Page 240 of Blood & Betrayals

“Can you hear it? The singing?” the stranger asks, his voice sounding far away. I slam the book shut.

“Fuck. No, I can’t. I know what that rune is.”

The stranger shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“What is it?” he asks, still sounding dazed.

I grab his face, forcing him to look at me. “Focus on me.”

“Little fae…” His words are slurred. “How…. rune?”

I keep my hands on his face. “Stay with me.”

“Can’t hold… the spell…” His form starts to pulse and flicker, unraveling at the seams. I can tell he’s seconds away from disappearing, and I don’t know who he fucking is. This rune could kill him.

“I need to see you. In person. Where are you?”

“You… can’t, little fae,” he says, his words slurred.

I shake my head. “You don’t understand, Stranger. This is bad. You can blindfold me if necessary, but I need to draw a rune on you. Now.”

The stranger tries to lift his arm to cover my eyes, and I help him hold his hand in place and close my eyes. It takes two long beats before I feel something change. The heat of his body suddenly surrounds me, and I can feel the calluses on his palm against my face. Everything about him has… solidified and become more real. Excitement shivers through me. He is right next to me in his real form. The stranger mumbles something, pulling me back to the issue at hand. Now is not the time.

I push away everything and slice my finger before blindly reaching for him. My hand lands on his muscled forearm, and I start to draw the antidote rune. It had come to me the second I realized what the rune in the book does.

“What rune was that?” he asks. His voice is so much richer in person. It’s like nothing I’ve heard before, and it settles over me like warm honey.

I exhale a shaky breath as I finish drawing the rune on his arm. “I have only ever heard rumors of it, but it is said the fae spent a long time creating it. Supposedly, it was wiped from the minds of those who had seen it. I thought it was a myth.” So many stories and myths fill my mind, yet I have no idea wherethey have come from. It’s as if they are coiled into my DNA like some genetic memory.

I feel him shift, and then I feel the pleasant weight of his head on my shoulder. His hair brushes against my cheek, and I shiver. Unable to resist, I Iean into him.

“I’ve never been affected like that before.” He relaxes a little as the antidote takes effect, but his breath is still coming in labored pants, and he is careful to keep his hand over my eyes.

“Stranger?” I whisper. “Would it be so bad to let me see you?”

He tenses again, his fingers tightening against my face. “Yes.”

I nod and remain silent, staying close to offer whatever comfort I can. Being against his true form is intoxicating. The feel of his power pulsing against me is both familiar and exciting. I feel safe and more content than I have any right to.

“Tell me about the rune.”

“It’s an eradication rune,” I reply, keeping my voice soft and calm.

“Eradication? For what?” he asks, his voice a little more unburdened.

“For every non-fae.”

“So anyone who read the journal that wasn’t fae would die?”

“The rune is bigger than that. There are tales about it, stories, songs, poems. Even someone like me who didn’t grow up around the fae knows of them.” I think for a moment. “I think it never affected you before because you hadn’t broken through the lock. The passages unlocked when I touched the journal were obviously not meant to be read by anyone but fae.” I worry my lower lip. “It needs to be destroyed, and we cannot discuss this again.”

“Why?” The stranger sits up, obviously feeling stronger. I immediately miss his solid warmth against me. He removes his hand, leaving a silky blindfold in its wake.

“We both read those passages, Stranger. Fae can be chaotic, jealous, and cruel. This journal can’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“You’re right. I’ll destroy it.”

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