Page 94 of Whispers of the Water

Behind the glass of the frame was a picture of Rune when he was small. He sat on the shoulder of a large man, and his frail arms reached down to squeeze the man’s neck. Rune’s face lit up as if he squealed in delight. The man held him with one arm reached high, and the other wrapped tightly around the woman he held close. The man was laughing as he looked up at Rune, and the woman’s wide smile lit her rosy cheeks as she pressed into the man’s side. Her small hand reached up toward little Rune, and she laughed at her two boys.

My mouth quivered as a tear slipped down my cheek. It was a photo of him and his parents. Of a happy, loving family. Balgair, Rune’s father, must have been a great man. I wished I could’ve met him, seen what he was like and what Myra was like before he had died. I wanted Rune to have more than a picture to hold onto.

I wanted Rune to have his mother and father back.

A small, sad chuckle broke Rune’s lips as he turned me to face him. Cupping my cheeks, he tilted my head back to look at him. He put on a brave front, but the pain behind his eyes peeked through. “Why are you crying?”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. “I hate being Water Fae. I don’t want to be one of the people who took everything from you.”

If only there wasn’t a stupid war between the two races. If only Balgair hadn’t fought the Water Fae King, my dad. I didn’t want to be connected to the beings who stole Rune’s smile. The Fae who stole everything. Myra’s ability to love. Rune’s father. Even my own parents were lost to this feud. Maybe if my mom and dad had been human, we’d still be together right now. I’d have a family of flesh and blood. But I didn’t, and it was all because of this idiotic hatred.

Why do I have to be one of them?

Rune was quiet as he pulled me into his arms, burying my wet cheeks against his chest. Resting his chin atop my head, he said, “Human. Water Fae. It doesn’t matter. You’re still you, no matter what race you belong to. Don’t hate yourself just because of what you are. I love you, every part of you. Even the Water Fae part. I didn’t bring you in here to make you feel bad about what or who you are.”

Rune pulled back enough to gaze down at me, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, letting his fingers brush softly across my skin.

The huskiness of his voice dropped to a hushed whisper as he finished, “I brought you here because this room has everything important to me in it. I’ve never shared so much of myself or my treasures with anyone before, but I’ve also never loved anyone the way I do you. Water Fae or not Bria, you are my most precious treasure.”

My throat tightened, and my chest grew warm with fresh emotions. Hearing the raw truth of Rune’s feelings sent my own flooding forward, bursting past every bit of wall I’d ever built. My heart belonged to this man.

“I love you,” he whispered, inching his lips toward mine.

Sniffling, I smiled against his mouth. “I love you so much, you damn Fox.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

AFTER A LONG session of sensual, slow kisses, Rune and I lounged back on his queen-size bed. The mattress sank beneath our weight in an inviting, fluffy embrace. He showed me his extensive personal library, flipping through both old, crinkled paper as well as new, glossy pages. My eagerness visibly bubbled over when he pulled out blueprints and sketches of buildings he’d created.

“Wow,” I gasped as I carefully spread the prints over the bed. My eyes traced every line, every precise decision etched onto the paper. Passing my gaze from these proofs to a photo of the final product was mesmerizing.

“This building is used for a small, privately owned business. They specialize in interior decorating, so they wanted a clean, and as they put it, ‘unique’ building. Typical square glass windowpanes seemed a bit boring, so I went with an angled glass tower with obtuse panes.”

“It’s stunning,” I said breathlessly.

His lips turned up in a warm grin. Meeting my eyes, he said, “Thank you. I’m really proud of my work.”

He folded me into his arms, pulling me back against his broad chest. I settled in his hold with a content smile as he set all the papers aside on the floor. The air moved through my lungs with ease, and I snuggled deeper into his arms. This was all I wanted; sweet moments with just the two of us where things felt safe and normal. I craved more moments like this with him, and for the first time, I really felt like that was a possibility.

Shifting, I glanced over my shoulder to find those golden eyes. They were bright, blazing embers, burning sweetly into mine.

It made me slightly curious. One of my first experiences with those eyes was the day I’d saved him as a fox. It had been so long since then, and I realized that I hadn’t seen him as a fox in a while. Growing even more curious, I realized I’d never seen my fox while knowing it was Rune. The knowledge of who he was gave my fox a whole new feeling.

Turning to face him, I pursed my lips and fingered the blue pendant hanging around his neck. “Can you turn into a fox whenever you want?”

Laughing, he quirked a teasing brow. “Of course. Like my human and Fae form, I can manifest as a fox at any time.”

Jumping up to crouch on my knees, I leaned in close with excited eyes. “Can you do it now? I want to see.”

A playful glimmer lit his face, but he quickly masked it with a dismissive shrug. “I don’t know.” His words were slow and feigning uncertainty. He stretched his arms above his head and gave an overdramatic yawn. “I’m pretty tired. Maybe if I had some sort of motivation?”

Giggling, I slowly ran my finger under his bottom lip. “How about you show me your fox form, and I might give you a kiss afterward.”

A heated smirk pulled at his lips. “Fair enough.”

I settled at the foot of the bed to give him space. Watching him with hungry eyes, he slowly tugged his shirt over his head, the hard muscles of his stomach and chest flexing as he did. The long, silky strands of his white hair became slightly disheveled, making my fingers itch to run through them. Everything about him was stunning, and I didn’t think it could get any better.

Then he shrugged off his pants and boxers.

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