I drop my gaze, heat creeping up the back of my neck and settling deep in my core. Luckily, at that moment, the antethorpe bleats, breaking the spell.
“I’m so sorry! You must be starving.” I reach over, grabbing the fuzzy creature and pulling it into my lap. “Did you bring anything for it?”
Rhune nods, his lips twitching as he grabs a small bundle I hadn’t noticed before. There’s a dark liquid staining the hide—almost like blood—and the sight makes my stomach turn.
“What is that?” I ask, gulping.
Rhune’s eyes crease in sympathy. “A voidfin. They are similar tofishin your world.”
“Fish? As in, there’s anoceansomewhere around here?”
Rhune nods. “We are not far from it, though it is not as close as the welwig forest. I had no luck hunting in the forests earlier, but luckily, the ocean was still bountiful.”
He pushes the bundle behind him out of my sight. “I know it upsets you greatly, but the antethorpe needs flesh to survive. I will feed it out of your sight so that you do not have to suffer through the ugliness.” He hangs his head. “I am sorry, but it must be done.”
My chest squeezes with an unnamable emotion. This big, scary beast is just so damnsweet.I can’t take it.
“It’s okay, Rhune.” I reach out to touch his hand. “Idon’t eat meat, but if the baby needs it, then it should have as much meat as it needs.” I offer him a smile, and he perks up slightly. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“It is nothing,” he mutters. “I made a horrible mistake earlier. I will be more attuned to your needs in the future.”
My chest aches to think of how thereisno future between us. But he looks so happy now, I don’t want to say anything to spoil the mood. Instead, I sit back and watch Rhune feed the antethorpe small bits of meat, awestruck at how gentle he’s being.
Nathan would never do something like this…
At the thought of my shitty ex, my stomach twists, and I tear my eyes away from Rhune, fixating on a small crack in the wall. Rhune is a beast—a demon—and still, he’s shown me more kindness and care than my ex ever did. It’s so strange to realize how unhappy I had been with Nathan, and how unsafe he made me feel. I always had to be on my toes, present myself with grace and poise, live up to his unrealistic expectations of beauty and status—and it was exhausting.
I thought I was truly free before. Unquestionably happy. But here, trapped deep underground with four crazy demons, I’ve found the ability to breathe again.
“Why do you look so sad?”
Rhune’s soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I turn to him with a strained smile. “Nothing at all. Just thinking.”
“Thinking about something that makes you sad.” He cleans his hands and moves away from the antethorpe, his glowing pink eyes staring deep into mine, searching for something. “What is wrong, my mate?”
The way he says it makes my heart clench. Like he really wants to know. Like he really cares. I open my mouth to reiterate my previous statement, but for some reason, I find I’m unable to lie to him or myself any longer.
I don’t know what possesses me at that moment, but the floodgates burst, and I wind up telling Rhune everything. About my past, my relationship with Nathan, my friendship with Kimberly, and the discovery that led to my heart shattering. Through it all, Rhune sits there and listens with rapt attention, taking my words in without a sound.
It feels good to let it all out. Although, the tears that accompany my story are a bit mortifying. When I get to the part about losing my mother’s necklace, I absolutely lose it, and I have to end the story.
When I manage to calm myself, Rhune’s expression has hardened to stone, his lips a thin crease in his handsome face.
“Never in all my years have I heard of such a fool-brained male.” His words drip with disgust. “To disrespect you so fully, to desecrate your bond… it is inconceivable.”
He reaches for me, and when he tries to pull me into his lap, I let him. His arms curl around me, covering my torso and pressing my head to the spot just below his thrumming heart. His palm brushes down my hair as he rocks me gently, his throat rumbling with a low purr.
“His actions were despicable. And still, I am grateful for it, because his foolishness has led to me having you.” He looks deepinto my eyes, and my breath catches at the loving tenderness shining in him. “Willow Wood, light of my soul, I wouldnevertreat you as such. I wouldn’t dream of it. If I did, I would throw myself onto the tallest pike I could find. Would tear my heart from my chest and feed it to the nearest hungry arachnix.”
My lips tilt in the barest of smiles. “I don’t know what anarachnixis, but that might be the most dramatic thing I’ve ever heard.” I squeeze his hand back—well, more like his finger, because his hand is so massive. “And the sweetest.”
I lean up, pressing my lips to his jaw in a chaste kiss. I don’t know why I do it, but the touch sends heated fire coursing through my system all the same. Of course, once I realize what I’ve done, I pull away from Rhune, absolutely mortified. Even though things are over between me and Nathan, it feels weird to be kissing another man so soon.
Though, he’s not really a man, is he?
“I’d like to be alone now, if that’s okay,” I whisper, suddenly tired again.
Rhune nods, but he doesn’t look happy. “I’ll be nearby. Call if you desire anything.”
