“I was angry when I said that.”
“You should’ve been. I was an ass. I’d continued to view myself as I’d been in the past. It didn’t matter how much I’d accomplished or how far I’d climbed, I couldn’t see my own worth.” He rubbed a hand over his tired face. “Orion told me I was my own undoing.”
Orion was still hitting all the right notes with Jo. “Where does that leave you now?”
“I hope starting anew with my beautiful mate. Those days are past for me, Josephine.”
She almost ghosted through the floor with happiness. Wait . . . “You had a phoenix feather at Val Hall. Didn’t you get it from Meliai?”
He closed in on her again. She craned her head up, meeting his eyes.
“I stole the feather, threatening her and the covey with a bonedeath arrow. Apparently, that’s frowned upon. I’m banned from all coveys.”
Jo’s lips parted. He would do that for her? “But you’re so admiring of them.”
He laid his hands on her shoulders. “I admire nothing more than you.” His words were silky smooth—but his voice was rough with emotion.
“You waited a week before approaching me? Weren’t you dying to tell me you hadn’t boned the nymph?”
“I was! But I wanted to put your needs before mine. I listened to you and Thad talking, and you were so happy. When you gave him a week, I promised you one as well.”
She’d hoped he would live up to her memory of that groom; Rune was schooling the groom.
“I want . . . I hope you’ll start drinking from me again—then you’ll experience my feelings.”
Her fangs sharpened for his skin so fast she gasped.
But then his brows drew together. “Unless my memories are hurting you. What were you dreaming of before? You have Thad with you, under the same roof—so why else would you float away?”
Her yearning had been sharp before she’d drifted off. “Because I didn’t have you.”
He swallowed thickly. “Did I hear you right?”
She laid her hand on his chest. Beneath her palm, his heart was speeding up. “I was thinking about you before I slept. Wanting you. Knowing I could never have you after that night.”
“Can you forgive me? My actions were idiotic, my words to you hateful. I flinch to recall them. But I will atone if you give me the chance.”
Could she? “What do you want from me?”
“Eternity. Everything. I want to start with marrying you. If you’ll have me.”
She was opening her mouth to say yes, then she recalled another obstacle. “You should know something before you commit to me. You’d talked about a promising lead on a dark fey female. She’s here in the city. I think she’s even an assassin—”
“I’ve met her.”
If it took the rest of his immortal life, he’d erase that doubt from Josephine’s eyes. “She came by to see Thaddeus. I thought her presence might upset you, so I intercepted her. Once I made it clear I was lost for you, we had a nice conversation.”
Josephine nibbled her bottom lip. “Lost for me?”
“I told her you are everything.” He rubbed his hands from Josephine’s shoulders to her neck and back. How much he’d missed the luxury of simply touching her. “I also put in a few good words for Thaddeus.”
Her hazel eyes widened. “Get the hell out.”
“You don’t have any reason to trust me, but I need to convince you I’ve changed. I know a way you can feel confident in me.” He gazed down at her beloved face, solemnly saying, “Josephine, I vow to the Lore I’ll never—”
She slapped her palm over his mouth. “Ah-ah, Rune. When you’re faithful to me, it won’t be because a vow compels you to be. No more vows to the Lore for either of us, okay?”
She released him when he nodded. But he needed to make her know, as he knew. “You trust I’ll be true to you?”
“Maybe you’re not a complete idiot.”
He grinned. “Then I vow to you I’ll never be with another. I love you, Josie.”
She sucked in a breath. “I love you too. Even when you’re a dickwad.”
“You said if we had sex, I’d be telling you things. That I wanted a commitment and a bond between only us, and I would never want another female as long as I lived. I was telling you that”—he ran his knuckles along her cheek—“I just didn’t know it yet.”
When she leaned into his caress, he knew she had truly forgiven him.
“And didn’t I tell you that you loved me?” She reached up to twine her hands behind his neck. “I completely called that! When are you gonna realize I’m always right?”
“First step of matehood.” The empty aching in his chest faded, warmed by a fire that would never die.
“You need to meet Thad.”
He nodded. “I plan to apologize to him for our terse interaction.”
She raised her brows, pleased. “What do we do about his Vertas preference?”
Rune tucked her hair behind her ear. “We do nothing.”
“Huh?”
“He’s a smart kid. If he’s around us enough—and them enough—he’ll make the right decision.” Rune could tell she liked that answer.
“You gotta meet MizB and Gram too. Hey, you could actually eat all the food they insist on cooking.”
“If I must,” he said. “Over the last week, I might have contemplated sacking that kitchen for leftovers.”