Torment

by Scarlett Dawn

  Rune brushed his lips over mine again, hovering over my mouth. “Are we going…home?”

  My blue eyes pinched at the corners in contentment. “So it’s our home?”

  “If you want it to be,” he whispered, his finger sliding over the neckline of my filthy shirt, running his finger back and forth over my skin. “Is that what you want?”

  Gradually, I nodded. “I think I’d like that.”

  He stood and turned around, bending. “Jump on. I know you don’t want me carrying you out like a babe in front of all the soldiers.”

  That would be very true. “A piggyback ride again?”

  “Fuck yes.”

  I jumped onto his back and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

  He grinned at me over his shoulder. “Finn, get rid of the head. We’re leaving.”

  “All right. Leave me with the disgusting shit.” Finn twisted into the room, and as his eyes traveled over us, he smirked in hilarity. “Go home and wash up. Right now, you’re both parts of the disgusting shit too.”

  “A shower does sound divine.” I peeked at the side of his face. “You do have hot water there, right?” Because my apartment never had it.

  “You’ll see.” Rune tightened his hold on my thighs, bouncing me as he walked out the door. “I think you’re going to like our home.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “I don’t even know what to say, stud.” We stood on the front lawn of our home. My head kept shooting in all directions, my gaze up high to the trees. Because his property was in a forest. An actual fucking forest that hadn’t been blown to hell with the last war. “This is unbelievable.”

  Rune jumped from foot to foot in front of me, an adorable grin plastered on his face. He hadn’t looked away from me since we exited his train. The man was taking in every expression I had. It was as if he was savoring it.

  “I do have a question, though. How the hell do we get up there?”

  Our home was a mansion spread out amongst the treetops. It blended amazingly well with the actual light bark hue of the trees. The windows with darkness behind them didn’t even glare under the moonlight, and where a light was left on, it cast magnificent shadows on the trees.

  “This is a neat part,” Rune stated, grabbing my hand and pulling me along behind him. “Alaric helped me with the concept of the house, and then my company built it.”

  Rune stopped in front of a large tree, and stated, “Rune Mason.”

  The bark pushed out from the trunk and spread apart, sliding around the tree.

  It revealed an elevator hidden inside.

  My jaw dropped and my breath caught in my chest. “This isn’t a real tree?”

  “No. It’s the only one that’s fake. But it looks fucking real, even in the sunshine.” He stepped inside the elevator, dragging my shocked form inside. There was one button, and he pressed it. “This is the only access from the ground for humans.”

  I looked at him as we started traveling upward. “How often do you use it?”

  Rune skimmed his finger along the metal paneling. A fine dust showed on the pad of his finger. He grinned and murmured, “Not as much as I probably should. And my cleaning lady is slacking.”

  The elevator opened up to an oversized foyer. Just wide open space.

  Everything was light-grained wood paneling—the floor, the walls, the ceiling.

  And sporadically throughout the empty space, trees were growing up through the floor all the way into the ceiling.

  Rune explained, “It gets cold in here in the winter, but past the entryway, it’s all closed off. This area is mainly for entertaining friends in the spring and fall.”

  I walked beside him and ran my fingers over the tree limbs as we passed. “This is beautiful.”

  “Thank you. But you haven’t seen anything yet.” He practically skipped forward. “Come on. I want to show you my favorite parts before you pass out. And I need to talk to you about something else. Don’t let me forget.”

  His excitement was invigorating, so I swiftly slid up next to him.

  We had walked through so many rooms before we stopped that I had to brace myself. This was my home now. My home with Rune. It was, at the same time, intimidating and fantastic.

  Rune gestured grandly, “This is where I work from home. It’s my office. My own little nook in the world.”

  I chuckled as I turned in a circle in the center of the room. “Meaning, no mate allowed.”

  He smiled, and it was sexy crooked. “That depends on how many clothing items you have on when you enter.”

  “Scoundrel,” I murmured. Then I pointed at your desk. “That…is a mess.”

  “My space. Remember.” He winked. “And clothing isn’t required.”

  I couldn’t stop the yawn that crept out of my mouth, and I spoke behind a fist, “What’s next?”

  “Your space. And our bedroom. I don’t think you can take much more.”

  “That’s a pretty solid point.”

  He pulled me through four different rooms and down a long hallway. Then stopped, and stated quietly, “This is your space. You can furnish it however you like.”

  “Whoa,” I breathed out in a rush. I strolled forward across the wood paneling floor to the large floor to ceiling windows. Stars twinkled out in the dark, blue night. “Rune?”

  “Yes?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Don’t worry, I love it.” I cleared my throat and peered at him over my shoulder. “Is this all a dream?”

  He shook his head, a pleased smile forming on his lips. “No, beautiful. This is your life.”

  I stretched my back before turning back around. “Okay, show me to the bedroom. I need a shower and a bed. If you didn’t have all of this, those would be my only requirements.”

  Rune turned and bent at the knees. “It’s a haul there. Jump on.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. I jumped aboard.

