16. Rune
SIXTEEN
RUNE
The grand staircase felt endless beneath Rune's feet as he carried Maple toward his private chambers. Each step sent waves of protective fury through his system, his dragon snarling beneath his skin at the evidence of harm done to their mate.
When he'd felt her panic spike through their growing bond an hour ago—that sharp, electric jolt of fear that had cut through his carefully controlled police interview like a blade—he'd abandoned all pretense of human civility.
The detective's endless questions about twisted metal and charred bodies had become background noise the moment Maple's terror flooded his consciousness.
He'd left the Phoenix police station with barely a word of explanation, his Porsche eating up desert miles as he raced toward home with single-minded desperation.
The twenty-minute drive had stretched like hours, every second amplifying his certainty that Elias or Serena had somehow breached his territory, found his hidden town, and discovered his mate.
But when he'd arrived to find the mansion empty—no Maple, no Kade, just the hollow echo of absence—something primal had nearly broken free. He'd been seconds away from shifting into his dragon form and tearing across the sky in search of her when Kade's SUV had appeared in his circular drive.
The sight of Maple emerging from the passenger seat, one hand pressed protectively to her ribs while the other cradled her wrist, had nearly shattered his control entirely.
Only the obvious pain etched across her features had kept him from demanding immediate answers, and from roaring his fury at whoever had dared harm what belonged to him.
Now, as he shouldered open the door to his private chambers, Rune forced himself to focus on what she needed rather than what his dragon demanded. Revenge could wait. Maple required care first.
He settled her gently onto the massive four-poster bed, the ancient wood frame solid beneath her slight form. Afternoon sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting everything in warm gold that made her injuries look even more stark against her pale skin.
"Let me see," Rune said, his voice roughened as he knelt beside the bed.
Her left wrist was clearly swollen, the delicate bones disappearing beneath puffy flesh that made his jaw clench. But when he carefully probed the area with gentle fingers, relief flooded through him—not broken, just badly sprained. Still, the sight of it made heat shimmer beneath his skin.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the hem of her blouse.
At her nod, he lifted the fabric with infinite care, revealing a nasty bruise already blooming across her ribs in shades of purple and blue. His dragon roared silently at the evidence of violence, at the knowledge that someone had struck his mate, but the ribs themselves seemed intact.
"What happened?" The question emerged with more control than he felt, though concern bled through despite his attempts at maintaining composure.
Maple met his eyes directly. "Ben was in trouble—an ambush when he was following Serena today. I couldn't just stay here and not try to help him."
Of course she'd rushed into danger for someone she loved. This fierce, brave woman who'd spent her life chasing impossible dreams surely wouldn't hesitate to risk everything for a loved one in need.
"Although what you did shows how much you care about your friend," he said carefully, fighting to keep accusation from his tone, "you still shouldn't have risked yourself like that."
Her green eyes flashed with something between hurt and determination. "I will always risk myself for the people I love, Rune. That's not going to change."
The declaration should have terrified him—this confirmation that his mate would throw herself into harm's way without hesitation, that loving her meant accepting constant fear for her safety. Instead, something shifted deep in his chest, a recognition that settled into his bones like truth.
This magnificent, reckless woman belonged by his side not despite her fierce loyalty, but because of it.
Once his clan understood her worth, once she became truly integrated into their world, she would fight just as fiercely for his people as she had for Ben today.
She would be the kind of Alpha's mate his territory had never known—protective, brave, willing to bleed for those under her care.
The realization hit him with startling clarity. He was thinking about permanence. About her staying, about completing their bond, about building a life together. And for the first time in three centuries, the prospect didn't send him running.
Instead, it made him want to claim her completely, to mark her as his own and damn the consequences. But first, he needed to tend to her wounds.
"Stay there," he commanded gently, rising from beside the bed. "I need to get supplies to treat these properly."
Once in his bathroom, Rune gathered ice packs from the small freezer he kept stocked for exactly these purposes—centuries of dragon politics had taught him that injuries were inevitable. He added elastic bandages and anti-inflammatory medication to his hands and turned back toward his bedroom.
When he returned, Maple was watching him with an expression he couldn't quite read. Gratitude, certainly, but something deeper lurked beneath—an awareness that matched his own growing certainty about what was building between them.
"I can do it myself," she protested as he settled the ice pack against her swollen wrist.
"No." The word came out with more alpha authority than he'd intended. "Let me. Just lay back and close your eyes—rest for a few minutes. You clearly went through a lot today."
To his surprise, she obeyed, her lashes fluttering shut as she relaxed against the pillows. The trust implicit in that simple gesture made something warm and possessive unfurl in his chest. She was letting him care for her, accepting his protection despite her fierce independence.
For several minutes, they existed in peaceful silence—Rune holding ice packs against her injuries while Maple's breathing gradually deepened into something approaching relaxation.
Through their bond, he could feel the sharp edges of her pain beginning to dull, replaced by the comfort of being tended to by someone who would move mountains to keep her safe.
"Ben and Jackie are coming here after he's released from the hospital," she said suddenly, her eyes still closed. "I told him the city isn't safe for either of them right now."
"That's a very good idea," Rune agreed, carefully removing the ice packs to begin wrapping her wrist. "You're right—I should never have let Ben leave in the first place. I didn't realize how dangerous Elias truly was, but now we know."
The elastic bandage felt strange beneath his fingers as he wound it around her delicate wrist with infinite care.
He was accustomed to violence and to the brutal realities of dragon politics and territorial disputes.
But this gentle tending, this careful preservation of something precious—it was entirely new territory for him.
When he finished with her wrist and moved to lift her shirt again to wrap her ribs, the sight of her bruised skin nearly shattered his control all over again.
The thought of her being hurt worse, of losing her to Elias's machinations or her own brave foolishness, made something desperate claw at his insides.
She must have sensed his turmoil through their bond because her uninjured hand found his, squeezing gently. "I'm okay," she said softly. "And I promise I won't rush into danger again—at least not without you by my side."
The words hit him like absolution and challenge combined. She wasn't promising to become careful or cautious—she was promising to let him stand with her when she faced whatever came next.
"You're braver than a lot of dragon shifters I know," he said, meeting her eyes as he secured the bandage around her ribs. "You belong by my side, Maple."
Her smile was radiant despite her injuries. "What are you trying to say?"
The question hung between them, heavy with possibility and promise. Rune felt the words building in his chest, three centuries of careful isolation crumbling in the face of this woman's unwavering courage.
"I don't want to lose you," he said, his voice thick with emotion he'd spent lifetimes suppressing. "I want to make this permanent. I know we haven't known each other long, but I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to deny the bond any longer."
"I can't imagine my life without you either," she began, her eyes bright with something that looked remarkably like love.
But before she could finish whatever declaration had been building between them, the sharp chime of his doorbell echoed through the mansion.
Maple's expression immediately shifted to concern mixed with relief. "It must be Ben. He must have convinced the doctors to let him go and gotten here as fast as possible."
Rune felt frustration and relief war in his chest—frustration that their moment had been interrupted just as he'd been ready to take the leap into complete vulnerability, and relief that Ben was safe and seeking sanctuary within his walls.
He'd waited three hundred years to find his mate. He supposed he could wait another day to complete their bond properly.
But as he helped Maple sit up, careful of her injuries, one thing had become crystal clear. There would be no more running, no more denying what fate had brought him. Soon—very soon—Maple would be his in every way.
He rose from the bed with fluid grace, his hand briefly touching Maple's shoulder in reassurance. "Stay here," he commanded softly, though he suspected she'd ignore the order the moment he left the room.