Rune squeezed my hip, demanding my eyes on him. I tilted my head and had to hold myself back from moaning with the way he looked so perfect. The rain poured down on us, and some of his stray wet hair pieces dangled over his face as he gazed down at me. His dark beard held the raindrops and his lips begged for my kisses. As I gazed at him, I was reminded of the throb in my core and my need for an orgasm that he denied me right before.
His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared.
“Behave,” he rumbled.
I blinked and nodded, unable to find my voice.
Why was I everywhere on the emotional spectrum? It had to have been his touch . . . his stare. His everything, because, Jesus. Or maybe I was so fucking happy I was alive and back in his arms. I really thought I’d never see him again and was doomed to wander the In-Between.
Aaliyah’s bloody face popped into my mind, and my stomach dropped to my feet.
I lowered my eyes.
“I’m flashing us to the store. You might feel woozy, but if you connect the link, I can help with that . . .”
I licked my lips and swallowed hard.
It sounded like the right thing to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to.
Thunder boomed, making me jump and realize they were waiting for me to answer. Rune didn’t say anything, and that made me look up at him again. He nodded once, his eyes shuttering, and his jaw working. Turning his attention to the others, he waited for everyone to place a hand on him while they crowded around us to tighten the barrier around me.
“Isa, breathe,” Rune warned before everything went dark.
Flashes of milky ways and galaxies popped up around us, making my lips part and my eyes widen. A strangled gasp got stuck in my throat as everything around us flew by like we were going at the speed of light in outer space. Electricity zapped around us, louder than anything I’d heard. The heart-stopping whips were so deafening they churned my stomach until I was about to hurl. Then it stopped and was gone as our surroundings bled into focus.
Walmart’s blue banner and half-lit logo stood out like a beacon that flashed every few seconds. Rain pounded on us, and the rivulets going into the drains were all I could hear outside of my ragged breathing.
“Isa,” Rune said, his hand rubbing my back. “Connect the link.”
I licked my lips and squeezed my eyes shut as I tried so hard to force back the rising bile. My head spun like crazy, and sweat beaded on my upper lip with tingles. It was my sign that I was fucked.
No reason to fight it anymore.
Stumbling away from Rune, I leaned forward and planted a hand on my thigh while I pushed some of my wet hair back with the other. Like I knew would happen, I puked the coffee I had earlier with stomach acid. Rune helped me as he held my hair away for me and rubbed circles on my back.
“So stubborn,” he mumbled and sighed. “There you go, spit. I’ll get you a toothbrush and toothpaste. And lots of food and drinks.”
I spat one last time and wiped my mouth with the back of my trembling hand. Straightening, I glanced at Rune and shook my head.
“I don’t think I can eat right now.” God, my stomach churned at the thought of eating.
He tsked as he grabbed my hand and led me to the store’s entrance. I didn’t notice the others were still around because they were so quiet, but they walked with me.
Why didn’t they make any comments about me throwing up since they thought the normal bodily functions of humans were funny not so long ago? I side-eyed Slátra since he was the one who always cracked jokes about me. Right as he turned his green eyes to me, I swiftly turned away.
“You don’t have to right now, but I’m still getting you those things. I want you happy and to have your comfort items from this realm,” Rune said, breaking me from my wandering thoughts.
A flush crept up my neck to my cheeks, tingling to my ears from Rune’s thoughtfulness. I knew he was doing the bare minimum a man should do. But I’d never get over it and how he thought of my needs first. My likes and dislikes. It made my stomach flip and oddly felt like I was going to puke again because of how happy it made me.
I squeezed his large hand but avoided his gaze entirely because I didn’t want him to see my embarrassing fluster over him. He wouldn’t judge me. In fact, I was sure he’d think it was adorable and even tell me that. But I’d been feeling off since I came back to life. I kept going back and forth with myself on being vulnerable with him, then shutting him out.
What if I showered my love on him only for me to die again?
I couldn’t do that to him. I had told him I loved him for the first time hours before I died in his arms. There was no way I could put him through something like that again.
I squinted my eyes because of the fluorescent lights inside the store as we walked through the entrance. Out of habit, I steered to the left and grabbed a cart. Rune rested his hand on my lower back as I wandered around the store. The heavy footsteps of his boots echoed in my head. The sound was ominous, and I knew he was no threat to me, but for whatever reason, his footsteps sent my heart racing.
My grip on the handle tightened, and I scanned around the store, trying hard to find what I was looking for.