  He walked us for ten minutes up stairs and down different hallways until we came to a stop inside a bedroom fit for royalty. Rune turned his head and peek at me out of the corner of his eye. The man-god asked gently, “What do you think?”

  “Honestly? I think you spoil the shit out of yourself, but I’m not complaining. All that pre-emptive spoiling led to my being spoiled. I’ll take it, stud. You outdid yourself here.”

  “There’s a balcony over here. It spans the entire length of the wall. When it’s nice outside, we can open the walls up. There’s no need for scenery pictures. We have it live.” Still holding me against his back, he stepped out onto the balcony. “See? It’s peaceful out here. We can be lazy and bask in the sun, and no one will bother us.”

  I pressed my cheek against the side of his head while we stared out at the tops of trees and the immense expanse of the night sky. I whispered, “I think I found my prince.”

  He snickered quietly. “That is my reminder for what I need to tell you.”

  “Yeah?” A bird with a massive wingspan flew across the sky.

  “Well, I went ahead and got you that job. If you still want it.” He held perfectly still.

  My eyes widened. “Worried you’re stepping over boundaries?”

  “Maybe a little. Are you mad or happy? Then I’ll know if I did the right thing.”

  I grinned and watched another bird fly. “In the future, definitely double check with me. But this time, I’ll let it slide because I fucking want that job so bad.” I kissed the shell of his ear. “Thank you, stud.”

  He cleared his throat. “Don’t thank me yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Um, you start tomorrow. The manager wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Fuck,” I groaned, letting my forehead rest on his shoulder. “I need to take the quickest shower ever, and then get to bed like six hours ago.”

  Rune helped me down to my feet, and he pointed at a door on the other side of the room. “That’s the bathroom. I’ll grab a shirt for you while you’re in there.”

  “Thank yo
u, stud.” I went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I promise tomorrow you’ll get your reward. As long as nothing else life changing occurs.”

  He pushed me gently toward the bathroom. “Get going, beautiful. Your dream job awaits in the morning.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  I stared at my reflection in the mirror. “Are you sure all this is necessary?”

  The make-up artist kept patting my face with powder—after an hour’s worth of applying all different variations of colors and goopy crap to my face. She studied her work, murmuring, “I spend more time on the other girls. This isn’t anything. Your natural skin appears to be flawless.”

  I snapped my mouth shut. It was flawless because I had magic in me.

  Nothing cured pimples like immortality.

  And black circles under your eyes? Immortality’s got you.

  Crow’s feet? Immortality will wipe ’em away.

  Age spots? Pfft. Immortality will kick their ass to the curb.

  The make-up artist leaned up and cocked her head, staring at my face. I tried not to get excited. She’d done this multiple times. It didn’t mean she was done.

  “I’m done!” she exclaimed. “You have been transformed.”

  I looked at myself in the mirror again. Other than some shadow over my blue eyes and shading on my lips, I didn’t look a whole lot different than when I had arrived. I wondered vaguely if she was really doing anything to my face for the majority of the time while, instead, padding her paycheck for longer hours when it wasn’t necessary.

  “What do you think?” she probed, turning in place to stare with me in the mirror. “Doesn’t that highlight look amazing on your cheekbones?”

  I turned my head from side to side. Still didn’t see anything different.

  I smiled in a friendly manner. “It looks incredible. The before-and-after is startling.”

  Her eyes creased in the corner with her resulting smile. “Now, let’s get you dressed. Are you so excited for your princess dress?”

  “I am.” I bounced on my toes.

  I was so freaking excited, I’d kept staring at the gowns in the reflection while she worked.

  She led me to the rack of gowns. “I know they had one specially made for your size yesterday. It’s here somewhere.” Her hands shuffled gowns aside, until she stopped. She pulled one off the rack, holding it up to my frame. “This is it. And, boy, this is excellent material. Light and soft.”

  The air trapped in my lungs as I gazed down at the most beautiful gown I had ever seen. I fingered the dress with a delicate touch. It was the deepest blue, almost black. And it shimmered like a midnight sky. It was strapless, so the bodice formed to fit around the middle with flexing material, for easier movement. And the skirt would reach the top of my shoes. Absolutely perfect.

  The woman stared, her gaze sweet and patient. “Do you want to put it on now?”

  Speechless, I could only nod.

  She helped me change since there were so many clasps in the back. Low heels were slid onto my feet, a flawless fit. And when she turned me around to face the full-length mirror, I could only gape.

  “There you go.” She bent and swiped at the skirt, making sure it hung right. Then she gently placed a tiara on top of my head, pinning it down with bobby pins. “That looks good.”

  My mouth bobbed. “When do I get to go out to the park?”

  “When you’re done getting ready.” She pointed at my reflection in the mirror. “And you’re ready. You’re a princess now. And remember to smile.”

  Rapidly, I smiled. I didn’t want to lose this job.

  * * *

  “Princess, Princess! Can I have a picture with you?” A sweet tiny girl with a strawberry-blonde ponytail tugged on the skirt of my dress. She mumbled with awe, “You are so pretty.”

  I bent at the knees, careful not to flash my cleavage around—because this gown gave me cleavage. “You are even prettier than I am. And I would love to take a picture with you.”

