming at him, threatening to castrate him and shove his balls down his throat, then slit his throat, and start all over again. I think he was just so stunned he just stared at her.”

  I start laughing my ass off with her and I groan. Fuck. Only Maya would have the balls to do that shit. She is a goddess though, so I guess they’re evenly matched, she just doesn’t flaunt it, or act like it.

  “Are you excited to learn more about your goddess powers?”

  She gives me a wide smile. “Fuck yes! Finally!”

  I get into a hot bath with her and I slowly fuck her until she’s crying out and panting. Fuck, the more we have sex, the more I want her. “I love you, Vick. It’ll all work out.”

  I smile at her and we crawl into bed.

  The week we spend at the estate learning about Luna’s powers has been amazing. She can teleport short distances and do pretty much anything with the snap of her fingers. Just like her biological dad, she still needs supplies for most spells, potions, and runes, but simple stuff like invisibility, levitating, and teleporting, she can do with her mind.

  She is incredible.

  We spend the weekend working at the magical shop, and she tells her parents about opening up a second location after we graduate, and they ask me if I want to do it with her.

  “Um, I would, but I need to work for years to work up to that.”

  Graham chuckles at me and pops out of the room and returns a few minutes later with two folders and hands one to each of us. “Vick, we put this together after we learned about you. It’s already in your name and we are not undoing it. Take a look.” I open it up and there’s a letter that’s been signed and notarized by Maya and their lawyer, on the second page it shows a bank account in my name that is available to be on my twenty-first birthday. One million dollars. I close my eyes, so I don’t cry in front of them. I turn the page and they bought us a vacation home in the Florida Keys, right next to the Riggs’ vacation home, and the lots share a private beach.

  “What the hell?”

  He chuckles at me and gives me a hug. “We always knew you would be in our lives. We just wanted you taken care of.” I look over to Luna who is openly crying.

  “I was just going to ask for a loan! I didn’t expect this!” We switch folders and I read over hers. Her trust has one hundred million dollars in it, and she was gifted estates in London, Seattle, Paris, the same Florida Keys house, and one in Tokyo, all of our favorite places.

  “I love you both.” He kisses Luna on her head and gives me a hug and leaves us in the magic room on the second floor of the shop.

  “Well, do you want to start a magic shop with me when we graduate?”

  “Fuck yes, anything with you.”

  Chapter 14

  Luna

  ________

  It’s my twenty-first birthday and we are in our last year of Master’s courses. I’ve seen Lucifer a few times over the past two years, and he says he approves of Vick, but won’t touch me or take me out until I’ve graduated; due to the agreement between him and my mother.

  Vick had his birthday a few months ago and asked for help from my parents for investing his money wisely, and we spent some of the summer alone at our own vacation home in the Florida Keys. We are having a small birthday party at my parent’s house tonight, then spending the weekend shopping and moving into my London home with Vick. It’s on the same private drive next to my parents, but a mile away so there’s still plenty of privacy.

  The party is filled with love, laughter, and screaming children. William turns twenty in a couple months and is slowly becoming more social. We are sitting down outside together watching all of the kids run around and play.

  I look down and feel like crying. It’s been a year since my Labrador retriever, Hellion passed away. Tula is an amazing familiar, but he was my best friend since I was a baby. He lived a lot longer than he was supposed to, I wonder if my parents had anything to do with that.

  Tula is now big enough for me to hold in both hands, she’s fully grown. We communicate mentally, she mirrors my
magic, and has been a constant companion, aside from Vick.

  We are better than ever, and I have a feeling he’s going to propose, or something, soon. My parents never got married since they’re bonded, but I have no idea if Vick would want a soul bond.

  He’s been talking to all of my dads a lot more lately. The sneaky shit. My parents ask every time we see them if I need any more birth control potions. I always groan and contemplate throwing something at them. I take after my dad though, so I’m a lot more passive than my mom. If anyone was giving her shit, she would have stabbed someone or thrown them into a wall.

