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And then she saw the reason for his gravity. Riding on the back of the hand that still gripped his shoulder was a distinctive tattoo. A black scarab. The other men had the same marks.
Holy shit.
These were Riordan’s men.
And Rune . . .?
His eyes took on an even grimmer expression when he realized she’d spotted the tattoo. His mouth went slack at the corners as he stared at her in terrible silence. Almost indiscernibly, he slowly shook his head at her in warning. In abject fear—not for himself, but for her.
Do not say anything, his dire gaze implored her. Do not cross them.
Beside him, his dangerous companion continued to leer in Carys’s direction. “Come on, girl. Step forward and let me have a closer look at you. Let us see what Aedan here is trying to keep all to himself.” The Riordan thug sucked in an exaggerated breath and swung a smirk at Rune. “Oh. Sorry, boyo. Would you rather I call you Rune?”
“What’s he talking about?” Carys frowned. “Who’s Aedan?”
The leader of the pack of thugs chuckled. “The better question is, who’s Rune?”
They all laughed at the apparent joke. All but Rune.
“For shame, Aedan. It’s obvious you’ve been fucking this poor girl, but lying to her too?” The Breed male clicked his tongue. “That’s no way to treat a lady.”
It felt as if a cold vacuum had suddenly opened up in the center of her chest. Everything Rune had told her started to make sense in a different way now. His past, his shame about where he’d come from, who he was.
All the things he hadn’t told her.
The walls he refused to let her breach.
How much was he still hiding from her?
Rune’s eyes were shooting hot sparks now. Carys could read the murder in his gaze. But he was keeping it under control. Taking the taunts and obvious threats from these men because she was there now. Because he was trying to give her a chance to get away.
“This isn’t about her,” he muttered low under his breath. His fangs glinted with every syllable. “You came for me. You’ve got me. Let her leave.”
The dark-haired male seemed to consider for a long moment, then he clapped his palm ungently on Rune’s shoulder and gave a careless shrug. “The bitch can go.”
“Get out,” Rune growled at Carys.
She couldn’t move. Her feet were rooted to the floor. Even though he’d deceived her, even though she’d just been struck with the fact that possibly everything she thought she knew about Rune had been a lie, her fear for him was greater than her own pain or confusion.
Her veins hammered with the urge to fight, to fly at these bastards with the full fury of her Breed genetics. Every fiber of her being was firing up with the desire to shed blood, to kill.
She felt her fangs start to erupt from her gums. Beneath her blouse, her glyphs prickled with the coming surge of her transformation.
Rune saw the slight change begin to come over her. He shook his head and snarled a vicious curse.
“Go,” he commanded her. “Goddamn it, get the fuck out of here, now!”
She’d never seen him so enraged. Nor more afraid. It shook her as surely as a physical blow. She backed up so fast, she nearly stumbled. She wheeled around and ran, her heart throbbing in her chest, cold and leaden. Her tears were hot on her cheeks as she pushed out the door and fled into the night, fumbling to pull her phone from her pocket.
She hit the number for her father’s private line. He picked up on the first ring.
“Daddy!” Her breath hitched on a broken sob. “Oh, God, it’s Rune . . . Please, I need your help.”
~ ~ ~
Rune didn’t let out his breath until he heard the staff door slam shut behind Carys.
She was gone.
