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Gideon halted. Did you think it would be that easy? She frowned, staring at him. He wasn’t very good at this game.
The one she’d enchanted earlier buzzed beneath her fingertips.
Uhoh
Oh, I won’t. A sip would relax her and help her reassess before forging a fresh path.
Dont drinnk the wrong one loll
“Something wrong with that one?” Rune froze like a rabbit in a snare. “Wh-what?” “The wine you offered me. After I refused it, you set it down and took the other.” Shoot.
Uhoh
she locked eyes with him, pressed the cup to her lips, and took a long swallow. “If it’s drugged,” she said, coming up for air, “you’ll know in a few minutes.”
Lmaoo
Like unruly ivy pushing at the windows of a house, forcing open the locks and letting itself in, she could feel Truth Teller breaking down her defenses, loosening her inhibitions, allowing someone to reach in and easily pluck what was inside.
Ohno
This will be fine.
Everyhing was inndeed not fine
Alarmed by the instinct, she immediately leaned away instead. Trying to appear unbothered by everything spinning out of her control,
LMAO
He raised one dark brow. “Is that all?” Curse him.
Oh shit
He gave her an incredulous look. “And do what? Make conversation with Bart Wentholt?” He scowled. “I have more stimulating conversations with my horse.”
LMAOOO
that a laugh burst out of Rune.
“Your laugh is like a fuse,” he said. “It lights you up.”
Damn thats cutee
He played the same game she did, and was more skilled at it than she’d thought. Fear nipped at her.
he lingered. Touching his temple to hers, running the backs of his fingers tenderly up her arm. Her skin blazed in his wake. His touch was stronger than the drink, pulling her under. How is he so good at this?
Uhoh
It was almost as if he were a weapon specifically designed to compromise her.
DAMN
she dumped her wine down the front of his suit.
THATS EXPENSIVE
When he was out of earshot, Verity hissed, “Are you out of your mind?” She’d gone dark as a thundercloud.
Rune looked away, thinking of the enchanted wine, of the way his tracing hands knew exactly how to disarm her. He was experienced in a way Rune wasn’t. That had been clear.
Verity sat down on the bed and took Rune’s hand, gripping it tight. Quietly, she said, “I don’t want to lose you, too.” Rune heard what her friend didn’t say: I lost my sisters. You’re all I have left.
He pulled her close, holding her for a long time. It was there, in his arms, that Rune realized for the first time she could trust Alexander Sharpe with her life.
He is so pure
As the sudden smell of roses bloomed in the damp air, a chill skated over his skin. She’s dead, he told himself. You’re imagining it.
D:
You’re a Blood Guard captain. Footsteps in the fog do not scare you. But it wasn’t the footsteps so much as the smell. Her smell.
The smell of her was gone. Had it ever really been there, or was it all in his head?
Gideon entered the shop and was halfway to the door when something made him stop. I don’t have a dress to wear, Rune had told him. My seamstress is booked until next month.
If his mother were designing a dress for Rune Winters, what kind of dress would it be? He started sketching.
Holy shit
“They’re Minora spells, so I should be able to cast them using the blood you gave me, right? But when I try, it’s like wading through sludge, and nothing happens.”
because blood from someone else always boosted the power of a spell. But it only worked so well, and only some of the time.
“It’s like when too much electric current flows through a wire. The wire can’t hold that much power and overheats, causing a fire or explosion.”
This was necessary for immense magical workings, such as Majoras and Arcanas—the two highest categories of spellcraft.
She smirked at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” To her surprise, his face flushed. A prickling silence filled the space between them. They both glanced away.
Imagining him in Caelis, so far away, filled her with a sadness so deep, she wanted to sink to the floor and cry. What would she do without him?
“Oh,” she whispered. Suddenly, the door swung in. Gideon stood in the frame, towering over her. Were you born massive? she wondered, staring up at him. Or were you once as small and fragile as the rest of us?
lol
Something fluttered and swooped inside Rune, like a flock of birds taking flight. She tried to bite down on the enormous smile spreading across her face.
to allow this ruthless witch hunter to get close enough to see her every flaw; to measure
And the dress design sitting in his sketchbook solved his problem. Not hers. Or so he thinks. A genuine smile replaced her wavering one.
:]
Rune unlaced her riding boots and took her time wriggling out of her trousers, relishing Gideon’s sudden bashfulness.
:]
She knew what he meant, but the way he said it made her imagine him working his way down her in a … less vertical way. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one. Gideon froze, opened his mouth to clarify what he meant, and coughed instead.
LMAO
The way he said the young queen’s name—Cress, not Cressida—made Rune feel funny.
Cress moved me there from the palace to … better fulfill her needs. The night of that party, I was being punished.” He ran a hand roughly through his hair. “For neglecting my duties.”
“She was … beautiful,” he finally said. “And alluring.” He seemed half-lost in a dream. “And powerful.”
If he’d been a witch queen’s lover, Rune would need to be much more careful. He would pick up on the smallest of cues.
Facts
“It was only after she’d reeled you in that she revealed her true nature. But by then, it was too late.”
The smile that bloomed across her face did something strange to his insides.
He’d pleased her. It was written clear across her face. He didn’t like what this knowledge did to him. Warming him through. Thawing his icy heart.
“Not too far. She’s being held at the old mine near Seldom Harbor.” “I see.” Rune’s lips pressed into a pout as her fingers dropped to the next button. “There’s a masked ball at the Creeds’ tonight. You could meet me there afterward.”
An alibi
Worth it. Gideon, she decided, was the suitor she’d accept.
Thi is tooo easyy! Dont forrget tthe gaame
If she does, I’ll have my fugitive. But even if someone else shows up instead, I’ll know Rune is in league with the Moth—since she’s the only person I gave the location to.”
Uhoh
THE OLD MINE NEAR Seldom Harbor stood on a small clifftop a hundred meters above sea level,
Shit
Normally, though, there were more guards than this.
Oh no, take the hint
Still, Rune hesitated, unable to shake the feeling that something was off.
U dummmy
