One of the younger maids had seen it all. The way Damiano dragged Luna by her hair, the broken sound of her muffled cries. Her chest ached, but she remembered Nova's words: "Matteo's eyes don't lie. He looks at her as if he's already chosen her."
That night, when the mansion grew quiet, she rushed into the maidens' quarters. Shutting the door, she whispered urgently, lighting a single candle.
She placed her hand above the flame and chanted softly:
"By star, by flame, by breath untold, carry my plea on wings of gold. To fire's heir, to water's might, bear this message through the night."
The flame stretched, then burst into a tiny glowing creature with wings like glass and eyes like silver sparks. It hovered before her, waiting.
"Find Matteo," she breathed. "Tell him Luna is in danger."
The creature shimmered once, then zipped through the walls, invisible to all but those with power flowing in their veins.
⸻
Matteo sat at the head of a gleaming glass table, surrounded by CEOs and underworld titans. His golden-brown hair caught the chandelier's light as he flipped through documents, but his eyes sharp, dark, unyielding never lost focus.
Then, the air beside him rippled.
The glowing wisp appeared, pulsing with urgency. His jaw tightened as the whisper filled his mind: "Luna. Trouble. Hurry."
Without another word, Matteo shoved back his chair.
"Meeting's over," he growled. The room erupted in protests, but he didn't care. Within minutes, his car roared down the highway, every turn sharper, faster.
⸻
Back in the mansion…
Damiano strode into the room where Luna still lay bound. His face carried satisfaction as he tugged at the restraints, releasing her.
The second her wrists were free, she bolted for the door. But before she could even touch the handle, his hand slammed into her arm, spinning her around and throwing her hard against the marble floor.
His weight pressed her down, his breath harsh above her.
"What do you want from me?!" Luna cried, her voice breaking. "Why do you hate me so much?"
Damiano's emerald eyes darkened to poison.
"Hate?" His laugh was sharp, cruel. "Hate is far too merciful for you. What you deserve… is suffering. You will pay for every breath you stole, every life you destroyed."
He rose, his chest heaving, and snatched up a heavy iron poker from the fireplace stand. Its edge glowed faintly from the heat. He lifted it high, aiming for her fragile form.
⸻
But before it could fall—
The windows shattered. A roaring spiral of water coiled into the room, spinning like a living storm. It wrapped around Damiano, wrenching him off the ground. The poker clanged against the floor.
Damiano snarled, thrashing, but the vortex held him suspended, choking him in its watery grip.
Matteo's voice cut like thunder as he stepped through the broken doorway.
"Are you out of your mind, Damiano?! To unleash this kind of rage here? Do you want to tear this world apart? Our powers are too strong, this place will burn under us!"
For the briefest moment, Damiano's emerald gaze flickered with rage and something darker. jealousy.
Matteo ignored it. He released the vortex just enough to slam Damiano against the wall before storming past him.
"Luna."
He dropped to his knees beside her. She trembled violently, tears streaking her face, eyes wide with terror. When she saw him, her sobs grew sharper.
"Go," she screamed hoarsely, shaking her head. "Go before he kills you…please, just go!"
Matteo reached for her, but her body gave out. With one final cry, she collapsed in his arms, unconscious.