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Faye cracked her lids. He peered down at her with a hint of a smile. “I’ve been propositioned to be a pet. Do you have to wait for a pet to touch you before you touch them?”
He remained silent for a moment before saying, “Pet is a position in court. It is given to those who are beneath its standing. A dark-blooded court would consider a day-blood a pet. Pets are protected by their courts, and the court member keeping them is responsible for their actions. They are treated with the same courtesy all court members are.”
Faye’s brows came together. The courts that would have taken Sparrow and let her be Sparrow’s pet had accepted her in their own way. She was accepted but as less than.
Rune gave a soft laugh, and Faye’s gaze snapped to him. His pale blue eyes glinted. “You think us savages.”
They are. “Dark bloods steal Anarians. They practice their magic on them.”
Rune nodded. “Many do.”
“Did you?” How many Anarians suffered because of him?
Rune smiled, flashing a fang. “I am immortal. We train on our own bodies.” When Faye only stared at him, he continued, “When your magic is depleted, you can still draw power at the cost of your body. Being able to focus through pain can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Causing pain for sport is not a taste I acquired.”
“But some dark-bloods do.” Far outnumbering those who did not.
“Cruelty is not exclusive to the dark-blooded,” Rune stated simply.
“Does it matter when you’ve destroyed courts and decimated armies? Not killing for the pleasure of it makes little difference when you still kill.”
“We should speak of more pleasant things.”
Faye felt the strange pressure on the edge of her awareness. She took slow breaths, deep and even, trying to ignore it. “Do you see what I’m thinking when you’re in my head?”
The side of that smug bastard’s mouth lifted. “What are you afraid of me finding?”
Faye held his gaze and smiled genuinely. “Chopping your head off with a hatchet is my happy place.”
He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “And here I thought you were fond of candle holders.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips, but she stayed silent and closed her eyes.
“I can feel your emotions. Pulling memories without damaging them is Familiar magic.”
Faye nodded. “What are you looking for?”
“A spell laced in your mind.”
“What if it’s in your mind, and I’m just an innocent bystander?”
He laughed softly at that. “That is not how magic and balance work.”
Faye felt the same pressure on her mind. The growing tension pressing harder.
“Be easy. I almost have it.”
A compulsive aggression washed over her. She was prepared for it this time as it flooded her mind. Beneath its violence, she could feel it yearning for her. It rushed in her direction, its presence circling her before it enveloped her, settling over her senses. She smiled as it purred its contentment against her. Rune exhaled and Faye opened her eyes to see him looking off in the distance. His bad eyeliner pulsing beneath his eyes. She felt his Ra’Voshnik thrashing against his hold, fighting to stay with her.
He was taking fangs from her.
Faye closed her eyes, not trusting her expression. “It’s okay. Your Ra’Voshnik can stay. He just spooked me the first time.”
It wound around her tighter, seemingly growling at Rune. Faye bit back her smile. His Ra’Voshnik wanted to be near her, to touch her mind. She imagined running her fingers through its presence, hoping it could feel it.I would keep you, big guy, but you’re attached to an asshole.
Chapter twenty-four
Rune’sfangsdropped,lengtheningto sharp points. With her on the settee, all he could think of was her thighs straddling him when she bit down on his throat. Marking him. He needed to break this connection bewitching the Ra’Voshnik.
