Touching Rune (21 page)

Neither man spoke on the return trip home. Both were locked in their own grief. Petre’s security staff was taking care of Eloise. After the shooting, she had just
babbled incoherently. It was obvious that she was not well. Personally, neither cared what happened to her.

The limousine pulled up along the front drive and the driver quickly jumped out to open the door for them. Dimitri slid out first. He gave the man a brief nod as he pulled the collar of his jacket further up. His eyes moved upward to scan the dark sky. Brilliant stars glittered down at him and he wondered briefly if Rune was looking down on them. Grief choked him and his eyesight blurred.

“Do you think she....” he choked out turning to look back at Sergei as he stepped out of the limousine.

“Don’t!” Sergei replied sharply. “Don’t,” he repeated in a thick voice as he strode past Dimitri and up the stairs leading into the house.

Sergei walked down the long hallway, ignoring the servant who was standing by the door waiting to take his jacket. He turned the corner and pushed open the door to the library. A large fire had been started in the fireplace but even the combined heat of the fire and room heater could do nothing to melt the ice that was closing around his heart. He embraced the icy feeling, hoping it would help keep the pain at bay. He didn’t know what he would do when it melted.

Walking over to the bar, he poured a small glass full of the brandy he enjoyed and drained it before pouring another then another. Even the burn of expensive liquor did nothing to ease the building pressure inside him. He turned as Dimitri entered the room.

His face twisted as the realization that Rune would never walk through the door again slammed into him. A low howl of pain and rage burst from him. He turned and threw the glass in his hand violently into the fire before he bowed his head and drew in long, agonizing breaths.

“Why, Dimitri? We should never have taken her out of the house,” Sergei said, his voice growing louder as his pain increased. “How could that bitch have slipped through our security? I want all of their heads,” he bit out turning to look at Dimitri with burning eyes. “I want every fucking security members’ head, do you hear me?”

Dimitri was having a hard enough time dealing with his own pain and grief. Sergei’s demands mirrored the thoughts running through his mind on the long drive from Petre and Simone’s home. Anger flared deep inside him and he spoke without thinking when he walked over to the bar near Sergei and poured himself a tall glass of whiskey.

“Maybe you should look at yourself first!” Dimitri gritted out harshly.

“What do you mean by that?” Sergei asked, glaring at Dimitri.

Dimitri turned and stared coldly back at Sergei. “Meaning if you hadn’t touched that bitch Ferguson in the first place Rune would still be alive!” He said harshly, regretting the words as soon as they burst from his lips.

“You bastard,” Sergei growled, grabbing the front of Dimitri’s shirt and shoving him up against the bar. “You think I am to blame for Rune dying? You were supposed to protect her! You were in charge of the security. It was your responsibility to keep her safe!”

Dimitri’s glass shattered as it hit the marble floor in front of the bar. He grabbed Sergei’s wrists and twisted, turning his friend and wrapping one of his thick arms around his neck. Guilt washed through him as he realized what he was doing. He pushed Sergei away from him and swiveled until he was bent over the bar. His knuckles were white as he gripped the edge of it. His shoulders shook from the force of the pain and guilt flooding him.

“Do you think I don’t blame myself?” Dimitri asked thickly. “I should have been there to protect her. I should have been there,” he howled as he raised his fists up and slammed them down on the top of the bar with enough force to knock over several glasses. “I should have been the one to take the bullets,” he whispered as he bowed his head and cried.

Sergei stood behind his brother. Dimitri had always put him first. When they were young and food was scarce, Dimitri would insist that he be the one to eat. When it was cold and they hadn’t more than a blanket to help warm them, Dimitri had always made sure that he had enough to cover him. When the
thugs were after them, it was Dimitri who would stand between them and Sergei. He always put Sergei first, just as he had Rune.

Sergei walked over and gently laid his hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, my brother.”

Dimitri turned tortured eyes to Sergei. “I don’t know why,” he choked out. “I don’t know why, Sergei. I love her so much.”

Sergei’s throat closed up but he knew he had to force the words out. He should have told Rune every second of the day how much he loved her. It had taken losing her to finally open himself to what it meant to love someone to the center of his being.

“I love her too, Dimitri,” Sergei confessed. “I love her so much I don’t know how to handle the pain inside me.”

Dimitri reached out and gripped Sergei’s shoulders in understanding. Somehow, someway they would make it. He was not sure how. He knew that in all the trials and challenges they had faced growing up, this one would be the most difficult to survive.

“Come,” Dimitri said heavily. “I don’t know about you but I need a drink.”

Sergei nodded. He grabbed the decanter of brandy and another glass before walking over to the chair in front of the fire. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair before he sat down and poured the strong liquor into the glass. He didn’t even bother setting the decanter down. He planned on drinking it and several more before the night was over. He glanced at Dimitri who did the same, only he had grabbed the bottle of whiskey not bothering with a glass.

“Where do we go from here?” Sergei asked, staring into the flames.

