Page 82 of Between Smoke and Shadow
I ease out of her, slowly to avoid hurting her. She groans once I’m gone, bringing her legs back together and placing her hand against her entrance. She blinks at me, giving me a sated smile, before letting her eyes drift shut.
“I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you more,” I say. I need to get something to clean us up, but I’m in no rush to move. I roll to her side and tuck her against me, my cock already stirring with her ass pressed against it. I resist the temptation. As fucking incredible as that was, Rune is—or was, I guess—a virgin. She’ll need a break before we go again.
With her lithe body tucked against mine, Rune eventually falls asleep. I try to do the same, but instead, I stare at the ceiling for what feels like hours. I think about what she’s been through, and what we’ve been through together. I think of the people in power, and the way Savoa suffers beneath them. And finally, I whisper the truth of it all into her sleeping ear.
“You’re better than all of them,” I tell her. “Every single one. You’re a queen, Rune Ealde, and someday, they’ll bow toyou.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
RUNE
I wake up several hours later. Harrick is still here, shirtless but wearing pants. He’s wrapped my blanket around me, and his arm is trapped beneath my head as a makeshift pillow. I roll over, blinking up at him, half-expecting him to disappear. There’s a part of me that’s still sure this is all a dream, and that at any moment, I’ll wake up and realize it never happened.
“Hey,” he says, voice gravelly. He’s readingIllia’s Tome, and by the dark bags under his eyes, it’s gotten incredibly late. It doesn’t look like he’s slept.
I glance at his lips, blushing. Only hours ago, he wasinside me, and I’m inexplicably aroused by the ache he’s left behind. I shift my legs, feeling the soreness and hoping it never goes away.
As if he can sense my wandering mind, Harrick’s mouth slants into an easy smile. He brushes the hair from my face, looking at me with the utmost care and affection. This man loves me. Even if he wouldn’t have told me, I’d know. I can feel it in the way he’s gazing at me now, as if I’m precious and important andhis.
If there’s a single person in this world to trust, it’s him.
I study him. It feels like my lungs are shriveling and curling up my throat, like I could puke half my organs on the bed if Itried. Harrick quirks his head, concern sketching his features. I should say something light, something casual. But there’s a blaring sensation in my chest, begging me not to let this—him—go.
“I’ve been planning my escape for over a cycle,” I tell him. It comes out in a rush, making it sound like an impossibly long word, rather than a sentence. When Harrick blinks at me, his face stunned, I clarify in a low whisper, “My escape from the Tower.”
“I knew what you meant,” he says, voice quiet. His eyes sweep over me, as if he’s seeing me in a way he never expected. I can’t tell if he hates it.
I bite my lip hard enough that it starts to bleed. Harrick hasn’t gotten angry or shown any sign he’s about to imprison me. He only stares, but it’s enough to make my entire body shiver. I recoil slightly, tugging the blanket higher on my chest.
“Hey,” he says, gentle as ever. He touches my face, pressing his thumb to the bleeding spot on my lip. Even when I flinch at his touch, his face remains steady, patient. “Careful, sweetheart.”
“Are you mad?” I ask. His endearment settles the nerves in my gut, but cycles of abuse keep me on edge.
“Of course not,” he says. His throat bobs as he swallows. “Is that—is that what you were doing that day in the City?”
“Kind of,” I say, not sure how much I want to admit. Harrick takes a deep breath. He’s still holding my face, a gentle sadness crossing it.
“I don’t blame you for trying to leave,” he says. He strokes my cheek. “But do you have any idea what I would have done if you disappeared? Not attacked, not hurt…justgone. Rune, I would have torn this world to shreds looking for you."
“We weren’t leaving,” I say. I lean against Harrick’s hand, but I move my eyes away from him. I’m tempted to ask about thehoarded magic, but then I’m sharing more than just my secret. It’s one thing to risk my life, another to risk the entire faction’s. “I don’t want to say more.”
“Thank you, for telling me,” he says.
His fingers slide to the back of my hair, squeezing gently. He tilts his head, reclaiming my line of sight. He pulls me tighter against his side, and though I’m embarrassed at my nakedness, I don’t pull away. Once I’m settled, he kisses the crown of my head, sweeping my hair to the side.
“Gods, I can’t wait to hold you like this all the time,” he whispers against my hair.
I let his words wash the insecurity from my skin. I lay my head against his chest and lose myself in the steady rhythm of his breaths and his heartbeat. His thumb strokes over my hip, again and again, like a silent lullaby, until I find myself drifting to sleep once more.
Harrick is gonewhen I wake the following morning. There’s a breakfast tray in my room, and it’s by far the best thing I’ve eaten in my life. It’s better than the ones Mom made before she got sick, and it’s so far superior to servant meals there’s no comparing them. I sit cross-legged on the bed, cutting into the final egg on my plate. I’m already stuffed, but I’d be a fool not to eat every crumb.
The six o’clock buzzer sounds. I’ve been waiting for reassignment ever since being taken off Viana’s service, but so far, a notice hasn’t come. I imagine Harrick is behind it. One way or another, I’ve had ample free time. Today, I’m going to take a long shower and see if I can snag anything useful for Vale. WhileI’m not sure what I’m going to do now that I’ve told Harrick the truth, I can’t bring myself to abandon the mission entirely.
I take my last bite and check that I haven’t spilled yolk on my coverall. Relieved I haven’t—since Harrick sent this new one only yesterday—I slip into my shoes and open the door to the hallway.
I’m startled backward when Harrick himself pushes into my quarters. He looks handsome as ever, but he’s exhausted too. Dark bags color beneath his eyes, and he’s blinking like he’s ready to fall asleep.
