CHAPTER 25

Rune outstretched his arm into her field of vision, remaining behind her. Faye took the folded black towel he offered and covered herself with it. She glanced behind her and said, "Thank you."

"I will be in my study when you are ready." He turned and silently walked down the hall.

Faye retreated into her closet and peeled the shirt off, followed by her bra. She toweled herself off, deciding to change her pants too. Faye's gaze lifted to the dresser, and her clothes were missing.Darkness, I'm going to kill her. Faye had no choice but to pick out something else to wear or go to her meeting with Rune naked.

She dug through the drawers until she found undergarments that weren't all lace and string. Then dressed in a gray sweater to take the chill off with black leggings. She went to his study and found him seated behind his desk. He looked up as she entered his space.

She stood behind the chair in front of his desk. "I'm sorry about Sparrow."

He canted his head at her. "The harpy should be apologizing to you, yet you apologize to me?"

Faye shifted on her feet. "She's not a harpy."

"Noted."

She drummed her fingers on the chair.Not much for small talk, big guy."Did you want to look through my mind here?"

"We can begin in any location you are comfortable with."

Faye eyed him suspiciously, curious if his sudden development of manners stemmed from a genuine kindness or guilt over being an unwilling participant in her sister's schemes. She glanced down at the chair, doubting it would work. She needed a place she could lay down. A bed worked but felt too personal. Faye glanced behind her, spotting the settee in front of the fireplace. Faye bit the inside of her lip. Both options were uncomfortable, and she didn't want to ask for something else to lay down on and have to answer when he asked why. "I'll lay down on the settee," Faye said, choosing the lesser of two evils.

Faye stretched out over the settee, purposefully positioning herself so there wasn't enough room for him to sit at her head or her feet. He casually leaned forward, resting his arms over the curved back of the settee and peered down at her. Faye met his gaze, realizing this was worse than if she allowed him to sit at her feet.

Her cheeks heated as she remembered his face when Sparrow drenched her shirt. How the black swept through his gaze. It was only an instant, but when his gaze met hers, she could almost see the way he looked at her during their dreams. The yearning that left her feeling cherished.

Faye reached for a subject, needing a distraction. "Is the touch invitation in all courts or just yours?"

"It is protocol in all courts. Dark-bloods are intimidating. What we are makes us inherently dangerous. Rules and protocols keep the pursued comfortable until they come to a decision. Different rules apply after a pairing has occurred. Protocol maintains a balance, so we know our advances are welcomed."

It sounded good in theory, Faye thought as she closed her eyes. "The touching thing, does that extend to pets?"

"Were you planning on keeping a pet or becoming one?"

Faye cracked her lids. He peered down at her with a hint of a smile. "I've been propositioned to be a pet. Do you have to wait for a pet to touch you before you touch them?"

He remained silent for a moment before saying, "Pet is a position in court. It is given to those who are beneath its standing. A dark-blooded court would consider a day-blood a pet. Pets are protected by their courts, and the court member keeping them is responsible for their actions. They are treated with the same courtesy all court members are."

Faye's brows came together. The courts that would have taken Sparrow and let her be Sparrow's pet had accepted her in their own way. She was accepted but as less than.

Rune gave a soft laugh, and Faye's gaze snapped to him. His pale blue eyes glinted. "You think us savages."

They are. "Dark bloods steal Anarians. They practice their magic on them."

Rune nodded. "Many do."

"Did you?" How many Anarians suffered because of him?

Rune smiled, flashing a fang. "I am immortal. We train on our own bodies." When Faye only stared at him, he continued, "When your magic is depleted, you can still draw power at the cost of your body. Being able to focus through pain can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Causing pain for sport is not a taste I acquired."

"But some dark-bloods do." Far outnumbering those who did not.

"Cruelty is not exclusive to the dark-blooded," Rune stated simply.

"Does it matter when you've destroyed courts and decimated armies? Not killing for the pleasure of it makes little difference when you still kill."

"We should speak of more pleasant things."

Faye felt the strange pressure on the edge of her awareness. She took slow breaths, deep and even, trying to ignore it. "Do you see what I'm thinking when you're in my head?"

The side of that smug bastard's mouth lifted. "What are you afraid of me finding?"

Faye held his gaze and smiled genuinely. "Chopping your head off with a hatchet is my happy place."

He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "And here I thought you were fond of candle holders."

A ghost of a smile touched her lips, but she stayed silent and closed her eyes.

"I can feel your emotions. Pulling memories without damaging them is Familiar magic."

Faye nodded. "What are you looking for?"

"A spell laced in your mind."

"What if it's in your mind, and I'm just an innocent bystander?"

He laughed softly at that. "That is not how magic and balance work."

Faye felt the same pressure on her mind. The growing tension pressing harder.

"Be easy. I almost have it."

A compulsive aggression washed over her. She was prepared for it this time as it flooded her mind. Beneath its violence, she could feel it yearning for her. It rushed in her direction, its presence circling her before it enveloped her, settling over her senses. She smiled as it purred its contentment against her. Rune exhaled and Faye opened her eyes to see him looking off in the distance. His bad eyeliner pulsing beneath his eyes. She felt his Ra'Voshnik thrashing against his hold, fighting to stay with her.

He was taking fangs from her.

Faye closed her eyes, not trusting her expression. "It's okay. Your Ra'Voshnik can stay. He just spooked me the first time."

It wound around her tighter, seemingly growling at Rune. Faye bit back her smile. His Ra'Voshnik wanted to be near her, to touch her mind. She imagined running her fingers through its presence, hoping it could feel it.I would keep you, big guy, but you're attached to an asshole.