  William and I saw more of that when we were younger, but it seemed like the more kids she had, the calmer she became. I haven’t heard of her flipping out on anyone since she beat the shit out of Lucifer a few years ago when he took me from my class. I smile thinking about that day. We graduate in seven months, then we will open up our magic shop in the city.

  I asked my parents for it to just be a second location so we can all go in on it together, but they declined and said to make it something for just Vick and me.

  “My moon.” I hear a voice whisper to me from the back of the grounds. I groan.

  William gives me a funny look. “You okay?”

  I grimace. “Yeah, the King of Hell beckons me.” I roll my eyes and teleport over to him.

  He smiles and it reaches his pitch black eyes. “You almost ready for me, my moon? I’ve been waiting a long time.”

  “Sure.” I grimace and nod. He truly is a gorgeous man.

  “Come with me.” He holds out his hand and I slowly place mine in his and I close my eyes. I feel different. I look down at my body and I’m softly glowing, just like my mom does.

  “Where are we?”

  “We’re in Hell.”

  Fuck. Why the hell are we here? I look around and we are in a massive bedroom with marble floors, dark gray walls, and featured in the center of the room is the biggest bed I have ever seen. Black sheets, black canopy, black accents all over the walls.

  I walk over to the window and open the curtains and gasp. Everything is so dark. The sky is dark with rolling, black clouds, and where there should be grass, trees, and flowers, is all deserted and everything is dead.

  “How sad. Can I bring life back here?”

  He shrugs, “I’ve never tried, but my magic is different than yours.”

  We take a seat on the bed and I look over to him. “Will you tell me about yourself and about demons?”

  He gives me a big smile. “Of course. Human bibles depict me as a fallen angel, but really, there are no angels. Witches and warlocks are all descendants of gods and goddesses that have been watered down from mating with humans over the millennia. There’s the Creator, who created all three realms. The Heavenly realm houses the gods and goddesses, the mortal realm for humans, and the Hell realm for demons. I was created first and rule over all demons. Whereas the gods and goddesses are all equals.” I nod and wait for him to continue. “Gods and goddesses all have different powers, but most of the same. Everything your mother can do, but with a little extra. The God of War makes weapons out of ether, the God of the Sea controls all bodies of water and breathes under water for an unlimited amount of time.” He lays down on the bed and crosses his long arms under his head.

  “Now, me. I have the same powers as a god or a goddess, but I also control all creatures in Hell, hell fire, and can also shape shift into any creature. All demons look human until they shift, and there are also the ‘sins’. Demons that are below me, but above normal demons. They are the seven ‘sins’ – Lust, Wrath, Envy, Pride, Greed, Gluttony, and Sloth. They control the seven territories around the heart of Hell, my home and city. Some call them the princes. I call them a pain in my ass.” He chuckles and continues, “All mortal shifters descended from demons when they mated with humans. We don’t allow humans here in Hell, it’s too volatile and I can’t protect everyone.” He winks at me.

  I smile at him. “So, after I graduate, will you force me to live here with you?”

  He shakes his head. “Not at all. I will still need to rule, and I eventually need an heir. I’m immortal, like you and your parents, but after so many millennia of ruling and all the wars, I would like to step down within the next few centuries. Try to live a normal life. I’ve been watching your family since I met you when you were a baby, and I crave that.” He’s quiet for a few moments. “Will I crave blood and death? Yes. But I feel your soul, Luna. You’re so pure. So bright.”

  He stares at me for a few minutes and slowly brings his hand to my face and I feel a tingle from my face to all of my nerve endings all over my body. “Fuck.”

  He chuckles. “Let’s get you back before your mother kills me.” As we’re standing up from the bed to head back, a woman comes barreling into the room and runs at me. I put my hands up to protect myself and she freezes. She’s beautiful. With white-blonde hair that cascades down her back, about six feet tall, and is wearing translucent lingerie that shows off her amazing body that’s as curvy as I could ever wish to be.

  “Luke! Who is this whore in our room?!” I stare at her wide-eyed and look over to Lucifer.