Dimitri shrugged as he sat down in the other chair. “Right now, I don’t want to think of tomorrow. I can’t,” he added softly before he took a deep swig from the bottle.

*.*.*

Rune looked around her as she walked through the tall grass of the meadow. She had risen hours before. Her father strode silently beside her as they climbed to the top of the hill that looked out over the vast ocean far below. She stood still. The white gown of the evening dre
ss she had worn to the party clung to her and her hair blew loosely behind her as a light breeze swept up the tall cliff.

Neither spoke as they waited for the sun to rise. On the horizon, the faint light turned the sky into a vivid painting of orange, yellow, pinks and blues. Rune gazed out on the beauty
of it but her heart ached too much to enjoy it.

“What is your wish?” Her father asked her quietly.

“To be with Dimitri and Sergei,” Rune responded immediately. She stared straight ahead for several seconds before she turned eyes that glittered with unshed tears up to him. “To make a family with them as their wife,” she added before she turned to look back out at the sunrise.

Sven smiled down at his beautiful, brave daughter. She was the image of his wife and just as strong and stubborn. She would need to be if she hoped to handle the two males that he had been listening to throughout the night. He had wanted to know that they would love and protect her. If he was going to send his daughter back to the living, he wanted to make sure that she would be happy and loved.

“I love you, daughter,” Sven said brushing a strand of hair from her face and leaning down to kiss her gently on her cheek. “Your mother and I will watch over you always.”

Rune turned puzzled eyes to her father for just a moment before the world tilted under her feet. She cried out, reaching for him to steady her. Her hands swept through his body as she fell from the cliff. She closed her eyes as she continued to fall. A wave of warmth engulfed her when she should have hit the water and darkness descended around her like a velvet blanket.

“Father!” Olaf called out, running up the hill.

Sven turned and looked behind him. He waited as Olaf and Asta joined him. The three of them stood on the edge of the cliff looking down.

“She has returned?” Asta asked.

Sven smiled lovely down at his wife’s upturned face and brushed a light kiss against her lips. “Ja,” he said looking back at the sunrise.

Olaf sighed and kicked at a stone. “So, now we just have to wait for Aesa and Dalla? How much longer before they come to visit?” He asked glumly.

“Not long, Olaf,” Sven told his son. “Not long. How about a ride along the cliffs? Perhaps we will find them,” he asked.

Olaf’s face lit up with excitement. “I’ll get the horses,” he replied before he took off back down the hill at a loping run.

“I will miss him when it is his time to go,” Asta said, tears in her eyes as she turned back to watch as Rune slid further away. “Will she be alright?”

“Oh yes,” Sven said, wrapping his massive arms around his slender wife. “She is just what those two men need and they are perfect for our Runa.”

Asta leaned her head back and smiled. Their life may have been cut short but the Gods worked in mysterious ways. She did not question where they were, she simply accepted that there were some things best left alone. As long as she had Sven, she was content no matter where they were sent. They both turned as Olaf returned riding one of the horses.

“How about riding with us?” Sven asked, looking down.

“Olaf only brought two horses,” Asta commented.

Sven laughed as he lifted his wife in his arms. “Since when has that ever stopped us?”

A hesitant knock on the door woke Sergei. He groaned and massaged his neck as he slowly woke. He looked around noticing he was lying on the couch in the library still. The fire burned low in the grate and there was a chill in the air. A throw blanket fell to his lap as he sat up. He breathed deeply through his nose as he tried to determine if the pounding he was hearing was from his head or the door.

He grimaced when the knock sounded again. He threw off the blanket and stiffly rose. Dimitri was snoring on the rug in front of the fire. He grumbled when the third knock sounded and rolled over, knocking several empty bottles of whiskey over as he turned.

Sergei staggered to the door. It took him several tries and a few curses before his hand found the doorknob. He jerked it open, hanging onto the edge of it as he cast a bleary-eyed glare at whoever had the nerve to interrupt them. His eyes narrowed when he saw Micha nervously standing on the other side of the door, clenching his battered cap between his snarled fingers.

“What is it?” Sergei asked harshly.

“It… it is the statue,” Micha whispered nervously.

Sergei frowned and shook his head, trying to clear it enough to understand what Micha was saying. He groaned
as the room spun. Clutching his forehead with the hand that was bent against the door while he held on tightly to the doorknob with the other so he wouldn’t fall, he blinked blankly at Micha.

“What?” Sergei asked again.

“It’s the statue,” Micha said. “The garden angel’s statue. It is back.”

Sergei’s mind cleared and he straightened enough to let go of the door and grip the front of Micha’s jacket. He shook the old man and glared at him. Speaking over a mouth that felt like it was full of cotton, he had to start over twice before he could get the words out where they made sense.

“What did you say?” Sergei asked in disbelief.

“I said the statue is back,” Micha said with a small smile.

