CHAPTERFOURTEEN
“Wake up, beautiful,” Rune crooned. The heated pads of his fingers ran down my cheek. “Wake up. I know you’re getting there.”
My eyes shot wide open, and I grabbed his hand near my face. I shrieked in shock and started patting all over his face, my heart hammering inside my chest. “You’re real. You’re here.”
He placed his hands over mine, holding them to his cheeks. “It’s all right. Calm down.”
“But…but…” I choked on air, coughing and shaking my head. “You can’t be real.”
“I am,” he stated simply.
Gawking at his golden eyes, my heaven. Up and down. Up and down.
My chin started trembling as the realization hit. “I died too?”
Still holding my hands, he brought them together in front of his mouth. He kissed the top of each one, his gaze holding mine. “No, Megan. You’re alive. I am too.”
I shook my head again. “Youdied, Rune. He crushed your fucking heart in his hand.”
He exhaled a heavy sigh and lowered our hands to his lap. Leaning over me on the couch that I lay on—it looked like the one in Godric’s living area—he questioned slowly, “Are you ready to hear all about my world yet?”
My mouth bobbed and my brows scrunched together. I didn’t speak.
Rune’s head tilted, and his black hair fell over one eye. “Is that a yes or no, beautiful?”
I snapped my mouth shut, considering all my options.
There were many.
Run the hell away and never look back. Pretend what happened hadn’t really happened. Go to a therapist and let them tell me I’m hallucinating—maybe I would believe it. Let him tell me his dark secrets and dive deeper into his fucked up world. Or simply go back to sleep and hope this was a dream.
Mina walked by out of nowhere, mumbling, “You need to know, Megan.”
Then she disappeared past my line of sight behind the couch.
Rune watched her movements, and then looked back down to me. He commented softly, “She’s gone now. We have privacy.”
I swallowed on a dry throat. “You’re really not dead?”
He shook his head. “Right here in front of you, enjoying your fine smell.”
I blinked. “You’re flirting with me right now?”
“I can’t help it.” He shrugged sheepishly, a small smile teasing at his lips. “It’s how I get around you.”
“Smooth,” I mumbled absently, turning my head away from him. I stared at a lamp across the room instead of his mesmerizing golden eyes. I asked honestly, “On a scale of one to ten, how much will this information fuck me?”
“That’s hard to answer.” He resituated himself on the couch, getting more comfortable. “For one thing, it won’t fuck you. Not physically. But it may screw with your mind until it sinks in. What I will tell you will blow you away.”
“Will anyone hunt me down to obtain the knowledge?”
“Not likely. More people know on this earth than you can imagine—even though it’s the best-kept secret ever. But there are always greedy bastards who might pop up.”
I cleared my throat and returned my regard back to him. To his eyes. “Then tell me. I’ve been kidnapped twice now. I think I need to know.”
He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, all cockiness gone as he stared down at me. It was a serious side I doubted he showed many people. It looked good on him, as did every other emotion he wore on his face. “First, I’m immortal. Kind of.”
“Kind of?” We were going to hit crazy-town by the time this talk was through.
