8. Rune
EIGHT
RUNE
The dining room stretched before Rune like a monument to his own isolation—twenty chairs arranged around mahogany that could have seated visiting dignitaries, foreign ambassadors, or clan leaders from across the continent.
Instead, it had remained empty for over two centuries, collecting dust and memories of a time when he'd believed in the possibility of connection.
When he'd informed his chef that two additional plates would be needed, the man had stared at him with the wide-eyed wonder typically reserved for witnessing miracles.
"Two guests, sir?" The chef had repeated the words as if they were spoken in an ancient dialect.
"Yes, for a week or so," Rune had confirmed, his voice betraying none of the chaos churning beneath him. "Accommodate them accordingly."
Now he sat at the head of the polished table, three steaming plates arranged before him, a bottle of wine breathing nearby like a peace offering.
His fingers drummed against the mahogany surface as he waited, each second stretching into eternity while his mind replayed the image that had nearly destroyed his composure an hour earlier.
Maple. In nothing but a towel. Water droplets clinging to her skin like diamonds.
His grip tightened on the table's edge until he heard the wood creak in protest. Even now, the memory of her standing in that doorway—hair damp and falling in waves around her shoulders, her long legs exposed, skin flushed from the shower's heat—sent fire racing through his veins.
His dragon had roared with such primal hunger that he'd barely managed to remain upright holding those damn shopping bags, let alone maintain the facade of civilized conversation.
Control yourself. You've spent five centuries mastering your impulses. Don't let one human female undo everything.
But she wasn't just any human female. She was his fated mate.
The bond that had locked into place the moment he'd touched her skin while pulling her from that teetering sedan now pulsed between them like a living thing, growing stronger with each passing minute.
Every breath she took in his fortress, every step she made through his halls, every beat of her heart—he felt it all as if her very existence had become woven into his own.
The past hour had been pure torture. His dragon demanded he go to her, claim her, make her understand exactly what she meant to him.
His rational mind insisted on distance, on the careful control that had kept him safe and solitary for centuries.
The war between instinct and logic was actively tearing him apart from the inside.
How am I supposed to survive having her under my roof? How am I supposed to resist the pull when she's so close I can feel her presence in my bones?
The soft sound of footsteps in the corridor beyond made every nerve in his body snap to attention. He knew that it was Maple approaching—could sense her like a magnetic north his compass couldn't ignore. When she appeared in the doorway with Ben beside her, Rune almost forgot how breathing worked.
The green sundress he'd selected for her hugged every curve with devastating precision, the fabric flowing around her legs like water.
The color brought out her eyes and made her skin seem to glow in the candlelight.
She looked breathtaking, like something that stepped out of the dreams he'd forbidden himself to have.
Without conscious thought, he rose from his chair and moved toward her, his body responding to her presence with an urgency that bypassed all rational consideration.
Ben went to reach for Maple's chair, but Rune was already there, his hands closing around the high-backed wood as he pulled it out for her.
"Thank you," she murmured, settling into the seat to his left.
The simple words, spoken in that soft voice that seemed designed to drive him to distraction, sent heat spiraling through his chest. He was close enough to catch her scent—that intoxicating blend of citrus and roses that had haunted him since their first meeting.
Close enough to see the way her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat.
Ben raised his eyebrows as he took the seat beside her, clearly noting the possessive attention Rune was paying to his friend.
The archaeologist's expression held a mixture of amusement and wariness, as if he was beginning to understand that whatever was happening between Rune and Maple went far beyond simple attraction.
I need to maintain distance. I need to resist this pull before it consumes everything.
But even as the thoughts formed, Rune found himself unable to look away from Maple's face. The mate bond hummed between them like a tuning fork, and he suspected she could feel it too from the way her eyes kept darting to his face before skittering away.
"The food looks great," Ben offered, clearly attempting to break the tension that had settled over the table like a heavy blanket.
"I hope you both enjoy the meal," Rune managed.
They ate in silence for several minutes, the only sounds the soft clink of silverware against china and the distant whisper of wind through the canyon beyond.
But Rune could feel Maple's growing agitation, could sense her discomfort with his lingering stares and the charged atmosphere that seemed to thicken with each passing second.
Finally, she set down her fork. "So, tell me more about this claim marker," she said, her voice cutting through the quiet like a blade.
"Because Bram was less than clear, other than mentioning that you seemed to have destroyed all of them.
Well, except for one that you must've missed—the one I found yesterday. "
Rune's jaw tightened. The direct challenge in her tone both irritated and impressed him. Most people—dragons included—approached him with careful deference. Maple met his gaze head-on, demanding answers with the fearless curiosity that had probably gotten her into trouble her entire life.
"I didn't miss one," he said flatly. "I spent three centuries tracking down every marker my ancestors buried throughout this territory. I don't know how one was there."
"Then someone must have planted it after the fact," she countered without hesitation.
"Perhaps." The possibility had been gnawing at him since yesterday, suggesting complications he wasn't prepared to face. "But I destroyed them because I didn't need my ancestors pushing fate onto me."
Confusion flickered across her features. "I don't understand."
Rune leaned back in his chair, studying her face as he chose his words carefully.
"My ancestors buried those claim markers all over the territory when my father's health was failing.
They were designed to attract my fated mate to the territory and secure my succession and bloodline.
" His voice hardened. "I told Bram that I didn't appreciate the interference, and spent the next three centuries tracking them down and destroying them because I wasn't going to be manipulated into a bond because destiny said so. "
Ben cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We're truly sorry we caused this mess.
We really didn't think—or at least I didn't think—we would find anything yesterday.
See, Maple has been chasing these dragon rumors for five years now, despite my skepticism.
" He paused. "But I guess maybe I shouldn't have been so skeptical after what's happened in the past day. "
Rune's attention sharpened, his gaze fixing on Maple with predatory intensity. "What dragon rumors?"
"Like Gerri told you this morning, I'm an archaeologist," Maple replied, lifting her chin slightly at his tone.
"So is Ben. I always thought there was too much coincidence and too many unexplained things that suggested dragons existed.
So I became quite obsessed over the past five years trying to hunt down evidence of dragon civilizations.
" Her voice softened slightly, revealing a vulnerability she probably hadn't intended to show.
"I always believed in dragons—or at least hoped they existed—since I was a little girl.
But everyone told me it was just fantasy. "
"It's not fantasy," Rune said, his deep voice carrying the weight of centuries. "It's very real, and as you've seen, our world is very dangerous."
"I see that now," she acknowledged. "But when I heard a circulating rumor about a dragon artifact near this area, I just had to follow my instincts."
The admission sent ice through Rune's veins. "How did you know it was here? Specifically here, on my territory?"
Maple's brow furrowed. "I just had a feeling. Something was pulling me toward this place, toward where to find it. Like..." She paused, searching for words. "Like I was meant to find it."
His dragon roared in triumph while his rational mind reeled with the implications.
Everything—her lifelong obsession with dragons, her inexplicable pull toward his territory, her ability to find a claim marker that shouldn't have existed—it had all been leading to this moment.
Fate hadn't just guided her to the artifact; it had been orchestrating her entire life to bring her to him.
She was always meant to be mine. Every step, every choice, every dream—it was all leading her here.
The revelation left him speechless, his carefully maintained control fracturing under the weight of cosmic inevitability. All his resistance, all his efforts to avoid the mate bond, had been futile from the beginning. Maple had been his destiny since the day she was born.
She must have sensed his internal upheaval because her voice grew more urgent. "So what does this even mean?" Her green eyes searched his face desperately. "What am I to you? Why does this claim marker only react to me, and resonate more strongly the more I'm around it, the more I'm around you?"