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AsteadypoundinginterruptedFaye’s sleep. She frowned. The rhythmic sound came from her. Her heart beating in her ears.
Closing her eyes tighter, she rolled on her side. She pulled the blankets closer, growing frustrated when the fabric clung to her fingertips. Her breaths deepened with exhaustion. She stopped fighting with the blanket and her body went limp, waiting for sleep to pull her under.
A new awareness took hold in her mind. A connection to a reservoir of power. More than that she perceived others, could feel their strength and location in relation to hers. One stood close to her. Focusing on it she felt him. The familiarity of his mind. The scent of amber and sandalwood.
He was weaker than her.
Faye fought to open her eyes. “Rune?” She winced, the words burning her throat.
The bed sank near her, and fingertips brushed over her hair. Faye heard the murmuring of his voice but couldn’t discern his words. She managed to open her eyes for a moment, catching a glimpse of white-blonde hair trailing over black material.
Her hand lifted, increasing the tightness over her nails. Her eyes blinked open again. Rune unhooked the sheets from her claws, easing the pressure.
A feather light touch brushed her cheek as her consciousness slipped to darkness.
Chapter seventy-eight
ExhaustioncontinuedtowrackFaye’s body. Rune or Sparrow routinely woke her with meals she had no appetite for. It didn’t matter how long she slept, she woke drained and fatigued. A deep slumber beckoned her and falling into it was effortless.
Faye woke some days later to find Rune seated next to her in a fine leather chair he must have brought from his home. His arms were folded. His legs set apart, stretching before him. A thin strip of light streamed into her room through a crack in the curtains covering her window, illuminating the strands of white-blonde hair that fell over the side of his face.
He looked peaceful with his head tipped back, resting against the chair. His eyes closed.
An ocean of memories swept through her at once, filling her consciousness as she gazed at him. Faye winced against the onslaught, shutting her eyes. Flickering images and emotions consumed her. Memory after memory piled into her too-full mind.
Faye squinted, her gaze rising to him once more. Rune stood at the heart of each new memory. Always standing at a place she knew as her shores, gazing into her Darkness. She drew a shaking breath as her mind settled. The last memory clicked into place.
His voice. A distant memory, wrapping around her.
I wish for an equal.
Her memories seemed to go on forever, eclipsing the length of her own. Making her twenty-five years seem like a fleeting moment.
Faye’s vision cleared as a possessiveness slid its claws into her mind. The certainty of it more intense than anything she’d felt before. This male belonged to her.
Mine.
Rune unfolded his arms, sitting up straighter. Did he hear her?
Her brow lowered as she began noticing other new and strange things. She perceived the depth of his power and realized he was much weaker than her. Faye’s gaze shifted to her door. She sensed Sparrow and Vashien in her sister’s room as well. Was this what it felt like to have magic?
A deep reservoir of power connected to her, stemming from far below her. The added layers of sensations were foreign, disorienting.
“Good morning.” Rune’s voice was deeper, taking a raspier tone when he first woke. Reminding her of all the mornings she woke in his arms. Faye shoved the memories aside.
She sat up and winced. Darkness, she was stiff. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A little more than a week. Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?” Rune asked.
Faye looked away, fighting the feeling of yearning that overcame her, drawing her to him. She felt too much. Too deep with him this close. “I’m thankful you were here to take care of me.” She met his gaze, and her heart ached. “This doesn’t change anything. We don’t work.”
Rune leaned forward. “I love you. I know you care for me.”
Faye pulled away, needing the distance between them. “It’s not enough. We’re fundamentally different.”
“This past week has given me much time to reflect. I have thought at length on your parting words. I listen when you speak. I will protect the things you value.”
His beseeching gaze stung her heart. “Rune.”