“Hold that thought,” Sergei said hoarsely as he let go of Micha’s jacket and stumbled over to where Dimitri was passed out on the rug. He gave Dimitri a light kick the ribs knowing he would never be able to bend over and shake him.

Dimitri sat up looking around wildly before he leaned forward and grabbed his head. “
Сын-из сукин!”
Son-of-a-bitch!
He glared up at Sergei. “What?”

“The statue is back,” Sergei said. “Rune. Dimitri, the statue… Rune,” he repeated incoherently. “Come on!”

He bent and helped Dimitri up. It took several tries and both of them almost ended up face first on the floor before they could stand. He glanced at Micha who stood silently at the door looking at them with a small knowing smile.

“Lead the way,” Sergei choked out as he wrapped an arm around Dimitri when the other male’s legs started to give out. “Wake up damn it, Dimitri.”

“I’m awake but I feel like shit,” Dimitri muttered as he gritted his teeth against the pain in his head. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Micha says Rune’s statue is back,” Sergei said.

Dimitri’s eyes cleared a bit as he looked at the old man. “Rune?”

Micha shook his head. “Just the statue. It appeared just a few moments ago,” he said in a shaky voice.

Dimitri shook Sergei’s arm off as he rubbed his face. He nodded sharply to Sergei to let him know that he was awake. He wanted to see for himself that the statue had returned.

“What are we waiting for?” He snapped out sharply. “Go!”

*.*.*

Sergei, Dimitri and Micha walked swiftly down the still dark corridors. It took everything in both men not to burst into a run. Two things prevented that. The first was they were both still suffering from massive hangovers and would have fallen before they took more than a half dozen steps. The second was fear. Fear to hope. Fear to dream. Fear that she would have disappeared by the time they reached the atrium. It was the second that kept them walking slowly behind Micha.

The three entered the atrium and walked down the paths leading to the center platform. Just as Micha had said, the bronze statue of their garden angel stood watch over the gardens they had recreated just for her. Micha stepped to one side. He understood this would be difficult for both men. He muttered quietly that he would be in his office should they need him.

Neither man acknowledged Micha as he walked away. Their eyes were glued to the beautiful statue standing serenely in the center of the raised marble platform. They approached as one, stopping at the bottom so they could drink in Rune’s peaceful face. Sergei took a hesitant step up the steps. His fingers trembled violently
as he reached out and touched her cheek. Instead of the warmth that he had felt the first time, his fingers touched cold metal.

“Oh,
моя прекрасная любовь,”
Oh, my beautiful love
, he whispered, drinking in her features. “You have no idea how much I love you. How much I need you. Please, please come back to us. Please, Rune. Please come back to us, my love,” he whispered in a broken voice. “Please,” he choked out as tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks unnoticed.

Dimitri took a step closer. His throat was frozen as he stared hungrily at the face of the statue. She was gone. He could feel it. Before, he could feel the heat of her stare when she had been a statue before. Now, there was nothing but a beautiful empty replica of their angel.

“She’s gone,” Dimitri said in a strained voice. “She’s…”

A soft moan drew their attention to the metal bench off to the side of the platform. They watched in disbelief as a slender figure slowly sat up and stretched before a pair of dark brown eyes popped open. Familiar lips twisted into a rueful smile as the eyes moved back and forth between them before turning to the nightgown that she was wearing.

“Sometimes he has a really lousy sense of humor,” she said softly with a humorous smile curving her lips. “But, I really, really want to be here so I don’t mind,” she said standing up, shivering as her bare feet touched the cold ground. “And I really, really love him for sending me back.”

“Rune,” Sergei choked out.

“I love you too, Sergei,” she said, raising her arms to them. “I love you both! I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

Sergei took a step forward, then two before he jogged down the steps and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly against his body, his face buried in the curve of her shoulder as silent sobs shook his large frame. Rune looked over his shoulder at Dimitri who stood on the bottom step watching them.

“I love you, Dimitri,” Rune whispered tenderly. “I need you. We need you,” she added, holding out her hand to him.

Sergei turned, uncaring that his friend and surrogate brother saw the dampness on his face. The look of love, hope and warmth in Dimitri’s eyes made Sergei realize the pain his brother had hidden from him. He waited until Dimitri was close enough to touch Rune before he let her go.

“For how long?” Dimitri choked out, standing stiffly.

“For as long as you want me,” Rune replied, looking at both men. “Forever if you want.”

“I want forever,” Dimitri demanded hoarsely. “Sergei and I… we want forever.”

“Just remember it goes both ways,” she laughed out as she threw her arms around his neck. “You are both mine as well.”

“From the moment we touched you, Rune, you have held our hearts,” Sergei said pressing a kiss to her neck.

Rune leaned back against Sergei, content to be trapped between the two men. Especially since they were both warm and she was freezing. Her eyes moved upward to the stained glass ceiling of the atrium.

You have a lousy sense of humor,
she thought ruefully.
You could have at least given me my robe and slippers.

A soft chuckle was her only response.