Her mind was already racing—he could see it.“I might be able to find out.If I can access the right data, the right markers ...maybe I can trace it.Maybe I can help you find who was responsible.”
Rune’s throat closed around sudden, unexpected hope.“You’d do that?”
“Yes.”Her voice was fierce.“Because no one deserves not knowing.And maybe it will bring you peace.”
They were quiet for a long moment, the weight of loss and the fragile threads of connection binding them closer.Klarissa glanced between them, managing a small, tremulous smile.“You two are dangerous,” she teased gently, “you keep feeding me like this and I’ll forget all about my work.”
Rune chuckled, sliding the last dish toward her.“Then our plan is working.”
Kamon bumped shoulders with his brother.“She’ll be blaming us when she can’t move after dessert.”
They lingered over the food until every plate was scraped clean, then together they packed the dishes back onto the trolley, shoulders brushing as the three of them worked side by side.Rune wheeled it into the kitchen to stack the dishwasher, and Kamon wiped down the table, while Klarissa made them all coffee.It felt ...normal.Domestic.A glimpse of something that could be theirs.
When everything was squared away, they drifted back onto the balcony.The night air was cooler now, scented with the faint sweetness of jasmine from the planters below.Rune poured coffee, his hand brushing Klarissa’s as he set a cup before her.Kamon leaned against the rail, eyes never leaving her face.The air crackled, charged with something unspoken.
Then Klarissa lifted her chin, a spark of defiance in her eyes.“We keep dancing around it, and I know that you have both been giving me time to adjust and heal.Something’s growing between us.I feel it.You call it a mating bond, then so be it, but I definitely feel the connection.And I don’t want to waste time pretending otherwise.”
Rune’s tiger surged, clawing at him with wild hunger, but he kept his voice even.“You’re saying...”
“I’m saying I want this.Us.All of it.No more waiting.”Her gaze held his, unwavering.“I want to be with you.With both of you.”
Kamon inhaled sharply, his eyes darkening with heat.Rune felt his own restraint snap, replaced by a flood of need and certainty.He reached across the table, cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheek.“Then it’s decided.”
Kamon leaned in from her other side, his hand settling against her back.“We won’t make you wait,waan jai.Not for this.”
Klarissa’s breath hitched, her lips parting.The city glowed around them, forgotten.Their coffee cooled on the table, ignored.She looked at them both, wonder and fear warring in her gaze, then gave the smallest nod.The night shifted in that heartbeat—something fragile becoming unbreakable.Rune knew, as surely as he knew the beat of his own heart, that nothing between them would ever be the same again.
Chapter Five
Klarissa’s heart poundedas Rune’s chair scraped back.Before she could speak, he was on his feet, scooping her up into his arms as though she weighed nothing at all.A startled laugh escaped her throat, half nerves, half delight.“Rune—”
“Suuway,” he murmured, voice thick with heat and reverence, “it’s exactly like you said, tonight we’re done waiting.”
Kamon was already moving with them, one hand sliding over her knee as he kept pace at Rune’s side.“We’ve been patient,waan jai.Maybe too patient.”His smile was wicked, but his eyes glowed with something tender, something unshakable.
Rune carried her down the short hallway and into the bedroom, nudging the door closed with his foot.The LED candles they had set earlier cast soft, safe shadows across the room, painting it in gold.He set her down gently next to a bed larger than any she had ever seen, but his body never moved far, his hands lingering at her waist as though afraid she’d vanish if he let go.
