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The Ra’Voshnik tore from his hold the moment her voice filled his mind, urging him to find her.
The corners of his mouth curled of their own accord as black bled through his gaze. His night breeze had steel to her backbone. Perhaps this would carry past the night. She held a shard of Darkness if she heard his wish. Strong enough not to fear him. A young vampiress who could accept his nature and darker urges.
He purred through the mental communication tether she established to his mind.Good evening, my Lady.
Courting was a delicate dance among the dark-blooded. One the woman controlled. Rune needed to meet her and learn what court she belonged to. He would send a letter of intent, seeking permission to pursue her romantically, accompanied by a talisman connected to his mind. If she accepted his advances, she would use it to speak to him.
Rune waited for her reply as he strolled through Lyssa’s private gardens away from the lingering crowd. He walked past manicured rose bushes, the blooming black roses’ sweet scent carrying to him. He debated taking a flower for his night breeze. Who had yet to answer him.
She hadn’t withdrawn her tether but remained silent. Rune slipped his power down the connection between them. The lick of force he used as a mental nudge touched an impressive mental shield. Withdrawing, Rune brushed his fingertips over an open bloom.
Rune was nothing if not patient. He bowed in the direction of the public courtyard to his unseen Lady and phased to his home in Hell.
The dark stone walls of his bedroom came into sharp focus. Hell’s ever-twilight sky streamed into his room through tall narrow windows evenly spaced along the exterior wall. A simple desk was arranged beneath the windows, and a four-post bed made of dark wood dominated the opposite wall. Dark silk draped over the posts, matching his sheets.
The Ra’Voshnik stirred, growing restless as it realized the object of its affection was no longer in its proximity. The creature’s urgings were easy enough to control. The twinge in his chest was another matter. Rune rubbed his thumb over his sternum at the strange sensation. Not pain, but something akin to sadness. He unfastened his cuffs, deciding to reevaluate himself after the night passed.
He stripped, showered, and retired to his bed. Tucking a hand behind his head and gazing at the vaulted ceiling. He would find out which court she belonged to tomorrow and write his letter of intent. His mind drifted, leading him to thoughts of her. Her scent captivated him. He wanted to hold her close, purring in contentment. Rune closed his eyes. His breathing became deep and even as he drifted to sleep.
He wasn’t sure how much time passed when soft images surfaced in his mind.
A woman held his hand. His vision cleared enough to see her while everything else remained blurred and dark. She walked ahead of him. Her arm outstretched and fingers twined with his as he followed her lead. Her long black hair fell between a pair of delicately boned reptilian wings. The iridescent scales glimmered in the soft light.
Rune glanced upward as their surroundings took shape. He followed her through a meadow in the moonlight. “Where are we headed this evening?” He asked, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand.
She turned her head slightly as she led him through the field. Not enough to glimpse her face, merely an acknowledgment she heard him. “You’ll see.”
The images faded as her words echoed, sounding far away. Rune’s consciousness slipped once more, and he drifted back to sleep.
Hours later, Rune’s lids fluttered as another dream softly drifted over his mind. He recognized the location through his slow, hazy awareness. Tall, dark wood bookshelves lined the walls, containing a number of tomes he studied out of in his youth. He comfortably sat lengthwise with his night breeze in his study on a settee before the fireplace. She curled against him between his legs, reading a book with her back to the fire. Its light danced over her smooth tanned skin.
“Good evening, my Lady.”
She didn’t respond. Rune couldn’t see her face from his angle, only the tip of her nose and a teasing glimpse of her dark lips as she muttered to herself while she read.
“Are you enjoying your book?”
“I was.”
Rune smiled at her teasing tone. She was warm. Having her in his arms felt so right. He ran his fingers through her hair, and she sighed, tilting her head to rest on his chest.
“Grant me your name.”
He felt her shoulders slump. “You’re ruining the mood, big guy.”
Rune conceded to silence and let her read, content to be in her company. He parted his lips, taking a shallow breath, and tasted nothing. Not a hint of her emotions. Perhaps it was for the best. She already commanded too much of the Ra’Voshnik’s attention. If it had her emotions to fixate on, he might never subdue it.
She turned her page, reading against him like he was a favorite chair. He was patient and would see her in the flesh soon enough. He ran the back of his fingers over her wing and was rewarded with her giggle.
“Stop that.” She laughed; her wing snapped open, pushing his hand away before tucking it back into place.
Rune chuckled and resumed stroking her hair. The scene darkened and faded as sleep settled over Rune’s mind.
A low roaring filled his ears as images that felt like memories floated through his mind. Rune sat with his back against something hard. He glanced at his surroundings, waiting for the puzzle pieces to arrange themselves.
Rune recognized his bed, but this wasn’t his room. He was in the center of a circular hollow the size of a large room. The Darkness surrounding him, a mass of swirling dark mist making up the walls of this place. The mist constantly churned, curling and twisting onto itself. Tendrils curled through the swirling fog, edged in a sharp glowing purple.
Fine white sand covered the ground in this strange place. Next to him, his night breeze stirred, rustling his sheets. She slept in a plain white nightgown tucked under his sheets. Her dark hair fanned over her pillow.
