CHAPTER 37

Faye's mouth slacked as she turned to him. "You trap people underneath that?"

"Not people." Rune lifted his hand and tapped his soul shard. "Errant energy that has yet to return to the Darkness. The romantic notion that a lover will wait in Hell for their partner to join them before returning to the Darkness is fictional."

His words crumpled something in her. Faye's gaze lowered to the shimmering crystal below them. She loved reading stories of love everlasting. Knowing all of it was a romantic fantasy left her feeling empty.

Faye turned away from the window and moved past Rune. "Did you want to sit at your desk or in front of the fire?"

"Whichever you prefer."

Faye nodded and strolled to the settee.

A pillow landed next to Faye. She was still in bed and glanced at Sparrow who continued to abuse the talisman they'd gotten. She wondered if Rune was so obscenely rich he didn't care or if some part of him felt guilty for holding them hostage. Or hosting her court as the dark-blooded would say.

"When is his shadowiness going to admit he can't find the spell because there isn't one? I mean the food is great, but I miss shopping a little."

That was a good question. His options were either she was his or he couldn't find the spell tying her to him. Neither of which he was willing to admit to.

"You should get more out of him."

Faye rolled over. "Did you want a talisman for another fancy restaurant?"

"Maybe for a distillery. But no, not for me. He doesn't think this is fate. He thinks this is a spell, and you make him weak. In his head, he's mortal as long as he's tied to you. So, you playing along with him is giving his immortality back, which is invaluable. You should think of something you want of equal value."

"What would be equal to immortality?" The only way she could have immortality was to be turned, but the transition wasn't guaranteed. Needing to die was a huge risk.

"How many times a day do you think he strokes off to you?"

Faye laughed. She never considered what he did after she left him yesterday. The thought of him stroking himself thinking of her had her biting the inside of her lip. "Once?"

Sparrow snorted. "You're doing a terrible job if it's just once."

Faye laughed, rolling out of bed. "I should go find myself tall, pale, and scary."

Sparrow leaned back in her chair, widening her eyes, and blinking at her. "Oh, he's yours now?"

"If I wait for him, I'll be an old woman before he decides this is fate," Faye said, holding her hands up as she shrugged.

Her sister queried her lip, nodding to herself. "So you're going to help him along? I like it. Tell me every detail when you get back."

Faye laughed, wiggling her fingers at Sparrow as she made her way to Rune's side of the house. The halls were quiet. Faye entered Rune's study and stopped.

Her vampire wasn't in his usual spot. Faye walked to his desk, glancing at the loose pages organized in small piles. They looked old, yellowed and weather worn. Faye moved one gently to see the page below it.

Everything was written in a language she didn't recognize. High Tongue if she had to guess. Faye carefully put the page back, arranging them as they were.

Faye left the study and went back to her room. She stared at the adjoining door. Would Rune be dressing again? The memory of the hard, chiseled plains of his body made her smile. Maybe he overslept.

Faye rapt her nails on the door before pushing it open slowly.

The Shadow Prince wasn't here either. Faye peaked into his room and rolled her eyes at his perfectly made bed. She never made her bed. What was the point when she was just going to crawl back under her blankets later that evening?

Faye left the adjoining door open to tease him and stepped back into the hall. She walked down the corridor glancing into his study again as she passed.

Disappointment weighed on her. He never missed a day before.

Faye made her way back to Sparrow, wondering what to do with her time. She could harvest from her garden and start her potions and ointments. He could find her if he wanted to poke through her head for a non-existent spell. Faye returned to her sister's room and retrieved her basket and preening knife.

Her sister eyed her as she walked back into the room. "Shouldn't you be making Rune's life extra hard right now?"

"He's not in his study."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Faye collected her basket and preening knife. She never realized how much she looked forward to seeing him until he stood her up. "Gather my herbs to dry."

Faye headed back to the great room to follow the pathway to the gardens. Faye sighed as she walked into the sunlight. The sweet floral scent of the black roses filled the air. She stepped through the second archway and stopped. Her vampire was in the hot spring, reclined against the stones. His white-blonde hair spread over the grass out of the water.

Faye didn't move. Rune sat up, lifting one arm out of the steaming spring. Water fell from his pale, muscular shoulder as he laid his arm along its border. He turned in her direction, his other hand pulling his hair away from his face.

"We will pick up our meetings again tomorrow." His deep voice sounded… tired.

Faye walked toward him. "Long night?"

He didn't answer.

The man wasn't wearing a shirt. She wondered if he wore anything at all while soaking. As she crossed in front of him, she saw he was nude. The water didn't give her a good view, and he didn't seem to be bothered by his state of undress.

His eyes were closed, with his chin tilted upward. Faye admired his too perfect face, her gaze lingering over his high cheekbones, the sharp line of his jaw. She watched a bead of water slide from under his chin, down the front of his neck to collect at the hollow at the base of his throat. He was always clean shaven; no hair covered his broad chest. The hard planes of his body rose and fell with his breaths.

"You know Sparrow or Vash could stumble in on your skinny dipping."

He exhaled deeply. "I am in my realm, my home, and my pool. If my guests don't appreciate my presence, they may find another location." He rubbed his fingertips over his forehead and opened his eyes to squint at her.

"Does the sun bother you?" Faye asked as she took a seat at the edge of the pool. Setting her basket and pruning the knife down beside her.

"The sun does not affect me in the same manner it does the others," he said, closing his eyes once more.

"Why?"

"I inherited lineage from both of my parents."

Faye leaned back on her hands and looked up at the clouds. "I've never seen you anywhere but your room and study."

"My study is where I spend the majority of my time. Today I looked into The Crumbling. I stayed too long, tapped too far into my reserves." He cracked his lids to peer at her.

Faye turned back toward him, crossing her legs. "What are you doing to The Crumbling?"

He gave her a curious glance before answering, "Unraveling it before it consumes the realms."

He did that? "What's unraveling?"

He closed his eyes again, leaning back on the smooth rocks. "You are full of questions this day."

"I'm broadening my horizons," Faye remarked.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Unraveling is what must be done if you are not strong enough to break magic with sheer force."

"Is it hard?"

He sat up, running his hand over his face, before saying, "Spells are woven, constructed pieces of magic. Unraveling it is exactly as it sounds. I deconstruct the layers of magic that created the spell by pulling its threads in the correct order."

The man sounded like he was reciting a lesson. Faye thought about his words, turning them over in her head. "So, it's like a cat's cradle game, layered on top of each other?"

His brow lowered. "I suppose that would be an accurate depiction, if the strings in the children's game also moved."

She looked at him more appreciatively. "So, to break up your day, you try to save the realms."

"Have you reconsidered joining a court when our time is concluded."

Change of subject much. "I'm not convinced."

He studied her for a moment, then said, "You would find the life your power afforded you pleasant."