  She turned to where her parents were, waving them over, wonder flashing in her eyes. “Mom. Dad. The Princess said yes!” She wrapped her arms around the back of my thighs and rested her head against my waist, posing for the picture.

  My smile was already in place. Occasionally, I had to drop it to stretch out my mouth.

  But that wasn’t often. I was really having a wonderful time, my smile true.

  The mom held up her silver bracelet, tapping on it. “Say cheese!”

  “Cheese,” the girl shouted in excitement.

  My grin increased as I laughed the smallest bit.

  “Got it!” the mom declared, staring at the picture hovering over her bracelet.

  I bent down and gazed into the little girl’s eyes. “Remember, you are even more beautiful than I am. Inside and out. Okay?”

  She nodded her head eagerly, and then raced off to hold her dad’s hand.

  I waved when she peered back, catching one last look at the “princess.”

  Families walked by, and I waved. Babies were held in their arms, and I cooed at the little drooling cutie. Sticky fingers grabbed at my dress, and I laughed as parents and I attempted to clean smears of pink and every other imaginable color. Pictures were taken with the elderly and infants, and every age in-between.

  When noon hit, I glanced at the chiming clock. It was my lunch break.

  But there was a toddler wobbling his way up to me, the parent holding his hand. I crouched down, and asked, “Hello, handsome. Are you having fun at Sparkle World?”

  He grinned, showing his tiny teeth.

  His little pointer finger touched my nose, his mouth dropping in wonder.

  I chuckled and wiggled my nose under his little digit.

  Giggles made his body shake. “Pin’cess.”

  I nodded my head, my smile growing larger. “That’s right! Princess.”

  The mom asked, “Is there anyone around here who can take a picture with the three of us in it?”

  Nodding, I pushed to stand. “Yes, ma’am. If you’ll follow me, we have helpers—”

  “I can do it for you.” Rune sauntered toward us, his suit jacket over his arm. He smiled at the young mother. “Send the screen, and I’ll take it. Though I’m not a professional photographer.”

  My brows rose at him in silent question before I turned a charming smile on the woman. “Does that work for you, ma’am. That’s how the helpers would do it, anyway.”

  She gawked at Rune. “Aren’t you—”

  He cut in smoothly, “Here to have lunch with this beautiful Princess.”

  Her mouth snapped shut, taking the polite hint. “Well, if you want to take the picture, it would be helpful.”

  He nodded his consent.

  She tapped on her bracelet and slid her hand over it toward Rune.

  The photo screen appeared in front of him, and she picked up her toddler.

  I moved closer to her and smiled pretty for the picture.

  Rune tapped on the screen, stating, “1, 2, 3!”

  The woman and I waited patiently as he glanced down at the screen. His cheeks pinched as he grinned at the picture. He slid the screen back to her, commenting, “It’s adorable.”

  “Oh! It is!” she gushed, her eyes on the picture. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Rune waited until she moved away to turn his golden eyes to mine. “Would you like to have lunch, beautiful?”

  I snorted, eyeing the sweat on his brow. “How long have you been here watching me?”

  He flicked his black hair off his face, an unrepentant grin creasing his features. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Mmm. Maybe?”

  “Well, Princess, I’ve been here long enough to see that you lied to me.”

  “In what way?” I glared with indignation.

  He stated simply, “You want children.”

  “I already said I did.”

  “But you want children now.”

  I scrunched my nose an
d shook my head. “Not right now. Forever is a long time, remember?”

  His brows lifted as he motioned for us to move away from an oncoming crowd. We walked toward a private train station, Sparkle World’s own trains to float above the amusement park and show you the place from a bird’s eye view. He stated quietly, sincerely, “Do you truly feel that way, Megan?”

  “I do.” My answer was simple and truthful. “Just because I like what I’m doing here, and I adore kids, it doesn’t mean I want to be a mom in the next five hundred years. Having a job and being a mom are two completely different things.”

  “Let’s just say if you ever change your mind, I want you to be honest with me. I can always reevaluate my life to see if I believe it’s the right time for me to have a child. Since I’ve never had a mate before, children were never even in the equation. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  My tone was droll. “You don’t want me to run away if I decide to have a kid and assume you don’t want one based on something you said long ago.” My eyes flicked to his. “I think I’ve got it, stud.”

  His head tipped back as he laughed. “Did I just make a complete ass out of myself?”

  “Not too bad. I got the emotion behind it, so you’re good.” I smirked.

  He nodded, his gaze drifting to mine. “On another topic, I wasn’t sure how you would do here. But you are completely magical—no pun intended—with the customers. Every single person who spoke with you left with a smile on their face.”

  My heart swelled with pure joy at helping others, even just a little bit. “Really?”

  “I wouldn’t lie about that.”

  I sighed, my tone wistful. “It’s been awesome so far, Rune. I can’t even explain it.”

  “I saw it on your face. You don’t need to.” He gestured to a train that landed on the station. “Want to go for a ride before we have a quick lunch?”

  I evaluated the sparkly machine. “Why not? It could be fun.”