CHAPTER 44

The Ra'Voshnik blinked before its gaze swept up to meet him.

Rune recoiled as a smirk formed over the creature's mouth. "Did you honestly believe all those centuries you studied under Saith—Until our body failed you, I haven't killed you?" It laughed then settled itself with a sigh before saying, "You have died dozens of times, while our body lay unconscious, recovering."

The creature's form dissipated into smoke and shadow, it's dark shadowy gaze lingering, being the last to fade. Its disembodied voice echoed around him, traveling upward.

You can't kill me. We are two halves of the same coin. There is no separation for ones like us. We exist in tandem or not at all.

A mental barrier fell over Rune, caging him.You can wait in the shadows while I return to our queen.

Rune's power rose, answering his fury. The fool creature sought to trap him and take possession of his body.Never. The mental bindings shattered around him as he ascended to his physical body.

"My will is greater than yours. Every deed you commit, every thought that rattles through your fool mind—Is because I allow it." Rune stalked to the edge of the hall, a pillar of shimmering crystal rising to meet him. His realm obeys his will.

Rune touched the pillar, spreading his fingers wide. He summoned the Ra'Voshnik and cast its consciousness into the crystal. The creature did not separate from his mind. Rune tried a second time to no effect.

Frustration mounted in Rune. He dropped his hand, burying the creature within the recesses of his mind until he no longer felt its frantic thrashing. Rune stalked toward his father's throne, while the creature's roar echoed from its confines.Return to her!

Rune growled, rubbing his hand over his bare chest. With a flicker of his mind a trunk appeared before him. Rune crouched and opened it, withdrawing a shirt. He stood, roughly pulling it on. He'd finished buttoning it before he recognized the boots trapped within the crystal pillar beside him.

His gaze lifted to a woman. Fiery red hair fanned out around her, still and suspended in her prison. Her chromatic sage gaze met his and a dark smile spread over his lips. She was a broken mind trapped in flesh that would never return to the Darkness. Sadi had broken her mind and shattered her core, centuries ago. Stripping her of the day-blood shard she once carried. Rune sealed what remained of her flesh with his father's other gruesome curiosities.

Forever imprisoned in Standing Shadows.

"Sadira," Rune said, inclining his head, greeting the queen who enslaved him for a hundred and thirty-seven years. Her gaze flicked over him and frantically searched her surroundings. "Lovely to see you as always."

Rune strolled away from her, approaching his father's macabre throne. Julian was created with nine other shadowmen as caretakers to Hell and served Saith.

His father rebelled against Saith, along with the other shadowmen in what would be known as the Great War. After his father's victory, Julian killed each of his brethren. Using their bones to construct a throne Rune never sat in.

He walked past the grisly chair to the passageway behind it, leading to their family's quarters. Rune climbed the steps needing silence and distance to clear his mind. The minx consumed his thoughts, eroding his will. He would ask Sadi to look into his mind, perhaps she could see the spell binding the minx to the Ra'Voshnik.

Rune's thoughts wandered to Faye. He could still feel her, hear her breathy sighs. Her taste lingering on his tongue making it impossible to center his thoughts. He silently strolled the familiar halls, needing to cleanse Faye's scent from him.

Darkness, let me find the spell tying her to me.

Remaining with her was a death sentence.

Don't let her be mine.

Faye's days merged together as she stared at the ceiling wide awake, Sparrow snoring sound asleep beside her. Each time her eyes closed, she remembered. His touch. The feel of his mouth. The way his hair slid over her inner thigh while he worshiped at her altar.

The soft light from the twilight sky remained constant, bathing the room in a romantic glow. Rune had carried her to his bed, wrapped up in the way he made her feel. A mistake she wouldn't be repeating. He wanted her enough to taste her but wouldn't perform her ceremony. Faye shifted in the plush bed, pulling the blankets tighter around her.

He avoided her the past two days. Faye searched for him but he was nowhere to be found. The first day she'd wanted his absence, spending the day in bed. Letting her pain consume her. Sifting through the misery he created. The second she went looking for him, determined to corner him and tell him exactly what she thought of his behavior. But their host was absent.

Faye went to his study and reluctantly peeked into his room, retreating when she caught sight of his bed. She went to the hot spring, finding it empty, and in her desperation, she sought out her evil twin. But it seemed she and her male were scarce as well.

Sparrow groaned and pulled the blanket over Faye's face. "Go to sleep," she grumbled.

Faye pulled the blankets down and blew her hair out of her face. "I'm not making any noise, hooker."

"I can hear the gears in your head smoking," Sparrow said, rubbing her eyes. "Did you want to go look for him again?"

Did she? She was so angry with him but a small part of her, a tiny part she hated, missed him.