  He glares at her. “Bianca, meet my mate, Luna. Daughter of a goddess and a demi-god.”

  She hums and sneers at me. “I thought we were going to soul bond after the wars were over. The wars have been over for a while, Luke. I’ve been patient. I fuck you when you want. I come when you call for me. What the fuck is this?”

  I feel so sick to my stomach, I want to leave, but I have no idea how to leave the realm. I keep closing my eyes and trying but stay stuck in this horror.

  He gets into her face, “I never promised you a soul bond. I promised myself millennia ago that I never would, unless I was gifted a mate again. I was. You were just my whore, Bianca. You were nothing special.” I feel like choking. No matter how dreadful she is acting, he is saying appalling shit to her. Is this how he treats all women? Like possessions? He turns to me and sees the look on my face and grimaces. “Luna, she was just someone I fucked. She knew this. She’s just spitting venom because she’s jealous. I don’t treat women like this. She was the one begging to be a concubine centuries ago.”

  I slowly nod.

  She turns back to me and spits at the floor. “You’ll be dead soon. I’ll be here. I’ll always be here. You wouldn’t even be able to handle the way he fucks, little goddess. You’ll run screaming.” She smiles at Lucifer and stalks out of the room.

  “I’d like to go home now.” He gives me a sad smile and he sends me back to my parent’s estate. Alone.

  As soon as I touch down at our meeting spot, I teleport straight to my room and run to my bathroom and get into the shower, fully clothed.

  After I yank off my wet clothes, I slide down onto the floor and cry. I feel so sick. Will he still sleep with women like Bianca after we complete our mating? Is he still? What did she mean that I would be dead soon?

  My mom finds me while I’m still sitting in the water and she dresses me and dries me off with her magic.

  “Come talk to me, baby.” I lay with her in my bed and cry and tell her everything.

  “Luna, he’s thousands of years old. You’re going to meet probably hundreds of demons he’s been with. You just have to know what you feel in your heart.”

  I look up to her. “But what did she mean that I’m going to die?”

  She scowls, “I will go speak to Lucifer and your grandparents. We’ll keep close tabs on you and figure it out. I’m going to place the pendant back onto you, but it won’t bind your magic, it will just link you to me.” She rubs my back until Vick comes in the room and he lays with me while I tell him what happened.

  “Everything will be okay, baby. I got you.” He kisses me on my head, and I fall asleep on his chest.

  Chapter 15

  Vick

  ______

  It’s graduation day. The past seven months have been busy with working at Luna’s parent’s magic shop
, studying, taking exams, and organizing on our new home in London when we have the time. It’s a gorgeous estate, a replica of Luna’s family home. Instead of the pool house in the backyard though, they built it into a basement. It’s equipped with a pool, spa, changing rooms with showers, and even a sauna. They did end up building a gym that matches the one at their house. Luna and I spend a lot of time in there either fucking or working out.

  Maya had been going through applications for a chef, a housekeeper, and a butler, but after Gerard couldn’t handle any more interviews, he ended up calling his brother to be our butler.

  His name is George and looks exactly like Gerard, just younger. Same silver hair, brown eyes, and wears suits. He has a lot more personality though, thank fuck.

  Our chef, Lucy, is a woman who is like a mother I never had – always feeding us and stuffing us with desserts. She’s a tiny woman with short black hair, soft green eyes, and always wears crazy dresses. Last time we were there, her dress was adorned with broomsticks and smiley faces.

  Our housekeeper is a gay warlock that is becoming one of Luna’s and my best friends. Lucas is hilarious and just graduated from an academy in Germany a few years ago. He loves to clean and shop, and when he saw the ad that Gerard put up, he applied, and he’s been with us ever since. He’s about my height at six-foot-three, has long, dyed hot pink hair, wears pink contacts, and has piercings in his ears, nose, eyebrows, and lips. He wears jeans and t-shirts every day, but there was a day that he ran around in Lucy’s dress and tried to bake a cake. We all sat around laughing for hours.