CHAPTER 46

Five days came and went since Rune left her in his bed, and he was still nowhere to be found. Vashien tried to phase out of Hell yesterday, and it'd been disastrous. Vashien flickered, and Rune's magic crackled, throwing him into a wall where he fell. Unconscious.

He'd cracked a bone in his wing, and Sparrow was hysterical over his still body. Faye had struggled to pull his arm from beneath him to show her sister his soul shard was still surrounded by dark mist. "He's fine. He's alive." Faye had said, and her sister calmed.

They'd tucked him into bed. His wing hung at an unnatural angle and Sparrow covered it with a blanket. Sparrow decided to let it regenerate naturally, afraid her inexperience in healing might leave his wing damaged.

He'd woken this morning and Sparrow was still doting over him. Faye left the love birds alone, giving them some privacy.

Faye walked through the hall leading to Rune's room and study, ready to peek into his two rooms and spend the rest of the day in the hot spring.

Faye approached Rune's study and glimpsed leather-bound books piled on the floor in high stacks through the door. Her brow knit together as she leaned in. Rune stood among the stacks of books, placing them in his bookshelf.

His empty bookshelf.

Her eyes widened as she glanced over the rest of his study. Every book was turned, their pages facing out instead of their spines. Faye covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Her gaze turned to him. He kept his back to her, ignoring her presence as he continued his work.

Like she didn't exist. Like she was never in his bed. Faye gnashed her teeth and picked the closest book, whipping it at his back. "Where have you been?" She asked, her voice raising with her fury.

"Does it matter?" He answered. "It would seem you and the blonde harpy kept yourselves amused in my absence." He reached down, picking up the book she hurled at him and returned it to its rightful pile.

"You don't get to pretend nothing happened. What the fuck is your problem?"

"My fucking problem? I had a moment of weakness." He peered at her, pinning her with his pale blue gaze. "I recall you enjoying it."

She'd planned what she was going to say to him. She'd seen their whole conversation play out in a number of different ways. This wasn't one of them.

Hurt and pain cut through her, tearing open wounds still raw and aching inside of her. Wounds he inflicted. She stepped closer, suppressing the urge to take the book he shelved and throw it at him. Needing him to hurt the way he hurt her. She tensed, dropping her shoulder back and he spoke, stilling her movements.

Rune spoke in a low tone, glancing down at the book he held. "I am sorry."

Faye's anger choked her. "You don't get to be sorry!" She yelled, shoving him. Her fury mounted twisting into something different. An unfamiliar rage circled for an outlet, demanding to be lost.

"You came to me," she yelled, hitting him again.

"You pretended to want me."

"You left me!" Faye hit him and her fury found its outlet.

A deafening crack snapped through the space. Faye's shirt pulled tight and gave as her back went rigid at the new weight.

Black curling mist exploded as her hands met Rune's chest. Rune struck the stone wall behind him. Faye jerked at the sickening crack, and he fell to his knees. It was the wall Faye stared at. A deep depression embedded into the stone. Cracks fissuring away from it.

Rune's wet cough dragged her attention lower. His hair was cast forward, the ends sweeping the ground. Smearing red splatter that speckled the stone tiles between his hands.

"I'm sorry," Faye said, rushing beside him, toppling his piles of books with her wings. She pulled his hair to the side. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, smoothing her hand over his back. She yanked her hand away when she touched jagged ridges that didn't belong in the back.

"Sparrow!" She screamed into the hall. To him she muttered, "It's okay. You'll be okay. Sparrow can fix you."

His hand covered hers, and he drew a labored breath. "I am well." He shifted his back and bursts of popping wet sounds filled the space between them until his back smoothed.

Faye staired, unable to look away. "I thought only women could heal."

"Vampire," was all he said, his voice a horse whisper. Rune pulled his shoulder back. Another snap sounded and he stood. Offering her his hand.

"Bitch?" Sparrow held either side of the doorway, leaning into Rune's study. Her sister glared at Rune, her wings, and the damage done to the wall. "Nice wings," she finally said as Vashien came to a halt behind her.

Faye pulled her wings in tighter, knocking over another stack of books in the process while Vashien stared at her.

"Quit eyeballing her," Sparrow said, elbowing Vashien in the side.

"Sorry," Vashien muttered and smiled at Faye.

"You, shadow dick. You're lucky she already beat your ass. I'm watching you." Sparrow held two fingers in a V and lifted her chin. She stabbed them to either side of her windpipe and pointed at Rune before walking out. Vashien in tow behind her.

Faye glanced at Rune's hand and stood without his assistance. He lowered his hand and stepped around her. Faye turned to him, "We're not done."

"I am sure we are not, however after your outburst I am in need of blood. Unless you are offering, it would be kind of you to continue our discussion at my desk."

Faye followed him, watching as he plucked a wine bottle and glass out of the air. He poured a glass and drank it down faster than Sparrow could. He refilled it and motioned to the seat across his desk.

She stood beside the chair, growing suddenly tired. She stifled a yawn and glanced down at the chair. "You don't have wing friendly furniture," she said, stretching her wings out a little. The motion betrayed her, and Faye arched her wings back, yawning.

"Noted," he said, filling his third glass. He strolled to the settee, and Faye remained where she stood. Her breaths came a little faster. He glanced back at her, sipping his drink. "You can sit with your back to the fire."

That worked when she was curled up to his chest, reading a book. "I'll stand."

Rune silently walked back to her and leaned on his desk. "I should not have left you as I did."

Faye met his gaze. "Why did you leave?"

He took a deep breath and stared towards the door for long moments.

Was he wishing he could leave? Thinking about whatever woman he was with? Faye's thoughts spiraled until she derailed them by saying, "Why are you willing to do that, but not my ceremony?"

He tapped his index finger against his glass once. Twice. "The ceremony puts you in danger, which places my life in jeopardy. My answer is no."

Faye's wings sagged. She glanced up at him even though he wouldn't meet her gaze, and said, "Wouldn't it be safer if I can heal myself. I would be harder to kill. Me alive, equals you alive. Win, win."

He finished his glass and set it on his desk between them. Meeting her pleading gaze, he said, "You have not invoked your blood. The risk outweighs any benefit a Ceremony of Blood could offer. You would be gifted a tendril and left without the shard needed to wield it."

"You need me to cooperate with you because I'm as strong as you are."

"You are stronger." His voice was deadpanned as he watched her.

Faye's brow lowered as she dropped his gaze. She couldn't be stronger than him. Her heart pounded harder as she swayed on her feet. She was getting so tired, her energy slipping from her like water through parted fingers. "Somethings wrong," Faye muttered.

Rune took her arm, steadying her. "Shifting is taxing until you are able to control it."

"I'm not done…" Faye's words slurred as the edges of her vision blackened. The room spun, and Faye was moving. She lifted her feet into her view. Moving but she wasn't walking. She peered up at the underside of Rune's chin. He was carrying her. "I'm not done talking to you," she said, laying her head on his chest.

"I know," he answered.

Faye was nestled into a soft bed as warm blankets were pulled around her. She turned on her side as her mind drifted. "I know I don't end up with you, but I need you for my ceremony. I want a family one day. Is that so hard to understand?"

The weight at her back faded as her consciousness slipped. She vaguely heard him speak as the blankets tucked around her sleeping form.

"I will think about it."