Page 73 of Between Smoke and Shadow

If Malek comes across her or Viana or?—

I round the corner, and Rune collides into me. She’s faced away, as if checking behind her, and her head thumps against my chest. She sucks in a breath, making a tiny squeak, and wheels around to look at me. Her face is tight, mouth gaping.

“Shhh,” I say, before she makes another sound. “It’s me. What are you doing?”

I wait for the terror to slip away like an uncomfortable coat. I want it to disappear, for her to see me and smile and lean into me. But she doesn’t—she never does right away. No matter what I do, it feels like I have to work for her trust every single time.

She takes a step back hugging her arms over her chest. I scan her body, checking for any signs of injury. No cuts or scrapes, no visible blood. It looks like she’s been crying, but her mask makes it difficult to tell.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She sucks a heavy breath through her teeth, wide eyes darting around us. She still hasn’t spoken. She tilts her head toward her quarters, and without waiting for my response, she hurries away from me. By the time I reach her room, she’s already tucked inside, but the door has been left ajar.

I enter her quarters for the second time tonight, and only now do I wonder if it would bother her, me coming here without permission. There’s nothing personal in her room, but I suppose I didn’t know that before I entered. Maybe she’ll hate me for the invasion of privacy.

I swallow. This woman is doing something to my mind, making me question everything, making me worry and overthink. I close the door behind me and lean against it. Once again, I’m trapped in the absolute darkness of her room. Only this time, I can hear her breathing, feel her presence, within arm’s reach.

Despite everything else, I feel a pressure release from my chest.

Safe, I think.She’s safe.

“I don’t have a light,” she says after a long pause.

I lift my hand and form an orb of magic at my fingertips. Rune is closer than I thought, and she comes closer yet, chin tilted toward the glowing red. Her lips part, and it might be the first time she’s looked at me like this. In full wonder, like she’s mesmerized.

I imagine that’s my expression every time I look at her.

“Take off your mask,” I murmur. “Let me see you.”

It isn’t the first thing I should say. I should ask where she’s been. If she really was crying. If someone hurt her or if she was doing something that would hurtme. Whether it was sneaking around training with weapons, or worse, kissing lips that aren’t mine.

There’s a lot I need to say, but I can’t think of anything beyond the fact she’s hidden from me.

She unties her mask and knots it around the leg of her bed. I wonder if she does this every night, if it’s her way of knowing where to find it, even in the dark.

“Did the meeting go all right?” she asks.

I don’t ask how she knows about it—word travels fast here.

“They’re not happy,” I admit. I don’t clarify just howunhappythey are, Mother in particular. Apparently, I’ve strained her relationship with Demetrius Llroy. She doesn’t realize I take that as a personal win. I cup Rune’s face with my opposite hand, tilting her chin until her eyes meet mine. “They’ll get over it. I’m—I’m working on something that will fix everything. Trust me. It’s all going to be okay.”

I don’t want to tell her about my research, or my plans, until I’m sure something will come of it.

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I trust you.”

Her words sweep through me with an unexpected force, easing the strain in my lungs. There are so many unanswered questions between us, and when she says things like that, it makes me wonder why. If she trusts me, why did she go out in the City when I warned her what could happen? Why is she learning how to use weapons when no one is looking? What is she plotting, and am I secretly just a pawn, playing into her game?

Worst of all, why haven’t I dared to ask her?

I’m still working through the reasons when she touches my shoulders. Her fingers tremble against me, and I forgeteverything else. I don’t dare breathe, terrified she’ll stop if I do. She’s holdingme,and I can’t be the reason she lets go.

“Kiss me, Harrick,” she says, voice soft and tender. So fucking sweet, and I realize there’s not much I wouldn’t do if she asked.

So I don’t ask the questions I should. Instead, I withdraw my magic and bury my fingers into her hair. I claim her mouth, rougher than I was the last two times. Rune doesn’t seem to mind. She’s arcing into me, breathing soft moans as I kiss her deeper, harder. Her hands slide up my shoulders and settle against the nape of my neck. She leans into me, like she’s craving this moment as much as I am.

It’s all I need to lose whatever bit of common sense I have.

I tug Rune against me, holding both sides of her face now, tasting her lips until they part, until she gives me full access into her mouth. She gasps as I pull her into my arms and turn us for the bed.

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