"Ok let's go hunt down the shadow dick," her sister said, rolling out of bed. She pulled a robe over her nightgown and Faye did the same.

They went to Rune's wing and Faye followed Sparrow as she entered Rune's study. Faye went to his desk. The same papers topped it, in the same small piles. The same books. Everything as it had been yesterday.

Sparrow picked up the pile of yellowed pages closest to her. "I'm in your study, Runey," she said, tossing the pages over her shoulder. The parchment scattered in all directions, coming to rest at the foot of two bookshelves.

"What are you doing?" Faye hissed.

Sparrow waved her off, saying, "I'm getting your man's attention." To the air she yelled, "I know you're here shadow dick." She grabbed another stack of papers and flung them over her shoulder, before knocking the books to the ground.

Faye stared wide eyed with her mouth a gape. "Don't—"

"It's already done. Come on," Sparrow said, grabbing Faye's wrist. She dragged her along to Rune's bedroom and threw the door open. Faye dug in her heels and cringed; afraid he would be in his bed. Or dressing.

Sparrow paid her no mind, shouting, "Runey! It was very rude to go down on my sister and leave. At least wait for her to tell you to go away."

Faye's gaze fell to Rune's four post bed, relieved he wasn't there. She grabbed Sparrow's wrist with both hands, forcefully pulling the petite blonde away, needing to distance herself from his bed.

Sparrow twisted out of her grasp and sprinted toward the four-post bed draped in dark silk. "Sparrow!" Faye yelled as her sister leaped onto his bed.

"I'm on your bed shadow bitch! Come stop me," Sparrow yelled, jumping up and down on Rune's bed. After a few moments she stilled as her shoulders slumped. "I really thought that would work," she said, bouncing down to sit on his dark sheets.

Faye widened her eyes motioning for Sparrow to join her at the door. "He's probably going to smell you and have a tantrum. Come on."

Sparrow flopped back on his sheets and turned toward the pillows. "Which side does he sleep on?"

"Sparrow," Faye hissed, as her sister snatched the pillow closest to her and laid her head on it. Her brow came down as she sniffed the pillow. "Does he smell like this?" Sparrow asked, taking another deep breath. "What cologne is this? It would smell better on Vash."

Faye stalked her sister and ripped the pillow away from her, tossing it back on what she imagined would be his side of the bed. "We can't be in here."

Sparrow snorted, making no move to get up. "You've been sleeping like shit. I vote we sleep here until his shadowy highness comes home." Sparrow rolled over to retrieve the pillow Faye threw. "You can curl up to this until he gets back," her sister said, shoving it to Faye's chest.

Faye knocked it away. "I don't want it."

Sparrow eyed her and scooted further in on the bed, getting under his sheets. She fingered the silk. "He's a dick but he likes very nice things. Come on," she said, throwing the sheet back in invitation.

"What are you doing?" Vashien's voice startled Faye.

Sparrow flopped down on Rune's bed to peer behind Faye. "Sleeping here with Faye until Runey comes back."

"You are insane," Vashien said, catching Sparrow by the ankle and dragging her to the end of the bed.

Sparrow was dead weight, fisting the dark silk, saying, "I know he'll come back if he senses us in his room."

Vashien took a breath, scrubbing his hand over his face. "Get up."

"It's a good plan," Sparrow whined.

Vashien grabbed Sparrow's arm and bent down to throw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" Sparrow squirmed, still holding Rune's sheet that dragged from Rune's bed. Vashien exited the room and Faye followed, closing the door.

Sparrow ran her hand along the inside of his wing, near his back and Vashien nearly stumbled. "Don't do that," he said, thumping her with his wing.

"Put. Me. Down." Sparrow said, doing it again.

Her sister and Vashien vanished. Faye stopped in the hall, deciding she didn't want to be in the east wing while they worked out their argument.

Faye glanced into Rune's study and the mess Sparrow left. She rubbed the back of her neck, walking in, refusing to glance at the settee before the fireplace. She gathered the papers, not knowing what piles they were originally in. She made the same neat stacks and arranged them on his desk as they had been.

She picked up the books next, setting them on the corner of his desk. She strolled to his chair, running her hand over it. He couldn't stay gone and just leave them in Hell. He had to come back. Didn't he?

Faye's hand dropped as she turned away. She could spend the morning in the gardens. The sunlight would warm her and settle her mind until Rune decided to show his face. She wasn't sure if she wanted to rage at him or demand an explanation. She wanted both.

She smiled to herself. Stabbing him crossed her mind on more than one occasion. Nothing an immortal couldn't heal from. She wasn't sure what vampires viewed as affection, so she held her hand. Refusing to offer him something he might find pleasurable.