“Sif is an issue,” I admitted. “But I meant it when I said I wasn’t mad. I was more annoyed that you went after her instead of staying in the gym with me. She was baiting you, and you took it.”

“I know.” Rune put his hand on my shoulder. “And I’m sorry.”

“Can I ask why there is so much anger there?”

Rune sat back against the headboard and looked at the ceiling for a moment. “Do you remember the first time we saw each other at the park? Before you were jumped?”

“I do.” I was honestly surprised he remembered too.

“Well, Sif and I had been fighting a lot and had been on and off for a while. When I saw you, I felt something I had never felt before. Like a pull to you. That night, I broke it off with Sif again, and I told her it was the last time. We were over, and I wanted something more. She took it to mean she was not enough.”

“I am guessing she didn’t take that well.”

“She did not.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “We fought. Some things were said, and she said something that made it apparent she never really wanted me. She wanted what my position could give her.”

“That’s fucked up.” My stomach twisted in guilt. I did not want Rune just because of his crown, but I was here talking to him now, to get a favor for Sarah. “And now is she going to be a problem for us?”

“No, she left an hour ago. She went to stay with her mom at the satellite office in Flagstaff. She’s going to help interrogate and get some space. I hope that eventually we can put this behind us. I don’t think she and I will ever be friends again, but she is a fierce warrior, and I don’t want Hell to lose someone like her on the front lines because she can’t keep her mouth shut.”

“I get it.” I was glad Sif would be gone for a while, but I hated Kylie was gone, too. Kylie was by far the best person to train me to protect myself and fight.

“Good.” Rune brushed his fingers across my cheek. “Because I will never tolerate her talking to you or about you like that again.” He kissed my lips gently. “So you actually remember seeing me at the park too?” he asked with a smile before kissing me again.

His lips tasted like fresh mint. It made me aware that I probably had coffee breath. I moved to kissing his neck instead.

“I remember seeing this massive man with a sexy smirk, and the hottest body I had ever seen,” I whispered in his ear between kissing and biting his neck.

He put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer. I eagerly climbed onto his lap as I sucked a small hickey onto his neck, putting my hands on his bare chest.

“What else do you remember?” he asked, running his hands over my back and sides.

“I remember thinking that your hair looked soft and I wanted to run my fingers through it while I rode your thigh.” I laced my fingers in his still damp hair and tugged just a little.

“If you want to ride, I have something much better than my thigh.” He lay back on the bed, taking me with him.

I was now straddling his hips, and I could feel his cock now hard as steel pressing against the seam of my pants, giving me the most delicious friction.

“I remember thinking your arms looked so strong, like they would keep me warm and safe.” I sat up and dragged my nails across his chest, watching the way his muscles rippled under my touch.

“Then what happened?” He ran his hands over my outer thighs, moving a little closer together with each pass.

“You looked at me, and I saw your bright blue eyes, and I felt something in me snap into place. I knew I wanted you, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone else.” I rocked my hips back, creating a little more friction, hoping it would take the edge off. Instead, I burned hotter for Rune. “When I got home that night, I thought about you, half convinced you weren’t real.”

Rune pulled me down into a searing kiss full of need and lust. He had one hand pressed on my lower back to hold me to him; the other hand fisted in my hair, angling my head the way he wanted so he could kiss me as deep as possible.

I moved from his mouth and started kissing down his neck. His skin tasted clean, like water, a hint of his body wash, and the musky flavor that was all him.

“What did you do when you thought about me that night?” His words vibrated against my lips as he spoke.

“I called the guy I was seeing and broke it off. Even if I didn't see you again, he couldn’t satisfy me in the way I craved.” I sat up again, looking down at Rune lying under me.

The bright blue of his eyes flashed, his lips were a little brighter from my kisses, and a red mark formed on his neck. The rhythmic movements of his chest sped a little faster.

“It scares me a little,” I admitted.

“What scares you?” Rune sat up, wrapping his arms around me, surrounding me in his warmth.

“How intense this is. This feels good, it feels right, and I get lost in it so easily, I forget things. Things like I have only known you a few days. There is so much we don’t know about each other.”